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The article examines the changes in the national composition of Saratov province in the first half of the 1920s based on the materials of the All-Russian Census of 1920, the All-Union Urban Census of 1923 and the first All-Union Population Census of 1926. The factors influencing the evolution of the national structure of the region are being studied. The conclusion is made about the formation in the main features of the ethnic map of the Saratov region.

In the article the alteration of ethnic makeup in Saratov Region in 2002–2010  is examined. Tendencies of linguistic and national selfidentity of primary ethnic groups in Saratov Region are scrutinized and determined. Based on the results of the 2010 nationwide population census, the strengthening of the Russian language as primary lingua franca across the region has been registered, as well as persistence of the so-called “national” languages among the peoples of Caucasus and Central Asia.