Georgian population’s sex and age dynamics in 1939-1959, urban and rural population (ABSTRACT)

Tamar Antadze

Since independence was declared in Georgia on 26 May 1918 there occurred significant territorial changes as far as the country’s boundaries are concerned.

Since during the censuses the territory of Georgia was set at 69,7 thousand sq. kilometers, we refer to this figure.
In 1939 the number of women and men was equal. After the patriotic war this equality was broken. In 1959 men made up only 46, 1% of the population while women ? 53,9%.
Starting from age groups of 30-39, i.e. contingent for mobilization, a specific gravity of cities grew sharply. Men made up 42,1% and women – 57,9%.
According to general Ivane Babalashvili, 300 thousand people drafted to the army from Georgia, i.e. up to 9% of Georgian population, fell in battle during the Great Patriotic War. Most of researches agree with I. Babalashvili’s data.
However, negative demographic consequences of the Great Patriotic War were not confined only to the number of people fallen in battle. The war changed population’s natural and mechanical movement.
Added to this is the breach of current population census taking during and after the war. Information and statistics center of The State Statistics Committee of Georgian Republic made an attempt to eliminate this drawback. However much of the data given in the table published by the Centre is quite questionable.
Calculations made by V. Jaoshvili who is an associated member of Georgian Academy of Sciences as well as by us made it possible to determine the damage inflicted to Georgia by the Great Patriotic War. This implies people fallen in battle as well as changes in natural and mechanic movements.
In 1939 there were 27 cities and 22 urban settlements in Georgia, while in 1959 there were 35 cities and 37 urban settlements, i.e. from 1939 to 1959 the number of cities increased by 8, while urban settlements grew by 15. In 1939 urban population made up 1.066.226 while in 1959 it was 1,712.897. Hence, urban population grew by 60,7% whereas the whole population increased from 3.540.023 to 4.044.045, i.e. only by 14,2%. As urban population increased more than the whole one, the number of rural population should have been reduced in 1959 as compared to 1939. It is true that rural population made up 2.473.797 in 1939, in 1959 it made up 2.331.148, i.e. it decreased by 5,8%.