Accurate or reliable data for historical populations of Armenians is scarce, but scholars and institutions have proposed estimates for different periods.
Tadevos Hakobyan estimated, based on the available information such as army size and tax records, that ancient Armenia's population did not exceed 5–6 million.[1]Elizabeth Redgate also suggested that Armenia's historical population may have never exceeded 5 or 6 million as most of its extent was not fit for settlement.[2]
Based on historical records, Igor M. Diakonoff estimated the population of Urartu as having "certainly exceeded one million and may have reached two or three million".[3] He also found 6 to 7 million a "plausible figure."[4] For around 585 BC, John M. Douglas proposed an approximate population of 3 million for Urartu and 2 million for Proto-Armenians.[5]
Ruben L. Manaseryan estimated the population of the short-lived empire of Tigranes the Great (r.95–55 BC) at 10 million.[6] Sedrak Krkyasharyan estimated over 10.5 million people in his empire, including around 4 million Armenians.[7][lower-alpha 1]Hakob Manandian posited that the population of Armenia during the reigns of Artaxias I and Tigranes II was "much larger than that of later centuries."[11]
Based on tax records, Arsen Shahinyan estimated the population of Arminiya, an administrative unit of the Abbasid Caliphate, in the 8th and 9th centuries at 1.5 million, including 750,000 in Arminiya I (Greater Armenia), around 650,000 in Arminiya II (Arran, i.e. Caucasian Albania), and around 100,000 in Arminiya III (Jurzan, i.e. Eastern Georgia).[18]
Serob Poghosyan estimated Armenia's population in the 9th–11th centuries, when much of it was ruled by the Bagratids, at 5 to 6 million.[19] Mikayel Malkhasyan estimated Vaspurakan's population in the same period at no less than a million people.[20]
Hakobyan suggested that Armenia's population reached 5 to 6 million only in the 13th century, prior to the Mongol invasion, when he estimated 4.5 million people in rural areas and around 500,000 in cities.[1] Others have estimated Armenia's population in the mid-13th century at 4 million.[21][22] Based on tax records, Manandian estimated the combined population of eastern Armenia, Kars and eastern Georgia (Kartli and Kakheti) in the mid-13th century at 4 to 5 million.[23]
Modern Armenian scholars believe that the medieval Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia had a population of around one million, most of whom were Armenians.[24][25]
19th and early 20th century
August von Haxthausen quoted Catholicos Nerses V (then archbishop) as having told him in 1843 that he can assert with confidence the existence of more than eight million Armenians worldwide, including 30,000 Catholic Armenians in the Russian Caucasus.[26]
In 1847 John Wilson estimated the total Armenian population at 2.5 million, with 1 million in the Russian Empire, 1 million in the Ottoman Empire and 0.5 million in Persia and "other distant lands." He quoted the figures provided by Lucas Balthazar, the "intelligent editor" of the Smyrna-based Armenian newspaper The Dawn of Ararat,[lower-alpha 2] who estimated 5 million Armenians overall, with 2 million in Russia, 2 million in Turkey and 1 million in Persia, India and elsewhere.[27]
Armenian population worldwide, estimated by Édouard Dulaurier (c.1850). Total: 4,000,000[28]
Ottoman Empire (62.5%)
Russian Empire (30%)
Persia (3.75%)
Austrian Empire (0.625%)
South and Southeast Asia (0.625%)
Elsewhere (2.5%)
The 9th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica (1875) cited Édouard Dulaurier's estimates c.1850: approximately four millions Armenians in the world, including 2,500,000 in the Ottoman Empire, 1,200,000 in the Russian Empire, 25,000 in the Austrian Empire, 150,000 in Persia and Azerbaijan, 25,000 in continental India and the Archipelago of Asia, and the remainder of 100,000 scattered in various countries.[28]
