More than half of the Armenians living in Georgia inhabit in Javakhk (currently administratively divided into Samtskhe–Javakhk Province and Tsalka District of Kvemo Kartli Province). The administrative territorial redistributions, that took place in the Soviet Georgia after the Second World War, as well as large and small demographic shifts, that happened during the war and in after years, had a serious impact on both the administrative divisions and the demographic picture of the heavily Armenian-populated southern regions of the Georgian SSR. The Georgian (Cartvelian) element came to replace the Muslim element (Turk–Meskhetians) who were massively moved from the mentioned territories.

KeywordsGeorgia Javakhk Georgians Armenians population national composition census official data dynamics.

After the Second World War, from 1959 to1989, the number of Armenians living in the entire territory of Georgia decreased from 442.9 thousand to 437.2 thousand people (decrease by 5.7 thousand). During the same period, the number of Azerbaijanis increased more than twice: from 153.6 thousand to 307.6 thousand people. The number of Armenians in Georgia sharply declined in the post-Soviet period. According to the official census of Georgia in 1989 and 2002, the number of Armenians in Georgia decreased by 188,282 people in 13 years.

KeywordsGeorgia Abkhazia South Ossetia Armenians census official statistics dynamics assimilation.

The census is an important source of accurate information about the population of a state. The first All-Union census in the USSR was held in 1926. This census differed from both previous and subsequent censuses in the principles used to determine the national composition of the population guided solely by the principle of self-determination. As a result, 191 nationalities were registered throughout the USSR. However, difficulties have also arisen in registering some ethnic groups.

KeywordsAll-Union census main nationalities determination of ethnic identity the Persians the Karapapakhs the Turks the Azerbaijani Central Statistical Office Agbaba Zangezur.