The following peoples are officially recognized minor indigenous peoples of Russia. Many of them are included into the Common List of Minor Indigenous Peoples of Russia (Единый перечень коренных малочисленных народов России) approved by the government of Russia on March 24, 2000.
These peoples satisfy the following criteria:
To live in their historical territory;
To preserve traditional way of life, occupations, and trades;
To self-recognize themselves as a separate ethnicity;
There should be at most 50,000 of population within Russia.
Some of them, such as Soyots, were recognized only after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
These peoples subject to benefits according to a number of laws aimed at preservation and support of these ethnicities.
Ten of these peoples count less than 1,000 and 11 of them live beyond the Arctic Circle.
Far North is the part of Russia which lies mainly beyond the Arctic Circle.
Ainus (Айны): Kamchatka Krai
Aleuts (Алеуты): Kamchatka Krai
Alyutors (Алюторцы): Kamchatka Krai
Chukchis (чукчи): Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Magadan Oblast, Kamchatka Krai
Chuvans (чуванцы): Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Magadan Oblast
Dolgans (долганы): Krasnoyarsk Krai, Sakha Republic
Enets (*) (энцы) (Yenets, Russian plural: Entsy, obsolete: Yenisei Samoyeds, Yenisei Ostyak, Kets): Krasnoyarsk Krai
Siberian Yupik (Yuit, Yupigyt, эскимосы): Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Chaplino
Naukan
Sirenik Yupik
Itelmens (ительмены): Kamchatka Krai, Magadan Oblast
Kamchadals (камчадалы, a general term for mixed population of Kamchatka Peninsula): Kamchatka Krai
Kereks (кереки): Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Komi peoples formerly known as Komi-Izhemtsy, Izhma Komi (Коми-ижемцы, alt. name: Izvataz): north of the Komi Republic
Koryaks (коряки): Kamchatka Krai, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Magadan Oblast
Nenets (*) (Russian plural: Nentsy, old Russian name Samoyeds) (ненцы): Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Komi Republic
Nganasans (Tavgi) (нганасаны): Krasnoyarsk Krai
Sami (old Russian name Lopars, i.e., Lapp) (саамы, саамы): Murmansk Oblast
Veps (*) (вепсы): Republic of Karelia, Leningrad Oblast
Yukaghirs (юкагиры): Sakha Republic, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Magadan Oblast
Chulyms (чулымцы): Krasnoyarsk Krai
Evenks (obsolete: Tungus) (эвенки): Sakha Republic, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Khabarovsk Krai, Amur Oblast, Sakhalin Oblast, Buryat Republic, Irkutsk Oblast, Chita Oblast, Tomsk Oblast, Tyumen Oblast
Evens (эвены) (obsolete: Lamuts (ламуты)): Sakha Republic, Khabarovsk Krai, Magadan Oblast, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Kamchatka Krai
Kets (кеты): Krasnoyarsk Krai
Khantys (Ostyaks, obsolete) (ханты)
Mansi (Voguls, obsolete) (манси): Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Tyumen Oblast, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Komi Republic
Selkups (селькупы): Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Tyumen Oblast, Tomsk Oblast, Krasnoyarsk Krai
Teleuts (телеуты): Kemerovo Oblast
Nanais (Russian plural: Nanaitsy) (нанайцы): Khabarovsk Krai, Primorsky Krai, Sakhalin Oblast
Negidals (негидальцы): Khabarovsk Krai
Nivkh people (нивхи): Khabarovsk Krai, Sakhalin Oblast
Oroch people (орочи): Khabarovsk Krai
Orok people (Ulta, Uilta) (ороки, ульта): Sakhalin Oblast
Taz people (тазы): Primorsky Krai
Udege people (удэгейцы): Primorsky Krai, Khabarovsk Krai
Ulch people (*) (ульчи): Khabarovsk Krai
Kumandins (кумандинцы): Altai Krai, Altai Republic, Kemerovo Oblast
Chelkans (челканцы): Altai Republic
Shorians (шорцы): Kemerovo Oblast, Republic of Khakassia, Altai Republic
Soyots (сойоты): Buryat Republic
Telengits (теленгиты): Altai Republic
Tofalars (тофалары): Irkutsk Oblast
Tubalars (тубалары): Altai Republic
Tuvans-Todzhins (Tuvintses-Todjintses, тувинцы-тоджинцы): Tuva Republic
According to a 2000 decree of the government of Russian Federation, Dagestan was supposed to compile their own list of small-numbered indigenous peoples, to be included in the overall List of small-numbered indigenous peoples of Russia The peoples below fall under the criteria of the decree, but were not included into the list in 2000.
Laks
Tabasarans
Rutuls
Aguls
Tsakhurs
Kumyks
Nogais
there are about 40 other tiny ethnic groups in Dagestan, with total number of less than 40,000.
Andis
Akhvakh
Archins
Bagvalals
Bezhta
Botlikhs
Chamalals
Godoberi
Hinukh
Hunzibs
Khwarshi
Karata
Tindis
Tsez
Abazins (абазины): Karachay–Cherkessia
Ainu: some of them lived in southern Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands: assimilated
Besermyan (бесермяне): Udmurt Republic
Izhorians (ижорцы): Leningrad Oblast
Karelians (карелы): titular nation of the Republic of Karelia
Nagaybaks (нагайбаки): Chelyabinsk Oblast and Republic of Bashkortostan
Shapsugs (шапсуги): Krasnodar Krai
Qaratay (каратаи): Republic of Tatarstan (no official recognition)
Most of the small numbered people have median ages considerably lesser than Russian average. The below table is taken from Russian census of 2002. For example median age for ethnic Russians was 37.6 years, while that of Yuraq Samoyeds was 26.20 . [1]
The below table gives the average birth rate for Smaller Ethnic groups for the 1997-2002 period based on the 2002 census. (per 1000 people) Source: [2] For most of the groups the birth rate was more than the death rate. For example for the Yuraq Samoyeds the birth rate was more than double the death rate. But for ethnic groups like Veps (Death rate 7 times the birth rate) the reverse was true. For Ingrians, not a single birth was recorded in 1992-2002 period. The youngest of the Ingrians are 3 people in 10-14 age group (Total ethnic population 327, of which more than 60% are above 70 years of age. The 1989 population was 820, signifying a decline of 2.5 times)
