Almaty is the largest city in Kazakhstan. It is located in the south-eastern part of the country, at the foot of the Trans-Ili Alatau. The population of Almaty is about 1.7 million inhabitants. Although the city is no longer the capital of the country, it remains an important financial, cultural and economic object of Central Asia. This article is devoted to the demographic trends of Almaty.
Dynamics
The Vernaya fortification was founded in the mid-19th century to protect the Russian borders from attacks by Kokand khans. In antiquity, there already existed a large settlement, which was called Almaty. However, it was completely destroyed in the XIV century by the soldiers of Timur. Then the population totaled only 470 people. All of them were officers and soldiers of Major Peremyshlsky’s detachment.
Then peasants and Kazakhs from Siberia and the provinces of Central Russia begin to move here. A Tatar settlement is formed in the neighborhood. In 1859, the population of Almaty was already five thousand. It should be noted that until 1921 the city was called Verny. Then it was renamed. In 1867, he was given the status of a city.
In 1879, the population of Almaty was already 18,423 thousand people. Over the next thirty years, the number of inhabitants doubled. In anticipation of the Second World War, the population of Almaty has already exceeded two hundred thousand. Over the next twenty years, the number of city residents doubled. It should be noted that from 1929 to 1997, Almaty was the capital of Kazakhstan. This contributed to such a rapid population growth. In 1970, 665 thousand people lived in the city. In the early 1980s, the population of Almaty already exceeded one million. In 1989, 1,071,900 people lived in the city. In 1999, it was 1.129 million. In 2009, 1 361 877 people lived in the city. In 2014, the population of the city exceeded 1.5 million.
Current performance
Today, Almaty has the status of the southern capital of Kazakhstan, the largest financial, scientific and cultural center of the country. It houses the residence of the head of state and government. The population of Almaty, according to 2016, is 1.713 million people. This is 1.1 times more than in 2015. Thus, the number of residents of the southern capital of Kazakhstan for the year increased by 160 thousand people. The population of the Almaty agglomeration has long exceeded two million. The city itself is divided into eight districts. Until 2014, there were seven.
National composition
The population of Almaty is very diverse. Until the middle of the 20th century, the share of Russians in its composition reached 70%. And only in the mid-2000s, Kazakhs were in the majority. Today, Russians are about a quarter of the population of Almaty.
The last census was carried out in 2010. She showed that 51.06% of the city’s population are Kazakhs, 33.02% - Russians, 5.73% - Uyghurs, 1.9% - Koreans, 1.82% - Tatars, 1.24% - Ukrainians. The share of all other ethnic groups individually does not exceed 1%. Among them are Azerbaijanis, Germans, Uzbeks, Dungans, Turks, Kyrgyz, Chechens, Ingush, Belarusians, Armenians and Kurds.
It should be noted that before the collapse of the USSR, the situation was fundamentally different. According to the 1989 census, Kazakhs made up only 23.8% of the city’s population. But the share of Russians then exceeded 50%. Since then, the situation has changed. Kazakhs are now in the majority. This is due to the collapse of the USSR and the subsequent separation of its peoples.
Specificity
The proportion of the population of Almaty in the total number of residents of Kazakhstan is almost 10%. For 10 women living in the southern capital, there are 8 men. The latter are 146 thousand less. However, the structure for the age group from 0 to 16 years old looks completely different. There are fewer girls than boys. The average life expectancy in Almaty is, according to 2016, 75.3 years. This is the highest rate in the country. Moreover, women live 8.5 years longer than men.
Natural growth is positive, as is migration. Most of all in Almaty come from the vicinity of the city, South Kazakhstan and Zhambyl regions. In 2016, 18 babies were born per 1000 inhabitants. This is the national average. And in 2016, twins were born to 200 mothers, and triplets were born to two. The average size of an Almaty family is 3.4 people. The population density of the city is 2521 inhabitants per square kilometer. This is twice as much as in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana. In 2016, there were two divorces in 10 marriages in Almaty. The most popular names for children are: Ayaru, Aizere, Aisltan, Ryan, Ramadan and Nurislam.