Demographic processes among the Udmurts of Bashkiria in 1959–1989

This article presents a comprehensive analysis of demographic processes — including population dynamics, composition, and birth and death rates — among the Udmurt population of Bashkiria in 1959–1989. For the first time, the demographic reproduction of the Udmurts in Bashkiria in 1958–1979 is examined using current statisti-cal records and population census data. Relative indicators, including birth rates, death rates, and infant mortality, are calculated for this period. The number of Udmurts in Bashkiria increased until 1970, followed by a decline. Overall, the Udmurt population decreased by 6.7 % between 1959 and 1989. A gender imbalance in favor of fe-males can be observed among the Udmurts of the region throughout the study period, although this disparity gradually diminished over time. Despite ongoing urbanization processes, the Udmurt population of Bashkiria re-mained rural throughout the period under review. After 1963, the birth rate declined. With a stable average morta-lity rate and a sharp reduction in infant mortality, the natural population increase diminished accordingly. Calcu-lated relative indicators substantiate these trends. During the period between two censuses (1959–1979), the Udmurt population in the Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic increased by only 518 individuals. During the same period, the natural increase among them was 9,213 people. This discrepancy suggests that nearly the entire natural population growth among the Udmurts was offset by migration and assimilation processes.