The population of the Republic of Tatarstan is around 3.8 million people. 2.7 million people live in towns and cities. One million people live in the countryside. Tatarstan takes the eighth place in the Russian Federation (after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Bashkortostan, Moscow region, Krasnodar region, Rostov region, Sverdlovsk region). There are 19 cities and towns and more than 3000 settlements in Tatarstan. The largest cities are: Kazan, Naberezhnye Chelny, Nizhnekamsk, Almetyevsk, Zelenodolsk and Bugulma.

During the last few years the number of Azerbaijanians, Armenians, Tajiks, Uzbeks has increased. Most of them have organised their own cultural centres. For example, there are German and Jewish cultural clubs, the "Oguz" Azerbaijanian society, the Kazakh society, the Chuvash, Bashkir and Mari centres. There are also Tatar national parties and movements and a few Slavic societies in Tatarstan. It is a multicultural society and people of all nationalities live in peace and harmony.

Tatarstan is a multinational republic. People of 115 nationalities live there. The two main nationalities are the Tatars (52.9 per cent or more than 2 million people) and the Russians (39,5 per cent or 1,5 million people). The third place is taken by the Chuvashes - 3.4 % or 126,5 thousand people. There are some nationalities in Tatarstan, the population of which is over 10 thousand people. Among them are the Udmurts, Ukrainians, Mordvinians, Maris, Bashkirs and others.