Its population was 17,178,298 according to the 2010 Census,[2] living in an area of 4,361,800 square kilometers (1,684,100 sq mi).

The district was created by presidential decree on 13 May 2000[5] and covers around 30% of the total land area of Russia.

[6] In November 2018, Buryatia and Zabaykalsky Krai were removed from the Siberian Federal District and added to the Far Eastern Federal District in accordance with a decree issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

[7] The district comprises the West Siberian (part) and East Siberian economic regions and ten federal subjects: According to a 2012 survey,[9] 28.9% of the population of the current federal subjects of the Siberian Federal District (excluding Buryatia and Zabaykalsky Krai) adhere to the Russian Orthodox Church, 5.2% are unaffiliated generic Christians, 1.9% are Orthodox believers without belonging to any church or adhere to other (non-Russian) Orthodox churches, 1.4% are Muslim, 1.2% are Buddhist, and 1.6% adhere to some native faith such as Rodnovery, Tengrism, or Tuvan Shamanism.

In addition, 33.2% of the population declare to be "spiritual but not religious", 18.7% are atheist, and 7.9% follow other religions or did not give an answer to the question.