Ethnic Groups
China is a comprising 56 state-recognized nationalities officially termed “ethnic minorities.” These ethnic minority groups do not necessarily self-identify as such, and are not equally represented in China. The largest ethnic group is the Han (91.6), and the largest non-Han minority groups are Tibetans, Mongols, and Uyghurs. These territories (Tibet, Inner Mongolia, and Xinjiang) are resource-rich and these ethnic groups often dispute the autonomous regions. Numerous human rights violations and independence movements have caused major instability in these regions and international criticism of the Chinese Communist Party’s ethnic minority policies. There are ethnic groups that are still seeking official recognition by the state.
List of China’s Ethnic Minority Groups
Ethnic Group |
2010 Population Percentage |
2010 Population |
Han | 91.6474% |
1,220,844,520 |
Zhuang |
1.2700% | 16,926,381 |
Hui |
0.7943% | 10,586,087 |
Manchu |
0.7794% | 10,387,958 |
Uyghur |
0.7555% | 10,069,346 |
Miao |
0.7072% | 9,426,007 |
Yi |
0.6538% | 8,714,393 |
Tujia |
0.6268% | 8,353,912 |
Tibetan |
0.4713% | 6,282,187 |
Mongol |
0.4488% | 5,981,840 |
Dong |
0.2161% | 2,879,974 |
Bouyei |
0.2153% | 2,870,034 |
Yao |
0.2098% | 2,796,003 |
Bai |
0.1451% | 1,933,510 |
Korean |
0.1374% | 1,830,929 |
Hani |
0.1246% | 1,660,932 |
Li |
0.1098% | 1,463,064 |
Kazakh |
0.1097% | 1,462,588 |
Dai |
0.0946% | 1,261,311 |
She |
0.0532% | 708,651 |
Lisu |
0.0527% | 702,839 |
Dongxiang |
0.0466% | 621,500 |
Gelao |
0.0413% | 550,746 |
Lahu |
0.0365% | 485,966 |
Va |
0.0322% | 429,709 |
Sui |
0.0309% | 411,847 |
Nakhi |
0.0245% | 326,295 |
Qiang |
0.0232% | 309,576 |
Tu |
0.0217% | 289,565 |
Mulao |
0.0162% | 216,257 |
Xibe |
0.0143% | 190,481 |
Kyrgyz |
0.0140% | 186,708 |
Jingpo |
0.0111% | 147,828 |
Daur |
0.0099% | 131,992 |
Salar |
0.0098% | 130,607 |
Blang |
0.0090% | 119,639 |
Maonan |
0.0076% | 101,192 |
Tajik |
0.0038% | 51,069 |
Pumi |
0.0032% | 42,861 |
Achang |
0.0030% | 39,555 |
Nu |
0.0028% | 37,523 |
Ewenki |
0.0023% | 30,875 |
Gin |
0.0021% | 28,199 |
Jino |
0.0017% | 23,143 |
De'ang |
0.0015% | 20,556 |
Bonan |
0.0015% | 20,074 |
Russian |
0.0012% | 15,393 |
Yugur |
0.0011% | 14,378 |
Uzbek |
0.0008% | 10,569 |
Monba |
0.0008% | 10,561 |
Oroqen |
0.0006% | 8,659 |
Derung |
0.0005% | 6,930 |
Hezhen |
0.0004% | 5,354 |
Gaoshan |
0.0003% | 4,009 |
Lhoba |
0.0003% | 3,682 |
Tatars |
0.0003% | 3,556 |
Undistinguished |
0.0480% | 640,101 |
Naturalized Citizen |
0.0001% | 1,448 |
Table: http://mz.china.com.cn/?action-viewnews-itemid-4643
Source: Minority Rights Group International, World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - China: Overview, October 2009, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/4954ce5b23.html [accessed 31 January 2014]