The CIA World Factbook Edition 1997 People

Ethnic groups In 36 editions of 36.

Ethnic groups was published in 36 editions of the CIA World Factbook, from 1990 to 2025. The 1997 edition carries it in 235 entries, in its People section. Every entry is shown as that edition published it.

entries in the 1997 edition
235
the first edition with it
1990
the latest edition with it
2025

Published as “Ethnic groups” (1997 to 2025) and “Ethnic divisions” (1990 to 1996).

the entry has the field in that editionnot in that editionthe open editionEach entry below ends in its editions with Ethnic groups, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down; choose one in a row to read that edition’s text there.

Entries with Ethnic groups in each edition

19902000201020202025

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Africa

57 entries

Algeria

Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1%

Angola

  • Ovimbundu 37%,
  • Kimbundu 25%,
  • Bakongo 13%,
  • mestico (mixed European and Native African) 2%,
  • European 1%,
  • other 22%

Benin

African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500

Botswana

Batswana 95%, Kalanga, Basarwa, and Kgalagadi 4%, white 1%

Burkina Faso

  • Mossi about 24%,
  • Gurunsi,
  • Senufo,
  • Lobi,
  • Bobo,
  • Mande,
  • Fulani

Burundi

Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%, Europeans 3,000, South Asians 2,000

Cape Verde now Cabo Verde

  • Creole (mulatto) 71%,
  • African 28%,
  • European 1%

Cameroon

  • Cameroon Highlanders 31%,
  • Equatorial Bantu 19%,
  • Kirdi 11%,
  • Fulani 10%,
  • Northwestern Bantu 8%,
  • Eastern Nigritic 7%,
  • other African 13%,
  • non-African less than 1%

Central African Republic

Baya 34%, Banda 27%, Sara 10%, Mandjia 21%, Mboum 4%, M'Baka 4%, Europeans 6,500 (including 3,600 French)

Chad

Muslims (Arabs, Toubou, Hadjerai, Fulbe, Kotoko, Kanembou, Baguirmi, Boulala, Zaghawa, and Maba), non-Muslims (Sara, Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye, Moundang, Moussei, Massa), nonindigenous 150,000 (of whom 1,000 are French)

Comoros

  • Antalote,
  • Cafre,
  • Makoa,
  • Oimatsaha,
  • Sakalava

Congo, Democratic Republic of the now Democratic Republic of the Congo

  • over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu;
  • the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population

Congo, Republic of the now Republic of the Congo

Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans 8,500 (mostly French)

Cote d'Ivoire

Baoule 23%, Bete 18%, Senoufou 15%, Malinke 11%, Agni, foreign Africans (mostly Burkinabe and Malians, about 3 million), non-Africans 130,000 to 330,000 (French 30,000 and Lebanese 100,000 to 300,000)

Djibouti

Somali 60%, Afar 35%, French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian 5%

Egypt

  • Eastern Hamitic stock (Egyptians, Bedouins, and Berbers) 99%,
  • Greek,
  • Nubian,
  • Armenian,
  • other European (primarily Italian and French) 1%

Equatorial Guinea

Bioko (primarily Bubi, some Fernandinos), Rio Muni (primarily Fang), Europeans less than 1,000, mostly Spanish

Eritrea

  • ethnic Tigrinya 50%,
  • Tigre and Kunama 40%,
  • Afar 4%,
  • Saho (Red Sea coast dwellers) 3%

Swaziland now Eswatini

African 97%, European 3%

Ethiopia

  • Oromo 40%,
  • Amhara and Tigrean 32%,
  • Sidamo 9%,
  • Shankella 6%,
  • Somali 6%,
  • Afar 4%,
  • Gurage 2%,
  • other 1%

Gabon

Bantu tribes including four major tribal groupings (Fang, Eshira, Bapounou, Bateke), other Africans and Europeans 154,000, including 6,000 French and 11,000 persons of dual nationality

