Ethnic maps

The World’s Minority Indigenous Peoples

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The World Bank defines Indigenous Peoples as distinct social and cultural groups that share collective ancestral ties to the lands and natural resources where they live or from which they have been displaced.

The United Nations defines a minority as a group of people who are not in a dominant position in their respective countries or have a history of oppression by settlers.

Over 476 million indigenous people live in 90 countries, accounting for 6.2% of the global population.

Indigenous Minority Populations by Country

Below is the map population distribution of the estimated 476 million minority Indigenous Peoples worldwide created by Bhabna Banerjee using data from the Indigenous World 2022 report.

World map of the World’s Minority Indigenous Peoples

China has the highest population of minority Indigenous, with an estimated population of 125.3 million, making up 8.9% of the Chinese population. But the Chinese government officially acknowledges only 55 different ethnic minority groups across the country.

After China, India has the second largest Indigenous population (104 million indigenous people or 8.6% of the population), with over 700 officially acknowledged ethnic groups. Most of these ethnic minorities are concentrated in the country’s northeastern region, from Rajasthan to West Bengal.

About 15 million indigenous people live in the Philippines (15%), 14 million in Vietnam (15%), 13 million in Kenya (25%), and nearly 12 million in Mexico (10%).

By comparison, the U.S. indigenous population, between 4 million and 7 million people strong, makes up 1.2% to 2.1% of the population. Canada’s share of indigenous people is barely higher at 4.9% (1.7 million).

CountryMinority indigenous populationYear of data
China125,332,3352022
India104,000,0002022
Indonesia60,000,0002022
Pakistan35,000,0002010
Mexico16,933,2832022
Ethiopia16,500,0002022
Myanmmar14,400,0002010
Vietnam14,100,0002022
Algeria12,000,0002022
Nepal10,872,0002022
Morocoo10,000,0002022
Phillippines10,000,0002022
Kenya9,650,0002021
Bolivia7,000,0002013
United States6,600,0002022
Guatemala6,500,0002022
Thailand6,100,0002022
Malaysia4,683,0002022
Peru4,000,0002022
Laos3,500,0002022
Niger2,690,0002022
Namibia2,678,1912022
Chile2,185,7922022
Colombia1,905,6172022
Canada1,673,7852022
Iran1,617,0002021
Bangladesh1,586,1412022
Japan1,400,0002021
Mali1,200,0002016
Uganda1,138,2392022
Ecuador1,100,0002022
Cameroon1,044,3002022
Libya1,000,0002022
Tunisia1,000,0002022
Argentina955,0322022
Brazil896,9002022
Venzuela896,0002022
Australia881,6002022
New Zealand775,5002022
DRC700,0002022
Nicaragua612,0002022
SouthAfrica590,0002022
Taiwan580,7582022
Tanzania524,2462022
Panama417,5592022
Israel300,0002022
Russia260,0002022
Cambodia250,0002022
French Polynesia222,4002022
Paraguay122,4612022
Costa Rica104,1432022
Guyana78,5002022
Burundi78,0712022
Iraq78,0002007
Botswana73,1002022
Greenland56,5232022
Norway50,0002021
Rep. of Congo43,3782022
CAR39,2992022
Jordan27,0002021
Rwanda25,0002022
Angola24,3002022
Suriname20,3442022
Sweden20,0002021
Gabon16,1622020
French Guiana10,0002022
Finland80002021
Zimbabwe45332022
Sri Lanka12292012

The most significant percentage of the indigenous population lives in in Peru (83.1%) and Bolivia (45.6%).

Quick facts

  • China recognizes 55 ethnic minorities and the Han Chinese majority, who comprise 92% of their population. They also constitute the largest ethnic group in the world.
  • Over 700 ethnic groups in India are officially recognized as “Scheduled Tribes” and called Adivasis (literally translates to Indigenous Peoples).
  • Located mainly in northwestern Nigeria and parts of southern Niger, the Hausa constitute the largest ethnic group in West Africa, with an estimated population of 70 million.
  • Spread over 27,000 square miles of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, the Navajo Nation is the largest Native American reservation in the U.S., with 399,494 enrolled members and roughly 173,000 people living within its borders.
  • The Quechua are direct descendants of the Incas and other South American Indigenous peoples and form most indigenous people in Peru (83.1%) and Bolivia (45.6%).
  • Of Greenland’s total inhabitants, 89% are the Greenland Inuit, mainly called Kalaallit.
  • Besides the Sdmi of Finland, Sweden, and Norway, many of Europe’s indigenous minorities did not have recent data, including the Basques and Crimean Tatars.
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