The governorate's population, a majority of peasants, was 662,000 in 1811, 902,400 in 1851, 1,204,800 in 1863, and 1,792,800 in 1885. From the second half of the 19th century, with the founding of
Yuzovka (Donetsk), the governorate became the coal-mining and metallurgical center of the then Ukraine, incorporating the Dnieper Industrial Region and the
Donbass (Donets Basin). Its population increased to 2,113,674 by 1897. The nationalities within the governorate were
Ukrainians –
68.9%,
Russians –
17.3%,
Jews (
4.7%),
Germans (
3.8%),
Greeks (
2.3%), and
Tatars (
0.8%). In 1924, the governorate had 3,424,100 (
13.6% urban) inhabitants, living in 5,165 settlements, 36 of them being cities and
urban-type settlements. The largest social class was that of workers (
about 25%).
Principal cities The data is taken from demoscope.ru. Here is also the most common language composition. •
Yekaterinoslav – 112,839 (1897), (Russian – 47,140, Jewish – 39,979, Ukrainian – 17,787) •
Mariupol – 31,116 (Russian – 19,670, Jewish – 4,710, Ukrainian – 3,125) •
Lugansk – 20,404 (Russian – 13,907, Ukrainian – 3,902, Jewish – 1,449) •
Bakhmut – 19,316 (Ukrainian – 11,928, Russian – 3,659, Jewish – 3,223) •
Aleksandrovsk – 18,849 (Ukrainian – 8,101, Jewish – 5,248, Russian – 4,667) •
Pavlograd 15,775 (Russian – 5,421, Ukrainian – 5,273, Jewish – 4,353) •
Novomoskovsk – 12,883 (Ukrainian – 9,956, Jewish – 1,436, Russian – 1,237) •
Verkhnedneprovsk – 6,501 (Ukrainian – 3,752, Jewish – 2,061, Russian – 739) •
Slavianoserbsk – 3,122 (Russian – 1,607, Ukrainian – 1,342, Jewish – 143) From the turn of the 19th century until 1887 city of Rostov-na-Donu and all the Taganrog uyezd were part of the governorate, but before the census of 1897 took place they were transferred to the
Don Oblast. Note that the biggest city of the
guberniya was the city of Rostov-na-Donu while Taganrog was not much smaller and the third in size. Here is the data on them: •
Rostov-na-Donu – 119,476 (Russian – 94,673, Jewish – 11,183, Ukrainian – 5,612) •
Taganrog – 51,437 (Russian – 40,899, Ukrainian – 4,676, Jewish – 2,685) == Language ==