Azerbaijani population to constitute 3.5% of post-Soviet populations by 2025

According to the report, prepared by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs human settlements division, 285 million people are living in the post-Soviet territory and they will reduce to 272 million by 2025. Russia shares half of the population of the post-Soviet arena but its weight in total number of population is reducing year after year. Russians constituted 56.7 percent of the USSR population in 1950. The figure reduced to 50.3% in 2005. This will reduce to 47.5% in 2025, according to the UN experts.

Ukraine's weight in the 'population basket' of the post-Soviet territory is also decreasing. 16.3% of the former USSR population is living in Ukraine now. It is forecasted that this figure will decrease 2.6% in 20 years.

Uzbekistan's population has increased to a great extent in the period between 1950 and 2005. Only 3.5% of the USSR population lived there in 1950 while it is 9.3% at present. According to the UN predictions, Uzbekistani population will constitute 12.5% of the post-Soviet population in 2025.

Kazakhstan (5.2%) and Belarus (3.4%) comes next for their weights in the 'population basket' in the post-soviet territory. According to the forecasts for 2025, Belarus's weight in the total number of population will reduce to 3.2%, and it will lag behind Azerbaijan which will reach its weight in the 'population basket' to 3.5%.

In general, the tempo of population increase was observed in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan in the post-Soviet territory in the second half of the 90s. The UN experts state the natural increase tempo of population is 1.5%-2% in Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Despite natural increase of population in Kazakhstan and Armenia, speedy migration causes decrease of population in both countries, APA informs.