MOSCOW, December 1. /TASS/. The coronavirus pandemic may spur an explosive growth of the non-profit sector in Russia, Executive Director of the National Union of Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) Anatoly Ganin told reporters on Wednesday, adding that its share in the country’s economy may rise from 1% to 10% in a decade.

"It [NPOs share in the Russian economic structure] currently stands at around 1%. In developed countries, it equals 10-14%. Observing the situation with the development of the non-profit sector in Russia we can say that an explosive growth of the economy of the non-profit sector is in store for us. <...> We expect a ten-fold rise within the next ten years," he said.

The pandemic is the main driver of that growth as it differently affected social groups and triggered a trend for changes, particularly in providing social services, Ganin explained.

"A distinctive feature of the non-profit organization is its targeting of social influence. If the state solves a social problem in general non-profit organizations may adjust to the situation," he added.

Meanwhile, a few systemic issues should be solved for the development of the country’s non-profit sector. In particular, it is necessary to teach the players in the sector to properly compete with each other, as well as to change the approach to the state support of NPOs.