The population of Abkhazia

The first settlers in the territory of Abkhazia appeared on the modern north-eastern outskirts of the city of Sukhum : on the slopes of Mount Yashtukha was one of the oldest and largest Paleolithic sites of primitive man in the USSR.

The most radical changes in the ethnic composition of the population of Abkhazia occurred during and after the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 , when a significant part of the Abkhaz and other peoples of the North Caucasus who did not want to remain part of the Russian Empire moved to the Ottoman Empire . In 1877 alone , the population of Abkhazia declined by almost half.

During the Soviet period, Abkhazia was subjected to intensified violent Georgianization, mainly small-scale peasants from the regions of western Georgia, sometimes whole villages, were resettled, as a result of which by the 1990s, a large part of the population of Abkhazia were Georgians; the share of Abkhazians has greatly decreased compared to the beginning of the 20th century ; in 1989 it amounted to 17.8% of the total population of the republic.

As a result of the 1992–1993 Abkhazian armed conflict, both warring parties suffered significant losses, and the Georgian population of Abkhazia, which constituted an ethnic majority before the conflict, was mainly forced to leave the region, like many Russians, Armenians, Greeks, and Estonians ^[4] .

** Data recounted after the 2011 census

The modern ethnic composition of the population of Abkhazia is heterogeneous: Abkhazians (124.5 thousand), Armenians (42-67 thousand) ^[9] and Russians (22 thousand) live in its territory, Georgians (46.7 thousand) in the east - These are partly Samurzakan megrels - Georgian Abkhazians - Samurzakans in the Gal and Tkuarchal districts : after the Georgian-Abkhaz war of 1992-1993, they, unlike the rest of the Georgian settlers (up to 180 thousand people), mainly returned to East Abkhazia ^{[ 10]} . Also live Ukrainians , Greeks , Estonians , Jews , Belarusians , Bulgarians , etc.

According to the census of the Republic of Abkhazia, 2011 Abkhazians amounted to 122069 people or 50.71%, Georgians (including megrelians ) - 46 367 people or 19.26%, Armenians - 41 864 people or 17.39%, Russians - 22 077 people or 9 , 17%, Greeks - 1380 people or 0.57% ^[11] .

Dynamics of the national composition of Abkhazia

The table below shows, according to official sources of different years, the national composition of the population of Abkhazia from the end of the 19th to the beginning of the 21st centuries (in 1887 and 1897 - within the framework of the Sukhumi District ) ^{[2] [11] [12] [13]} .

The national composition of the population by region of Abkhazia

2003

The national composition of Abkhazia and its regions according to the census of the Republic of Abkhazia 2003 ^{[2] [24]}

Including among Georgians, the 2003 census separately identified the Georgians and Mingrelians ^{[2] [27]} :

From the results of the 2003 census of Abkhazia , it follows that when calculating the number of Georgians excluding Mingrelians , Armenians are in second place in Abkhazia (after Abkhazians ), and Georgians are in third. Megrels are in fifth place after the Russians . Although ethnographers include the majority of Georgians in Eastern Abkhazia (at least 40 thousand inhabitants) and Western Georgia (actually Megrelia (Mingrelia) - from 200 thousand to 400 thousand inhabitants and in the whole of the Republic of Georgia - from 500 thousand to Mingrelians ; 750 thousand people). Thus, “Georgians” in Abkhazia according to the 2003 census should mean megrels . The remaining Georgians who settled in the 1930-1960s and their descendants (from 150 to 200 thousand people) were forced to leave Abkhazia in the early 1990s.

Some public organizations insist on underestimating the actual number of Armenians in Abkhazia, calling the number up to 67 thousand (instead of 45 thousand according to the 2003 census) ^[9] . In addition, part of the Abkhazians actually left for Russia, Turkey and other countries, and their actual number in Abkhazia can be estimated to be only about 70 thousand people.

2011

The national composition of Abkhazia and its regions according to the census of the Republic of Abkhazia 2011 ^{[2] [29]}

2016

The national composition of Abkhazia and its regions as estimated by the Office of State Statistics of the Republic of Abkhazia on January 1, 2016 ^[13]

Even after the outflow of the Georgian population, the majority of the population of Abkhazia are Christians. According to surveys, the distribution of denominations in 2003 was as follows ^[32] .

• 60% are Christians
• 16% - Muslims
• 3% - adherents of the Abkhaz religion
• 5% are pagans
• 8% - atheists (unbelievers)
• 2% - other faiths
• 6% found it difficult to answer

The most densely populated coastal plain and foothills, where all cities are located and most of the rural population lives. About 93% of the republic’s population is concentrated in this belt.

In 1989, the urban population in the Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was 247 543 people or 47.1%, including 119 150 people living in Sukhumi , 24 061 people living in Gagra , 21 744 people in Tkvarcheli , and 20 078 in Ochamchire people, in Gali - 15 763 people, in Gudauta - 14 864 people, in Pitsunda - 10 146 people, in Gulripsha - 10 697 people, in Gantiadi (Tsandrypsh) - 7358 people, in New Athos - 3235 people and in Müsser (Mysre) - 447 people. ^[33]

The number of city dwellers in the 2011 census was 121,255 residents, or 50.4% of the population, including 62,914. in Sukhum , 12 364 people. in Gagra , 8514 people. in Gudauta , 7605 people. in Gala , 5280 people in Ochamchyr , 5170 people in Tsandrypsh (Gantiadi) , 5013 people. in Tkuarchal , 4719 people. in Bzypt (town), 4198 people. in Pitsunda , 3910 people in Gulrypsh ( town ), 1518 people. in New Athos , 50 people in Mysra (town) ^[29] .

As a result of the armed conflict of 1992-1993, there was some deurbanization . To date, the number of people living in cities has decreased by more than 2 times.

Official data on fertility, mortality and population growth are periodically published. According to the Department of State Statistics, in 2003, 1816 people were born in Abkhazia, in 2004 - 1919. In 2003, 1142 people died, and in 2004 - 1233. The natural population growth in 2003 was + 674, in 2004 - + 686 people. ^[34]

In 2008, about 2 thousand children were born in the republic. ^[35]

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  Map of Abkhazia

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  Administrative map of Abkhazia

Map Legend:

• Николай Иоаниди. Греки в Абхазии. — 2013.