Prior to 1917 Yakutia experienced a slow rate of population growth, mainly due to a high death rate; the population consisted mainly of Yakuts with only a few Russians. In the Soviet period total population has increased from 287,000 in 1926 to 1,010,000 in 1986; the annual rate of population increase over the period 1970–1986 was 2.9%. In the process the population has become predominantly urban, the urban proportion exceeding 67% by 1984. The role of in‐migration has been of crucial importance in recent years, accounting for 56.4% of the total increase in the period 1975–1983. This in‐migration is closely linked to the intensive exploitation of natural resources, and is reflected in an unusually high percentage of the population being in the working‐age group. The proportion of indigenous people has dropped steadily while the proportion of Russians has increased from less than 20% in 1926 to 50.4% at present.