ArmenPress
Dec 9 2004

SOUTH CAUCASIAN CAPITAL CITIES BECOME MORE HOMOGENEOUS

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS: A survey conducted by regional
centers of the South Caucasian Research Center in three South
Caucasian capitals in 2003 and 2004 have revealed that the
composition of their population is becoming increasingly homogeneous.
Unlike the Armenian capital Yerevan whose population has always been
composed of mainly ethnic Armenians, the number of ethnic minorities
in the composition of population of Tbilisi, Georgia and Baku,
Azerbaijan, has been shrinking for 15 years.
In 1989 96.4 percent of Yerevan residents were ethnic Armenians,
now this figure stands at 96.7 percent, while in Baku the share of
ethnic Azeris rose from 66 percent in 1989 to 90.7 percent in 2004
and in Tbilisi from 66.1 percent to 86.4 percent.
According to the survey’s findings, in 1989 there were no Azeris
in Yerevan, neither in 2004. In 1989 Armenians made 10 percent of the
population of Baku. According to 2004 census there were no Armenians
in Baku. The number of Armenians in Tbilisi decreased from 12 percent
to 6.3 percent and the number of Azeris from 1.4 percent to 0.6
percent.
The number of Russians in Baku has decreased from 16.5 percent to
6 percent, in Tbilisi their number has shrunk from 10 percent to 2.2
percent. In 1989 Russians made in Yerevan 1.9 percent of the overall
population, now they make 1.3 percent.
In Yerevan 89 percent of people belong to Armenian Apostolic
church, in Tbilisi 96.9 percent to Georgian Orthodox church and in
Baku 98.5 percent belong to Islam.
In Tbilisi only 18.7 people participate regularly in religious
services, in Baku-13.1 percent and in Yerevan only 9.1 percent.
Members of traditional religions are more tolerant to each other than
to members of various sects. The survey was conducted among 1,500
residents in every capital city.