Ethnic groups and languages of the Republic of Tatarstan in the data of the All-Russian Census of 2020

Abstract

Based on the materials of Rosstat on the last All-Russian Population Census conducted in 2021, the study examines changes in the ethnic composition of the population of the Republic of Tatarstan, distribution of the inhabitants of the region by their native language, language proficiency and their use in everyday life. Similarities and differences are taken into account according to criteria such as ethnicity (Tatars, Russians and other local and allochthonous ethnic groups) and the territory of residence (city/village). The identification of the native language by ethnic groups of Tatarstan and information on language proficiency are considered in dynamics for the period from 2010 to 2021, as well as in comparison with indicators in the neighboring republics of the Volga region in the context of the value of preserving cultural and linguistic diversity of Russia. However, along with the high importance and mastery of the Russian language, there is an increasing tendency to reduce the number of speakers of other ethnic (native) languages of the peoples of the Volga region, accompanied by a poor knowledge of the languages of neighboring peoples.