The Gambia

African 99% (Mandinka 42%, Fula 18%, Wolof 16%, Jola 10%, Serahuli 9%, other 4%), non-Gambian 1%

Ghana

black African 99.8% (major tribes - Akan 44%, Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga 8%), European and other 0.2%

Guinea

  • Peuhl 40%,
  • Malinke 30%,
  • Soussou 20%,
  • smaller tribes 10%

Guinea-Bissau

African 99% (Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1%

Kenya

  • Kikuyu 22%,
  • Luhya 14%,
  • Luo 13%,
  • Kalenjin 12%,
  • Kamba 11%,
  • Kisii 6%,
  • Meru 6%,
  • other African 15%,
  • non-African (Asian, European, and Arab) 1%

Lesotho

Sotho 99.7%, Europeans 1,600, Asians 800

Liberia

indigenous African tribes 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, and Bella), Americo-Liberians 5% (descendants of former slaves)

Libya

  • Berber and Arab 97%,
  • Greeks,
  • Maltese,
  • Italians,
  • Egyptians,
  • Pakistanis,
  • Turks,
  • Indians,
  • Tunisians

Madagascar

  • Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and related Betsileo),
  • Cotiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry - Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava),
  • French,
  • Indian,
  • Creole,
  • Comoran

Malawi

  • Chewa,
  • Nyanja,
  • Tumbuko,
  • Yao,
  • Lomwe,
  • Sena,
  • Tonga,
  • Ngoni,
  • Ngonde,
  • Asian,
  • European

Mali

  • Mande 50% (Bambara, Malinke, Sarakole),
  • Peul 17%,
  • Voltaic 12%,
  • Songhai 6%,
  • Tuareg and Moor 10%,
  • other 5%

Mauritania

  • mixed Maur/black 40%,
  • Maur 30%,
  • black 30%

Mauritius

  • Indo-Mauritian 68%,
  • Creole 27%,
  • Sino-Mauritian 3%,
  • Franco-Mauritian 2%

Mayotte

NA

Morocco

  • Arab-Berber 99.1%,
  • other 0.7%,
  • Jewish 0.2%

Mozambique

  • indigenous tribal groups 99.66% (Shangaan, Chokwe, Manyika, Sena, Makua, and others),
  • Europeans 0.06%,
  • Euro-Africans 0.2%,
  • Indians 0.08%

Namibia

  • black 86%,
  • white 6.6%,
  • mixed 7.4%

note: about 50% of the population belong to the Ovambo tribe and 9% to the Kavangos tribe; other ethnic groups are: Herero 7%, Damara 7%, Nama 5%, Caprivian 4%, Bushmen 3%, Baster 2%, Tswana 0.5%

Niger

Hausa 56%, Djerma 22%, Fula 8.5%, Tuareg 8%, Beri Beri (Kanouri) 4.3%, Arab, Toubou, and Gourmantche 1.2%, about 4,000 French expatriates

Nigeria

  • Hausa,
  • Fulani,
  • Yoruba,
  • Ibo,
  • Kanuri,
  • Ibibio,
  • Tiv,
  • Ijaw

Reunion

  • French,
  • African,
  • Malagasy,
  • Chinese,
  • Pakistani,
  • Indian

Rwanda

  • Hutu 80%,
  • Tutsi 19%,
  • Twa (Pygmoid) 1%

Saint Helena now Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha

African descent, white

Sao Tome and Principe

  • mestico,
  • angolares (descendants of Angolan slaves),
  • forros (descendants of freed slaves),
  • servicais (contract laborers from Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde),
  • tongas (children of servicais born on the islands),
  • Europeans (primarily Portuguese)

Senegal

  • Wolof 36%,
  • Fulani 17%,
  • Serer 17%,
  • Toucouleur 9%,
  • Diola 9%,
  • Mandingo 9%,
  • European and Lebanese 1%,
  • other 2%

Seychelles

Seychellois (mixture of Asians, Africans, Europeans)

Sierra Leone

13 native African tribes 99% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 39%), Creole, European, Lebanese, and Asian 1%

