Artsakh branch In September 2023, over half of Artsakh's ethnic Armenian population fled the country. According to Armenian Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinyan, 100,417 people arrived in Armenia from Artsakh. In 2015, the country's population was 145,000, made up of 99.7% Armenians. An
International Crisis Group report published in December 2019 recorded the population of these territories to be 17,000, or 11.48% of the total population: 15,000 west and southwest of the former oblast, and 2000 in the
Agdam District. Until 2000, the country's net migration was at a negative. For the first half of 2007, 1,010 births and 659 deaths were reported, with a net emigration of 27. According to age group: 15,700 (0–6), 25,200 (7–17) 75,800 (18–59) and 21,000 (60+) Population by province (2006): •
Stepanakert 54,500 (2013) •
Martuni 23,200 •
Martakert 19,000 •
Askeran 17,400 (2007) •
Hadrut 12,300 (2009) •
Kashatagh 9,800 •
Shushi 5,000 (2009) •
Shahumyan 2,800
Population of the Republic of Artsakh (2000–2008)
Resettlement attempts after 1994 From 1989 to 1994, there was significant depopulation in the territory that ended up held by Artsakh, leaving only around 40% of the pre-war population. Much of this was due to the displacement and death of Azerbaijani residents in both the former NKOA and the surrounding territories, leaving some former urban areas virtually empty. The Russian minority present also declined, meaning the resulting population was almost 100% Armenian. Beginning in 1995, the population began to increase due to births and immigration. While the territory captured outside the former NKAO was initially treated as a potential bargaining chip, it slowly began to be seen as part of the country by both officials and the general population. Lachin was key to a land connection between Armenia and the former NKAO, and Kalbajar had water resources utilised by both Artsakh and Armenia. The ruling party of Azerbaijan accuses the Armenian side of artificially changing the demographic situation and the ethnic composition of the occupied region so that it can lay future claims to them, comparing this to the 1950s campaign of resettling diaspora Armenians in previously Azeri-populated locales in Soviet Armenia where Azeris were forcibly
deported from in 1948–1950. In 1979, the total Armenian population of the districts of Kalbajar, Lachin, Qubadli, Zangilan, Jabrayil, Fuzuli and Agdam was around 1,400 people. An OSCE fact-finding mission established at Azerbaijan's request visited these regions in February 2005 with the intention to assess the scale of the settlement attempts. The mission's findings showed that these districts had as of 2005 an overall population of 14,000 people, mostly living in precarious social conditions. It consisted primarily of ethnic Armenians displaced from the non-conflict zones of Azerbaijan during the war. It was noted, however, that most of them had settled in the conflict zone after having lived in Armenia for several years and some held Armenian passports and even voted in Armenian elections. A smaller segment of the settlers was originally from the towns of
Gyumri and
Spitak in Armenia who had lived in temporary shelters following the devastating
1988 earthquake before moving to Karabakh, as well as a small number of natives of Yerevan who moved there for financial reasons. A field assessment mission revisited the region in October 2010, confirming that there had not been much growth in population or change in the living conditions of the settlers. The Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group who visited Nagorno-Karabakh, Kalbajar and Lachin in 2014 reported seeing signs of improvements in the infrastructure but could not observe any indications that the size of the population had changed in recent years. By June 2015, an estimated 17,000 of
Syria's once 80,000-strong Armenian population had fled the
civil war and sought refuge in Armenia.
David Babayan, spokesperson of the Artsakh leader Bako Sahakyan, confirmed that some of those refugees had been resettled in Artsakh.
The Economist put the number of the resettled families at 30 as of June 2017. In December 2014, Armenian media cited local municipal authorities in stating that dozens of Syrian Armenian families had been resettled in the disputed zone, in particular in the city of
Lachin and the village of
Xanlıq in
Qubadli. Azerbaijan's Minister of Foreign Affairs
Elmar Mammadyarov expressed his concern over Armenia's attempts to change the demographic situation in the region and informed of his intention to raise this issue with the Minsk Group. In February 2019, Armenia's
National Security Service director
Artur Vanetsyan visited Nagorno-Karabakh amid public concern about
Nikol Pashinyan's government alleged readiness to cede some of the Armenian-controlled territories as part of a peace settlement. Vanetsyan pointed out that settling Armenians and investing into infrastructural projects along the Iranian border, in the previously Azeri-populated regions outside of the former autonomous province, was "a clear message" to the international community that there would be no territorial concessions. He referred to the ongoing settlement efforts as a method of "guaranteeing security". Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry reacted by qualifying Vanetsyan's statement as an "attempt to undermine the peace talks and defy the work of the mediators" and vowed to address the issue to the UN and the OSCE. The ceasefire ending the 2020 war stipulated that these territories were to be turned over to Azerbaijani control. Armenian settlers in these areas evacuated prior to the arrival of Azerbaijani forces.
Ethnic composition Ethnic Groups of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (1926–1989) and the Republic of Artsakh (2015) according to census data Languages Armenian functioned as the only state language and an official language in the Republic of Artsakh,
Russian was widely spoken in Artsakh, with efforts having been made since late 2020 in the parliament in Stepanakert to establish it as an additional official language; the official justifications for this being that Russian was already the second language of many residents, and that it would create "conditions for deepening cooperation in all spheres, [as well as contributing] to the development of relations within the legal framework." The
Parliament of Artsakh approved a bill grating Russian official status on 25 March 2021, with 27 votes in favour, 0 votes against and 2 abstentions.
