What are the largest tribes in India?

The Bhil are the largest Scheduled Tribe in India, with about 17 million people in the 2011 census, followed by the Gond with about 13 million. Other large tribes include the Santal, Mina, Oraon and Munda. Together, Scheduled Tribes numbered about 104 million people, or 8.6% of India's population.

The Bhil live mainly in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. The Gond live across central India, especially in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Telangana and Odisha. These two peoples are by far the largest on the official lists of Scheduled Tribes.

The Santal live mainly in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Bihar. The Mina live mostly in Rajasthan. The Oraon and Munda are centred on the Chota Nagpur plateau in Jharkhand and neighbouring states. Each of these numbers in the millions.

By state, Madhya Pradesh has the largest Scheduled Tribe population. By share, tribal people form the great majority in Mizoram, Nagaland and Meghalaya in the north-east and in the island territory of Lakshadweep. Peoples there include the Mizo, the Naga peoples, the Khasi and the Garo.

All these figures come from the 2011 census, the most recent full count available. Tribe lists are kept state by state, so the same people can be listed under slightly different names in different states, and totals for one people depend on which entries are added together.

Words used here

Sources

• Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of Indiatribal.nic.in
• Census of Indiacensusindia.gov.in
• IWGIA: Indiaiwgia.org

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