Udmurts: assimilation or depopulation? (to the results of the All-Russian population census of 2021)

Introduction. The article attempts to answer the question about the reasons for the decrease in the number of Udmurts in 2010–2021. According to the census data, the reduction across the country over eleven years amounted to 30,0 %, in Udmurtia – by almost a quarter.
Materials and Methods. The sources included published materials from the 2010 and 2021 censuses, as well as unpublished current statistics where understanding of previous trends was required. The following research methods are used: historical-comparative, chronological, statistical.
Results and Discussion. The study showed that the assimilation processes played the greatest role in the decline in the number of Udmurts in 2010–2021. This is evidenced by the signifi cant rates of interethnic marriages among the Udmurts; newborns whose father was not Udmurt; who consider Russian their native language. Such a large-scale reduction cannot be explained by depopulation, since the Udmurt birth rate was higher than the national level, and before 1996 the natural increase rate was also higher. It is also obvious that some of the Udmurts could simply not be counted during the last census.
Conclusion. The study showed that it is necessary to improve the ethnic aspect of statistical reporting. We are talking about both reducing the number of people who do not indicate their nationality in population censuses and reviving current statistics on ethnicity. Without solving this problem, it will be extremely diffi cult to analyze ethno-demographic processes.