The population of Eastern Armenia – corresponding to the First Republic of Armenia as well as Soviet and post-Soviet Armenia – has undergone significant changes in the 20th century.
Following Turkey's genocide of Armenians in 1915, between 300,000–600,000 Armenians fled from Western Armenia to Eastern Armenia,NARA 867.4016/816. From James W. Gerard to Secretary of State. November 1922. Approximate number of Armenians in the World a number which increased further following Turkey's invasion of Eastern Armenia in 1920. After registering steady increases during the Soviet period due to repatriation campaigns and low emigration rates, the population declined from its peak value of 3.633 million in 1992 to 3.075 million in 2025. Primary factors contributing to this emigration include the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the economic hardship caused by the ongoing blockade imposed by Turkey and Azerbaijan (1989–present). Recently there has been a moderate influx of Armenians returning to Armenia.
Historical statistics
Citing Armenia's conquest and occupation by the Seljuks (11th century) and Mongols (13th–15th centuries), historians Edmund Herzig and Marina Kurkchiyan write "the combination of progressive Turkish (and Kurdish) immigration and Armenian decline, through massacre, famine and emigration, changed the demographic balance in a way that Arab immigration had never done".
As a result of "deliberate relocation policies employed by both the Ottomans and Safavids" during the Ottoman–Safavid War, there was a large-scale displacement of Armenians; Armenians also emigrated "to escape the insecurity and hardship of life in war-torn Armenia". Whilst Shah Abbas I relocated Armenians to Isfahan and "Armenian colonies in other parts of Iran" in 1604–1605, "the Ottomans also removed Armenian artisans to their capital".
Following the Russian annexation, 45,000 Armenians from Persia and 100,000 from the Ottoman Empire migrated to Eastern Armenia, with another 25,000 migrating following the 1878 Russo-Turkish war. As a result of the repatriation, Armenians had regained a majority in their homeland "for the first time in several hundred years". As a result of persecution and massacres in the Ottoman Empire, some 100,000 Armenians immigrated to Eastern Armenia between 1870 and 1910. The areas with Armenian-majorities would later "form the nucleus in the twentieth century of an independent Armenian state".
Historian Sen Hovhannisian writes that during the 80 years of peace during which Eastern Armenia was part of Russia, there was "unprecedented" population growth: it tripled from 161,700 to 496,100 between 1831 and 1873, and doubled in the following forty years until it reached 1,000,100 in 1913. The population between 1831 and 1913 increased 6.18 times, yielding an average annual growth rate of 10,200 people. Following the outbreak of World War I, the population, which was 1,014,300 in 1914, fell by 20,500 in 1916 due to the Christian population being drafted. As a result of "wars and civil clashes, hunger and diseases" of 1918–1920, 432,000 people (35.8 percent of the population) were "exterminated".
Upon its sovietisation, the territory of modern-day Armenia had a population of some 720,000, a decline of nearly 30 percent—"almost half" consisted of refugees. American historian Richard Pipes states that "according to Soviet estimates, the Armenian population of Transcaucasia declined between 1914 and 1920 by one half million: 200,000 in consequence of Turkish, and, presumably, Communist, massacres, and 300,000 from other causes, mostly famine and disease".
The drastic decline of the population was addressed by the Soviet Armenian government by repatriating displaced Azerbaijanis to districts where they had formed a significant population in Armenia. The Azerbaijani population of Armenia which numbered some 10,000 in 1920 (attributed to the ARF government's expulsion of at least 200,000 Turks and Kurds) rose to 72,596 in 1922 as a result of the return of 60,000 refugees. In addition to this, the Soviet government welcomed 44,000 Armenian refugees from Greece, Iraq, Turkey, and elsewhere throughout the 1920s and 1930s. In 1946–1948, 86,000 Armenians were repatriated to Soviet Armenia to offset the country's wartime losses. At the same time, by agreement of Armenian and Azerbaijani Soviet leaderships, tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis in Armenia were resettled to Azerbaijan to make room for the repatriates.
Population size and structure
According to the 2018 HDI statistical update (with data for 2017), compared to all its neighbouring countries Armenia has:
the lowest coefficient of human inequality, the lowest gender inequality (ranked 55th on Gender Inequality Index), highest percentage of men and highest percentage of women with at least some secondary education, highest share of seats in parliament held by women, highest share of women who reported to feel safe, highest GDP growth rate.
Since 1990, Armenia recorded steady growth of average annual HDI scores in every reported period (1990–2000, 2000–2010, 2010–2017).