Somalia

Somali 85%, Bantu, Arabs 30,000

South Africa

  • black 75.2%,
  • white 13.6%,
  • Colored 8.6%,
  • Indian 2.6%

Sudan

  • black 52%,
  • Arab 39%,
  • Beja 6%,
  • foreigners 2%,
  • other 1%

Tanzania

mainland - native African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of more than 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of Asian, European, and Arab)

note: Zanzibar - Arab, native African, mixed Arab and native African

Togo

native African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and Kabre) 99%, European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1%

Tunisia

  • Arab-Berber 98%,
  • European 1%,
  • Jewish less than 1%

Uganda

  • Baganda 17%,
  • Karamojong 12%,
  • Basogo 8%,
  • Iteso 8%,
  • Langi 6%,
  • Rwanda 6%,
  • Bagisu 5%,
  • Acholi 4%,
  • Lugbara 4%,
  • Bunyoro 3%,
  • Batobo 3%,
  • non-African (European, Asian, Arab) 1%,
  • other 23%

Western Sahara

Arab, Berber

Zambia

  • African 98.7%,
  • European 1.1%,
  • other 0.2%

Zimbabwe

  • African 98% (Shona 71%, Ndebele 16%, other 11%),
  • white 1%,
  • mixed and Asian 1%

Arctic Region

3 entries

Greenland

Greenlander 87% (Eskimos and Greenland-born whites), Danish and others 13%

Iceland

homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norwegians and Celts

Svalbard

  • Russian and Ukrainian 62%,
  • Norwegian 38%,
  • other NEGL% (1994)

Asia

22 entries

Afghanistan

  • Pashtun 38%,
  • Tajik 25%,
  • Uzbek 6%,
  • Hazara 19%,
  • minor ethnic groups (Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, and others)

Armenia

  • Armenian 93%,
  • Azeri 3%,
  • Russian 2%,
  • other (mostly Yezidi Kurds) 2% (1989)

note: as of the end of 1993, virtually all Azeris had emigrated from Armenia

Azerbaijan

  • Azeri 90%,
  • Dagestani Peoples 3.2%,
  • Russian 2.5%,
  • Armenian 2.3%,
  • other 2% (1995 est.)

note: almost all Armenians live in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region

Bangladesh

Bengali 98%, Biharis 250,000, tribals less than 1 million

Bhutan

  • Bhote 50%,
  • ethnic Nepalese 35%,
  • indigenous or migrant tribes 15%

China

Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1%

Georgia

  • Georgian 70.1%,
  • Armenian 8.1%,
  • Russian 6.3%,
  • Azeri 5.7%,
  • Ossetian 3%,
  • Abkhaz 1.8%,
  • other 5%

India

  • Indo-Aryan 72%,
  • Dravidian 25%,
  • Mongoloid and other 3%

Japan

Japanese 99.4%, other 0.6% (mostly Korean)

Kazakstan now Kazakhstan

  • Kazak (Qazaq) 46%,
  • Russian 34.7%,
  • Ukrainian 4.9%,
  • German 3.1%,
  • Uzbek 2.3%,
  • Tatar 1.9%,
  • other 7.1% (1996)

Korea, North now North Korea

racially homogeneous

Korea, South now South Korea

homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese)

Kyrgyzstan

  • Kirghiz 52.4%,
  • Russian 18%,
  • Uzbek 12.9%,
  • Ukrainian 2.5%,
  • German 2.4%,
  • other 11.8%

Maldives

  • Sinhalese,
  • Dravidian,
  • Arab,
  • African

Mongolia

  • Mongol 90%,
  • Kazak 4%,
  • Chinese 2%,
  • Russian 2%,
  • other 2%

Nepal

  • Newars,
  • Indians,
  • Tibetans,
  • Gurungs,
  • Magars,
  • Tamangs,
  • Bhotias,
  • Rais,
  • Limbus,
  • Sherpas

