Ukraine's population census revealed: Ukrainians make up 99.9% of prospective amount

Provisional results of the population census held in Ukraine in December are now being summed. The pre-census forecasts were rather pessimistic: there were apprehensions that Ukraine’s population reduced by at least ten million. However, the census revealed a different situation. Chairman of the State Statistics Committee Alexander Osaulenko said during the cabinet’s session that census documents have been completed for 48 860 000 people, which makes up 99.9% of the prospective population. In Osaulenko’s words, this is a so-called gross showing of the population; a net figure, which means the factual constant population will be calculated later on the basis of the gross showing. The net amount of the population is the figure used in the daily demographic and statistic calculations.

Alexander Osaulenko mentioned other figures. Census documents have been registered for 47 825 000 people in their permanent residences; 595 000 people met with the agents in hotels, hospitals, sanatoria, boarding schools, old people’s homes; and 440 000 people underwent the census in closed institutions (military units and penitentiary institutions). The census agents failed to meet with 365 000 people for different reasons. In accordance with the legal norms, census documents for them have been registered by the institutions of the passport system, registration, and immigration.

Ukraine’s mass media reported several cases when census agents had not been let in for fear of assaults. The internet edition of Obozrevatel (Observer) issued in the Lviv region mentioned another problem that census agents faced during the population census: several families would not register those members of the families who left abroad, for work mainly. Most people concealed information for fear of losing privileges and donations. The census organisers say that the information obtained during the procedure will not be used by law enforcement or fiscal departments. Nevertheless, 1200 people presented no information for political or religious reasons. No sanctions were issued against those people.

Several interesting facts have been revealed during the population census. Two hundred residents of the town of Nikopol filled in “Cossack” in the nationality space to draw attention of the authorities to the problem of the Cossacks’ revival. If Cossacks of other regions of Ukraine, which make up about 12 000 people, support the initiative, a new nationality will be probably registered in Ukraine.

The Statistics Committee reports that no grave criminal violation has been registered in connection with the population census. However, the agents themselves tried to organize religious propagation (they were representatives of the Jehovah’s Witnesses).

The committee will report the results of the census in November – December of 2002.

Andrey Lubensky PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Maria Gousseva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/01/14/35506.html