Demographics
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1850 | 11,500 | — |
| 1897 | 27,564 | +139.7% |
| 1913 | 50,400 | +82.8% |
| 1926 | 44,000 | −12.7% |
| 1939 | 69,000 | +56.8% |
| 1959 | 98,000 | +42.0% |
| 1970 | 159,000 | +62.2% |
| 1979 | 231,558 | +45.6% |
| 1989 | 293,706 | +26.8% |
| 2001 | 295,847 | +0.7% |
- 1897 - 70.53% Ukrainians, 24.1% Russians, 2.6% Jewish, 2.67% others
- 1926 - 80.7% Ukrainians, 11.8% Russians, 5.5% Jewish, 2% others
- 1959 - 79% Ukrainians, 20% Russians, 1% others
The majority of residents are Christians (Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholics and Protestants) There is also a Jewish minority.
From the beginning of 20th century, when in 1901 the Blessed Virgin Mary Annunciation Church was founded in Sumy, the town had become the center of North-East Ukrainian Catholicism.
After its consecration in 1911 and closing down by the authorities in two decades, the temple was used for non-religious purposes. The temple was restored as a Roman Catholic parish in May 1994, after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and it was reconsecrated in spring 1998.
Read more about this topic: Sumy