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The Russian Empire census, formally the First general census of the population of the Russian Empire in 1897, was the first and only nation-wide census performed in the Russian Empire. The census recorded the demographic data as of ; with a population of 125,640,021, it made Russia the world's third-most populated country at the time, after the British and Qing empires. Although the census was performed in most of the empire, no enumeration was done in the Grand Duchy of Finland.

The census revealed the social class, native language, religion, and profession of citizens, which were aggregated to yield district and provincial totals. The data processing took eight years; publishing the result began in 1898 and was completed in 1905. In total, 119 books in 89 volumes were published for 89 governorates in the empire, including a two-volume summary.

The next census had been planned for December 1915 but was cancelled due to World War I. It was not rescheduled before the Russian Revolution. The next census in Russia only occurred at the end of 1926, almost three decades later.

Background
Population censuses in Eastern Europe, as well as throughout the world, were carried out in one form or another throughout the existence of the being (tribes, principalities, kingdoms, etc.) in order to determine the expected collection of income from subject territories and peoples.

In the thirteenth century, the Golden Horde enumerated the population of the Rus' three times—1245, 1257, and 1274—according to censuses; the Rus' population was then estimated at approximately 10 million people. The population in the Tsardom of Russia under the reign of Peter the Great was about 15 million in 1710.

Previous censuses had been recorded for fiscal and military purposes. Until the eighteenth century, population records were sporadic, as in either scribal or census books. Audits began to be carried out at the beginning of the eighteenth century, and population censuses became relatively regular. Since 1858, the audit had been replaced by administrative and police registration of the population based on data from family lists. In total, three large administrative and police censuses of the population were carried out—in 1858, 1863, and 1885. Continuous population registrations – including births, marriages, and deaths – were carried out by religious organisations until 1918. All the items mentioned above were characterised by inaccuracy and insufficient completeness.

By 1897, significant experience had been accumulated in local, mainly urban, population censuses that had been conducted since the later half of the nineteenth century. Population censuses were performed in separate governorates (Pskov in 1870 and 1887, Astrakhan in 1873, Akmola in 1877, etc.), in which residents in all cities were enumerated. The population in the entire Courland Governorate was enumerated in 1863 and 1881, and in the governorates of Livonia and Estonia in the latter year. Registration of the rural population was performed during household and other surveys of zemstvos. In 1871, under the general editorship of the professor of military statistics, Nikolai Obruchev, officers of the General Staff published a military statistical collection, the four-volume edition of which contained data on the population of Russia as a whole, and was categorised by governorates and okrugs.

In 1870, the project for an all-Russian population census was discussed at the First All-Russian Congress of Statisticians, and in 1876, at the eighth session of the International Statistical Congress. On 26 February 1877, the draft of "Regulations on the General National Census", which was developed by a commission under the Ministry of Finance, was submitted to the State Council; however, it was not discussed there, possibly due to the Russo-Turkish War that occurred from 1877 to 1878. In the early 80s of the nineteenth century, the Ministry of Internal Affairs began to receive statements from some zemstvo assemblies and governors about the need to conduct a population census as soon as possible; this was due to the unbalanced distribution of taxes among peasant families and an increase in arrears in collections from the population. After the famine of 1891–1892, the question of the obligation to have accurate figures of the population of the empire again arose.

Arrangement for the census
On 5 June 1895, the draft "Regulations on the Census" were approved by Nicholas II and published as "Regulations on the First General Census of the Russian Empire". The opinion in the State Council was highly approved on the same day; it was stated: "1) The general census of the population of the Empire aims to make known its size, composition, and local distribution. 2) All residents of the Empire, of both sexes, of all ages, conditions, religions, and tribes, both Russian subjects and foreigners, are subject to a general census. (...)"

The general management of the preparatory work for the population census was assigned to the Main Census Commission of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Empire, in which members were appointed by the emperor. The commission was commanded by the Minister of Internal Affairs, with her responsibilities including: Census commissions were established in governorates, uezds, and large cities; governors were designated as chairmen of provincial commissions.
 * drawing up census forms and instructions;
 * sending individuals to each census tract to consolidate local agencies;
 * unification of provinces and regions into census districts;
 * determination and distribution of the necessary amounts allocated for the census; and
 * resolution of misunderstandings and complaints.

Governors were assigned the following authorities: The provincial commissions had to control the accurate and appropriate distribution of census forms. Special commissions were formed in major cities: Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Warsaw, Nikolaev, Kronstadt, Odessa, Sevastopol, and Kerch.
 * organise provincial and oblast commissions no later than 1 October 1896, and uezd and okrug commission before 5 October;
 * submit to the Central Census Commission a complete list of names of members of the provincial (or oblast) census commission, indicating the surname of the person responsible for record keeping; and
 * provide lists of populated areas for uezds, and lists of household locations for cities, to the Central Census Commission.

Uezd and city commissions had to:
 * divide uezds and cities into census tracts;
 * choose heads of census tracts;
 * determine the number of metres at each tracts;
 * provide enumerators with the necessary instructions and forms;
 * distribute the amounts allocated for work among the tract; and
 * resolve and misunderstandings; consideration of complaints about improper actions of census performers.

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