Census in Ingushetia shows demographic plus and migration minus

The reduction of the population of Ingushetia in-between the censuses of 2002 and 2010 happened due to the fact that the Chechen refugees, who stayed in Ingushetia in 2002, later returned to their former residences. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed about it by Ibragim Kurkiev, head of the territorial body of the Federal State Statistics Service ("Rosstat") for the Republic of Ingushetia.

"This is that very migration minus, which gave us the 11.6-percent decrease in population. Not only here, but also in Kabardino-Balkaria, where they also had plenty of refugees," he added.

Mr Kurkiev did not deny that migration of citizens to other Russian cities in search of work had also told on the republic's population.

At the same time, the head of the local "Rosstat" has noted a natural increase of population in Ingushetia. "We have a high birth rate here; the population growth in-between the two censuses made 57,914. Of these, 50,975 make the natural increment, while 6039 are the newcomers to the republic; and 16,000 died during the same period. So, demographically, we have a big plus," Ibragim Kurkiev has stated.

He added that the majority of the population are rural residents; only 38.3 percent live in towns and cities.

According to Ahmed, a resident of the village of Verkhnie Achaluki, Malgobek District, the urban population in Ingushetia is smaller, because they almost build no residential houses in cities; and, moreover, there is no employment there. "Here, in villages we can somehow feed ourselves," he told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.