MOSCOW, July 22 The first lines of the rating for the development of mortgage lending among Russian regions are occupied by the Republic of Tyva, the Tyumen region and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Ingushetia and Crimea close the list and Sevastopol, research shows *. 
Situation on the mortgage market
As experts note, the situation in 2023 for the mortgage market was very successful; the year ended with record figures, which was largely helped by existing preferential government programs, as well as subsidized rates by developers.
Last year, a record number of mortgage loans with state support were issued, which accounted for more than 60% of the total volume of all mortgage loans issued. But the beginning of 2024 was already characterized by a noticeable decline in the dynamics of the mortgage market.
In the first five months of 2024, the number of mortgage loans issued in Russia amounted to almost 560 thousand compared to 658 thousand in the same period in 2023, that is, 15% less. In monetary terms, the volume of the mortgage market in the first five months amounted to 2.06 trillion rubles, compared to 2.42 trillion in the same period in 2023. The reason for the decline in the mortgage market was the measures of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation to cool the market and the reduction of preferential programs. 
How the rating was calculated
Regionally, the picture of mortgage lending looks extremely uneven. To determine these differences, experts conducted the seventh annual study on the specific level of mortgage loans in the regions of Russia and compiled a rating.
The ratio of the number of loans issued over the last 12 months (from June 1, 2023 to June 1, 2024) to the size of the economically active population was used as the main ranking indicator in the rating.
The rating also analyzes and presents such indicators as the average loan size, the dynamics of the number of mortgage loans, as well as the share of overdue debt on mortgage loans.
According to estimates, on average in Russia, about 25.5 mortgage loans were issued per 1,000 people of the economically active population over the past 12 months (June 2023 — May 2024), and this was a record value in the entire history of mortgage development in Russia. For comparison, in 2015, only 10 mortgage loans were issued per 1,000 people of the economically active population.
Leaders and outsiders
This year, the leader of the ranking for the second year in a row is the Republic of Tyva. In this region, mortgage issuance increased 2.4 times over the year, which allowed it to maintain its leading position. At the same time, the volume of mortgage loans issued over the same period increased 1.8 times. In the Republic of Tyva, 130 out of a thousand people among the economically active population took out a mortgage loan over the past 12 months. This is five times more than the national average and 24 times more than the region that took last place. 
The Tyumen region also retained its position and again took second place in the ranking. This region is one of the most economically developed, which shows good dynamics in many socio-economic indicators, including construction. In the Tyumen region over the past 12 months, the ratio of loans to the economically active population was 46.8, which is almost a quarter better than the result a year ago. Experts note that mortgage lending in this region has shown good results for many years.
The third place in the ranking is occupied by the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug with a result of 42.2 loans per 1000 people of the economically active population. The leading positions of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug are determined by economic and demographic factors.
In the leading group, but outside the top three, are: the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), the Udmurt Republic, the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug — Ugra, the Republic of Tatarstan, the Sverdlovsk Region and the Novosibirsk Region. Mortgage issuance volumes above the Russian average are observed in 42 regions, and in 11 regions they are at least a third higher than the average level.
If we compare the leaders and the regions that took the last lines of the ranking, the difference will be very significant. On average, the top ten leading regions are more than 3 times ahead of the last ten regions. Such a big difference is determined both by economic factors in the regions and by the development, accessibility and popularity of banking services. 
The last five lines of the rating, with a noticeable lag behind the other regions, are occupied by the Republic of Ingushetia, the Republic of Crimea, Sevastopol, the Republic of Dagestan, and the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic.
Dynamics by number of loans
If at the beginning of 2023 all 85 analyzed regions demonstrated growth, then this year the opposite situation is observed. After the record figures of last year, this year positive dynamics were maintained only in nine Russian regions. In the remaining 76 subjects of the Russian Federation, a decrease in the number of mortgage loans was recorded. On average, in Russia, the number of issued mortgage loans decreased by 15% in the first five months.
Of the nine regions, in two — the Republic of Ingushetia and the Republic of Tyva — the number of mortgage loans more than doubled. In two more — Sevastopol and the Republic of Crimea — growth exceeded 30%. In addition, positive dynamics are observed in the Altai Republic, Kaliningrad Region, the Republic of Dagestan, the Republic of Buryatia and the Astrakhan Region.
The weakest dynamics are observed in five regions, where the number of issued mortgage loans decreased by more than 30%. These include: the Komi Republic, Kirov region, Magadan region, Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug — Ugra and Kemerovo region. In addition to those listed, in another 50 regions the decline in loans issued exceeds the Russian average. 
< h3 id="1961104300-5">Average mortgage loan
The largest mortgage loans are taken out in Moscow, which is mainly explained by high real estate prices. According to the study, the average volume of one mortgage loan in the capital is 6.97 million rubles.
Large loans are also taken out in the Moscow Region and in St. Petersburg (4.9 million rubles), as well as in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), in the Sakhalin Region and in the Republic of Kalmykia, where loans are taken out in the amount of 4.55 million rubles on average.
The smallest mortgage loans are taken out in the Chechen Republic and the Republic of Ingushetia. In these regions, the average loan is about 1.1 million rubles. Thus, Muscovites on average take out a mortgage loan that is six times larger than what residents of Chechnya or Ingushetia take out. In Russia as a whole, the average mortgage loan is already 3.7 million rubles, and five years ago it did not exceed 2 million rubles, so the average loan size has almost doubled since 2018, which largely reflects the increase in housing costs.
Against the backdrop of active demand for mortgage loans in the vast majority of regions, the discipline of borrowers remains at a good level, experts say. The median value of overdue debt among Russian regions is 0.32%, and the range of values is from 0.1% to 3%. The most disciplined mortgage borrowers, according to the rating, live in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the Republic of Crimea and the Murmansk region.
The rating was prepared by order of the agency by RIA Rating specialists.