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Dr. Belyaeva-Sachuk
Senior Research Fellow, Arctic Research Center, Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences |
The Tofalar. Demographics: Population Dynamics, Urban/Rural Population, Gender and Age Breakdown
The population of the Irkutsk region as of January 1, 2022, was 2.357.134 persons, of which the urban population was 1.837.575 persons (77.9% of the total) and the rural population - 519.559 persons (22.1%). The number of the Tofalar since their first contacts with the Russians has remained relatively small, although, over the last 350 years, it has almost doubled. Strong population fluctuations are associated primarily with epidemics. During Soviet times, due to access to medical care, the demographic situation changed.
Currently, 1.168 persons live in three villages in Tofalariya, of which the majority are Tofalar, 700 persons. There are 498 persons living in Alygdzher, 448 in Verkhnyaya Gutara, and 222 in Nerkha