List of ethnic groups in China Facts for Kids

Ethnolinguistic map of China

China's Autonomous Regions and its Designated Ethnic Minority

China is a huge country with many different groups of people. An ethnic group is a community or group of people who share a common culture, language, religion, or history. The largest group in China is the Han people, making up over 91% of the population. That's more than 1.2 billion people!

Besides the Han, China officially recognizes 55 other ethnic groups, called ethnic minorities. These groups include about 105 million people, which is 8% of China's population. They mostly live in the border areas, like the northwest, north, northeast, south, and southwest parts of the country. Some of the biggest minority groups are the Zhuang, Uyghurs, Hui, Miao, Manchu, Yi, Tujia, Tibetans, and Mongols.

Officially Recognized Ethnic Groups
Taiwanese Indigenous Peoples
Unlisted Ethnic Groups
Ethnic Groups in Hong Kong and Macau
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Officially Recognized Ethnic Groups

The Chinese government officially recognizes 56 ethnic groups. These groups receive special support to help them keep their cultures alive. For example, they might get help with education or be able to use their own languages in official documents. In some areas, they have more say in how their local government is run.

When the People's Republic of China was formed, 39 ethnic groups were recognized in 1954. This number grew over time. The last group added was the Jino people in 1979, bringing the total to the current 56. The Han Chinese are the largest, followed by the Zhuang, Uyghurs, Hui, and Miao people.

Taiwanese Indigenous Peoples

The government in mainland China calls all Taiwanese aborigines by the name Gaoshan. However, in Taiwan, there are 16 different recognized groups of indigenous people, and they use different names for themselves. The term Gaoshan means something different in Taiwan compared to mainland China.

Unlisted Ethnic Groups

Even with 56 recognized groups, some ethnic groups living in China are not officially recognized by the government. This means they don't get the same special support as the recognized groups. For example, the Äynu people are considered Uyghurs, and the Sherpa people are classified as Tibetans. Other unlisted groups include the Tanka people and Jewish people.

In 2000, over 730,000 people in mainland China were recorded as belonging to "undistinguished ethnic groups." Most of these people lived in the Guizhou province.

Ethnic Groups in Hong Kong and Macau

Hong Kong and Macau are special areas in China. Their governments do not use the same official ethnic classification system as mainland China. These areas have many different minority groups. In Hong Kong, you can find people from Western Europe, the Philippines, India, Indonesia, Nepal, and Pakistan. Macau has people of Chinese and Portuguese descent, along with other ethnic backgrounds.