ETHNICITIES OF THE RUSSIAN NORTH AND ARCTIC: DEMOGRAPHIC RENAISSANCE OR ASSIMILATION

Fauzer, V. V.

Institute of Socio-Economic and Energy Problems of the North, Komi Science Centre Ural Branch of the RAS (Syktyvkar, Komi Republic, Russian Federation)

The article was received on August 25, 2025

Bibliographic description: Fauzer V. V. Ethnicities of the Russian North and Arctic: demographic renaissance or assimilation. Arctic: Ecology and Economy, 2026, vol. 16, no. 1.

Abstract:  The Russian North and Arctic are the homeland of unique peoples who have managed to find a balance between nature and the environment, create their own unique culture, carry it through the centuries, survive the socio-economic transformations of the 20th century and once again declare themselves. It took 80 years (1926—2006) to form the List of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation so that 40 ethnic groups would receive exclusive rights to use their original habitat and engage in traditional activities. The demographic dynamics of indigenous ethnic groups is ambiguous. Along with purely demographic factors (birth rate, mortality), assimilation has a significant impact on it. It is difficult to preserve one’s identity while living in a multinational environment of larger ethnic groups. Unique information is introduced into scientific circulation — the distribution of married couples by nationality of spouses is the main factor of assimilation. According to the 2021 All-Russian Population Statistics, the share of married couples in interethnic marriage (share over 50.0%) is 74.2%. The goal is to assess the level of assimilation and its impact on the dynamics of indigenous ethnicities.

Keywords: the North and the Arctic, indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East, population dynamics, assimilation, interethnic marriage.

Funding:  The research was supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant, project no. 25-28-00482, https://rscf.ru/project/25-28-00482/.

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