Official Statistics on Mortality in Western Siberia in the 1960s: The Way to the Truth

The article deals with the evolution of population mortality in Western Siberia in 1959-1970.On the basis of published and unpublished statistical materials the main features of mortality of the population of one of the most economically important regions of the Russian Federation are analyzed.The region is considered within the borders of the economic region of the same name at the time of the All-Union Population Census of 1959.The subject was tabooed before the beginning of perestroika in the USSR and was not properly considered and evaluated.There was practically no comprehensive study at the regional level.Since the materials collected by the statistical service were almost never published in the open press, the author used the sources previously intended only "For official use" and funds of current archives of territorial bodies of the federal service of the state statistics of the regions of Western Siberia.The value of the answers received lies in the fact that they are compiled according to a single methodology and cover the entire population of the studied region.Since the declassification of sources previously used "for official use" is taking place, the main focus is on them.Recently declassified statistical bulletins containing operational information are of particular value.The introduction of new, previously classified materials into scientific circulation will allow us to clarify our knowledge of the demographic history of the region.Based on the analysis of statistical materials, the following conclusions are made.The populaсe of Western Siberia followed the path of evolution in mortality that another regions of the country followed.In the late 1960s, the rise in mortality began earlier than in the RSFSR as a whole.The increase in mortality occurred faster than in other regions and began with a lower level of life expectancy than in the USSR.