zieds1mazs2.gif (177 bytes) ROOTS=SAKNES zieds1mazs2.gif (177 bytes) Ethnicities zieds1mazs2.gif (177 bytes) Help

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Ethnicities in region of Latvia. Statistics

Several surveys of population statistics took place in the Russia Empire locally, but only one Census of the Empire level was organized on January 28, 1897. The questionnaire of the Census did not contain any question concerning the ethnic origin of the questioned person. Therefore the population by ethnicity for 1897 now is calculated of person's mother tongue, that was registered. In case of Jews, the ethnic origin and the religion practically coincided, so their number could be derived much better from the information on the religion than on the mother tongue, because the vast majority of Jews declared the German language as their mother tongue in 1897; at that time Yiddish was not considered as a language. It means that converted Jews were counted as Germans or Russians depending on the mother tongue they showed and were not distinguishable of them. Another difficulty is that the region of today's Latvia belonged to three different provinces of the Empire (see the special page with this information), which makes the calculation more complicated.

The population of region of Latvia by ethnicity in 1897
Latvia population by ethnicity in 1920-1935
Number of non-citizens by ethnicity in 1935

 

The population of the region of Latvia by ethnicity in 1897

Latvians 1,318,112
Russians 152,681
Jews 142,315
Germans 120,191
Belorussians 79,523
Poles 65,056
Lithuanians 26,033
Estonians 17,990
Others 7,486

Total

1,929,387

The figures of this table were calculated by M.Skujenieks /Skujenieks/

 

Latvia population by ethnicity in 1920-1935

The first Census in Latvia took place in summer 1920. It registered 49 ethnicities in Latvia. Later the censuses were carried out each 5 years except 1940.

 

Etnicity

1920

1925

1930

1935

Latvians 1,161,404 1,354,126 1,394,957 1,472,612
Russians 124,746 193,648 201,778 206,499
Jews 79,644 95,675 94,388 93,479
Belorussians 75,630 38,010 36,029 26,867
Germans 58,113 70,964 69,855 62,144
Poles 54,567 51,143 59,374 48,949
Lithuanians 25,588 23,192 25,885 22,913
Estonians 8,769 7,893 7,708 7,014
Ukrainians 1040 512 1,629 1844
Gipsies 1023 2870 3,217 3839
Swedes 313 451 324 292
Danes 236
409
364
236
Frenchmen 160
214
211
182
Englishmen 151
497
462
319
Finns 131
161
166
118
Tartars 115
72
43
39
Czechs and Slovaks <100
216
210
200
Greeks <100
72
100
118
Livs   1,268 962 944
Norwegians  
100
101
72
Greeks  
72
100
118
Dutchmen  
81
98
63
Armenians  
58
79
83
Hungarians  
50
74
49
Italians  
54
56
62
Turks  
24
39
28
Georgians  
34
28
38
Serbs  
7
17
5
Japaneses  
6
15
21
Irishmen  
2
14
2
Rumanians  
10
11
17
Persians  
7
11
17
Spaniards  
5
9
14
Bulgars  
7
6
9
Osetins  
5
4
4
Chineses  
2
1
6
Unknown 3829

2542

1505

1079
Total 1,596,131 1,844,805 1,900,045 1,950,502

 

The serious differences in figures for 1920 and 1925 are explained by the movement of refugees during this time period to and from various neighboring countries, mainly from the Soviet Russia (USSR).

This table is based on the data of the statistical survey "Latvija skaitļos 1938" (Latvia in figures 1938) and of statistical survey concerning ethnicities of the 4th Census in 1935 (Ceturtā Tautas skaitīšana Latvijā 1935. gadā. Sastādījis V.Salnītis un M.Skujenieks. IV Tautība, Rīga, 1937).

The table contains information on all inhabitants regardless of their citizenship. Some people in 1935 declared their citizenship as their ethnicity. So the Census registered 124 Switzerlanders, 61 Austrian, 45 Belges, 39 Americans, 22 Karaites (rather a religion), 3 Mulates, 2 Slaves, 2 Brazilians.

 

Number of non-citizens by ethnicity in 1935

At that time the non-citizens were divided into two groups - foreigners, who lived in Latvia and were citizens of other country, and those who had no citizenship. The latter were refugees from Russia, who did not go back to the USSR, and had passports issued by the League of Nations. The registration of these refugees and their pasportisation were lead by the High Commissioner for Refugees, a well-known Norwegian polar investigator Fridtjöf Nansen, hence these passports were called Nansen passports and their holders nansenists.

 

Ethnicity

Foreigners

Nansenists

Total

Latvians 3333 1743 5076
Russians 1722 3178 4900
Jews 3625 3313 6938
Belorussians 810 775 1585
Germans 4315 1336 5651
Poles 5239 1271 6510
Lithuanians 9979 497 10476
Estonians 1233 53 1286
Others

1466

278

1744

Total

31,722 12,444 44,166

 

© Bruno Martuzāns. 1995-2002