Demographic processes in Yakutia in 1946-1964

The demographic crisis in Russia is of great interest to historians. Regional surveys can reveal several aspects of this issue. Besides, studying demography of the post-war period is always relevant. The paper analyzes the dynamics of demographic indicators of Yakutia in 1946-1964, including the population status, its migratory and natural movement. The author compares the demographic situation in the Yakut Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Siberia, and the Russian Federation as a whole. The number and the structure of the population in Yakutia depended on such factors as the negative impact of the Great Patriotic War and compensating increase in fertility after the war, migration, administrative and territorial transformations. In 1946-1964, the population of Yakutia totally increased 1.6 times. A natural movement prevailed in the structure of total population growth. The urban population exceeded rural one in 1962 for the first time. The demographic transition started in Yakutia in the post-war period (in the 1950s). Having started its intensive development, Yakutia still maintained a high rural fertility rate. The mortality rate has been stabilized by the early 1960s. It has remained unchanged up to the early 1990s. The migratory movement was a positive phenomenon that promoted the intensive industrial development of the region by young, employable people. These factors have contributed to the further dynamic development of the population in Yakutia.