Richard Robert Madden wrote in 1862 that the Armenian population worldwide is estimated at 4 million, of whom an estimated 2,400,000 in the Ottoman Empire ("an approximate computation, and probably below the truth"), 900,000 in the Russian Empire, 600,000 in Persia, 40,000 in India and "other realms of Asia", and 60,000 in "various European countries."[29]
In 1876 John Buchan Telfer, quoted the figures provided by Garabed Ghazarosian in his 1873 The Universal Year Book, which estimated a total of 4.2 million Armenians worldwide, including 2.5 million in Turkish dominions, 1.5 million in Russia, 34,000 in Persia, 14,600 in Austria, 15,000 in England, India and other British possessions, 8,400 in Romania, 8,000 in Egypt, and 120,000 in other countries.[30][31] In 1891, Telfer reported to the Royal Society of Arts that "most authorities" appear to agree that the total Armenian population worldwide amounts to around 5 million, with most "scattered in their own land and in adjoining territories" and nearly half a million "settled in distant parts."[32]
In 1891 Élisée Reclus wrote that while "usually estimated at three and even four millions," the total number of Armenians "would seem scarcely to exceed two millions." He estimated the "probable" number of Armenians as follows: 840,000 in Caucasia and European Russia, 760,000 in Asiatic Turkey, and 250,000 in European Turkey, 150,000 in Persia, and 60,000 elsewhere, with the total at 2,060,000. He estimated no less than 200,000 Armenians in Constantinople and noted that Tiflis held the second largest Armenian population of any city.[33]
In his 1896 book Story of Turkey and Armenia Reverend James Wilson Pierce estimated 2.4 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, 1.25 million in the Russian Empire, 150,000 in Persia, 100,000 in Europe and 5,000 in the United States.[35]
Adrian Fortescue wrote in 1916: "There are said to be about three and a half or four million Armenians in the world—1,300,000 in Turkey, 1,200,000 in Russia, 50,000 in Persia, and the rest dispersed throughout the world. Of these about three quarters belong to the Monophysite ("Gregorian") Church."[36]
According to the Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia, what is now Armenia (historically known as Eastern Armenia) that came under Russian rule in 1828, had a population of 161,700 in 1831, which rose to reach 1.01 million by 1913.[37]
Armenian population worldwide, estimated by Malachia Ormanian (1911). Total: 3,508,950
Ottoman Empire (48.7%)
Russian Empire (45%)
Elsewhere (6.3%)
Malachia Ormanian, a scholar and former Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, estimated the population of Christian Armenians by the dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church in his 1911 book The Church of Armenia.[43] It is the most detailed population distribution estimates available prior to the Armenian genocide. Robert Hewsen wrote that "Ormanian's figures appear moderate and reasonable, although this does not necessarily make them precise."[44]Levon Marashlian notes that "the purpose of Ormanian's book was not to provide comprehensive population statistics" and that "his numbers for [Armenian] Protestants and Catholics may be even more incomplete" than for Armenian Apostolics.[45]
The United States Department of State summarized the populations of Armenians in a November 1922 document entitled "Approximate number of Armenians in the world" (NARA 867.4016/816). Of the total 3,004,000 Armenians, 817,873 were refugees from Turkey "based upon information furnished by the British Embassy, Constantinople, and by the agents of the Near East Relief Society, in 1921. The total given does not include the able-bodied Armenians, who are retained by the Kemalists, nor the women and children,—approximately 95,000,—according to the League of Nations-who have been forced to embrace Islam."
The distribution of Armenians in the Soviet Union according to the 1979 census
Armenian SSR (65.6%)
Azerbaijan SSR (11.5%)
Georgian SSR (10.8%)
Russian SFSR (8.8%)
Rest (3.3%)
Precise figures are available for the number of Armenians in the Soviet Union and its constituent republics because all censuses in the USSR enumerated people by ethnicity.
