The CIA World Factbook Edition 2019 People and Society
Ethnic groups In 36 editions of 36.
Ethnic groups was published in 36 editions of the CIA World Factbook, from 1990 to 2025. The 2019 edition carries it in 237 entries, in its People and Society section. Every entry is shown as that edition published it.
- entries in the 2019 edition
- 237
- 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).
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Entries with Ethnic groups in each edition
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Africa
56 entriesAlgeria
Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1%
note: although almost all Algerians are Berber in origin (not Arab), only a minority identify themselves as primarily Berber, about 15% of the total population; these people live mostly in the mountainous region of Kabylie east of Algiers and several other communities; the Berbers are also Muslim but identify with their Berber rather than Arab cultural heritage; Berbers have long agitated, sometimes violently, for autonomy; the government is unlikely to grant autonomy but has officially recognized Berber languages and introduced them into public schools
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
Guinea
- Fulani (Peuhl) 33.4%,
- Malinke 29.4%,
- Susu 21.2%,
- Guerze 7.8%,
- Kissi 6.2%,
- Toma 1.6%,
- other/foreign .4% (2018 est.)
Liberia
- Kpelle 20.3%,
- Bassa 13.4%,
- Grebo 10%,
- Gio 8%,
- Mano 7.9%,
- Kru 6%,
- Lorma 5.1%,
- Kissi 4.8%,
- Gola 4.4%,
- Krahn 4%,
- Vai 4%,
- Mandingo 3.2%,
- Gbandi 3%,
- Mende 1.3%,
- Sapo 1.3%,
- other Liberian 1.7%,
- other African 1.4%,
- non-African .1% (2008 est.)
Libya
Berber and Arab 97%, other 3% (includes Egyptian, Greek, Indian, Italian, Maltese, Pakistani, Tunisian, and Turkish)
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 34.3%,
- Lomwe 18.8%,
- Yao 13.2%,
- Ngoni 10.4%,
- Tumbuka 9.2%,
- Sena 3.8%,
- Mang'anja 3.2%,
- Tonga 1.8%,
- Nyanja 1.8%,
- Nkhonde 1%,
- other 2.2%,
- foreign .3% (2018 est.)
Mali
- Bambara 33.3%,
- Fulani (Peuhl) 13.3%,
- Sarakole/Soninke/Marka 9.8%,
- Senufo/Manianka 9.6%,
- Malinke 8.8%,
- Dogon 8.7%,
- Sonrai 5.9%,
- Bobo 2.1%,
- Tuareg/Bella 1.7%,
- other Malian 6%,
- from member of Economic Community of West Africa .4%,
- other .3% (2018 est.)
Mauritius
- Indo-Mauritian (compose approximately two thirds of the total population),
- Creole,
- Sino-Mauritian,
- Franco-Mauritian
note: Mauritius has not had a question on ethnicity on its national census since 1972
Namibia
- Ovambo 50%,
- Kavangos 9%,
- Herero 7%,
- Damara 7%,
- European and African ancestry 6.5%,
- European 6%,
- Nama 5%,
- Caprivian 4%,
- San 3%,
- Baster 2%,
- Tswana .5%
Sao Tome and Principe
- mestico,
- angolares (descendants of Angolan slaves),
- forros (descendants of freed slaves),
- servicais (contract laborers from Angola, Mozambique, and Cabo Verde),
- tongas (children of servicais born on the islands),
- Europeans (primarily Portuguese),
- Asians (mostly Chinese)
Seychelles
predominantly creole (mainly of East African and Malagasy heritage); also French, Indian, Chinese, and Arab populations
South Africa
note: colored is a term used in South Africa, including on the national census, for persons of mixed race ancestry
South Sudan
- Dinka (Jieng) 35.8%,
- Nuer (Naath) 15.6%,
- Shilluk (Chollo),
- Azande,
- Bari,
- Kakwa,
- Kuku,
- Murle,
- Mandari,
- Didinga,
- Ndogo,
- Bviri,
- Lndi,
- Anuak,
- Bongo,
- Lango,
- Dungotona,
- Acholi,
- Baka,
- Fertit (2011 est.)
