List of ethnic groups in China

Multiple ethnic groups populate China, the area claimed by both the People's Republic of China (

China

) and the Republic of China (

Taiwan

).

The Han people are the largest ethnic group in mainland China. In 2010, 91.51% of the population were classified as Han (~1.2 billion). Besides the Han Chinese majority, 55 other ethnic (minority) groups are categorized in present China, numbering approximately 105 million people (8%), mostly concentrated in the bordering northwest, north, northeast, south and southwest but with some in central interior areas.

The major minority ethnic groups in China are Zhuang (16.9 million), Hui (10.5 million), Manchu (10.3 million), Uyghur (10 million), Miao (9.4 million), Yi (8.7 million), Tujia (8.3 million), Tibetan (6.2 million), Mongol (5.9 million), Dong (2.8 million), Buyei (2.8 million), Yao (2.7 million), Bai (1.9 million), Korean (1.8 million), Hani (1.6 million), Li (1.4 million),

Kazakh

(1.4 million) and Dai (1.2 million). At least 126,000 people from

Canada

, the

US

and

Europe

are living in Mainland China. In addition, there are also unrecognized ethnic groups, for example: Chuanqing people (穿青人), and others, who comprise over 730,000 people.

Ethnic groups recognized by the People's Republic of China

The following are the 56 ethnic groups (listed by population) officially recognized by the

People's Republic of China

(39 in 1954; 54 by 1964; with the most recent addition the Jino people in 1979).

^A GB 3304－91 "Names of ethnicities of China in romanization with codes";

^BThe population only includes

mainland China

and

Taiwan

;

^CFor ethnic groups officially recognised in 1964 or earlier, this is the year of first inclusion in the national census, which were in 1954 and 1964;

¹Also included are the Chuanqing;

²Also includes Utsuls of Hainan, descended from Cham refugees;

³One subset of which is also known as

Hmong

and other include Hmu, Xong and A-Hmao. Some of the related languages and groups of peoples are not necesarilly classified under the "Miao" umbrella, which makes this term somewhat vague.

⁴including

Amdo

wa and

Kham

pa, as well as roughly half of Pumi speakers, the remainder of whom are classified as a separate Pumi ethnicity;

⁵Also known as ''Kam'';

⁶Also included are the Sangkong;

⁷This category includes several different Tai-speaking groups historically referred to as ''Bai-yi'' n fact, the ''Dai'' nationalities are actually speakers of Shan languages varieties -for example : Tai Lue and Tai Nuea peoples are actually Shan peoples subgroups Although that, the speakers of Bumang are also included in this ''Dai'' nationality. ;

⁸Also included are the Mosuo;

⁹Also included are the Qago ();

¹⁰Known as ''Kachin'' in

Myanmar

;

¹¹Also included are the Then;

¹²Actually not

Tajik people

but Pamiri people;

¹³The same group as

Vietnamese

or ''Kinh people'' in Sino-Vietnamese;

¹⁴Known as ''Palaung'' in

Myanmar

;

¹⁵The same group as Nanai on the

Russia

n side of the border;

¹⁶A collective name for all Taiwanese aborigine groups in Taiwan. In fact, the numbers of ''Gaoshan'' in census covers only those who lives in Mainland China (mainly in Fujian) and consists of Amis (autonym : ''Pangcah''), Paiwan and Bunun peoples

Taiwanese aborigines

The

People's Republic of China

government officially refers to all Taiwanese Aborigines (), as ''Gaoshan'' (), whereas the

Republic of China (Taiwan)

recognizes 16 groups of Taiwanese aborigines. The term ''Gaoshan'' has a different connotation in Taiwan than it does in

mainland China

.

"Unrecognized" ethnic minority groups

This is a list of ethnic groups in China that are not officially recognized by the government of the

People's Republic of China

.

* Äynu (艾努人 ''Àinǔrén'')
* Altaians (Oirots) are classified as Mongols
* Fuyu Kyrgyz are classified as Kyrgyz
* Gejia (家人 ''Gèjiārén'')
* Bajia (八甲人 ''Bājiǎrén'')
* Deng (僜人 ''Dèngrén'')
* Hu (户人 ''Hùrén'')
* Khmu (克木人 ''Kèmùrén'')
* Kucong (Yellow Lahu / Lahu Shi; 苦聪人 / 苦聰人 ''Kǔcōngrén'')
* Mang (芒人 ''Mángrén'')
* Ili Turks (土尔克人 / 土爾克人)
* Sherpas (夏尔巴人 / 夏爾巴人 ''Xià'ěrbārén'')
* Tankas (疍家人 / 蜑家人 ''Dànjiārén'') including Fuzhou Tanka
* Tebbu (迭部人 ''Diébùrén'')
*

Tuvans

(图瓦人 ''Túwǎrén'') are considered part of the Mongol ethnicity
* Waxiang (瓦乡人 ''Wǎxiāng rén'')
* Jews (犹太人 / 猶太人 ''Yóutàirén'') (Jewish people of China and Jews in general)
* Macanese (土生葡人 ''Tǔshēng púrén''), mixed race Catholic

Portuguese

speakers who lived in

Macau

since 16th century of various ethnic origins
* Utsuls (回辉人 ''Huíhuīrén''), descendants of Cham Muslims who fled Vietnamese invasions of

Champa

* Han subgroups such as Hakka, Hoklo, Hainanese, Gaoshan Han, Hui'an and Tunbaos.

During the Fifth National Population Census of the People's Republic of China (2000), 734,438 persons in the Chinese mainland, 97% of them in

Guizhou

, were specifically recorded as belonging to "Undistinguished ethnic groups".第五次人口普查数据(2000年). 表1—6. 省、自治区、直辖市分性别、民族的人口
( Fifth National Population Census of the People's Republic of China (2000). Table 1-6: Population of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities by ethnicity). Presumably, other members of such groups may have been counted within larger "recognized" groups.

Ethnic groups in Hong Kong and Macau

Hong Kong

and

Macau

are special administrative regions of the

People's Republic of China

. The governments of Hong Kong and Macau do not use the official PRC ethnic classification system, nor does the PRC's official classification system take ethnic groups in Hong Kong and Macau into account. Minority groups such as Europeans (mainly English and Portuguese), and South or Southeast Asians (mainly Filipinos, Indians, Indonesians, Nepalese, and Pakistanis) live in Hong Kong.

Gallery

File:Yellow and green hanfu.jpg, Han
File:Ethnic Zhuang Costumes Guangnan Yunnan China.jpg, Zhuang
File:A Manchu young man dressed in traditional clothes.jpg,

Manchu

File:Hui man.jpg, Hui
File:Miao zu-Miao minority young man.jpg, Miao
File:Khotan-melikawat-chicas-d03.jpg, Uyghur
File:Tujia women.jpg, Tujia
File:Yi woman in traditional dressing.jpg, Yi
File:Morin Khuur, South Mongolian Style.jpg, Mongol

See also

* Affirmative action in China
* Demographics of China
* Demographics of Taiwan
*

Taiwanese people

* Ethnic minorities in China
* Han Chinese subgroups
* Hua–Yi distinction
* Languages of China
* List of endangered languages in China
* Tai–Kadai ethnic groups in China
* Taiwanese aborigines
* Unrecognized ethnic groups in China
* Zhonghua minzu

References

Further reading

*
*

External links

"Chinese ethnic odyssey"
- collection of articles from the ''People's Daily''

Family album of Chinese 56 ethnic groups



Map share of ethnic by county of China

Map share of dominate ethnic by county of China

{{Authority control

China-related lists, Ethnic
Lists of ethnic groups, China
Ethnic groups in China