In modern science, the physical development of a person is considered as a reflection of the socio-economic and environmental conditions of his existence. As a result, anthropometric data have acquired a multifunctional purpose in science and social practice. A database of big anthropometric data in Russia was created during the implementation of the Russian Science Foundation project. It includes information on height, weight, body mass index, sources of information, as well as socio-demographic characteristics of 2,028,446 men, women and children living in the USSR and post-Soviet Russia in the 20th — early 21st centuries (year of birth and measurements, age, place of birth and conscription, education, marital and social status, etc.). The database must meet statistical criteria of normality and homogeneity in order to be used correctly in scientific research. The check showed that the distributions of informants by height and weight in individual cohorts are close to normal, and the socio-demographic structures of respondents in samples over different years are homogeneous. Careful verification allows us to conclude that the created database of big anthropometric data meets the criteria of objectivity and representativeness. Comprehensive analysis of the database will make it possible to fairly clearly assess the dynamics of the biological status of Soviet citizens and answer questions that are debatable, and recently urgently relevant: how has been the standard of living of the population changed under Soviet rule in time and space, by nationality and social groups, among urban and rural populations.