"Hayk's Arrow" Armenian Strategic CenterMembership
Turkic Peoples of Russia Observatory

Dagestan

Reviewed

Initial research edition

A region’s population and religious distribution are not the population or religion of its titular people.

Ethnic composition

CSV

2021 census · [2][1]

Share of residents who stated their ethnicity in the census.

  • Avars30.5%
  • Dargins16.6%
  • Kumyks15.9%
  • Lezgins13.3%
  • Laks5.2%
  • Tabasarans4%
  • Azerbaijanis3.7%
  • Russians3.3%
  • Chechens3.2%
  • Nogais1.2%
  • Aguls0.9%
  • Rutuls0.9%
  • Tsakhurs0.3%
  • Other ethnicities1%

Published one-decimal shares among residents who stated ethnicity. Andi, Dido, Karata and Bezhta subgroups are included in the Avar aggregate and are not added as separate slices. The source’s Other category is retained.

Religious composition

CSV

Historical survey · 2012[3][4]

Religious self-identification · adult respondents aged 18+ · one answer.
29 May–25 June 2012

  • Christianity3.4%
  • Islam82.6%
  • Traditional ancestral religion1.6%
  • Belief without a specific religion8.6%
  • No belief in God2.2%
  • Other religions0.2%
  • Other response0.4%
  • Unable to choose an answer1%

Survey results describe 2012 adult respondents, not the present-day population. Percentages are rounded. The publisher reports 500–800 interviews per region; the exact achieved sample for this republic is unverified. Overview groups combine the original response options, listed below.

Survey method & grouping

Historical adult survey, 29 May–25 June 2012; one answer per respondent. Shares concern regional respondents aged 18+, not the current population. The publisher reports 56,900 interviews overall and 500–800 per participating region; the exact achieved sample for this republic was not established. The eight overview groups are our aggregation of the 18 original response options, all retained below, including zero values. Christianity combines seven Christian options; Islam combines three Muslim options; other religions combines Buddhism, Judaism and Eastern religions/spiritual practices. These survey groupings describe self-identification, not practice or ethnicity.

All survey response options
  • Orthodox, Russian Orthodox Church2.4%
  • Belief without a specific religion8.6%
  • No belief in God2.2%
  • Islam, neither Sunni nor Shia32%
  • Christian, neither Orthodox, Catholic nor Protestant0.8%
  • Sunni Islam48.6%
  • Other Orthodox affiliation, excluding Old Believers0%
  • Traditional ancestral religion1.6%
  • Buddhism0.2%
  • Old Believers0.2%
  • Protestantism0%
  • Shia Islam2%
  • Catholicism0%
  • Judaism0%
  • Eastern religions and spiritual practices0%
  • Pentecostal Christianity0%
  • Other response0.4%
  • Unable to choose an answer1%

The map locates selected administrative contexts, not ethnic borders or complete settlement areas.

KumyksNogaisAzerbaijanis