Pakistan

  • Punjabi,
  • Sindhi,
  • Pashtun (Pathan),
  • Baloch,
  • Muhajir (immigrants from India and their descendants)

Russia

  • Russian 81.5%,
  • Tatar 3.8%,
  • Ukrainian 3%,
  • Chuvash 1.2%,
  • Bashkir 0.9%,
  • Byelorussian 0.8%,
  • Moldavian 0.7%,
  • other 8.1%

Sri Lanka

Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, Moor 7%, Burgher, Malay, and Vedda 1%

Tajikistan

  • Tajik 64.9%,
  • Uzbek 25%,
  • Russian 3.5% (declining because of emigration),
  • other 6.6%

Turkmenistan

  • Turkmen 77%,
  • Uzbek 9.2%,
  • Russian 6.7%,
  • Kazak 2%,
  • other 5.1% (1995)

Uzbekistan

  • Uzbek 80%,
  • Russian 5.5%,
  • Tajik 5%,
  • Kazak 3%,
  • Karakalpak 2.5%,
  • Tatar 1.5%,
  • other 2.5% (1996 est.)

Central America and the Caribbean

31 entries

Anguilla

black

Antigua and Barbuda

  • black,
  • British,
  • Portuguese,
  • Lebanese,
  • Syrian

Aruba

mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80%

The Bahamas

black 85%, white 15%

Barbados

  • black 80%,
  • white 4%,
  • other 16%

Belize

  • mestizo 44%,
  • Creole 30%,
  • Maya 11%,
  • Garifuna 7%,
  • other 8%

British Virgin Islands

  • black 90%,
  • white,
  • Asian

Cayman Islands

  • mixed 40%,
  • white 20%,
  • black 20%,
  • expatriates of various ethnic groups 20%

Costa Rica

  • white (including mestizo) 96%,
  • black 2%,
  • Amerindian 1%,
  • Chinese 1%

Cuba

  • mulatto 51%,
  • white 37%,
  • black 11%,
  • Chinese 1%

Dominica

black, Carib Amerindian

Dominican Republic

  • white 16%,
  • black 11%,
  • mixed 73%

El Salvador

  • mestizo 94%,
  • Amerindian 5%,
  • white 1%

Grenada

black

Guadeloupe

  • black or mulatto 90%,
  • white 5%,
  • East Indian,
  • Lebanese,
  • Chinese less than 5%

Guatemala

Mestizo (mixed Amerindian-Spanish - in local Spanish called Ladino) 56%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 44%

Haiti

black 95%, mulatto plus white 5%

Honduras

  • mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%,
  • Amerindian 7%,
  • black 2%,
  • white 1%

Jamaica

  • black 76.3%,
  • Afro-European 15.1%,
  • East Indian and Afro-East Indian 3%,
  • white 3.2%,
  • Chinese and Afro-Chinese 1.2%,
  • other 1.2%

Martinique

  • African and African-white-Indian mixture 90%,
  • white 5%,
  • East Indian,
  • Lebanese,
  • Chinese less than 5%

Montserrat

black, white

Netherlands Antilles

  • mixed black 85%,
  • Carib Amerindian,
  • white,
  • East Asian

Nicaragua

  • mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%,
  • white 17%,
  • black 9%,
  • Amerindian 5%

Panama

  • mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 70%,
  • Amerindian and mixed (West Indian) 14%,
  • white 10%,
  • Amerindian 6%

Puerto Rico

Hispanic

Saint Kitts and Nevis

black

Saint Lucia

  • black 90%,
  • mixed 6%,
  • East Indian 3%,
  • white 1%

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

  • black,
  • white,
  • East Indian,
  • Carib Amerindian

Trinidad and Tobago

  • black 43%,
  • East Indian (a local term - primarily immigrants from northern India) 40%,
  • mixed 14%,
  • white 1%,
  • Chinese 1%,
  • other 1%

