Russians in Kyrgyzstan

Russians in Kyrgyzstan are a minority ethnic group numbering 419,600 individuals according to 2009 Census, representing 9.1% of the total population.^[1] Most ethnic Russians migrated to the country during the 20th Century. The Russian population has been declining since the breakup of the Soviet Union due to low fertility rates and emigration.

Ethnic Russians are concentrated primarily in the capital city of Bishkek, although some settlements in the north of the country also have an ethnic Russian majority. Most ethnic Russians in Kyrgyzstan are either non-religious or Russian Orthodox, with a small proportion of Old Believers, an anti-reformist group that split from the Russian Orthodox church during the 17th century.^[2]

References

1. Demoscope Weekly, no. 605-606
2. Edward Allworth, Central Asia, 130 years of Russian dominance: a historical overview (1994). Duke University Press. p.102. ISBN 0-8223-1521-1