THE NUMBER AND ETHNIC STRUCTURE OF THE POPULATION OF KYRGYZSTAN (the second half of the XIX - early XX centuries)

Abstract

The subject of this study is the population of Kyrgyzstan during the pre-revolutionary period. The objective of the research is to analyze the population size and ethnic composition based on pre-revolutionary sources. The article employs historical and comparative analysis to determine the population size of the southern and northern regions of contemporary Kyrgyzstan. It primarily focuses on analyzing the demographic structure of Kyrgyzstan in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, drawing from numerous pre-revolutionary sources. It is noted that during the period of the Kokand Khanate, estimates of the Kyrgyz population were approximate, with the khanate's population categorized into Iranian and Turkic groups. The works of A. Vamberi, M. Venyukov, L. Kostenko, Yu. Skyler, and others provide data on the number of yurts and the population of Kyrgyz individuals of both sexes. The regional Statistical Committees, established in 1878, began systematic population recording and list compilation. As highlighted in the article, the primary reliable source of population data is the general census of 1897, which reported, that the Kyrgyz population in the Semirechye and Fergana regions exceeded 480,000 individuals. In addition to Slavic peoples, the demographic structure of Kyrgyzstan during the period under review was significantly influenced by the migration of Tatars, Uyghurs, Dungans, and Germans in the latter half of the 19th century.