According to the 2016 Sustainable Society Index, Armenia has a higher rank of Human Wellbeing than all its neighbours. At the same time its Economic Wellbeing rank is below neighbouring countries.
The 2011 census counted 539,394 persons (19.4 percent of the population above 6 years of age) with higher professional education.
Structure of the population The median age in 2020 was 36.6 years (male: 35.1, female: 38.3).
36.3 percent of women who gave birth in 2016 had higher education.
Age groupMaleFemaleTotal% Total 1,398,052 1,620,802 3,018,854 100 0–4 105 565 102 007 207 572 6.88 5–9 91 429 88 500 179 929 5.96 10–14 90 458 88 179 178 637 5.92 15–19 107 938 125 137 233 075 7.72 20–24 133 897 158 337 292 234 9.68 25–29 122 109 149 820 271 929 9.01 30–34 103 114 119 891 223 005 7.39 35–39 89 073 98 348 187 421 6.21 40–44 82 502 94 462 176 964 5.86 45–49 98 064 112 996 211 060 6.99 50–54 109 294 125 238 234 532 7.77 55–59 80 989 96 769 177 758 5.89 60–64 56 189 71 410 127 599 4.23 65–69 28 020 37 353 65 373 2.17 70–74 44 041 63 637 107 678 3.57 75–79 30 734 44 643 75 377 2.50 80–84 18 662 30 244 48 906 1.62 85+ 5 974 13 831 19 805 0.66Age groupMaleFemaleTotal% 0–14 287 452 278 686 566 138 18.75 15–64 983 169 1 152 408 2 135 577 70.74 65+ 127 431 189 708 317 139 10.51
Age groupMaleFemaleTotal% Total 1 399 368 1 563 114 2 962 482 100 0–4 102 588 92 078 194 666 6.57 5–9 111 879 98 348 210 227 7.10 10–14 103 991 90 955 194 946 6.58 15–19 88 582 77 838 166 420 5.62 20–24 90 776 88 311 179 087 6.05 25–29 115 826 127 910 243 736 8.23 30–34 124 127 138 753 262 880 8.87 35–39 111 345 123 527 234 872 7.93 40–44 87 619 100 891 188 510 6.36 45–49 74 528 90 316 164 844 5.56 50–54 73 562 93 943 167 505 5.65 55–59 91 952 116 734 208 686 7.04 60–64 81 199 105 827 187 026 6.31 65–69 55 578 76 627 132 205 4.46 70–74 29 945 46 812 76 757 2.59 75–79 23 192 37 510 60 702 2.05 80–84 21 287 37 958 59 245 2.00 85+ 11 392 18 776 30 168 1.02Age groupMaleFemaleTotalPercent 0–14 318 458 281 381 599 839 20.25 15–64 939 516 1 064 050 2 003 566 67.63 65+ 141 394 217 683 359 077 12.12
In 2016, households with up to four members prevailed in urban areas throughout Armenia, with the share of such households coming to 70.2 percent in urban communities compared to 60.1 percent in rural communities.
Vital statistics Vital statistics summary data B.R. Mitchell. International historical statistics 1750–2005: Africa. Asia and Oceania
Average populationLive birthsDeathsNatural changeCrude birth rate (per 1000)Crude death rate (per 1000)Natural change (per 1000)Crude migration rate (per 1000)Total fertility rateInfant mortality rate (per 1000 births)Life expectancy males females total19501,354,00043,41411,52531,88932.18.523.619511,378,00049,79012,48237,30836.19.127.1 −9.419521,415,00053,84512,91640,92938.19.128.9 −2.019531,454,00051,02514,00737,01835.19.625.5 2.119541,504,00057,99512,30145,90038.68.230.4 4.019551,564,00059,47713,76345,71438.08.829.2 10.719561,616,00062,11912,28650,00038.57.630.8 2.419571,671,00066,86214,10152,76140.08.431.6 2.419581,732,00071,21314,08957,12441.18.133.0 3.519591,796,00072,21113,96858,24340.27.832.4 4.619601,867,00074,82512,67562,15040.16.833.3 6.24.6319611,942,00072,37712,49659,88137.36.430.8 9.44.2719622,005,00069,50513,29756,20834.76.628.0 4.44.1719632,064,00067,38212,04655,33632.65.826.8 2.64.1119642,133,00064,45412,41552,03930.25.824.4 