China (mainland), Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, Russia (Asian), South Korea, Taiwan (China).
Vagrant to Netherlands Antilles, Russia (Central Asian), Ukraine, United Kingdom.
Breeds in eastern Siberia from Irkutsk, R Nizhnyaya Tunguska and Bratsk east to R Vilyuy and Yakutsk, south to Chamar Daban range (south of L Baikal) and Stanovoy Mts. Winters in southern and eastern China.
 
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Yellow-browed Bunting (Emberiza chrysophrys) [XC673788]
by Albert Lastukhin from Yakutsk, Gorod Yakutsk, Sakha Republic, Russian Federation (song)
Yellow-browed Bunting (Emberiza chrysophrys) [XC758105]
by Ray Tsu \u8bf8\u4ec1 from Tianlin Community, Shanghai, China (call, nocturnal flight call)
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Sometimes placed in a separate genus, Ocyris. Recent phylogenetic study suggests that this species may form part of a clade with Tristram's Bunting (Emberiza tristrami), with Grey Bunting (Emberiza variabilis) as sister-species.