The demographics of Kazakhstan enumerate the demographic features of the population of Kazakhstan, including population growth, population density, ethnicity, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population. Some use the word Kazakh to refer to the Kazakh ethnic group and language and Kazakhstani to refer to Kazakhstan and its citizens regardless of ethnicity, but it is common to use Kazakh in both senses. It is expected that by 2050, the population will range from 23.5 to 27.7 million people.
The Demographics of Kyrgyzstan is about the demographic features of the population of Kyrgyzstan, including population growth, population density, ethnicity, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population. The name Kyrgyz, both for the people and the country, means "forty tribes", a reference to the epic hero Manas who unified forty tribes against the Oirats, as symbolized by the 40-ray sun on the flag of Kyrgyzstan.
The demographics of Belarus is about the demographic features of the population of Belarus, including population growth, population density, ethnicity, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population.
Ismayilli District is one of the 69 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the north of the country, in the Mountainous Shirvan Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Qabala, Quba, Goychay, Kurdamir, Agsu, Shamakhi, and the Russian Republic of Dagestan. Its capital and largest city is Ismayilli. As of 2020, the district had a population of 87,400. It is believed that this district was named after a highly respected elder and philanthropist in the community, Ismayil Baghiyev.
The Kurdish population is estimated to be between 30 and 45 million. Most Kurdish people live in Kurdistan, which today is split between Iranian Kurdistan, Iraqi Kurdistan, Turkish Kurdistan, and Syrian Kurdistan.
The Chechen diaspora is a term used to collectively describe the communities of Chechen people who live outside of Chechnya; this includes Chechens who live in other parts of Russia. There are also significant Chechen populations in other subdivisions of Russia.
Surb Karapet Monastery of Mush was an Armenian Apostolic monastery in the historic province of Taron, about 30 km (19 mi) northwest of Mush (Muş), in present-day eastern Turkey.
The Circassian diaspora refers to ethnic Circassian people around the world who live outside their homeland Circassia. The majority of the Circassians live in the diaspora, as their ancestors were settled during the resettlement of the Circassian population, especially during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. From 1763 to 1864, the Circassians fought against the Russian Empire in the Russian-Circassian War, finally succumbing to a scorched-earth genocide campaign initiated between 1862 and 1864. Afterwards, large numbers of Circassians were exiled and deported to the Ottoman Empire and other nearby regions; others were resettled in Russia far from their home territories. Circassians live in more than fifty countries, besides the Republic of Adygea. Total population estimates differ: according to some sources, some two million live in Turkey, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq; other sources say between one and four million live in Turkey alone.
Russians in Azerbaijan are the second largest ethnic minority in Azerbaijan and is also the largest Russian community in the South Caucasus and one of the largest outside of Russia. Although in decline, the community still numbers 71,000 people as of 2019. Since their arrival at the beginning of the 19th century, the Russians have played an important role in all spheres of life, particularly during the Czarist and Soviet period, especially in the capital city of Baku.
The Kurds in Georgia form a major part of the historically significant Kurdish population in the post-Soviet space, and are members of the eponymous ethnic group that are citizens of Georgia. In the 20th century, most Kurds fled religious persecution in the Ottoman Empire to the Russian Empire. The return of their Kurdish surnames needs effort according to a Kurdish activist in Georgia. The Kurds also have their own schools, school books and a printing press in Georgia. Illiteracy among them disappeared in the early 1900s. Kurds in Georgia are politically neutral; however, in 1999 they staged a huge demonstration in Tbilisi, demanding the release of the founder of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, Abdullah Öcalan. Kurds in Georgia today use Cyrillic script. Earlier, in the 1920s, they used the Latin script.
Armenians in the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania settled there mostly during the Soviet occupation of the Baltic States, although some of the first settlers arrived during the Russian Empire's rule in the Baltics.
The following table is the list of urban areas with the largest Armenian population, including in Armenia and the disputed Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), and the Armenian diaspora.
