Punjabis
Ethnolinguistic group native to the Punjab / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Punjabis (Punjabi: پنجابی (Shahmukhi); ਪੰਜਾਬੀ (Gurmukhi); romanised as Panjābī)[25][26] are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group[27] associated with the Punjab region, comprising areas of eastern Pakistan and northwestern India.[28] They generally speak Standard Punjabi or various Punjabi dialects on both sides.[29]
| |
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Total population | |
c. 150 million[1][2][3][4] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Pakistan | 108,586,959 (2022)[lower-alpha 1][6][7][8] |
India | 37,520,211 (2022)[lower-alpha 2][3][lower-alpha 3][10] |
Canada | 942,170 (2021)[11][lower-alpha 4] |
United Kingdom | 700,000 (2006)[12] |
United States | 253,740[13] |
Australia | 132,496 (2017)[14] |
Malaysia | 56,400 (2019)[15] |
Philippines | 50,000 (2016)[16] |
New Zealand | 34,227 (2018)[17] |
Norway | 24,000 (2013)[18] |
Bangladesh | 23,700 (2019)[19] |
Germany | 18,000 (2020)[20] |
Nepal | 10,000 (2011)[21] |
Others | See Punjabi diaspora |
Languages | |
L1: Punjabi and its dialects L2: Urdu (in Pakistan) and Hindi and other Indian languages (in India) | |
Religion | |
Majority Islam Minority Sikhism • Hinduism (incl. Nanakpanthis) • Christianity Pakistani Punjab: Majority Islam (97%) Minority Christianity (2%) • Hinduism (0.2%) • Sikhism Indian Punjab: Majority Sikhism (57.7%) Minority Hinduism (38.5%) • Islam (1.9%) • Christianity (1.3%)[22][23][24] | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Other Indo-Aryan peoples |
The ethnonym is derived from the term Punjab (Five rivers) in Persian to describe the geographic region of the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, where five rivers Beas, Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi, and Sutlej merge into the Indus River,[30][31][32] in addition of the now-vanished Ghaggar.[33]
The coalescence of the various tribes, castes and the inhabitants of the Punjab region into a broader common "Punjabi" identity initiated from the onset of the 18th century CE.[34][35][36] Historically, the Punjabi people were a heterogeneous group and were subdivided into a number of clans called biradari (literally meaning "brotherhood") or tribes, with each person bound to a clan. With the passage of time, tribal structures became replaced with a more cohesive and holistic society, as community building and group cohesiveness form the new pillars of Punjabi society.[36][37]
Traditionally, the Punjabi identity is primarily linguistic, geographical and cultural. Its identity is independent of historical origin or religion and refers to those who reside in the Punjab region or associate with its population and those who consider the Punjabi language their mother tongue.[38] Integration and assimilation are important parts of Punjabi culture, since Punjabi identity is not based solely on tribal connections.[39] While Punjabis share a common territory, ethnicity and language, they are likely to be followers of one of several religions, most often Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism or Christianity.[40]