1926 Soviet census


The 1926 Soviet census, conducted in December 1926, was the first comprehensive all-Union census in the Soviet Union. It served as a critical instrument in the nation-building efforts of the USSR, furnishing the government with vital ethnographic data. This census played a significant role in the societal shift from the Imperial Russian era to the Soviet period. The methodologies employed by ethnographers in defining individual ethnicity, particularly in creating the "List of Ethnicities of the USSR" and delineating borders in ethnically mixed regions, profoundly shaped Soviet policies. Ethnographers, statisticians, and linguists not only designed questionnaires and ethnicity lists but also aimed to actively reshape identities according to Marxism–Leninism. As Anastas Mikoyan stated, the Soviet Union was engaged in "creating and organising new nations".

Previous Censuses

Prior to the 1926 all-Union census, the Bolsheviks had conducted two partial censuses after their rise to power in Russia. The first, the general census of 1920, occurred amidst the Civil War and the Soviet-Polish War. Consequently, it could not cover the Crimea, substantial parts of Transcaucasia, the Ukraine, the Byelorussia, as well as Far Eastern, Siberian, Central Asian, and Far Northern territories. Notably, there was a population increase of only 15,000,000 between 1920 and 1926, reaching approximately 131,304,931 people according to TIME magazine, a figure still not widely disclosed in Russian historical accounts. The 1923 Census was limited to urban areas. Before the Russian Revolution, the sole Russian Empire Census was conducted in 1897.

Methodology

The census classified the population by narodnosti, a departure from categories like tribe or clan. This classification, combined with policies that allocated land, resources, and rights to these defined nations, led to interference in data collection by experts and local elites.
Delegations from the Georgian SSR and Ukrainian SSR raised concerns about the census's formulation of narodnosti. The Georgian delegation advocated for classifying the population by natsionalʹnosti, believing it more appropriate for developed nations like Georgians. Ukrainian representatives favored using native language as the basis for classification instead of nationality. However, these objections did not result in changes to the methodology.
Responses regarding nationality were sometimes altered by census takers or later by state analysts to ensure "correctness." It was believed that individuals might "confuse" nationality with other categories such as place of residence, native language, or clan.

Census Results

Composition of the USSR

The following table provides an overview of the population and territory of the Soviet Republics in 1926:
No.Soviet
Republic		Territory PopulationUrban PopulationMale PopulationEthnic RussiansEthnic UkrainiansTitular Ethnicity
1RSFSR19 651 446100 891 24417 442 65548 170 63574 072 0967 873 331
2UkSSR451 58429 018 1875 373 55314 094 5922 677 16623 218 860
3BSSR126 7924 983 240847 8302 439 801383 80634 6814 017 301
4Transcaucasian SFSR185 1915 861 5291 410 8763 009 046336 17835 4231 797 960
5Uzbek SSR311 4765 272 8011 102 2182 797 420246 52125 8043 475 340
6Turkmen SSR449 6981 000 914136 982531 85875 3576877719 792
Total21 176 187147 027 91526 314 11471 043 35277 791 12431 194 976

For the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, Georgians were considered the Titular Nationality.

Population of the USSR by Republics

  • – 100,891,244
  • * Kazakh ASSR – 6,503,006
  • * Kirghiz ASSR – 993,004
  • – 29,018,187
  • * Moldavian ASSR – 572,114
  • – 5,272,801
  • * Tajik ASSR – 827,200
  • – 4,983,240
  • * – 2,666,494
  • * – 2,314,571
  • * – 880,464
  • – 1,000,914
  • Total in the Soviet Union – 147,027,915