9.03.9819652,205,00062,96912,58250,38728.65.722.9 10.93.9119662,273,00061,59412,44549,14927.15.521.6 9.23.6919672,337,00057,03112,62244,40924.45.419.0 9.23.5519682,401,00057,50312,23145,27223.95.118.9 8.53.4619692,462,00056,20312,78243,42122.85.217.6 7.83.2019702,518,00055,69412,84442,85022.15.117.0 5.73.1719712,580,00058,18812,51845,67022.64.917.7 6.93.1819722,644,00059,31313,73045,58322.45.217.2 7.63.0719732,708,00059,59314,10245,49122.05.216.8 7.42.9219742,770,00060,41914,27646,14321.85.216.7 6.22.8219752,826,00062,86615,49847,36822.25.516.8 3.42.7919762,883,00065,06515,68849,37722.65.417.1 3.12.7219772,943,00065,83015,81350,01722.45.417.0 3.82.6119783,001,00066,69816,46550,23322.25.516.7 3.02.4619793,051,00069,78617,12552,66122.95.617.3 −0.62.3819803,096,00070,32417,12453,20022.75.517.2 −2.52.3319813,144,00073,68216,65957,02323.45.318.1 −2.12.3119823,194,00074,22517,46956,75623.25.517.8 −1.92.2619833,243,00076,43618,36958,06723.65.717.9 −2.62.3519843,292,00079,76719,04360,72424.25.818.4 −3.32.4419853,339,00080,30619,58160,72524.15.918.2 −3.92.5619863,387,00081,19219,41061,78224.05.718.2 −3.82.5819873,435,00078,49219,72758,76522.95.717.1 −2.92.5519883,453,00074,70735,56739,14021.610.311.3 −6.12.4919893,482,00075,25020,85354,39721.66.015.6 −7.22.6119903,545,00079,88221,99357,88922.56.216.3 1.82.6319913,604,00077,82523,42554,40021.66.515.1 1.52.6019923,549,00070,58125,82444,75719.97.312.6 −27.92.4419933,410,00059,04127,50031,54117.38.19.2 −48.42.1419943,309,00051,14324,64826,49515.57.48.0 −37.61.87819953,255,00048,96024,84224,11815.07.67.4 −23.71.84219963,247,00048,13424,93623,19814.87.77.1 −9.61.83419973,242,00043,92923,98519,94413.57.46.2 −7.71.68019983,235,00039,36623,21016,15612.27.25.0 −7.21.50919993,230,00036,50224,08712,41511.37.53.8 −5.31.38820003,221,00034,27624,02510,25110.67.53.2 −6.01.30520013,214,00032,06524,0038,06210.07.52.5 −4.71.23920023,205,00032,22925,5546,67510.18.02.1 −4.91.20720033,188,00035,79326,0149,77911.28.23.1 −8.41.34920043,172,00037,52025,67911,84111.88.13.7 −8.71.38320053,155,00037,49926,37911,12011.98.43.5 −8.91.36620063,139,00037,63927,20210,43712.08.73.3 −8.41.34813.969.876.072.920073,122,00040,10526,83013,27512.88.64.3 −9.71.41710.969.876.173.020083,106,00041,18527,41213,77313.38.84.4 −9.51.44410.870.076.373.220093,089,00044,46627,52816,93814.48.95.5 −11.01.55110.470.076.373.220103,073,00044,82527,92116,90414.69.15.5 −10.71.55611.470.176.473.320113,056,00043,34027,96315,37714.29.15.0 −10.51.49911.670.577.374.0201233,037,00042,48027,59914,88114.09.14.9 −11.11.58310.870.977.574.320133,022,00041,77027,16514,60513.89.04.8 −9.71.5739.771.577.974.820143,014,00043,18327,19615,98714.39.05.3 −7.91.6528.871.878.175.020153,007,00041,76327,87813,88513.99.34.6 −6.91.6458.871.778.275.020162,998,00040,59228,22612,36613.59.44.2 −7.21.6478.671.678.375.020172,986,00037,70027,15710,54312.79.23.5 −7.51.5768.271.978.775.420182,973,00036,57425,75110,82312.38.73.6 −8.01.5737.172.479.075.920192,965,00036,04126,1869,85512.28.83.4 −6.11.5996.173.179.576.520202,959,00036,35336,433 −8012.312.3 −0.0 −2.01.6567.368.478.673.520212,964,00036,62334,3882,23512.411.60.8 0.91.7106.967.477.472.420222,969,00036,37526,6929,68312.39.03.3 −1.61.7386.771.478.375.120232,991,20036,59024,31312,27712.38.24.1 3.41.8856.674.181.077.720243,075,80033,64825,5768,07211.18.42.7 25.21.71420253,086,60032,04225,5646,47810.48.32.12.81.631