Tanzania
- mainland - African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of more than 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of Asian, European, and Arab);
- Zanzibar - Arab, African, mixed Arab and African
Togo
- Adja-Ewe/Mina 42.4%,
- Kabye/Tem 25.9%,
- Para-Gourma/Akan 17.1%,
- Akposso/Akebu 4.1%,
- Ana-Ife 3.2%,
- other Togolese 1.7%,
- foreigners 5.2%,
- no response .4% (2013-14 est.)
note: Togo has an estimated 37 ethnic groups
Arctic Region
3 entriesGreenland
- Greenlandic 89.7%, Danish 7.8%, other Nordic 1.1%, and other 1.4% (2018 est.)
note: data represent population by country of birth
Iceland
homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norse and Celts 81%, population with foreign background 19% (2018 est.)
note: population with foreign background includes immigrants and persons having at least one parent who was born abroad
Svalbard
Norwegian 58%, foreign population 42% (consists primarily of Russians, Thais, Swedes, Filipinos, and Ukrainians) (2019 est.)
note: foreigners account for almost one third of the population of the Norwegian settlements, Longyearbyen and Ny-Alesund (where the majority of Svalbard's resident population lives), as of mid-2019
Asia
22 entriesAfghanistan
- Pashtun,
- Tajik,
- Hazara,
- Uzbek,
- other (includes smaller numbers of Baloch, Turkmen, Nuristani, Pamiri, Arab, Gujar, Brahui, Qizilbash, Aimaq, Pashai, and Kyrghyz) (2015)
note: current statistical data on the sensitive subject of ethnicity in Afghanistan are not available, and ethnicity data from small samples of respondents to opinion polls are not a reliable alternative; Afghanistan's 2004 constitution recognizes 14 ethnic groups: Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, Baloch, Turkmen, Nuristani, Pamiri, Arab, Gujar, Brahui, Qizilbash, Aimaq, and Pashai
Azerbaijan
note: the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region is populated almost entirely by ethnic Armenians
Bangladesh
- Bengali at least 98%, other indigenous ethnic groups 1.1% (2011 est.)
note: Bangladesh's government recognizes 27 indigenous ethnic groups under the 2010 Cultural Institution for Small Anthropological Groups Act; other sources estimate there are about 75 ethnic groups; critics of the 2011 census claim that it underestimates the size of Bangladesh's ethnic population
Japan
note: data represent population by nationality; up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japan in the 1990s to work in industries; some have returned to Brazil
Korea, North now North Korea
racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese
Maldives
homogeneous mixture of Sinhalese, Dravidian, Arab, Australasian, and African resulting from historical changes in regional hegemony over marine trade routes
Central America and the Caribbean
32 entriesBelize
note: percentages add up to more than 100% because respondents were able to identify more than one ethnic origin
Curacao
- Curacaoan 75.4%,
- Dutch 6%,
- Dominican 3.6%,
- Colombian 3%,
- Bonairean,
- Sint Eustatian,
- Saban 1.5%,
- Haitian 1.2%,
- Surinamese 1.2%,
- Venezuelan 1.1%,
- Aruban 1.1%,
- other 5%,
- unspecified 0.9% (2011 est.)
Dominican Republic
note: respondents self-identified their race; the term "indio" in the Dominican Republic is not associated with people of indigenous ancestry but people of mixed ancestry or skin color between light and dark
Guatemala
- mestizo (mixed Amerindian-Spanish - in local Spanish called Ladino) 56%,
- Maya 41.7%,
- Xinca (indigenous, non-Maya) 1.8%,
- African descent .2%,
- Garifuna (mixed West and Central African, Island Carib, and Arawak) .1%,
- foreign .2% (2018 est.)
Saint Kitts and Nevis
- African descent 92.5%,
- mixed 3%,
- white 2.1%,
- East Indian 1.5%,
- other .6%,
- unspecified .3% (2001 est.)
