Many of them are included into the Common List of Minor Indigenous Peoples of Russia (Единый перечень коренных малочисленных народов России) approved by the government of Russia on March 24, 2000 and updated in subsequent years.
These peoples satisfy the following criteria: Some of them, such as Soyots, were recognized only after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
These peoples subject to benefits according to a number of laws aimed at preservation and support of these ethnicities.
Most peoples with smaller populations have median ages that are considerably lower than the Russian average.
[1] The below table gives the average birth rate for Smaller Ethnic groups for the 1997-2002 period based on the 2002 census.