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'{{Short description|Overview of the ethnic groups of Pakistan}} {{original research|date=September 2016}} {{Culture of Pakistan}} The major ethnic groups of [[Pakistan]] include [[Punjabis]], [[Pashtuns]], [[Sindhis]], [[Saraiki people|Saraikis]], [[Muhajir (Urdu-speaking people)|Muhajirs]], [[Baloch people|Baloch]], Brahuis, [[Pahari people (Kashmir)|Paharis]], [[Hindkowans]], and other smaller groups. Smaller ethnic groups found throughout the nation include [[Gurjar|Gujjar]], [[Kho people|Khowar]], [[Chitralis]], [[Shina people|Shina]], [[Kalash people|Kalash]], [[Siddi]], [[Kashmiris]], [[Burusho people|Burusho]], [[Wakhi people|Wakhis]], [[Hazaras|Hazara]] and [[Balti people|Baltis]]. No ethnic group makes up the majority of the Pakistani population. Punjabis are the largest ethnic group in Pakistan with a population of 80.55 million. Pashtuns are the second largest ethnic group in Pakistan with a population of 37.9 million. Pakistan's census does not include the 1.4 million [[Afghan identity card|citizens of Afghanistan]] who are temporarily residing in [[Afghans in Pakistan|Pakistan]].<ref>{{citation|url=https://reporting.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/Statistical%20Factsheet%20Onward%20movements%20of%20Afghan%20refugees%20March-April%202021.pdf|title=Onward Movements of Afghan Refugees |date=March–April 2021|publisher=UNHCR|access-date=2021-08-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.unhcr.org/pk/12999-government-to-deliver-first-new-por-smartcards-to-afghan-refugees.html |title=Government delivered first new Proof of Registration smartcards to Afghan refugees |date=May 25, 2021 |access-date=2021-07-30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://data2.unhcr.org/en/country/pak|title=Registered Afghan Refugees in Pakistan|work=UNHCR|date=December 31, 2020|access-date=2021-07-30}}</ref> Majority of them were born in Pakistan within the last four decades and are ethnically [[Pashtuns]], [[Tajiks]], [[Uzbeks]] and others.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://unhcrpk.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/VolRep_Summary_20161101_v1.pdf |date=November 2016 |title=Voluntary Repatriation Update |publisher=UNHCR |location=Pakistan |access-date=2017-11-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220173655/https://unhcrpk.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/VolRep_Summary_20161101_v1.pdf |archive-date=2017-02-20 |url-status=dead }}</ref> {{Pie chart |thumb = right |caption = Ethnicity in Pakistan (2017) |label1 = [[Punjabis]] |value1 = 38.78 |color1 = Green |label2 = [[Pashtuns]] |value2 = 18.24 |color2 = Red |label3 = [[Sindhis]] |value3 = 14.57 |color3 = Black |label4 = [[Saraikis]] |value4 = 12.19 |color4 = Maroon |label5 = [[Muhajir (Urdu-speaking people)|Muhajirs]] |value5 = 7.08 |color5 = DarkGreen |label6 = [[Balochis]] |value6 = 3.02 |color6 = White |label7 = Others |value7 = 6.12 |color7 = Grey }} ==Major ethnic groups== [[File:Mother Tongue by Pakistani District - 2017 Census.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.6| <div style="text-align: center">Dominant Ethnolinguistic Group in each Pakistani [[Districts of Pakistan|District]] as of the [[2017 Pakistan Census]]</div>]] ===Punjabis=== {{Main|Punjabis|Punjab, Pakistan|Punjabi language}} [[File:Major ethnic groups of Pakistan in 1980 borders removed.jpg|thumb|The four major ethnic groups of Pakistan]] [[Punjabis]] are an [[Indo-Aryan peoples|Indo-Aryan]] ethno-linguistic group and they are the largest ethnic group in Pakistan by population. The Punjabis found in Pakistan belong to groups known as ''biradaris'' (literally 'brotherhood'), with further divisions between the ''zamindar'' or ''qoums'', traditionally associated with agriculture, and ''moeens'', traditionally associated with artisanry. Some ''zamindars'' are further divided into tribes such as [[Rajput]], [[Muslim Jats|Jat]], [[Punjabi Shaikh|Shaikh]], [[Gujjar]], [[Awan (Pakistan)|Awan]], [[Arain]] and [[Syed]]. Ethnicities from neighbouring regions such as [[Kashmiri Muslims|Kashmiris]], [[Punjabi Pathan|Pashtuns]] and [[Punjabi Baloch|Baluchis]] also form a sizeable portion of the population of Punjab, especially in metropolises such as [[Lahore]], [[Rawalpindi]], [[Sialkot]] and [[Faisalabad]]. A large number of Punjabis descend from groups historically associated with skilled professions and crafts, such as the [[Sunar]], [[Lohar]], [[Kumhar]], [[Tarkhan]], [[Julaha]], [[Mochi (Muslim)|Mochi]], [[Hajjam]], [[Chhimba Darzi]], [[Muslim Teli|Teli]], [[Lalari (caste)|Lalari]], [[Qassab]], [[Mallaah]], [[Dhobi]], [[Mirasi]], etc.