Armenian populations exist throughout the world. Although Armenian diaspora communities have existed since ancient times, most of the Armenians living outside of Armenia today are either descendants of Armenian genocide survivors or more recent immigrants from post-Soviet Armenia. According to various estimates, the total number of ethnic Armenians in the world is 7 to 9 million, with less than half living in Armenia.
Kurds in Russia form a major part of the historically significant Kurdish population in the post-Soviet space, with close ties to the Kurdish communities in the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Moscow is the most populous city in Europe and Russia, population of which is mostly made up of ethnic Russians, but it also hosts a significant population of ethnic minorities. The last census of 2021 reported 69.7% of the population was Russian.
Many countries and national censuses currently enumerate or have previously enumerated their populations by race, ethnicity, nationality, or a combination of these characteristics. Different countries have different classifications and census options for race and ethnicity/nationality which are not comparable with data from other countries. In addition, many of the race and ethnicity concepts that appear on national censuses worldwide have their origins in Europe or in the views of Europeans, rather than in the views of the locals of these countries.
The Georgian diaspora refers to both historical and present emigration from Georgia. The countries with the largest Georgian communities outside Georgia are Turkey and Russia. The Georgian diaspora, or the dispersion of Georgian people outside of Georgia, began to take shape during various historical periods. However, a significant wave of emigration occurred during the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly during times of political upheaval, such as the Russian Empire's expansion into the Caucasus region and the Soviet era.
The Armenian Cathedral of Moscow, officially known as Holy Transfiguration Cathedral, is the seat of the Diocese of Russia of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Constructed in seven years, it was consecrated in September 2013 by leaders of the Armenian Apostolic and Russian Orthodox churches. It is considered the largest Armenian church and church complex outside Armenia.
The census in Azerbaijan is a process of collecting, summarizing, analyzing and publishing the demographic, economic and social data of the population living in the territory of Azerbaijan. The next census in the Republic is expected to be held in 2029.
Azerbaijani populations exist throughout the world. About 8.2 million Azerbaijanis live in Azerbaijan, making 91.6% of the country's population. According to the CIA website, Azerbaijanis are the second ethnic group in Georgia and in Iran.
↑ Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is a disputed area. It is de facto independent, but is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.
↑ The political status of Abkhazia is disputed. Having unilaterally declared independence from Georgia in 1992, Abkhazia is formally recognised as an independent state by 5 UN member states (two other states previously recognised it but then withdrew their recognition), while the remainder of the international community recognizes it as as de jure Georgian territory. Georgia continues to claim the area as its own territory, designating it as Russian-occupied territory.
↑ Diakonoff, I. M. (1984) [1968]. The Pre-History of the Armenian People [Предыстория армянского народа]. Translated by Lori Jennings. Delmar, N.Y.: Caravan Books. p.124. According to the data of Sarduri II's annals, within the Urartian Empire he abolished the duty of military service for 350,000 men.105 This means that the population of Urartu certainly exceeded one million and may have reached two or three million.
↑ Diakonoff, Igor M. (2000). "Lights on the Social History of Urartu". In Arbeitman, Yoël L. (ed.). The Asia Minor Connexion: Studies on the Pre-Greek Languages in Memory of Charles Carter. Peeters Publishers. p.57. ISBN9789042907980. The total population of Urartu would be ca. six-seven million, which is a plausible figure. Cf. also the computations in I. M. Diakonoff, The Pre-history of the Armenian People, 1984, Delmar, N.Y., pp. 123ss.
↑ Douglas, John M. (1992). The Armenians. J.J. Winthrop Corporation. p.30. ISBN9780963138101. The population of Urartu around 585 B.C. was approximately three million and that of Arme was two million.
↑ "Демография государства Великая Армения во времена Тиграна II Великого [Demographics of the state of Greater Armenia during the time of Tigran II the Great]", published in Russian on March 25, 2020 by times.am (archived) and voskanapat.info (archived). "численность армянского населения в I в. до н. э. составляла около 4 млн. человек. [...] Таким же образом можно вычислить численность населения державы Тиграна Великого. Оно составляло более 10,5 млн. человек."
