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Which continent has the most indigenous peoples?

Asia has the most indigenous people by population. About 70% of the world's 476 million indigenous people live in Asia and the Pacific, according to the International Labour Organization. For the number of distinct peoples and languages, the island of New Guinea and its neighbours stand out as the most diverse region.

By headcount, Asia leads by a wide margin. India alone counted about 104 million Scheduled Tribe members in 2011. China officially recognises 55 minority nationalities with a combined population of over 100 million. South-East Asia has many more, from the hill peoples of the mainland to the islands of Indonesia and the Philippines.

By number of distinct peoples, the picture is different. Papua New Guinea has about 840 living languages, more than any other country, and Indonesia has about 700. Africa as a whole has more than 2,000 languages, each marking a community with its own identity.

The Americas have fewer indigenous people in total, but several countries have large indigenous shares of the population, including Bolivia and Guatemala. Brazil alone has about 300 indigenous peoples, most of them small, and the United States recognised 574 tribes as of 2024.

These comparisons depend on definitions. In Africa and Asia, governments often say that everyone is indigenous, so international counts rely on groups that identify themselves as indigenous and are distinct from the national majority. Different sources therefore give different totals, and none should be read as exact.

Words used here

Indigenous peopleCensusSelf-identificationLanguage familyScheduled Tribe

Sources

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