Turks and Caicos Islands

black

Virgin Islands

  • black 80%,
  • white 15%,
  • other 5%

Europe

46 entries

Albania

  • Albanian 95%,
  • Greeks 3%,
  • other 2% (Vlachs, Gypsies, Serbs, and Bulgarians) (1989 est.)

note: in 1989, other estimates of the Greek population ranged from 1% (official Albanian statistics) to 12% (from a Greek organization)

Andorra

  • Spanish 61%,
  • Andorran 30%,
  • French 6%,
  • other 3%

Austria

  • German 99.4%,
  • Croatian 0.3%,
  • Slovene 0.2%,
  • other 0.1%

Belarus

  • Byelorussian 77.9%,
  • Russian 13.2%,
  • Polish 4.1%,
  • Ukrainian 2.9%,
  • other 1.9%

Belgium

  • Fleming 55%,
  • Walloon 33%,
  • mixed or other 12%

Bosnia and Herzegovina

  • Serb 40%,
  • Muslim 38%,
  • Croat 22% (est.)

Bulgaria

  • Bulgarian 85.3%,
  • Turk 8.5%,
  • Gypsy 2.6%,
  • Macedonian 2.5%,
  • Armenian 0.3%,
  • Russian 0.2%,
  • other 0.6%

Croatia

  • Croat 78%,
  • Serb 12%,
  • Muslim 0.9%,
  • Hungarian 0.5%,
  • Slovenian 0.5%,
  • others 8.1% (1991)

Czech Republic now Czechia

  • Czech 94.4%,
  • Slovak 3%,
  • Polish 0.6%,
  • German 0.5%,
  • Gypsy 0.3%,
  • Hungarian 0.2%,
  • other 1%

Denmark

  • Scandinavian,
  • Eskimo,
  • Faroese,
  • German

Estonia

  • Estonian 64.2%,
  • Russian 28.7%,
  • Ukrainian 2.7%,
  • Byelorussian 1.5%,
  • Finn 1%,
  • other 1.9% (1995)

Faroe Islands

Scandinavian

Finland

  • Finn 93%,
  • Swede 6%,
  • Lapp 0.11%,
  • Gypsy 0.12%,
  • Tatar 0.02%

France

  • Celtic and Latin with Teutonic,
  • Slavic,
  • North African,
  • Indochinese,
  • Basque minorities

Germany

  • German 91.5%,
  • Turkish 2.4%,
  • Italians 0.7%,
  • Greeks 0.4%,
  • Poles 0.4%,
  • other 4.6% (made up largely of people fleeing the war in the former Yugoslavia)

Gibraltar

  • Italian,
  • English,
  • Maltese,
  • Portuguese,
  • Spanish

Greece

Greek 98%, other 2%

note: the Greek Government states there are no ethnic divisions in Greece

Guernsey

UK and Norman-French descent

Holy See (Vatican City)

Italians, Swiss

Hungary

  • Hungarian 89.9%,
  • Gypsy 4%,
  • German 2.6%,
  • Serb 2%,
  • Slovak 0.8%,
  • Romanian 0.7%

Ireland

Celtic, English

Man, Isle of now Isle of Man

Manx (Norse-Celtic descent), Briton

Italy

Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south)

Jersey

UK and Norman-French descent

Latvia

  • Latvian 51.8%,
  • Russian 33.8%,
  • Byelorussian 4.5%,
  • Ukrainian 3.4%,
  • Polish 2.3%,
  • other 4.2%

Liechtenstein

Alemannic 87.5%, Italian, Turkish, and other 12.5%

Lithuania

  • Lithuanian 80.1%,
  • Russian 8.6%,
  • Polish 7.7%,
  • Byelorussian 1.5%,
  • other 2.1%

Luxembourg

Celtic base (with French and German blend), Portuguese, Italian, and European (guest and worker residents)

Malta

Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians, with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean stock)

Moldova

  • Moldavian/Romanian 64.5%,
  • Ukrainian 13.8%,
  • Russian 13%,
  • Gagauz 3.5%,
  • Jewish 1.5%,
  • Bulgarian 2%,
  • other 1.7% (1989 figures)

note : internal disputes with ethnic Russians and Ukrainians in the Nistru region and Gagauz Turks in the south

