Ethnic groups in South Asia are ethnolinguistic groupings within the diverse populations of South Asia, including the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.[1] Afghanistan is variously considered to be a part of both Central Asia and South Asia, which means Afghans are not always included among South Asians, but when they are, South Asia has a total population of about 2.04 billion.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
The majority of the population fall within three large linguistic groups: Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, and Iranic. These groups are also further subdivided into numerous sub-groups, castes and tribes. Indo-Aryans form the predominant ethnolinguistic group in India (North India, East India, West India, and Central India), Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.[11] Dravidians form the predominant ethnolinguistic group in southern India, the northern and eastern regions of Sri Lanka and a small pocket of Pakistan.[12] The Iranic peoples also have a significant presence in South Asia, the large majority of whom are located in Afghanistan and the northwestern and western parts of Pakistan.[13][14]
Minority groups not falling within either large group mostly speak languages belonging to the Austroasiatic and Tibeto-Burman language families, and largely live around Ladakh and Northeast India, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. The Andamanese (Sentinel, Onge, Jarawa, and Great Andamanese) live in some of the Andaman Islands and speak a language isolate, as do the Kusunda in central Nepal,[15] the Vedda in Sri Lanka, and the Nihali of Central India, who number about 5,000 people. The people of the Hunza Valley in Pakistan are another distinct population; they speak Burushaski, a language isolate.
The traditions of different ethnic groups in South Asia have diverged, influenced by external cultures, especially in the northwestern parts of South Asia and also in the border regions and busy ports, where there are greater levels of contact with external cultures. There is also a lot of genetic diversity within the region. For example, most of the ethnic groups of the northeastern parts of South Asia are genetically related to peoples of East or Southeast Asia. There are also genetically isolated groups who have not been genetically influenced by other groups, such as the Jarawa people of the Andaman Islands. The largest ethnolinguistic group in South Asia are the Indo-Aryans, numbering around 1 billion, and the largest subgroup are the native speakers of Hindi languages, numbering more than 470 million.
These groups are based solely on a linguistic basis and not on a genetic basis.
List of ethnic groups on the basis of language
Andamanese groups
Austroasiatic people
Austronesian people
Dravidian people
Indo-Aryan people
- Assamese people[16]
- Awadhi people
- Banjara people
- Bhojpuri people
- Bengali people
- Bhil people
- Brokpa people
- Chitrali people
- Chittagonian people
- Deccani people
- Dhivehi people
- Dogra people
- Garhwali people
- Gujarati people
- Haryanvi people
- Hazarewal/Hindkowans
- Indus Kohistani people
- Kalash people
- Kamrupi people
- Kashmiri people
- Khas people
- Kho people
- Konkani people
- Kumaoni people
- Kutchi people
- Maithili people
- Maldivian people
- Marathi people
- Magahi people
- Meena people
- Nagpuria people
- Odia people
- Pahari people (Kashmir)
- Pahari Pothwari
- Pahari people (Nepal)
- Parsi people
- Punjabi people
- Rajbongshi people
- Rajasthani people
- Rohingya people
- Sindhi people
- Saraiki people
- Saurashtra people
- Sinhalese people
- Shina people
- Sylheti people
- Tirahi people
- Tharu people
- Torwali people
Iranic people
Nuristani people
Semitic people
- Arabs or mixed Arab and Indo-Aryan or Dravidian
- Arabs in Gujarat
- Sri Lankan Moors (trace ancestry to Arab traders who settled in Sri Lanka and native Tamil women)
- Iraqi biradri - a community of Muslims in north India (trace ancestry from Arab tribe of Bani Tamim)
- Labbay Arab traders who settled in South India
- Konkani Muslims trace their ancestry to Arab traders.
- Mappila Muslims trace their ancestry to Arab traders.
- Chaush trace ancestors to traders from Yemen.
