the 1950s-1970s were an important period for the development of senaki which also affected the growth of the population. the 2002 census counted 28.082 people (including idps from abkhazia). today, besides georgians (98%), russians (0.6%), assyrians (0.2%) and others (0.2%) are living in senaki. during soviet times a lot of jews were living in the town. they mostly left town in the late 1970s.