Sex-age features of literacy of the population of the Komi autonomous region on materials of 1926 All-Union population census

Population census is a significant statistical work of the nation-wide scale allowing to study the structure of the population of the country at a certain moment of time. Сensus of 1926 was the first All-Union population census covering the whole country. Literacy of the population of the Komi Autonomous region based on materials of 1926 census was considered according to features of sex and age groups.Percentage of literacy of the population of the Komi Autonomous region was 39,48 %. Considering age groups, it is necessary to note that the group of 16-19 years has the highest percent of literacy among all population of the area - 70,26 %. The average literacy level of inhabitants at the age of 8-24 makes 68, 25 %. Then the literacy level starts to decrease and reaches a minimum in the age group 60+. Similar "picture" is characteristic to all districts of the area.The indicator of literacy of the population of the Komi Autonomous region aged 9-49 (58,2 %) was higher than the average for the USSR by 2,8 %. However similar indicator for the European part of the RSFSR was higher than that for the Komi Autonomous region by 8,9 %. One of the reasons of low level of literacy was that the population of the Komi Autonomous region was by 96,74 % rural and by 3,2 % urban. Among townspeople there were 70,73 % literate. Low literacy of the Komi Autonomous region can be associated with the low percentage of literate women (27,55 %) connected with way of life of the Zyryans which made 92 % of all population in the Komi Autonomous region, necessity to run household and care for children.Level of literacy of the population, its development depend on many factors. The major factors influencing the level of literacy in the Komi Autonomous region, is huge territory of the area, low population density, sparseness of settlements, remoteness of schools, low level of prosperity of the population, severe climatic conditions, in particular in the north of the area. Thus, the literacy level of the area was influenced by a complex of both geographic and socio-demographic and socio-economic factors.