Population

     At present total population of the Penza Region is 1408.0 thousand people. People of 57 nationalities live in the region. The dominant nationalities are Russians (85.2% or 1 mln. 313.6 thousand people), Tatars (5.7% or 88.6 thousand people), Mordovians (5.6% or 86.3 thousand people) and Chuvash (0.5% or 7.4 thousand people).

     Places of compact Mordovian settlements are 18 districts of the Penza Region, Tatar – 16 districts, Chuvash – 1 district.

     As a result of execution of the Conception of the State National Policy of the Russian Federation, the Government of the Penza Region favours a thorough national culture development, keeping the cultural heritage of the peoples of the region, learning their mother tongue and consolidation of inter-national accord in the Region. The Coordination Council on National Policy of the Penza Region Government acts since 2001.

     National holidays are regularly held with support of the government.

     In April 2006 the First Regional Forum “People’s Unity – the basis of regional stability” was held in the Penza Region.

     Different cultural-enlightener arrangements included traditional national holidays, amateur arts festivals and concerts preserving and developing ethno-national processes.

     Hand-made goods exhibitions of artisans skilled in traditional national handicrafts, testing local cooking, articles and books in national language exhibitions, amateur poets’ and writers’ performances were organized.

     Being one of universal multinational regions, the Penza Region was chosen as a ground for holding the Interregional scientific-practical conference of Volga (Privolzhsky) Federal District “The Islam resources and Moslem culture in forming spiritual space of Russia” in June 2006.

     5 regional, 9 local National-Cultural Autonomies and 22 national public organizations were registered up to November 2006 in the Penza Region.

     National cultural formations activity is broadcasted on TV and radio, published in national editions “Arba” in Tatar and Russian languages and in “The Sun of Islam” in Russian, in the local newspaper “Penzenskaya Pravda” in the special rubric “The Nations Family of the Region”.

     Lately there are no displays of racism, xenophobia and intolerance in the Penza Region thanks to historical traditions as well as purposeful activity of the bodies of state and municipal power.

     According to the preliminary figures, the number of resident population of the Penza Region for January 1, 2007 has made up 1395.7 people. In 2006 it decreased for 12.3 thousand people or 0.9 %.

     In 2006 natural diminution of the population made up 12.0 thousand people, migratory diminution – 0.3.

 

	Number of people		2006 figures against the figures for 2005 (%)
	2005	2006
Births	11827	12046	101,9
Deaths	25790	24042	93,2
Including number of infant deaths (under 1 year old)	145	127	87,6
Natural diminution	-13963	-11996	85,9
Marriages	9812	10569	107,7
Divorces	5231	5942	113,6

 

     Positive tendency in demographic situation is to be observed in the Region: since March 2006 the number of deaths decreases monthly. As a whole, diminution of the population in 2006 against the figures for 2005 made up 1,748 people or 6.8%. Natural diminution of the population has decreased by 14.1%.

     The number of marriages has increased for 757 (or 7,7 %), divorces – for 711 (or 13.6%).

     General migratory diminution of the population in 2006 made up 270 people.

     There is the intensification of migratory processes in the region in comparison with 2005. In 2006 the total number of migrants coming into the region is 20,237 people (18,801 in 2005), the number of people who left the Penza region is 20,507 (19,603 in 2005). The migratory increase between the region and the CIS and Baltic States in 2006 made up 1,895 people (1,619 in 2005). The greatest migratory increase is from Uzbekistan – 959 people, Kazakhstan – 219 people, Kirghizia – 207 people, Armenia – 125 people, the Ukraine – 112 people, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan – 100 people.

     The region has a negative balance of migration with Byelorussia, Germany, Israel and the USA.

     According to the figures of the Penza Federal Migration Service Department the number of illegal migrants has increased. In 2006 they detained 2,647 people (2,063 in 2005).

 

Sickness rate of the population of the region (for 100,000 people)