28 October 2003 14:06
Results of Russian census reported to Putin
Moscow, 28 October: According to the 2002 national census, Russia has a population of 145,200,000, the 7th largest in
the world. Vladimir Sokolin, chairman of the Russian State Committee for Statistics, quoted this data at a meeting with
Russian President Vladimir Putin today. The head of the State Committee for Statistics and the Russian Minister for
Nationalities Vladimir Zorin reported to the head of state about the completion of the first stage of summing up the
results of the 2002 national census.
[Passage omitted]
Vladimir Putin asked about the main results of the census. An automated calculation has shown, Sokolin said, that
Russia is home to seven peoples numbering more than 1 million each. "Russians account for 80 per cent of
Russia's population, Tatars are second and Ukrainians - third," he said.
Vladimir Zorin mentioned, in his turn, that "the results confirmed that Russia is one of the most multinational
states in the world", hosting about 160 nationalities. The minister said that 23 peoples number over 400,000 people
each. He recalled that, according to the 1989 census, 17 peoples lived in Russia then. Zorin said that the difference
can be explained, among other things, by the fact that during the census the principle of ethnic self-determination was
maintained. "Since 1989 we have not lost a single people or ethnic group," he stressed.
The chairman of the Russian State Committee for Statistics said that, of the 145,200,000 people living in Russia, the
majority (142,500,000 people) are Russian citizens, while 40,000 have dual citizenship.
[ITAR-TASS news agency] |
RUSSIA IN FACTS