- Syrian Malabar Nasranis
- Knanaya Syriac Christians who trace their origins to Mesopotamia
- Thangal
- Indian Jews
- Cochin Jews (Malayali Jews)
- Bene Israel (Marathi Jews)
- Baghdadi Jews (Arab Jews in Bengal)
- Bnei Menashe (Mizo and Kuki Jews)
- Bene Ephraim (Telugu Jews)
- Paradesi Jews (European Jews in India)
Tai people
- Ahom people
- Tai Aiton
- Tai Phake or Tai Phakial
Tibeto-Burman people
- Bodo–Kachari people
- Chakma people
- Chepang
- Gurung
- Khowa
- Kirati people
- Lepcha people
- Magar people
- Memba
- Meitei people (Manipuri people)
- Naga people
- Anāl people
- Angami Naga
- Ao Naga
- Chakhesang Naga
- Chang Naga
- Chiru Naga
- Chothe people
- Khiamniungan Naga
- Konyak Naga
- Lainong Naga
- Lamkang people
- Lotha Naga
- Mao people
- Maram people
- Maring people
- Monsang people
- Moyon Naga
- Nocte Naga
- Para Naga
- Poumai people
- Phom Naga
- Pochury Naga
- Rengma Naga
- Sangtam Naga
- Sümi Naga
- Tangkhul people
- Tangsa Naga
- Tarao people
- Thangal people
- Tikhir Naga
- Tutsa Naga
- Wancho Naga
- Yimkhiung Naga
- Zeliangrong
- Newar people
- Nishi
- Tamang
- Thakali
- Tibetans and Tibetan-speaking peoples
- Tripuri
- Karbi people or Mikir
- Thami
- Zo people
Turkic people
- Turks in India
- Rowther are alleged descendants of Seljuk Turks in Turko-Persian tradition. They have since become the tradition of Turko-Indian in 12th Century.
- Mughal (Moghul) (A Sunni Islamic dynasty of Asia which originated in Central Asia)
- Chughtai Tartars (Those people who originated in Uzbekistan and fought for Chagatai Khan who was son of Genghis Khan).
- Barlas (A Turkified Mongol tribe to which Babur belonged)
- Changezi (Those who were in army of Hulagu Khan)
- Turkic people in Pakistan
Afro-Asian groups
- Chaush
- Sheedis/Siddis, an ethnic community of Black African descent, found primarily in Pakistan, Gujarat, and Karnataka.
- Sri Lanka Kaffirs
European and Eurasian people
East Asian people
Chinese
Linguistic isolate groups
Diaspora
Many South Asian ethnic groups and nationalities have substantial diasporas.
- South Asian American
- South Asian Canadian
- British Asian
- South Asian Australian
- Indo Kiwi
- Indians in Singapore
- Malaysian Indian
- Nepalis in Singapore
- Nepalese people in Malaysia
- Indian Indonesian
- Indo-Mauritian
- Indo-Caribbean
- Indians in South America
- Burmese Indians
- South Asians in Hong Kong
- South Asians in the Philippines
- Pakistanis in the Netherlands
- Indians in the Netherlands
- Indians in Germany
- Nepalis in Germany
- Indian diaspora in Southeast Africa
- Indians in Iran
- Indians in Thailand
- Indians in the United Arab Emirates
- Indians in Vietnam
- Indians in Panama
- Indian diaspora in France
- Indians in Israel
- Indians in Italy
- Indians in Portugal
- Indian community in Spain
- Indo-Fijian
- Lhotshampa
- Muhajir people
See also Bangladeshi diaspora, Indian diaspora, Nepalese diaspora, Pakistani diaspora, Afghan diaspora, Bihari diaspora, Malayali diaspora, Punjabi diaspora, Sindhi diaspora, Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora, Tamil diaspora, and Telugu diaspora.
Two (or possibly three) other people groups have ethnic and linguistic ties with the region:
- Dom people
- Romani people
- Lom people (who speak a language both related to Indo-Aryan and Armenian)
See also
- Languages of South Asia
- Languages of Bangladesh
- Languages of Bhutan
- Languages of India
- Languages of Maldives
- Languages of Nepal
- Languages of Pakistan
- Languages of Sri Lanka
- List of indigenous peoples of South Asia
- List of Scheduled Tribes in India
- Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
- Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin
- Non Resident Nepali
- Overseas Pakistani
- Desi
- Ethnic groups in Pakistan
- Ethnic groups in Nepal
- Genetics and archaeogenetics of South Asia
- Y-DNA haplogroups in populations of South Asia
National demographics:
References
External links
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