Saint Martin
- other Creole (mulatto),
- black,
- Guadeloupe Mestizo (French-East Asia),
- white,
- East Indian
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- African descent 71.2%,
- mixed 23%,
- indigenous 3%,
- East Indian/Indian 1.1%,
- European 1.5%,
- other .2% (2012 est.)
Europe
48 entriesBosnia and Herzegovina
note: Republika Srpska authorities dispute the methodology and refuse to recognize the results; Bosniak has replaced Muslim as an ethnic term in part to avoid confusion with the religious term Muslim - an adherent of Islam
Bulgaria
note: Romani populations are usually underestimated in official statistics and may represent 9–11% of Bulgaria's population
France
- Celtic and Latin with Teutonic,
- Slavic,
- North African,
- Indochinese,
- Basque minorities
note: overseas departments: black, white, mulatto, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian
Guernsey
note: data represent population by country of birth; the native population is of British and Norman-French descent
Holy See (Vatican City)
Italian, Swiss, Argentinian, and other nationalities from around the world (2017)
Hungary
note: percentages add up to more than 100% because respondents were able to identify more than one ethnic group; Romani populations are usually underestimated in official statistics and may represent 5–10% of Hungary's population
Italy
Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south)
Jersey
Jersey 46.4%, British 32.7%, Portuguese/Madeiran 8.2%, Polish 3.3%, Irish, French, and other white 7.1%, other 2.4% (2011 est.)
Kosovo
note: these estimates may under-represent Serb, Romani, and some other ethnic minorities because they are based on the 2011 Kosovo national census, which excluded northern Kosovo (a largely Serb-inhabited region) and was partially boycotted by Serb and Romani communities in southern Kosovo
Malta
Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean stock)
Monaco
note: data represent population by country of birth
note: data represent population by nationality (2016 est.)
North Macedonia
note: North Macedonia has not conducted a census since 2002; Romani populations are usually underestimated in official statistics and may represent 6.5–13% of North Macedonia’s population
Portugal
- white homogeneous Mediterranean population;
- citizens of black African descent who immigrated to mainland during decolonization number less than 100,000;
- since 1990, Eastern Europeans have migrated to Portugal
Romania
note: Romani populations are usually underestimated in official statistics and may represent 5–11% of Romania's population
Serbia
note: most ethnic Albanians boycotted the 2011 census; Romani populations are usually underestimated in official statistics and may represent 5–11% of Serbia's population
Slovakia
note: data represent population by nationality; Romani populations are usually underestimated in official statistics and may represent 7–11% of Slovakia's population
Sweden
note: data represent the population by country of birth; the indigenous Sami people are estimated to number between 20,000 and 40,000
Switzerland
- Swiss 69.5%,
- German 4.2%,
- Italian 3.2%,
- Portuguese 2.6%,
- French 2%,
- Kosovar 1.1%,
- other 17.3%,
- unspecified .1% (2018 est.)
note: data represent permanent and non-permanent resident population by country of birth
Middle East
17 entriesIraq
- Arab 75-80%,
- Kurdish 15-20%,
- other 5% (includes Turkmen, Yezidi, Shabak, Kaka'i, Bedouin, Romani, Assyrian, Circassian, Sabaean-Mandaean, Persian)
note: data is a 1987 government estimate; no more recent reliable numbers are available
Kuwait
- Kuwaiti 30.4%,
- other Arab 27.4%,
- Asian 40.3%,
- African 1%,
- other .9% (includes European, North American, South American, and Australian) (2018 est.)
