# 1939 Soviet census > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/1939_Soviet_census > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/1939_Soviet_census.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1939_Soviet_census > Source revision: 1333297428 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 1939 Census in the Soviet Union USSR reverse of a January 23rd, 1939 registered cover sent in Leningrad. The text translates as: '17 January 1939, start of the All-Union Census. Citizen! Do not forget to go through the census.' You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Russian. (March 2023) Click [show] for important translation instructions. View a machine-translated version of the Russian article. 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The **1939 Soviet census** ([Russian](/source/Russian_language): Всесоюзная перепись населения 1939, [romanized](/source/Romanization_of_Russian): *Vsesoyuznaya perepis naseleniya 1939*, [lit.](/source/Literal_translation) '1939 All-Union Census'), conducted from January 17 to January 26, succeeded the [1937 Soviet census](/source/1937_Soviet_census) that was declared invalid. It happened only two years after the previous census, due to the failure of the preceding one. Results of 1939 census are considered unreliable, due to accidental counting issues and also intentional falsification to achieve political goals of the [Joseph Stalin](/source/Joseph_Stalin)'s regime. ## Preparation The 1939 Soviet [census](/source/Census) took place after the postponement of the [1930 census](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1930_Soviet_census&action=edit&redlink=1) to first 1935 and then 1937, followed by the failure of that census.[1] In preparation for the 1939 census, a number of decisions were made to avoid ending with the same fate as the census of 1937. Due to the previous census showing believers in religion to form a majority among the population, the question on religion was dropped from the census entirely, and the occupation of [priest](/source/Priest) was changed to "servitor of a cult" in the census forms.[2][3] Additionally, as many of the people in charge of organizing the previous census had been removed from their positions, [Vladimir Starovsky](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vladimir_Starovsky&action=edit&redlink=1) [[ru](https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9,_%D0%92%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80_%D0%9D%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87)] and [Vyacheslav Molotov](/source/Vyacheslav_Molotov) were put in charge of managing it.[4][5] ## Census The census-taking started on January 17, ending on January 23 in urban areas and January 26 in rural areas.[5] Its form contained 16 questions and was printed in 22 languages, as well as providing, for the first and only time, a way to count both convicted criminals and political detainees. While follow-up checks and several other new tabulation methods were instituted, forms were not issued to keep track of [double counting](/source/Double_counting_(proof_technique)).[1] A total of 400,000 census takers were sent to facilitate the process over the country.[3] There were some reports of various religious communities resisting the census, which were dealt with by use of legal means.[6] ## Aftermath Within four months of it being taken, the preliminary census results were released. For unknown reasons, the full results were never made public.[1] While initially the census was viewed inside the [USSR](/source/USSR) as a "model census",[7] it later became clear by the 1980s to the West that large-scale manipulation of the census results had taken place.[8] Accidental over-counting and under-counting were issues, along with falsification with the goal of obscuring population loss and meeting [Stalin](/source/Joseph_Stalin)'s stated goal of the population reaching 170 million.[7] That claim of 170 million is estimated to have been inflated by around 3 million, or 1.8%.[4] Analysis of the results from the [Kazakh SSR](/source/Kazakh_Soviet_Socialist_Republic) showed that distortions of the ethnic [Kazakh](/source/Kazakhs) population took place in an attempt to conceal population losses from the Kazakh famines of the [1920s](/source/Kazakh_famine_of_1919%E2%80%931922) and [30s](/source/Kazakh_famine_of_1930%E2%80%931933).[9] Historians[*[who?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Words_to_watch#Unsupported_attributions)*] have claimed that all the issues with fudged numbers and mistakes discredit the census as a reliable source.[2] The Soviet leadership eventually learned from the mistakes made, and Vladimir Starovsky, head of the [Central Statistical Directorate](/source/Central_Statistical_Directorate), corrected the points that led to accidental miscounts in the 1939 and 1937 censuses for the [census of 1959](/source/Soviet_Census_(1959)), leading to a reliable count being taken.[4] ## Results According to the official results, the total population of the USSR was found to be at 170,467,186. Compared with 1926 figures, the urban population more than doubled, from 26.3 million to 55.9 million, while the [literacy rate](/source/Literacy_rate) rose from 51.1% to 81.2% in the same time frame.[10] Such a rapid rate of [urbanization](/source/Urbanization) was historically unprecedented at the time.[1] The five largest nationalities in the USSR were found to be [Russians](/source/Russians), [Ukrainians](/source/Ukrainians), [Belarusians](/source/Belarusians), [Uzbeks](/source/Uzbeks), and [Tatars](/source/Tatars).