↑ de Morgan, Jacques (1917). Essai sur les nationalités (in French). Paris: Berger-Levrault. p.115. Or, leurs ambitions ne vont nulle- ment jusqu'à désirer comme frontières les limites du royaume de Tigrane le Grand. L'Arménie comptait alors 25 millions d'habitants, tandis qu'aujourd'hui cette nation, éprouvée par tant de massacres, d'émigrations et de conversions forcées, ne comprend plus que tout au plus 4 millions d'âmes, dont environ la moitié habite des territoires qui, politiquement, font partie de l'Empire du Tsar.
↑ Bodil Katharine Biørn (1944). Armenia og armenierne (in Norwegian). "Armenia var tidligere et kongerike som var størst under Digranes den store. Han grunnla Digranagerd (Diabekir) og regjerte over 30 mill. mennesker."; published in Kvinnelige misjonsarbeidere, Se til hvorledes i bygger videre, K.M.A. gjennom 50 år (Oslo, 1952); translated into Armenian «Հայաստանը նախկինում թագավորություն է եղել, որն ամենամեծն է եղել Տիգրան Մեծի օրոք։ Նա հիմնել է Տիգրանակերտը (Դիարբեքիր) և կառավարել ավելի քան 30 մլն բնակչության։»
↑ Agathangelos (1976). History of the Armenians. Translation, introduction and commentary by Robert W. Thomson (Firsted.). Albany: State University of New York Press. pp.lxvii–lxviii, 369371. ISBN0-87395-323-1. Gregory now prepared to baptise the people of Armenia. [...] That day over 150,000 soldiers were baptised, and during the following week over 4,000,000 people.
↑ Yeremian, S. (1987). "Հայեր [Armenians]". Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia. Vol. 13: Soviet Armenia. p.28. Yeremian: 301-ին հայերը քրիստոնեությունն ընդունեցին որպես պետ․ կրոն։ Այդ ժամանակաշրջանում հայերի թիվը հասնում էր շուրջ 4 մլն մարդու, իսկ Մեծ Հայքի պետության տարածքը՝ 312 հզ․ կմ2։
↑ Bedrosian, Robert Gregory (1979). The Turco-Mongol Invasions and the Lords of Armenia in the 13th–14th centuries. New York: Columbia University. p.123. modern scholars estimate the Armenian population of Greater Armenia (excluding Cilicia) to have been about 4 million in the mid-13th century.
↑ Manandian, Hakob. (1952) Քննական Տեսություն Հայ Ժողովրդի Պատմության (Critical View of the History of the Armenian People), vol. 3, Yerevan: Academy of Sciences Press, p. 251 «Ըստ այս վկայության գրանցված հարկատու գյուղացիների թիվը Լաշայի որդի Դավթի ժամանակ ցույց է տրված, ինչպես տեսնում ենք, մոտ մեկ միլիոն մարդ: Ավելացնելով այս թվին նաև երեխաների, ծերերի, կանանց, հոգևորականների և քաղաքացիների թիվը՝ կարելի է ենթադրել, որ վրաց թագավորության բնակչության թիվը 13-րդ դարի կեսերին եղել է 4-5 միլիոն: Այս թիվը, որ կարող էր մոտավորապես ճիշտ լինել՝ վերաբերում է, իհարկե, ոչ միայն Քարթլիի և Կախեթի բնակչությանը, ինչպես այդ հնթադրում է Բրոսսեն, այլ վրաց ամբողջ թագավորությանը, որի մասն էին կազմում այդ ժամանակ նաև Արևելլան Հայաստանը, Կարսը և այլ շրջաններ:». quoted in Dashdondog, Bayarsaikhan (2011). "Mongol Administration in Greater Armenia (1243–1275)". The Mongols and the Armenians (1220-1335). Brill. p.108. ISBN978-90-04-19211-9.
