Almaty is the largest city in Kazakhstan. It is located in the southeastern part of the country, at the foot of the Zailiysky 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 center of Central Asia. This article focuses on the demographic trends in Almaty.
Dynamics
Fortification Vernoye was founded in the middle of the XIX century to protect the Russian borders from the attacks of the Kokand khans. In ancient times, 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 numbered only 470 people. All of them were officers and soldiers of Major Przemysl's detachment.
Then peasants and Kazakhs from Siberia and the provinces of Central Russia begin to move here. The Tatar settlement is formed in the neighborhood. In 1859, the population of Almaty was already five thousand. Neednote 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 population doubled. On the eve of World War II, the population of Almaty has already exceeded two hundred thousand. Over the next twenty years, the city's population 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 already 1.129 million. In 2009, 1,361,877 people lived in the city. In 2014, the city's population 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 increased by 160 thousand people over the year. 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 differentsignificant variety. Until the middle of the 20th century, the share of Russians in its composition reached 70%. And only in the mid-2000s, the Kazakhs were in the majority. Today, Russians make up about a quarter of the population of Almaty.
The last census was conducted in 2010. It showed that 51.06% of the city's population are Kazakhs, 33.02% are Russians, 5.73% are Uighurs, 1.9% are Koreans, 1.82% are Tatars, and 1.24% are 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 radically 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 isolation of its peoples.
Specifics
The proportion of the population of Almaty in the total number of residents of Kazakhstan is almost 10%. For every 10 women living in the southern capital, there are 8 men. The latter are 146 thousand less. However, the structure by age group from 0 to 16 years looks very different. There are fewer girls than boys. The average life expectancy in Almaty is, according to 2016 data, 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 in Almatycome from the outskirts of the city, South Kazakhstan and Zhambyl regions. In 2016, 18 babies were born per 1,000 inhabitants. This is the national average. Moreover, in 2016, twins were born to 200 mothers, and triplets - to two. The average size of an Almaty family is 3.4 people. The city's population density is 2,521 inhabitants per square kilometer. This is twice as much as in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. In 2016, there were two divorces for every 10 marriages in Almaty. The most popular baby names are as follows: Ayaru, Aizere, Aisltan, Rayana, Ramazan and Nurislam.
