On Preliminary Results of the 1979 Census

USSR Central Statistical Administration, Report of the USSR Central Statistical Administration. April 22, 1979

 

Original Source: Pravda, 22 April 1979, p. 4; Izvestiia, 22 April 1979, pp. 1, 3.

1. A regular All-Union Population Census was conducted in January 1979. According to the census data, as of Jan. 17, 1979, the population of the Soviet Union was 262,442,000.

2. Changes in the population of the USSR are characterized by the following data:

1913 (estimate for present borders) 159.2 million
1940 (estimate for present borders) 194. 1 million
1959 (according to Jan. 15 census) 208.8 million
1970 (according to Jan. 15 census) 241.7 million
1979 (according to Jan. 17 census) 262. 4 million

During the nine years since the 1970 census, the population of the Soviet Union increased by 20.7 million.

3. The population of the Union republics changed as follows:

Population -(thousands) Jan. 17, 1970; Jan.15, 1979; 1979 as a % of 1970

USSR 241,720 262,442 109
Russian Republic 130,079 137,552 106
Ukraine Republic 47,126 49,757 106
Belorussian Republic 9,002 9,559 106
Uzbek Republic 11,799 15,391 130
Kazakh Republic 13,009 14,685 113
Georgian Republic 4,686 5,016 107
Azerbaijan Republic 5,117 6,028 118
Lithuanian Republic 3,128 3,399 109
Moldavian Republic 3,569 3,948 111
Latvian Republic 2,364 2,521 107
Kirghiz Republic 2,934 3,529 120
Tadzhik Republic 2,900 3,801 131
Armenian Republic 2,492 3,031 122
Turkmenian Republic 2,159 2,759 128
Estonian Republic 1,356 1,466 108

The population growth in most of the Union republics was due largely to natural increase.

4. Changes in the urban and rural population of the USSR:

Total population; % of total

Year (millions) Urban Rural Urban Rural
1913 159.2 28.5 130.7 18 82
1940 194.1 63.1 131.0 33 67
1959 208.8 100.0 108.8 48 52
1970 241.7 136.0 105.7 56 44
1979 262.4 163.6 98.8 62 38

The urban population increased by 27.6 million over the 1970 figures: Of this total, natural increase in cities accounted for 12 million, and the transformation of rural communities into urban ones and moves by rural residents to cities for 15.6 million.

The natural increase of the population in rural localities during the period between censuses was more than 8.7 million; however, because of the reasons cited above, the rural population did not increase but decreased by 6.9 million.

5. During the census, 122.4 million men and 140 million women were recorded. The percentages of men and women have changed as follows:

Total population; Urban Rural

Year Men Women Men Women Men Women
1913 49.7 50.3 53.2 46.8 48.9 51.1
1940 47.9 52.1 47.9 52.1 48.0 52.0
1959 45.0 55.0 45.2 54.8 44.9 55.1
1970 46.1 53.9 46.3 53.7 45.8 54.2
1979 46.7 53.3 46.7 53.3 46.6 53.4

According to the 1959 census, there were 20.7 million more women than men; this was a consequence of the heavy losses of men during the Great Patriotic War. The gap between the number of men and of women is gradually narrowing. In the age-groups under 50, the male-to-female ratio has now become more or less even …

Source: Current Digest of the Soviet Press. Vol. XXXI, No. 16 (1979)

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