Monaco

  • French 47%,
  • Monegasque 16%,
  • Italian 16%,
  • other 21%

Netherlands

  • Dutch 96%, Moroccans, Turks, and other 4% (1988)

Macedonia, now North Macedonia

  • Macedonian 65%,
  • Albanian 22%,
  • Turkish 4%,
  • Serb 2%,
  • Gypsies 3%,
  • other 4%

Norway

Germanic (Nordic, Alpine, Baltic), Lapps (Sami) 20,000

Poland

  • Polish 97.6%,
  • German 1.3%,
  • Ukrainian 0.6%,
  • Byelorussian 0.5% (1990 est.)

Portugal

  • homogeneous Mediterranean stock in mainland, Azores, Madeira Islands;
  • citizens of black African descent who immigrated to mainland during decolonization number less than 100,000

Romania

Romanian 89.1%, Hungarian 8.9%, German 0.4%, Ukrainian, Serb, Croat, Russian, Turk, and Gypsy 1.6%

San Marino

Sammarinese, Italian

Serbia and Montenegro

  • Serbs 63%,
  • Albanians 14%,
  • Montenegrins 6%,
  • Hungarians 4%,
  • other 13%

Slovakia

  • Slovak 85.7%,
  • Hungarian 10.7%,
  • Gypsy 1.5% (the 1992 census figures underreport the Gypsy/Romany community, which could reach 500,000 or more),
  • Czech 1%,
  • Ruthenian 0.3%,
  • Ukrainian 0.3%,
  • German 0.1%,
  • Polish 0.1%,
  • other 0.3%

Slovenia

  • Slovene 91%,
  • Croat 3%,
  • Serb 2%,
  • Muslim 1%,
  • other 3%

Spain

composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types

Sweden

  • white,
  • Lapp (Sami),
  • foreign-born or first-generation immigrants 12% (Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks)

Switzerland

  • total population - German 65%,
  • French 18%,
  • Italian 10%,
  • Romansch 1%,
  • other 6%

note : Swiss nationals - German 74%, French 20%, Italian 4%, Romansch 1%, other 1%

Ukraine

  • Ukrainian 73%,
  • Russian 22%,
  • Jewish 1%,
  • other 4%

United Kingdom

English 81.5%, Scottish 9.6%, Irish 2.4%, Welsh 1.9%, Ulster 1.8%, West Indian, Indian, Pakistani, and other 2.8%

Middle East

17 entries

Bahrain

  • Bahraini 63%,
  • Asian 13%,
  • other Arab 10%,
  • Iranian 8%,
  • other 6%

Cyprus

  • Greek 78% (99.5% of the Greeks live in the Greek area; 0.5% of the Greeks live in the Turkish area),
  • Turkish 18% (1.3% of the Turks live in the Greek area; 98.7% of the Turks live in the Turkish area),
  • other 4% (99.2% of the other ethnic groups live in the Greek area; 0.8% of the other ethnic groups live in the Turkish area)

Gaza Strip

Palestinian Arab and other 99.4%, Jewish 0.6%

Iran

  • Persian 51%,
  • Azerbaijani 24%,
  • Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%,
  • Kurd 7%,
  • Arab 3%,
  • Lur 2%,
  • Baloch 2%,
  • Turkmen 2%,
  • other 1%

Iraq

  • Arab 75%-80%,
  • Kurdish 15%-20%,
  • Turkoman,
  • Assyrian or other 5%

Israel

Jewish 82% (Israel-born 50%, Europe/Americas/Oceania-born 20%, Africa-born 7%, Asia-born 5%), non-Jewish 18% (mostly Arab) (1993 est.)

