Demographic Development of the Ingrian National Minority in Estonia,

Authors

• Kalev Katus
• Allan Puur
• Asta Põldma

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23979/fypr.44989

Keywords:

national minorities, Ingrians, language, religious affiliation, Estonia

Abstract

The article focuses on the demographic development af the Ingrian minority in Estonia.
In a broader framework the research underlying the article originates from a
comparative study af national minority populations, coordinated by the European
Population Committee. The article starts with a short overview af major changes in
the ethnic composition af the Estonian population, covering the implications af the
Second World War on national minorities and the emergence af aforeign-origin population.
The analysis af the Ingrian minority draws on the data from the Estonian
national minority survey. Building on the life course approach and event history methodology,
the survey was designed ta retrospectively reconstruct the trends in major
demographic processes and follow the continuity af minority-specific characteristics
across three successive generations. The article discusses the size and age structure
af the Ingrian population, fertility and mortality patterns, ethnic intermarriage, language
and religious affiliation. The results emphasize that national minority populations
tend ta follow distinct pathways af population development, which are different,
from the patterns characteristic af the majority population as well asfrom those found
in the countries af historical origin. Also, the analysis clearly revealed long-term
consequences imposed by the loss af their homeland and their dispersal.