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Census records are formal documents that gather data about the population of a specific country or region at set intervals. These records usually provide demographic details, including the total number of residents, their ages, genders, races, occupations, marital statuses, and other pertinent information. Census records in Belarus are an excellent source for identifying family groups, offering a wealth of information with relatively minimal effort compared to other historical documents like metrical books. The revision lists, in particular, stand out for their comprehensive data.
The primary purpose of these population enumerations, conducted after the revisions, was to assess a poll tax and identify individuals eligible for conscription into the military. This dual purpose makes the census records invaluable for both genealogical research and understanding historical population dynamics in Belarus.
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History of the census records in BelarusHistory of the census records in Belarus
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The first data on population accounting in the territory of modern Belarus dates back to the 16th century. In the cities of Belarus (as well as in many settlements of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth), church registration of births, marriages, and deaths was adopted, which contributed to the organization of population accounting. After Belarus became part of the Russian Empire, the population of the Belarusian provinces began to be accounted for from 1811.
The first and only General Census of the Russian Empire was conducted on February 9, 1897. Residents of the Belarusian provinces Vitebsk, Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev, and Vilna (5.886 million people) were counted. It was conducted by the Central Census Bureau, under the Central Statistical Committee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Russian Empire. Two copies of the data were made: one was kept locally, while the other was sent to the Ministry. Unfortunately, the Ministry’s copy was eventually destroyed. A second census was planned for 1914, but it was disrupted by the outbreak of World War I.
The second census of the Belarusian population, which became the first Soviet census, was conducted in August 1920, but the civil war did not allow reliable information to be obtained for the region.
The third census was conducted in December 1926 and became the first Soviet Union census, during which information was collected about each person. The full processing of the data was completed in 1928. Belarusian republic had a population of 4.925 million people. The census materials were widely used in the development of the first five-year plan for the development of the national economy of the BSSR and plans for the elimination of illiteracy among the population.
The census conducted in 1937 was a one-day event. According to the Soviet leadership, it was supposed to confirm the significant successes achieved by the country in demographic, social, and economic spheres. However, the census results showed the opposite. Its data were not published, and the organizers were repressed. Only in the early 1990s was the accuracy of the population accounting during the 1937 census proven.
In January 1939, the fourth population census was conducted, but its results were published only in the 1980s, as the war that began did not allow the processing of all collected materials to be completed. The population of the BSSR was 5.270 million people.
The first post-war population census was conducted in January 1959. The population of the republic was 8.056 million people.
During the 1970 census, the results of which showed a population of 9 million people in Belarus, a selective (25%) observation of the permanently residing population was conducted for the first time. A question about nationality was asked, foreigners had to indicate their citizenship, in cities with a population of over 500 thousand inhabitants, pendulum migration (regular trips from one place of residence to another for work or study and back) was taken into account, and for the first time after the war, a question was included for women about the number of children they had given birth to. A distinctive feature of the 1979 census was the use of computers for data processing. According to the results of this census, the population of Belarus was 9.533 million people.
The 1989 census included questions about citizens' housing conditions for the first time. Information from the census forms was read by special scanners. The population of the republic was 10.152 million people.
In the sovereign Republic of Belarus, the first population census was conducted in January 1999. The population was 10.045 million people.
The next census, conducted in October 2009, showed a result of 9.503 million people.[1]
For the first time, the census incorporated digital data collection methods, including online questionnaires, which made the process more efficient and accessible. The census provided comprehensive data on various demographic factors, including age, gender, education, employment, and housing conditions, offering a detailed snapshot of the population's characteristics. According to the results, the population of Belarus was approximately 9.41 million, showing a slight decline from the previous census in 2009, which recorded 9.503 million people.
Where to search census records in BelarusWhere to search census records in Belarus
The National Historical Archive of Belarus holds revision lists, which served as the predecessors to modern census records, from the 5th (1795), 6th (1811), 7th (1816), 8th (1834), 9th (1850), and 10th (1858) revisions. These types of documents are mainly stored in the funds of the provincial treasury chambers. The census sheets from the materials of the 1st All-Russian Population Census of 1897 have not been preserved in the archive.[2]
You can find the data from all Belarusian censuses on the official website of the National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus. The site provides detailed information from various censuses, including the most recent ones from 2009 and 2019.
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Explore more about census records in BelarusExplore more about census records in Belarus
- Census Data – Discover census collections webinar on the MyHeritage Knowledge Base
- Dozens of census record collections from across the globe are available in the MyHeritage catalog
References
- ↑ "ПЕРЕПИСЬ НАСЕЛЕНИЯ: ВЗГЛЯД НА НАСТОЯЩЕЕ – ШАГ В БУДУЩЕЕ!". giprosvjaz.by. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ↑ "Методические рекомендации по проведению генеалогических исследований в Национальном историческом архиве Беларуси | Нацыянальны гістарычны архіў Беларусі". niab.by. Retrieved 2024-09-05.