The Georgian state statistics office, Geostat, released on April 28 final results of population census, carried out in November 2014, including data on ethnicity and the religious beliefs of country’s 3.71 million people.

Geostat released preliminary data a year ago, but it mostly included overall number of population and its breakdown by the regions; the census was carried out throughout the country except of breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

86.8% of residents – 3.22 million people – described themselves as Georgians, followed by Azerbaijani – 233,000 people (6.3%); Armenian – 168,100 (4.5%); Russian – 26,500 (0.7%); Ossetian – 14,400 (0.4%). 12,200 people, or 0.3% of overall population, described themselves as Yazidis; Ukrainian – 6,000 (0.2%); Kist – 5,700 (0.2%); Greek – 5,500 (0.1%).

83.4% of population – over 3 million people – described themselves as Orthodox Christians.

Muslim was the second largest group – 398,700 people, representing 10.7% of residents, followed by Armenian Apostolic – 109,000 (2.93%); Catholics – 19,200 (0.5). 19,100 people were in “none” category and 43,900 people either did not specify or did not fill out a question on religious affiliation.

As of November 2014, when the census was held, Georgia’s population stood at 3,713,804 people, down by 15% compared to 2002 when the previous census was held and when 4,371,535 people were recorded.

2,122,623 people, accounting for 57.2% of total population up from 52.3% in 2002, lived in urban areas, and rest of the 42.8% of population (1,591,181 people), down from 47.7%, lived in rural areas.

1,108,717 people live in the capital city Tbilisi, according to the census results.

Breakdown of population by the regions was as follows: 533,906 people in Imereti region, followed by Kvemo Kartli region with 423,986; Adjara – 333,953; Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti – 330,761; Kakheti – 318,583; Shida Kartli – 263,382; Samtskhe-Javakheti – 160,504; Guria – 113,350; Mtskheta-Mtianeti – 94,573; Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti – 32,089.