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Thorburn|first1=S. S.|title=Musalmans and Money Lenders in the Punjab|date=1983|publisher=Mittal Publications|location=New Delhi|isbn=9789351137481|edition=(reprint)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aSYJp4R54kMC&q=jat+punjab+islam&pg=PR5}}</ref><ref>Mirza, Z.I., Hassan, M.U. and Bandaragoda, D.J., 1997. Socio-Economic Baseline Survey for a Pilot Project on Water Users Organizations in the Hakra 4-R Distributary Command Area, Punjab.[https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/40765852/H_9246i.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A&Expires=1501802940&Signature=ZMY7vx8jEwBB2boiRXHsps0XqR0%3D&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DSocioeconomic_baseline_survey_for_a_pilo.pdf]{{dead link|date=September 2017}}</ref><ref name=":0">Nazir, P., 1993. Social structure, ideology and language: caste among Muslims. Economic and Political Weekly, pp. 2897-2900.</ref> The Pakistani Punjab is relatively religiously homogenous, with 97% of the population adhering to Islam (with small [[Punjabi Hindus|Hindu]], Sikh and [[Punjabi Christians|Christian]] minorities). Notable Punjabi-Pakistanis include Nobel laureate [[Abdus Salam]], cricketer [[Wasim Akram]] and economist [[Mahbub ul Haq|Mahbub al Haq]]. There are 80.55 million Punjabis in Pakistan, according to the 2017 national census (38.78% of the total population). ===Pashtuns=== {{Main|Pashtuns|Pashtunistan|Pashtuns in Punjab}} [[Pashtuns]] (also referred to as Pukhtuns, Pathans and ethnic Afghans), an [[Iranian peoples|Iranic]] ethno-linguistic group, are Pakistan's second largest ethnicity, consisting 18.24% of Pakistan’s population. They are native to the regions, west of the Indus River including the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern Balochistan, southern and eastern Afghanistan. They constitute a significant diaspora community in the cities of Lahore and Karachi, and are also a major ethnic group among the [[Afghans in Pakistan|Afghan refugees in Pakistan]]. Pashtuns form the major ethnic group in Afghanistan. They follow [[Pashtunwali]] and a deep rich history linked to rulers. They speak [[Pashto]] as their first language and are divided into multiple tribes such as [[Afridi]] and [[Yusufzai|Yousafzai]] and [[Khattak]], which are notably the main Pashtun tribes in Pakistan. They make up an estimated 37.89 million of Pakistan's total population<ref name=":1">[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/pakistan/ The World Factbook]</ref> and are mostly adherent to Sunni Islam. Notable Pashtuns include former president [[Ayub Khan (President of Pakistan)|Ayub Khan]], incumbent prime minister [[Imran Khan]], cricketers [[Shahid Afridi]] and [[Shaheen Afridi]], actor [[Fawad Khan]] and Nobel Laureate [[Malala Yousafzai]]. There are 37.89 million Pashtuns in Pakistan, according to the 2017 national census (18.24% of the total population). === Sindhis === The [[Sindhis]] are an [[Indo-Aryan peoples|Indo-Aryan]] [[ethno-linguistic group]] who speak the [[Sindhi language]] and are native to the [[Sindh]] province of [[Pakistan]] and they are Pakistan's third largest ethnicity (consisting 14.57% of the Pakistani population). Sindhis are predominantly [[Islam|Muslim]], but have a minority Hindu population, making up the largest Hindu minority population in Pakistan.