First Census of Ottoman Empire

The first census of the Ottoman Empire was conducted with the primary aim of registering potential conscripts for military service. This census recorded an estimated population of 7,230,660. However, this figure is widely regarded as a serious undercount, as the methodology employed was limited and did not encompass the entire population. The census was primarily focused on identifying individuals eligible for conscription rather than providing a comprehensive demographic overview of the empire. This approach likely resulted in the exclusion of various segments of the population, leading to a significant underrepresentation of the actual number of inhabitants. Prior to this census, estimates of the Ottoman population were derived from household counts in tithe registers, which suggested a population of approximately 11,692,480 during the early 16th century. This earlier estimate indicates a much larger population than what was recorded in the first official census. The decline in population estimates from the 16th to the 18th century remains unclear, but it highlights the complexities of demographic data collection in the empire. The first census marked a pivotal moment in the Ottoman administrative practices, as it laid the groundwork for future censuses and demographic studies, which would evolve to provide more accurate representations of the population over time.