↑ Bornozyan, S. V.; Zulalyan, Manvel[in Armenian] (1976). Հայ Ժողովրդի Պատմություն, Հ. 3. [History of the Armenian People. Vol. 3] (in Armenian). Yerevan: Armenian Academy of Sciences. pp.672, 724. Կիլիկյան հայկական պետության ծաղկան ժամանակաշրջանում՝ XIII դարում, նրա տարածությունը կազմում էր 40.000 քառ. կմ, իսկ բնակչության թիվը անցնում էր մեկ միլիոնից։ [...] Կիլիկիայի քաղաքներում ու նավահանգիստներում էր կենտրոնացված Կիլիկիայի մեկ միլիոն բնակչության համարյա կեսը։ (Տե՛ս "Histoire de Chypre de Mas-Latrie", t. II, p. 682-690)
↑ Wilson, John (1847). The Lands of the Bible: Visited and Described in an Extensive Journey Undertaken with Special Reference to the Promotion of Biblical Research and the Advancement of the Cause of Philanthropy, Vol. II. London: William Whyte & Co. pp.479-480.
↑ Telfer, J. Buchan (1876). The Crimea and Transcaucasia, being the narrative of a journey in the Kouban, in Gouria, Georgia, Armenia, Ossety, Imeritia, Swannety, and Mingrelia, and in the Tauric Range. Volume I. London: Henry S. King & Co. p.256.
↑ Tcheraz, Minas (1893). "The Armenian Church". In Barrows, John Henry (ed.). The World's Parliament of Religions Volume II. Chicago: The Parliament Publishing Company. p.928. ...the Armenian Church, which numbers even now 5,000,000 faithful souls, scattered over all parts of the globe. Etchmiadzin is revered not only by the sons of this church, but also by the 80,000 Armenians who have entered within the pale of the Church of Rome, the 20,000 who have become Protestants, and a small number which has adhered to the Greek orthodox.
↑ Pierce, James Wilson (1896). Story of Turkey and Armenia. Baltimore: R. H. Woodward Company. p.14.
↑ Fraser, John Foster (1907). Red Russia. New York: The John Lane Company. p.212. ...the Armenians , intellectual superiors of the peoples south of the Caucasus range, number about two millions...
↑ Hovannisian, R. G. (2005). "Genocide and independence, 1914-21". In Herzig, Edmund; Kurkchiyan, Marina (eds.). The Armenians: Past and Present in the Making of National Identity. London: Routledge. p.90. ISBN9781135798376.
↑ Кавказский календарь на 1917 год[Caucasian calendar for 1917] (in Russian) (72nded.). Tiflis: Tipografiya kantselyarii Ye.I.V. na Kavkaze, kazenny dom. 1917. pp.178–237. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021.
↑ "The world upward trend is further confirmed by the break-down given in 1966 by the Erevan periodical Hayreniki Dzayn (summarized by Dekmejian in Soviet Studies of Glasgow University, 1968). Here we find a world-wide total of five and a half million Armenians, sub-divided as follows..."; quoted in Lang, David Marshall; Walker, Christopher J. (1987) [1976]. The Armenians(PDF). Minority Rights Group. p.12. ISBN0-946690-43-X. Archived from the original(PDF) on 18 September 2019.
↑ "U.S. Census Bureau History: World War I Armistice". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. November 2018. Archived from the original on 21 March 2021. The 1920 Census was the first to collect nativity and ancestry information from people tracing their roots to these new nations. For example, in 1920, the census found that ... 36,628 people were born in Armenia.
↑ Aswald, Barbara C. (1971). Property Control and Social Strategies in Settlers in a Middle Eastern Plain. University of Michigan. p.11. ISBN978-0-932206-42-8.
↑ Zohry, Ayman (July 2005). "Armenians in Egypt"(PDF). XXV IUSSP International Population Conference. International Union for the Scientific Study of Population. p.3. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2021-05-02.
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