The population of Vitebsk is about 369 thousand people, which allows the city to take fourth place in terms of population in Belarus. The latest data provided on the official website of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee reveals a pattern that the number of indigenous people is thinning, but the number of foreign citizens who move to the city for permanent residence is increasing.
Now representatives of almost 100 nationalities live on the territory of the urban district and the region. Such a diverse national composition led to the decision to create national public associations. The city has conditions for the preservation and development of the culture of national minorities. Directly in Vitebsk, such national mergers appeared:
- Russian
- Ukrainian;
- gypsy;
- European
- Latvian
The main occupations of these associations are charity and trusteeship, legal and other assistance to fellow countrymen, as well as cultural education of citizens.
Population dynamics of Vitebsk
The first information about the population and abundance appeared in the first decade of the seventeenth century. So, in 1641, there were a thousand and ten estates in the city. And the population living in the urban district, already at that time amounted to just over ten thousand people.
The acceleration of population growth continued until World War I, when the population was one hundred and nine thousand inhabitants. But during the war, the city of Vitebsk and its population suffered heavy material and human losses, which led to a significant reduction in the number of inhabitants. So, in 1917, the population of Vitebsk was 100 thousand people, and by 1920 it was reduced to 80 thousand. After the number of citizens began to grow. Before the Great Patriotic War, almost 170 thousand people lived in the city.
The lowest population mark was recorded during the war and occupation. This period is regarded as the most difficult: executions of citizens, deaths of citizens in concentration camps, forcible removal of civilians to forced labor ...
But hard times have passed. By the anniversary of the city, namely, the millennium of Vitebsk, which took place in 1974, the population was already 270 thousand people. By the collapse of the Soviet Union, the population of Vitebsk began to decline again.
The national composition of Vitebsk
The first data on the national composition of the population in Vitebsk appeared during the census in the Russian state in 1897. The conclusion regarding nationality was made in the mother tongue of the respondents. Statistics were also compiled according to the results of surveys on religious affiliation and classes of the people.
According to the data of 1641, where the initials of the respondents are also listed (more precisely, the nicknames and nicknames of the owners of the estates), the native population had an advantage in the population - Belarusians. In addition, representatives of the Russian state were identified among the population. None of the estates, judging by the language of everyday communication and religion, at that time belonged to Jews. As can be noted, the absence of Jews was noted in Vitebsk, but other sources revealed that they still lived in a small community in the city and even helped defend the state from Russian troops in 1654.
The first general census of the Russian Empire
The ethnic composition of the city was first revealed during the general census of the population of the Russian Empire (1897). However, due to the absence of the column “nationality”, the papers wrote nationality based on the mother tongue of the residents surveyed. According to many experts, these data do not reflect the real picture, since in those days many citizens called the language of other peoples their mother tongue.
Based on the figures obtained during the first general census (1897), an analysis was made of the national composition of the city. Data are given as a percentage of different classes located on the territory of an urban settlement. So, the national composition of Vitebsk is represented by such data:
- Jews made up 50% of the population;
- Russians accounted for 29%;
- Belarusians accounted for 12%;
- Poles accounted for 5%;
- Germans in Vitebsk, there were only 1.5%;
- there were a little more than 1% of Latvian speakers
- Lithuanians - less than 0.1%.
The linguistic composition of the city population
Based on the census of citizens (2009), Russian is recognized as the mother tongue of the majority of the population in Vitebsk (60.5% of the number of citizens living in the city). Almost thirty-four percent of those who speak the Belarusian language. The structure of those who did not indicate their native language or citizens with knowledge of other languages includes five and a half percent of the population.
If we take into account the fact in which languages people communicate in everyday life, we can rely on the following data:
- the number of people who communicate in Russian at home is almost 92% of the total population;
- Almost 3% of urban residents use the Belarusian language;
- persons who speak other languages or refuse to indicate the prevailing language of communication make up 5.5%.
The second language that most citizens have identified is Belarusian - 24.6% (for those who speak Russian at home) and Russian - 1.5%.
Vitebsk City Social Protection Fund
The Social Security Fund provides its citizens with a number of social services. Directions in which social protection services are provided for residents:
- provision of pensions of any kind;
- assignment of benefits to people who raise children;
- support for citizens who are in search of work;
- setting minimum standards for wages;
- assistance in finding a job for residents for whom employment is a problem;
- identification and elimination of offenses that affected labor protection.
Social benefits are provided to families or single parents based on average per capita income over the past twelve months.
The state can also help citizens who find themselves in a difficult life situation that affects the working capacity and daily activities of a person. Payments are made to socially disadvantaged groups of the population.
Social benefits are provided to minors who are assigned a third degree of disability, or to people who do not need to be assigned a group, but who need medical attention, according to a medical examination.
Current status and residents of Vitebsk
As of January 1, 2017, the population of Vitebsk is 369.9 thousand people. After a long recession, the number of city residents has finally begun to grow at a steady pace. The majority of citizens are Belarusians (80%), a little less than Russians (12.7%) and Ukrainians (1.3%) live in Vitebsk. Among representatives of other nationalities, the most numerous are Jews and Poles. Today 60% of Vitebsk residents speak Russian, 33.8% speak Belarusian as their mother tongue, and 5.6% speak other languages (or their mother tongue is not indicated).
The city is divided into three administrative regions. In addition, the city district includes three resort villages where local residents buy summer cottages and build country houses. The historical, business and cultural center of the city is the Oktyabrsky district, where most municipal institutions are concentrated. Industrial facilities are concentrated mainly in the Zheleznodorozhny district, which also includes the aforementioned suburban villages. Pervomaisky district includes sleeping quarters, quiet squares, green parks and developed infrastructure. Historically, two massifs are distinguished in the area, which are separated by the rivers Western Dvina and Luchesa.
Modern Vitebsk is a city of festivals. More than twenty cultural events take place there annually. The most significant event is the "Slavic Bazaar".
There are many educational institutions in the city. Most are secondary schools (38), gymnasiums (9) and lyceums (5), colleges (11), kindergartens (93). There are only five top-level institutions, but it is in Vitebsk that one of the largest medical universities is located, the only university in Belarus that produces veterinarians. The sports base is especially well developed in educational institutions, because in addition to the usual gyms, universities and schools have swimming pools, gymnastic towns and athletics arenas.