Population and Demography

The first census of Chelyabinsk was taken at the end of 1739. At that time, 1,060 people lived in the fortress. The population growth of Chelyabinsk in subsequent years is expressed in the following numbers:

1795	2,644		1923	54,298
1882	7,740		1928	67,700
1897	17,998		1939	273,000
1905	35,494		1976	1,000,000
1916	67,304		1993-1994	1,115,000

Right up to the 19th century, the population of the city was homogeneous for the most part-primarily Russian. With the inclusion of Chelyabinsk in the Samara-Zlatoust and trans-Siberian railroad lines, different ethnic groups, in significant numbers, began to settle here, including groups of Tatar-Bashkir, Polish and Jewish populations. The 1916 census recorded thirty different ethnic groups residing in Chelyabinsk, as of 1989, 100 ethnic groups were represented in the population.

Until the mid-19th century, Cossacks inhabited the city as well, but were resettled to outlying areas for economic reasons.

Demographic Index	1995	1994
Birth Rate (per 1,000 people)	8.2	8.6
Mortality Rate (per 1,000 people)	14.9	13.9
Natural Population Growth	- 6.7	- 5.8
Number of Births	9,085	9,581