The Demographic Portrait of Rind (1873-1931): Growth and Resilience

The history and development of Rind are best reflected in its numbers. The valuable work of renowned statistician Zaven Korkotyan, “The Population of Soviet Armenia in the Last Century (1831-1931),” allows us to reconstruct the demographic image of our village over a 60-year period—a time filled with both peaceful growth and historical trials.

Decades of Steady Growth (1873-1914)

In the second half of the 19th century, Rind was a purely Armenian settlement. In 1873, the village had only 228 inhabitants, but over the following decades, the population nearly doubled.

• 1886 – 351 people (all Armenian)

• 1897 – 426 people (according to the first All-Russian Imperial Census)

• 1904 – 460 people

• 1914 – 460-506 people (based on various sources, including the “Caucasian Calendar”)

These figures demonstrate that Rind was a consistently developing community where natural growth contributed to the village’s expansion.

War Years and Migrational Shifts (1916-1922)

The most dramatic changes occurred between 1916 and 1922. In 1916, the population reached 627, and in 1919, an unprecedented number was recorded: 896 inhabitants. This sharp increase in 1919 was driven not only by natural birth rates but also by the influx of refugees who survived the Armenian Genocide and sought shelter in Vayots Dzor. However, subsequent wars, famine, and disease left their mark: by 1922, the population decreased to 717.

The Start of the Soviet Era and Recovery

From the mid-1920s, along with the establishment of peace, Rind began to grow again.

• 1926 – 776 people

• 1931 – 914 peopleBy 1931, Rind was approaching the 1,000-resident threshold, remaining an exclusively Armenian village.

Population of Rind by Year