The Population of Kyrgyzstan in the Soviet Period (1917-1991)

Population of Kyrgyzstan from 1917 to 1970

Indigenous population — Kyrgyz: 1,265 thousand people — 85% of all Kyrgyz in the USSR. Russians — 856 thousand, Uzbeks — 333 thousand, Ukrainians — 120 thousand, Germans — 90 thousand, Tatars — 69 thousand, Kazakhs — 22 thousand, Tajiks — 22 thousand (according to the 1970 census). During the Soviet era, more than 80 nationalities lived in Kyrgyzstan.

In terms of population, Kyrgyzstan ranked 11th among the union republics and 2nd in Central Asia after Uzbekistan. Characterized by high rates of natural increase and overall population growth. From 1913 to 1971, the population in Kyrgyzstan increased by 3.6 times. If in 1913 the average population density was 4.4 people per km², by 1972 it had risen to 15.5 people per km². Almost 4/5 of the population lives in valleys and intermountain basins. In the flat areas of the Chui, Talas, and Kemin-Tyubin valleys, the population density reaches 30-50 people per km², in the Osh-Karasu oasis and along the valleys of the Kurshab and Kugart rivers — 70-80 people per km². In the high-altitude pasture zone, the population density is 1-2 people per km².