There has been some information about the demographic development and expansion of Tatars in Russian resources since the century VXIII. Although the information about the Tatar population in the century XVIII is lacking and missing, the dynamics of population were reflected between the centuries of XVIII-XX. The population of Tatars that lived in Russia under the domination of Russia was not higher than a half million in the middle of the century XVIII. Five fold of this figure was obtained until the end of the century XIX. The population of Tatars was doubled in the century XX. However, the important information and characteristics were not reflected in this case especially about the population of some groups in the centuries XVIII-XX. The increase of population was not equal in the centuries XVIII-XX.
In parallel to the socioeconomic developments observed in this period, the population of Idyll-Ural Tatars increased 11.2 fold, that of Astrahan Tatars increased 6-8 folds, that of Lithuanian Tatars increased 4.2 fold, and that of Siberian Tatars increased 3.3 fold. The increase of population in Crimean Tatars reached to the rate of 10-15%.
Some of Astrahan Tatars immigrated to the Northern Caucasus, the Crimea and other regions in the century XVIII. The Crimean Tatars suffered a collective immigration in the course of the Crimean War in general. Of these people, The first group of 30.000 people followed the Turkish army in the year of 1857. The largest migrations were experienced in the years of 1860-65, 1874-75. In this period, 135.500 people immigrated to Turkey. In the beginning of the century XX (1902-1903), most of the Crimean Tatars were out of their historical homelands.
The ethnical expansion fields of the Tatars included vast lands in the Middle Ages. In the beginning of the century XVI., Tatars lived in the Crimea, the Lower and Middle Idyll regions and the lands of Western Siberia. Additionally, there were big migrations particularly among Idyll-Ural Tatars. Pursuant to the disintegration of the Kazan Khanate, active migrations started to occur from the Middle Idyll regions to Ural regions. As a result of the migrations from the Middle Idyll regions to the Eastern parts, the number of Tatars in the Ural regions reached to the number og 89 thousands in the century XVIII. It reached to 219,2 thousands until the end of the century. Afterwards, the migrations to the Ural regions decreased. At the end of the century XIX, there were more than 1 million Tatars living in the Ural regions- particularly in the northwestern parts-. Most of the Middle Idyll and Ural Tatars immigrated to the West Siberia and Turkistan through the northern and northeastern Kazakhstan in the period of Reform.
Additionally, some of them immigrated to the European section of Russia and to Caucasus. The majority of the Tatar population in Astrahan region and the West Siberia were composed of the Idyll-Ural Tatars in the centuries XVIII-XX. Their rate in the Astrahan region reached to 13.2% at the end of the century XVIII. The same conditions were also observed in the West Siberia. Tatars who had immigrated to this region at the end of the century XIX consisted of 17% of the native Tatars.In the middle of the century XIX, the Lithuanian Tatars dwelled in the provinces of Vilen, Minsk, Slominsk, Grodno, Kovno, Poldosk, Volinsk and Avgust and Lublin that were added to the Poland Tsardom.
There were great changes in the expansion fields of Tatars in the century XX. Most of Tatars were in Russia between the years of 1920-30 (95.4% in 1926, 95.5% in 1937). Apart from these, the biggest groups lived in Turkistan (91.2 thousands in the year of 1926, 129 thousands in the year of 1937). As we have stated above, the migrations that took place in this region occurred in the centuries XIII and XIX. There were some Tatars that lived in Ukraine and the city of Baku in Azerbaijan. There also were some Tatars in this region before the Russian revolution.
Towards the end of 1950s, the population of Tatars that lived out of Russia increased suddenly. Particularly there were 780 thousands of Tatars in Turkistan according to the census of 1959. There were several reasons for the five-fold increase of Tatar population in this region; Fİrst of all, the Crimean Tatars were obligatority exiled to different countries of Turkistan, especially to Uzbekistan. Some of these groups settled down in Kazakhstan later. Furthermore, some of Tatars emigrated from the European regions to Turkistan on their own will. As a result of these migrations, more than 1 million of Tatars that constituted the largest group of Tatar diaspora were living in Turkistan. The Tatar population of 1154.1 thousand people that lived in this region between the years of 1979-1989 decreased to the number of 1179.5 thousands of people. This situation is related with the return of the Crimean Tatars to their homelands and the emigration of the other Tatar groups out of Turkistan. The largest group of Tatars in Caucasus lives in Azerbaijan just like in the past. However, there is a decrease observed in their number since the year of 1970. The population of Tatars in Baltic countries and White Russia is relatively low.
Most of Tatars in Russia lived in the Idyll-Ural region between the years of 1950-1980. Tatars in Idyll-Ural region are dense in population in the Republics of Tataristan and Bashkiria. The decrease with the rate of 2.7% in the number of Tatars in this region between the years of 1959-1989 is related with the migration of Tatars to the West Siberia, particularly to oil regions. Therefore, the number of Tatars in the province of Tyumen, the region of Hantı-Mansı and the Yamal-Nenetsk Republic has increased 3 folds between the years of 1970-89. Tatars are still among the nations that live widespread in CIS.
Tatars still live in some countries on the world as follows: 100 thousands of people in Turkey apart from the Crimean Tatars; around 23-25 thousands of Bucak (Dobruca) Tatars in Romania, 5.500 Tatars in Poland, 5 thousands of Tatars in Bulgaria, 4.200 Tatars in China, 4.000 in U.S.A., 950 Tatars in Finland, 500 Tatars in Australia, 150 Tatars in Denmark, 80 Tatars in Sweden and 30 families in Japan. These constitute the Tatar diaspora in foreign countries including Tatars in Germany, French, Austria, Norway, Canada, Arabia, Egypt, and Afghanistan. Tatars in the other countries migrated in the beginning of the centuries XIX-XX and the following years. Although there has not been any Tatar immigration to Poland and Romania, there are still Tatars living there. The immigration of Tatars to Turkey that started in the century XVIII still continues. The immigration to the other countries has started to settle down in the beginning of the centuries XIX and XX.