Minority nationalities in the Russian Baltic provinces: The 1881 Baltic census

The population of the Russian Baltic provinces during the second half of the nineteenth century experiences substantial growth and differentiation, though these dynamics are difficult to describe precisely because of the paucity of census data. The first Imperial census took place only in 1897; for earlier periods, provincial censuses have to be relied upon. The 1881 census of the Baltic provinces shows the difficulty of analyzing minority demography in an era when the concept of “minority” was seldom used and enumerators relied upon such classifications as language, religion, and social status. Though the Baltic provinces were leaders in the fertility transition in the Russian Empire, the picture at the level of “minorities” is mixed, underlining the need for additional longitudinal and cross-sectional research.