[11] ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:2_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:2_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:2_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:2_1-3) Schwartz, Lee (1986), CLEM, RALPH S. (ed.), ["A History of Russian and Soviet Censuses"](https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt1g69xfv.8), *Research Guide to the Russian and Soviet Censuses*, Cornell University Press, pp. 48–69, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-5017-0715-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-5017-0715-5), [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [10.7591/j.ctt1g69xfv.8](https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt1g69xfv.8), retrieved 2022-05-22{{[citation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Citation)}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_work_parameter_with_ISBN)) 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_2-1) ["The Lost Census"](https://soviethistory.msu.edu/1939-2/the-lost-census/). *Seventeen Moments in Soviet History*. 2015-06-18. Retrieved 2022-05-22. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:3_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:3_3-1) ["RUSSIA: Roll Call"](https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,760685,00.html). *Time*. 1939-01-30. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0040-781X](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0040-781X). Retrieved 2022-05-24. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:1_4-2) Tolts, Mark (January 1995). ["The Soviet Censuses of 1937 and 1939: Some Problems of Data Evaluation"](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233965646). *ResearchGate*. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.13140/2.1.2765.6641](https://doi.org/10.13140%2F2.1.2765.6641). Retrieved 2022-05-22. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:4_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:4_5-1) Gulomov, Ilhomjon (22 April 2021). ["The 1939 Census (on the example of the Uzbek USSR)"](https://usajournalshub.com/conferences/index.php/iscrc/article/view/229/225). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["On Resistance Among Believers"](https://soviethistory.msu.edu/1939-2/the-lost-census/the-lost-census-texts/on-resistance-among-believers/). *Seventeen Moments in Soviet History*. 2015-08-31. Retrieved 2022-05-23. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:5_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:5_7-1) ["The Soviet Censuses of 1937 and 1939: Some Problems of Data Evaluation"](https://web.archive.org/web/20220910145444/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233965646_The_Soviet_Censuses_of_1937_and_1939_Some_Problems_of_Data_Evaluation). *ResearchGate*. Archived from [the original](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233965646) on 2022-09-10. Retrieved 2025-01-08. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Conquest, Robert; Cohen, Stephen; Wheatcroft, Stephen G. (1986). ["\[New Demographic Evidence on Excess Collectivization Deaths: Further Comments on Wheatcroft, Rosefielde, Anderson and Silver\]"](https://www.jstor.org/stable/2499183). *Slavic Review*. **45** (2): 295–299. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2307/2499183](https://doi.org/10.2307%2F2499183). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0037-6779](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0037-6779). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [2499183](https://www.jstor.org/stable/2499183). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Tolts, Mark (2006-03-01). ["Ethnic composition of Kazakhstan on the eve of the Second World War: re-evaluation of the 1939 Soviet census results"](https://doi.org/10.1080/02634930600903171). *Central Asian Survey*. **25** (1–2): 143–148. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1080/02634930600903171](https://doi.org/10.1080%2F02634930600903171). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0263-4937](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0263-4937). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [143934454](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:143934454). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Turin, S. P. (1941). ["Some Observations on the Population of Soviet Russia at the Census of January 17th, 1939"](https://www.jstor.org/stable/2980034). *Journal of the Royal Statistical Society*. **104** (2): 172–174. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2307/2980034](https://doi.org/10.2307%2F2980034). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0952-8385](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0952-8385). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [2980034](https://www.jstor.org/stable/2980034). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Всесоюзная перепись населения 1939 года. Национальный состав населения по республикам СССР"](http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_39.php?reg=5) [All-Union census of the population of 1939. National composition of the population by republics of the USSR]. *www.demoscope.ru*. Retrieved 2022-05-23. ## Further reading - [All-Union census of the population of 1939: National composition of the population by republics of the USSR](http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_39.php?reg=5) (in Russian) v t e Russian censuses 1897 1920 1926 1937 1939 1959 1970 1979 1989 2002 2010 (2014) 2021 Demographics of Russia Demographic crisis Revision list Soviet Census Russian Federal State Statistics Service Russian Cross v t e Soviet censuses (State Committee for Statistics) 1920 1923 1926 1937 1939 1959 1970 1979 1989 --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [1939 Soviet census](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1939_Soviet_census) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1939_Soviet_census?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.