Jordan

  • Arab 98%,
  • Circassian 1%,
  • Armenian 1%

Kuwait

  • Kuwaiti 45%,
  • other Arab 35%,
  • South Asian 9%,
  • Iranian 4%,
  • other 7%

Lebanon

  • Arab 95%,
  • Armenian 4%,
  • other 1%

Oman

  • Arab,
  • Baluchi,
  • South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi),
  • African

Qatar

  • Arab 40%,
  • Pakistani 18%,
  • Indian 18%,
  • Iranian 10%,
  • other 14%

Saudi Arabia

Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%

Syria

Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%

Turkey now Turkiye

Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20%

United Arab Emirates

  • Emiri 19%,
  • other Arab and Iranian 23%,
  • South Asian 50%,
  • other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8% (1982)

note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982)

West Bank

Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17%

Yemen

  • predominantly Arab;
  • Afro-Arab concentrations in western coastal locations;
  • South Asians in southern regions;
  • small European communities in major metropolitan areas

North America

5 entries

Bermuda

black 61%, white and other 39%

Canada

  • British Isles origin 40%,
  • French origin 27%,
  • other European 20%,
  • Amerindian 1.5%,
  • other,
  • mostly Asian 11.5%

Mexico

  • mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%,
  • Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%,
  • white 9%,
  • other 1%

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Basques and Bretons (French fishermen)

United States

  • white 83.4%,
  • black 12.4%,
  • Asian 3.3%,
  • Amerindian 0.8% (1992)

Oceania

25 entries

American Samoa

  • Samoan (Polynesian) 89%,
  • Caucasian 2%,
  • Tongan 4%,
  • other 5%

Australia

  • Caucasian 95%,
  • Asian 4%,
  • aboriginal and other 1%

Cook Islands

  • Polynesian (full blood) 81.3%,
  • Polynesian and European 7.7%,
  • Polynesian and non-European 7.7%,
  • European 2.4%,
  • other 0.9%

Fiji

Fijian 49%, Indian 46%, European, other Pacific Islanders, overseas Chinese, and other 5%

French Polynesia

  • Polynesian 78%,
  • Chinese 12%,
  • local French 6%,
  • metropolitan French 4%

Guam

Chamorro 47%, Filipino 25%, white 10%, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and other 18%

Kiribati

Micronesian

Marshall Islands

Micronesian

Micronesia, Federated States of now Federated States of Micronesia

nine ethnic Micronesian and Polynesian groups

Nauru

  • Nauruan 58%,
  • other Pacific Islander 26%,
  • Chinese 8%,
  • European 8%

New Caledonia

  • Melanesian 42.5%,
  • European 37.1%,
  • Wallisian 8.4%,
  • Polynesian 3.8%,
  • Indonesian 3.6%,
  • Vietnamese 1.6%,
  • other 3%

New Zealand

  • European 88%,
  • Maori 8.9%,
  • Pacific Islander 2.9%,
  • other 0.2%

Niue

Polynesian (with some 200 Europeans, Samoans, and Tongans)

Norfolk Island

  • descendants of the Bounty mutineers,
  • Australian,
  • New Zealander,
  • Polynesians

Northern Mariana Islands

  • Chamorro,
  • Carolinians and other Micronesians,
  • Caucasian,
  • Japanese,
  • Chinese,
  • Korean

Palau

Palauans are a composite of Polynesian, Malayan, and Melanesian races

Papua New Guinea

  • Melanesian,
  • Papuan,
  • Negrito,
  • Micronesian,
  • Polynesian

Pitcairn Islands

descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives

Western Samoa now Samoa

  • Samoan 92.6%,
  • Euronesians 7% (persons of European and Polynesian blood),
  • Europeans 0.4%

Solomon Islands

  • Melanesian 93%,
  • Polynesian 4%,
  • Micronesian 1.5%,
  • European 0.8%,
  • Chinese 0.3%,
  • other 0.4%

Tokelau

Polynesian

Tonga

Polynesian, Europeans about 300

Tuvalu

Polynesian 96%

Vanuatu

  • indigenous Melanesian 94%,
  • French 4%,
  • Vietnamese,
  • Chinese,
  • Pacific Islanders