Lebanon
note: many Christian Lebanese do not identify themselves as Arab but rather as descendants of the ancient Canaanites and prefer to be called Phoenicians
Syria
- Arab ~50%,
- Alawite ~15%,
- Kurd ~10%,
- Levantine ~10%,
- other ~15% (includes Druze, Ismaili, Imami, Nusairi, Assyrian, Turkoman, Armenian)
North America
5 entriesCanada
note: percentages add up to more than 100% because respondents were able to identify more than one ethnic origin
United States
note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean persons of Spanish/Hispanic/Latino origin including those of Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican Republic, Spanish, and Central or South American origin living in the US who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.); an estimated 16.3% of the total US population is Hispanic as of 2010
Oceania
25 entriesAustralia
note: data represent self-identified ancestry, over a third of respondents reported two ancestries
Fiji
note: a 2010 law replaces 'Fijian' with 'iTaukei' when referring to the original and native settlers of Fiji
New Caledonia
- Kanak 39.1%,
- European 27.1%,
- Wallisian,
- Futunian 8.2%,
- Tahitian 2.1%,
- Indonesian 1.4%,
- Ni-Vanuatu 1%,
- Vietnamese 0.9%,
- other 17.7%,
- unspecified 2.5% (2014 est.)
New Zealand
note: based on the 2018 census of the usually resident population; percentages add up to more than 100% because respondents were able to identify more than one ethnic group
Norfolk Island
note: respondents were able to identify up to two ancestries; percentages represent a proportion of all responses from people in Norfolk Island, including those who did not identify an ancestry; only top responses are shown
South America
13 entriesBolivia
- mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 68%, indigenous 20%, white 5%, cholo/chola 2%, black 1%, other 1%, unspecified 3% ;
- 44% of respondents indicated feeling part of some indigenous group, predominantly Quechua or Aymara (2009 est.)
note: results among surveys vary based on the wording of the ethnicity question and the available response choices; the 2001 national census did not provide "mestizo" as a response choice, resulting in a much higher proportion of respondents identifying themselves as belonging to one of the available indigenous ethnicity choices; the use of "mestizo" and "cholo" varies among response choices in surveys, with surveys using the terms interchangeably, providing one or the other as a response choice, or providing the two as separate response choices
Southeast Asia
16 entriesLaos
note: the Laos Government officially recognizes 49 ethnic groups, but the total number of ethnic groups is estimated to be well over 200
Philippines
- Tagalog 24.4%,
- Bisaya/Binisaya 11.4%,
- Cebuano 9.9%,
- Ilocano 8.8%,
- Hiligaynon/Ilonggo 8.4%,
- Bikol/Bicol 6.8%,
- Waray 4%,
- other local ethnicity 26.1%,
- other foreign ethnicity .1% (2010 est.)
Singapore
note: individuals self-identify; the population is divided into four categories: Chinese, Malay (includes indigenous Malays and Indonesians), Indian (includes Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, or Sri Lankan), and other ethnic groups (includes Eurasians, Caucasians, Japanese, Filipino, Vietnamese)
Taiwan
Han Chinese (including Hoklo, who compose approximately 70% of Taiwan's population, Hakka, and other groups originating in mainland China) more than 95%, indigenous Malayo-Polynesian peoples 2.3%
note 1: there are 16 officially recognized indigenous groups: Amis, Atayal, Bunun, Hla'alua, Kanakaravu, Kavalan, Paiwan, Puyuma, Rukai, Saisiyat, Sakizaya, Seediq, Thao, Truku, Tsou, and Yami; Amis, Paiwan, and Atayal are the largest and account for roughly 70% of the indigenous population
note 2: although not definitive, the majority of current genetic, archeological, and linguistic data support the theory that Taiwan is the ultimate source for the spread of humans across the Pacific to Polynesia; the expansion (ca. 3000 B.C. to A.D. 1200) took place via the Philippines and eastern Indonesia and reached Fiji and Tonga by about 900 B.C.; from there voyagers spread across all of the rest of the Pacific islands over the next two millennia
Thailand
- Thai 97.5%,
- Burmese 1.3%,
- other 1.1%,
- unspecified <.1% (2015 est.)
note: data represent population by nationality
Timor-Leste
- Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) (includes Tetun, Mambai, Tokodede, Galoli, Kemak, Baikeno),
- Melanesian-Papuan (includes Bunak, Fataluku, Bakasai),
- small Chinese minority
Cite this page
Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook 2019, “Ethnic groups”, all entries. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/fields/ethnic-groups/2019.