Ethnic minorities in Armenia

Ethnic groups of Armenia and the South Caucasus in 1995.

This article focuses on ethnic minorities in Armenia.

Background

According to last census, ethnic minorities in Armenia consist of less than 3% of the population. Various sources suggest different numbers, and even some of the representatives of the ethnic minorities are not informed about exact numbers. However, migration waves from Armenia always included representatives of various ethnic minorities, and as their leaders suggest, migration will continue from Armenia despite considerable improvements in the economic and political situation in Armenia.

Rank	Minorities	Population
1	Yazidis	40000
2	Russians	14600
3	Assyrians	7000
4	Molokans	5000
5	Greeks	1176
5	Ukrainians	1633
6	Jews	700
7	Poles	236
8	Udis	200
9	Belorussians	160
10	Georgians	110
Total		122,386

Demographics

Armenia is the only republic of the former Soviet Union that boasts a nearly-homogeneous population. It is also the second-most densely populated post-Soviet state after Moldova. Ethnic minorities include Yazidis, Russians, Assyrians, Ukrainians, Kurds, Greeks, Georgians, and Belarusians. Smaller communities of Vlachs, Mordvins, Ossetians, Udis, and Tats also exist. Minorites of Poles and Caucasus Germans are also present, though they are heavily Russified.

Yazidis and Kurds

Main article: Yazidis in Armenia

The Yazidis in Armenia are the largest ethnic and religious minority in the country. There are also a small percentage of non-Yazidi Kurds.

Russians

Main article: Russians in Armenia

Ethnic Russians are the second largest ethnic community in Armenia after the Yazidis, with their number at 14600. Even in the days of the Soviet Union, the days of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, the country had the smallest percentage of Russians compared to the other 14 republics. Although some ethnic Russians left the country after independence, because of economic hardship and better opprtunities, there is some flux of new ethnic Russians arriving for commercial considerations.

There are a number of Russian-language publications in the Republic, including the dailies "Golos Armenii", "Novoye Vremia" and "Respublika Armenia" and the weekly "Delovoi Expres".

The ducational system also uses Russian in many domains.

Assyrians

Main article: Assyrians in Armenia

Assyrians are a historic presence in Armenia from very ancient times. Assyrians are the third biggest minority in Armenia after the Yazidis and Russians. Their number is estimated at 5000. There has been a higher rate of intermarriage between the Assyrians and the Armenians.

According to the 2001 census, there are 3,409 Assyrians living in Armenia, and Armenia is home to some of the last surviving Assyrian communities. There were 6,000 Assyrians in Armenia before the break up of USSR, but because of Armenia's struggling economy, the population has been cut by half, as many have emigrated to Russian areas.

Molokans

The Molokans (Russian: Молока́не) are a religious sect, among Russian peasants (serfs), who broke away from the Russian Orthodox Church in the 1550s. They reject the Trinity as outlined by the Nicene Creed, the Orthodox fasts, military service, the eating of unclean foods, and other practices, including water baptism. They claim to be the direct descendants of the ancient Armenian "Paulicians". They became known as the "Bogomils" of Thrace, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Serbia.

Molokan means "milk drinkers" in Russian, as they drank milk instead of fasting from it on Orthodox Fasts. There are around 5000 Molokans in Armenia.

Greeks

Main article: Greeks in Armenia

The Greeks of Armenia are mainly descendants of Pontic Greeks, who originally lived along the shores of the Black Sea.

Ukrainians

Main article: Ukrainians in Armenia