Wallis and Futuna

Polynesian

South America

14 entries

Argentina

white 85%, mestizo, Amerindian, or other nonwhite groups 15%

Bolivia

  • Quechua 30%,
  • Aymara 25%,
  • mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 25%-30%,
  • white 5%-15%

Brazil

  • white (includes Portuguese, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish) 55%,
  • mixed white and black 38%,
  • black 6%,
  • other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 1%

Chile

  • white and white-Amerindian 95%,
  • Amerindian 3%,
  • other 2%

Colombia

  • mestizo 58%,
  • white 20%,
  • mulatto 14%,
  • black 4%,
  • mixed black-Amerindian 3%,
  • Amerindian 1%

Ecuador

  • mestizo (mixed Amerindian and Spanish) 55%,
  • Amerindian 25%,
  • Spanish 10%,
  • black 10%

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

British

French Guiana

  • black or mulatto 66%,
  • white 12%,
  • East Indian,
  • Chinese,
  • Amerindian 12%,
  • other 10%

Guyana

  • East Indian 51%,
  • black and mixed 43%,
  • Amerindian 4%,
  • white and Chinese 2%

Paraguay

mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%, white plus Amerindian 5%

Peru

Amerindian 45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3%

Suriname

  • Hindustani (also known locally as "East Indians"; their ancestors emigrated from northern India in the latter part of the 19th century) 37%,
  • Creole (mixed white and black) 31%,
  • Javanese 15.3%,
  • "Maroons" (their African ancestors were brought to the country in the 17th and 18th centuries as slaves) 10.3%,
  • Amerindian 2.6%,
  • Chinese 1.7%,
  • white 1%,
  • other 1.1%

Uruguay

white 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%, Amerindian, specifically, the Charrua, which are practically nonexistent and make up probably less than 1%

Venezuela

  • mestizo 67%,
  • white 21%,
  • black 10%,
  • Amerindian 2%

Southeast Asia

15 entries

Brunei

  • Malay 64%,
  • Chinese 20%,
  • other 16%

Burma now Burma (Myanmar)

  • Burman 68%,
  • Shan 9%,
  • Karen 7%,
  • Rakhine 4%,
  • Chinese 3%,
  • Mon 2%,
  • Indian 2%,
  • other 5%

Cambodia

  • Khmer 90%,
  • Vietnamese 5%,
  • Chinese 1%,
  • other 4%

Christmas Island

  • Chinese 61%,
  • Malay 25%,
  • European 11%,
  • other 3%,
  • no indigenous population

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Europeans, Cocos Malays

Hong Kong

Chinese 95%, other 5%

Indonesia

  • Javanese 45%,
  • Sundanese 14%,
  • Madurese 7.5%,
  • coastal Malays 7.5%,
  • other 26%

Laos

  • Lao Loum (lowland) 68%,
  • Lao Theung (upland) 22%,
  • Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong ("Meo") and the Yao (Mien) 9%,
  • ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1%

Macau

  • Chinese 95%,
  • Portuguese 3%,
  • other 2%

Malaysia

  • Malay and other indigenous 58%,
  • Chinese 26%,
  • Indian 7%,
  • others 9%

Philippines

  • Christian Malay 91.5%,
  • Muslim Malay 4%,
  • Chinese 1.5%,
  • other 3%

Singapore

  • Chinese 76.4%,
  • Malay 14.9%,
  • Indian 6.4%,
  • other 2.3%

Taiwan

  • Taiwanese 84%,
  • mainland Chinese 14%,
  • aborigine 2%

Thailand

  • Thai 75%,
  • Chinese 14%,
  • other 11%

Vietnam

  • Vietnamese 85%-90%,
  • Chinese 3%,
  • Muong,
  • Tai,
  • Meo,
  • Khmer,
  • Man,
  • Cham

Cite this page

Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook 1997, “Ethnic groups”, all entries. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/fields/ethnic-groups/1997.

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