Kyiv is considered to be the oldest city and one of the most beautiful among European capitals. Archaeological excavations show that settlements existed on its territory about twenty thousand years ago.
Historian Ilovaisky D. I. at the end of the nineteenth century for the first time published the population of Kyiv in the era of Ancient Russia. According to discovered historical chronicles, 100,000 people lived in Kyiv in the 12th century. This figure is confirmed by other researchers. Modern historians believe that the population of Kyiv at that time reached 120,000 people. This discrepancy in numbers shows the lack of development of research methods. After all, specific facts can be found in the annals, which speak of pestilence, fires, the number of troops that went out to fight the enemy. The testimonies of foreign travelers should not be left aside, which indicate the vast size of the city at that time and the number of its inhabitants.
According to historical facts, 30 thousand people lived in Novgorod in the 13th century, 20 thousand people lived in London in the 11th century (about 35 thousand in the 14th century), Gdansk and Hamburg had 20 thousand each in the 12th century. human. If we comparethe population of Kyiv with the number of Slavic and Western European cities of that time, we can conclude that Kyiv significantly outnumbered them. It was the largest trade and craft center.
Much later, scientists learned more accurate statistics from archaeological sources. In the 17th century, Old Russian cities differed little from the large cities of the ancient world. At that time, there were 100-150 people per hectare of the earth's territory. The average population density of ancient Kyiv was 125 people. per 1 ha. Consequently, 47.5 thousand people lived on 380 hectares. In terms of population, Kyiv at that time was considered a rival of Constantinople. And the data of the end of the eighteenth century indicate that the population of Kyiv at that time was approximately 30 thousand people.
In the post-Soviet period, the capital of Ukraine was the only region of the country where the number of inhabitants remained stable for a decade.
Modern Kyiv, with a population of 2.9 million according to 2010 data, is constantly growing. Every year the number of Kiev residents increases due to the arrival of migrants from rural and small urban regions of Ukraine. In the first two quarters of 2010 alone, the population of Kyiv increased by 880 people due to migration. These are the official facts of the Main Kyiv Department of Statistics. The increase in the number of inhabitants was also reflected in the number of newborn children. The official figure is 810 babies. The natural growth of Kyiv has long beenis negative.
The bulk of the city's population are Ukrainians. The rest of the national composition of Kyiv is formed by Belarusians, Jews, Russians, Crimean Tatars, Poles and Moldovans. According to the Constitution, the state language is Ukrainian. But many residents of the capital are fluent in Russian and communicate in it.
The main part of the people of Kiev profess Orthodoxy. This is due to the historical past of Kyiv. The religion of some residents (Poles, immigrants from Western Ukraine and Belarus) is Catholicism.