    Population of the USSR Sorted by Most Common Nationalities in 1926

List of Ethnicities

This list, officially titled, vol. 7,, Moscow 1927, was compiled by the Central Statistical Administration of the USSR in preparation for the census.
  1. Russian – 77 791 124
  2. Ukrainian – 31 194 976
  3. Belarusian – 4 738 923
  4. Polish – 782 334
  5. Czech
  6. Slovak
  7. Serb
  8. Bulgarian – 111 296
  9. Latvian – 151 410
  10. Lithuanian – 41 463
  11. Latgalian
  12. Samogitian
  13. German – 1 238 549
  14. British
  15. Swedish
  16. Dutch
  17. Italian
  18. French
  19. Romanian – 278 903
  20. Moldavians – 278 903
  21. Greek – 213 765
  22. Albanian
  23. Jewish – 2,599,973
  24. Crimean Jewish – 6,383
  25. Mountain Jewish – 25,974
  26. Georgian Jewish – 21,471
  27. Bukharan Jewish – 18,698
  28. Karaim – 8,324
  29. Finnish
  30. Leningrad Finnish
  31. Karelian
  32. Tavastian
  33. Estonian – 154 666
  34. Vepsian
  35. Vod
  36. Izhorian
  37. Kven
  38. Lopars
  39. Zyrian
  40. Permyak
  41. Udmurt
  42. Besermyan
  43. Mari
  44. Mordva
  45. Magyar
  46. Gagauz
  47. Chuvash – 1 117 419
  48. Tatar – 2 916 536
  49. Mishar
  50. Bashkir – 713 693
  51. Nagaybak
  52. Nogai
  53. Gypsy
  54. Kalmyk
  55. Mongol
  56. Buryat
  57. Sart-Kalmyk
  58. Mansi
  59. Khanty
  60. Selkup
  61. Nenets
  62. Yurak
  63. Soyot
  64. Barabin
  65. Bukharan
  66. Chernevyy Tatar
  67. Altai
  68. Teleut
  69. Telengit
  70. Kumandin
  71. Shors
  72. Kharagas
  73. Kızıl
  74. Kachin
  75. Sagai
  76. Koybal
  77. Beltir
  78. Dolgan
  79. Yakut – 240 709
  80. Tungus
  81. Lamut
  82. Orochon
  83. Golds
  84. Olchi
  85. Negidal
  86. Orochi
  87. Udegei
  88. Orok
  89. Manegir - 59 persons. A former division of Evenks. They lived along the Kumara River, hence an alternative designation, "Kumarchen"
  90. Samogir, Nanai people Tungusic people
  91. Manchurian
  92. Chukchi
  93. Koryaks
  94. Kamchadal
  95. Gilyak
  96. Yukagir
  97. Chuvan
  98. Aleut
  99. Eskimo
  100. Enisei
  101. Aino
  102. Chinese
  103. Korean
  104. Japanese
  105. Georgian – 1 821 184
  106. Ajar
  107. Megeli
  108. Laz
  109. Svan
  110. Abkhaz – 56 957
  111. Cherkess
  112. Beskesek-Abaza
  113. Kabard
  114. Ubykh
  115. Chechen
  116. Ingush
  117. Batsbi
  118. Maistvei, combined into Chechen people
  119. Lezgin
  120. Tabasaran
  121. Agul
  122. Archi
  123. Rutul
  124. Tsakhur
  125. Khinalug
  126. Dzhek
  127. Khaput
  128. Kryz
  129. Budukh
  130. Udin
  131. Dargin
  132. Kubachin
  133. Lak
  134. Avar
  135. Andi
  136. Botlog
  137. Godoberi
  138. Karatai
  139. Akhvakh
  140. Bagulal
  141. Chamalal
  142. Tindi
  143. Didoi
  144. Kvarshi
  145. Kapuchin
  146. Khunzal
  147. Armenian – 1 567 568
  148. Hemshin
  149. Arab
  150. Aisor
  151. Kaytak
  152. Bosha
  153. Ossetian – 272 272
  154. Kurd
  155. Yazid
  156. Talysh
  157. Tat
  158. Persian
  159. Karachai
  160. Kumyk
  161. Balkar
  162. Karakalpak
  163. Turk
  164. Ottoman Turk
  165. Samarkand and Fergana Turk
  166. Turkmen – 763 940
  167. Kirgiz
  168. Karakalpak – 146 317
  169. Kypchak
  170. Kashgar
  171. Taranchi
  172. Kazakh – 3 968 289
  173. Kurama
  174. Uzbek – 3 904 622
  175. Dungan
  176. Afghan
  177. Tajik – 978 680
  178. Vakhan
  179. Shugnan
  180. Yagnob
  181. Yazgul
  182. Iranian
  183. Jemshid
  184. Beludji
  185. Berber
  186. Khazara
  187. Hindu
  188. Other ethnicities
  189. Ethnicities not noted or noted inexactly
191. Foreign subjects

Administrative Divisions of Ukraine (1925–1932)

The census data for Soviet Ukraine was aggregated for several okruhas into larger subdivisions known as pidraion or podraion. There were six such subdivisions.

Subdistricts (Pidraions)