Religion Most of the Armenian population in Artsakh was Christian and were adherents of the
Armenian Apostolic Church, which is an
Oriental Orthodox Church. Some
Eastern Orthodox and
Evangelical denominations also existed. At the beginning of the fifth century
Mesrop Mashtots, the inventor of the
Armenian alphabet, established in Amaras the first-ever school that used his script. •
Yeghishe Arakyal Monastery (5th–13th centuries) commemorating St. Yeghishe, the famous evangeliser of Armenia's eastern lands. The church serves as a burial ground for the fifth century's King Vachagan II the Pious, the most well-known representative of the Arranshahik line of east Armenian monarchs. The monastery is located in the
Martakert Province. • Bri Yeghtsi Monastery (13th century) that centres on embedded khachkars, unique-to-Armenia stone memorials with engraved crosses. The monastery is located near the village of
Hatsi in the
Martuni Province. •
Gandzasar monastery (13th century), ("Գանձասար" in Armenian) is a historical monastery in Artsakh. Artsakhi government's aim is to include the Gandzasar Monastery into the directory of the UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. •
Yerits Mankants Monastery (meaning "three infants" in Armenian; 17th century) is known for hosting the seat of Artsakh's rival clergy to that of the Holy See of Gandzasar. The monastery is located in the
Martakert Province. •
Saint John the Baptist Church, located in the town of
Martakert, built in 1883. •
Church of St. Nerses the Great, located in the town of
Martuni, consecrated in 2004. It is dedicated to the famous
Armenian Catholicos,
Saint Narses the Great. •
Holy Mother of God Cathedral in the city of
Stepanakert, consecrated in 2019. •
Katarovank Monastery was founded in the fourth century, and is located close to the village of
Hin Tagher in the
Hadrut Province. The present-day chapel is a 17th-century structure. There are Armenian
khachkars near the chapel. The monastery offers a unique panoramic view to the
River Araxes. •
Tsitsernavank Monastery (4th century) is the best-preserved example of an Armenian basilica with three naves. The monastery is located in the village of
Tsitsernavank in the
Kashatagh Province. •
Dadivank Monastery (), also known as Khutavank ( – Monastery on the Hill), that was built between the 9th and 13th century. It is one of the most architecturally and culturally significant monasteries in Artsakh. The western façade of Dadivank's Memorial Cathedral bears one of the most extensive Armenian lapidary (stone-inscribed) texts, and has one of the largest collection of medieval Armenian
frescoes. Dadivank is named after St. Dadi, a disciple of
Apostle Thaddeus who preached the Holy Gospel in Artsakh in the first century. St. Dadi's tomb was later discovered by archaeologists in 2007. The monastery is in the
Shahumyan Province and has been placed under the protection of the Russian peacekeeping forces. •
Gtichavank Monastery (13th century) has design features shared with the architectural style of medieval Armenia's capital city of Ani. The monastery is located in the
Hadrut Province. •
Ghazanchetsots Cathedral, built 1868–1888 (Սուրբ Ամենափրկիչ Ղազանչեցոց Եկեղեցի – "Surb Amenap'rkich Ghazanchets'ots' Yekeghets'i" in
Armenian), also known as the
Cathedral of Christ the Savior and the
Shushi Cathedral, is an
Armenian church located in
Shusha. It is the main cathedral and headquarters of the
Armenian Apostolic Church's "Diocese of Artsakh". • Just uphill from the cathedral in Shusha is the church of
Kanach Zham ('Green Church' in Armenian), built in 1847.
Education Education in Artsakh was compulsory, and was free up to the age of 18. The education system was inherited from the
old system of the
Soviet Union. Artsakh's school system was severely damaged because of the 1991–1994 conflict. But the government of the Republic of Artsakh with considerable aid from the Republic of
Armenia and with donations from the
Armenian diaspora, rebuilt many of the schools. Prior to the 2020 war, Artsakh had around 250 schools of various sizes, with more than 200 lying in the regions. The student population was estimated at more than 20,000, with almost half in the capital city of
Stepanakert.
Artsakh State University was founded by Artsakh and Armenian governments' joint efforts, with main campus in Stepanakert. The university opening ceremony took place on 10 May 1992. Yerevan University of Management also opened a branch in Stepanakert.
Universities This is a
list of universities in Republic of Artsakh, a former
breakaway state in the
Caucasus region.
State universities •
Artsakh State University (Stepanakert) • Stepanakert branch of the
Armenian National Agrarian University (Stepanakert) Commercial universities •
Grigor Narekatsi University (Stepanakert) •
University Mesrop Mashtots (Stepanakert) •
Hagop Gyurjyan Institute of Applied Art (Shushi) Colleges •
Stepanakert Agricultural College (Stepanakert) •
Stepanakert Choreographic College (Stepanakert) • Stepanakert Medical College named after T. Kamalian
(Stepanakert) • Stepanakert Musical College named after Sayat-Nova
(Stepanakert) • Shushi Liberal Arts College named after Arsen Khachatryan
(Shushi) Military academies •
Suvorov and Madatov Military Academy (Stepanakert) •
Kristapor Ivanyan Military Academy (Stepanakert) ==Culture==