Transformation of the Population’s Ethnic Composition in the Ethno-National Regions of Russia

The article analyzes the dynamics of the ethnic composition of the population in the country and its ethnonational regions based on the results of the 2010 and 2020 All-Russian population censuses (inter-census period). The research methodology includes a comparative analysis of statistical data on the ethnic composition of the population, as well as an assessment of the contributions of factors such as natural population movement, migration, and shifts in ethnic identity, as documented in scientific literature, census data, and current records. The census data reveal key nationwide trends: a decline in the numbers of Slavic peoples, an increase in the proportion of North Caucasian ethnic groups, and a growing number of individuals who did not specify their nationality. Regional differentiation in the transformation of ethnic composition is identified across ethnonational regions of the Russian Federation: the republics of the North Caucasus exhibit natural growth among indigenous ethnic groups, while northern and Siberian regions show a decline in both the Russian population and small indigenous peoples. The study provides evidence-based recommendations for preserving cultural heritage, managing migration, and refining demographic policy. This research contributes to understanding the transformation of the ethnic population structure amid globalization and internal socio-economic changes in the Russian Federation.

ethnic composition of the population, ethnonational regions, All-Russian population Census, demographic dynamics, regional differentiation, small indigenous peoples, population decline/shrinkage, ethnic identity, ethnodemographic processes