<ref name="Pakistan Census statistics">{{webarchive |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/content/population-religion | date= May 19, 2017}}". </ref> Sindhi Muslim culture is highly influenced by [[Sufi]] doctrines and principles and some of the popular cultural icons of Sindh are [[Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai]], [[Lal Shahbaz Qalandar]], [[Jhulelal (Hinduism)|Jhulelal]] and [[Sachal Sarmast]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/pakistan/|title=CIA Factbook Pakistan}}</ref> There are 30.26 million Sindhis in Pakistan, according to the 2017 national census (14.57% of the total population). ===Saraikis=== The [[Saraiki people|Saraikis]] also known as '''Multanis''',<ref name="BhatiaRitchie2008">{{cite book|title=The Handbook of Bilingualism|last1=Bhatia|first1=Tej K.|last2=Ritchie|first2=William C.|date=2008-04-15|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=9780470756744|page=803}}</ref> are an ethnolinguistic group in central and southeastern [[Pakistan]], primarily southern [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]]. Their language is [[Saraiki language|Saraiki]], which has similarities to Punjabi and Sindhi. There are 25.32 million Saraikis in Pakistan, according to the 2017 national census (12.19% of the total population). ===Muhajirs=== [[Muhajir (Urdu-speaking people)|Muhajirs]] (meaning "migrants") are also called "[[Urdu-speaking people]]." Muhajirs are a collective multiethnic group who emerged through the migration of Indian Muslims from various parts of India to Pakistan starting in 1947, as a result of the world's largest mass migration.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.unhcr.org/3ebf9bab0.pdf|title=Rupture in South Asia|publisher=UNHCR|access-date=2014-08-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/partition1947_01.shtml|title=The Hidden Story of Partition and its Legacies|author=Dr Crispin Bates|date=2011-03-03|work=BBC|access-date=2014-08-16}}</ref> The majority of Muhajirs are settled in Sindh mainly in [[Karachi]], [[Hyderabad, Sindh|Hyderabad]], [[Sukkur]] and [[Mirpur Khas]]. Sizable communities of Muhajirs are also present in cities including [[Lahore]], [[Multan]], [[Islamabad]], and [[Peshawar]]. Muhajirs held a dominating position during the early nation building years of Pakistan. The term Muhajir is also used for descendants of Muslims who migrated to Pakistan after the 1947 partition of India.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://nation.com.pk/07-Nov-2014/muhajirs-in-historical-perspective|title=Muhajirs in historical perspective|date=2014-11-07|work=The Nation|access-date=2018-10-28|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1100948|title=The evolution of Mohajir politics and identity|last=Paracha|first=Nadeem F.|date=2014-04-20|work=DAWN.COM|access-date=2018-10-28|language=en-US}}</ref> There are 14.71 million Urdu-Speaking Muhajirs in Pakistan, according to the 2017 national census (7.08% of the total population). ===Baloch=== The [[Baloch people|Baloch]] are an [[Iranian peoples|Iranic]] ethnic linguistic group, and are principally found in the east of Balochistan province of Pakistan.<ref>Blood, Peter, ed. [https://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+pk0055) "Baloch"]. ''Pakistan: A Country Study''. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1995.</ref> Despite living south towards the [[Gulf of Oman]] and the [[Arabian sea]] for centuries, they are classified as a northwestern Iranian people in accordance to [[Baloch language|their language]] which belongs to the northwestern subgroup of [[Iranian languages]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/personal/agnes/upsala00.pdf|title=Balochi and the Concept of North-Western Iranian|work=Agnes Korn|access-date=2016-08-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303174053/https://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/personal/agnes/upsala00.pdf|archive-date=2016-03-03|url-status=dead}}</ref> According to Dr. Akhtar Baloch, [[Professor]] at [[University of Karachi]], the Balochis migrated from [[Balochistan region|Balochistan]] during the [[Little Ice Age]] and settled in [[Sindh]] and [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]]. The Little Ice Age is conventionally defined as a period extending from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries<ref name="Mann2003">{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Global Environmental Change, Volume 1, The Earth System: Physical and Chemical Dimensions of Global Environmental Change|year=2003|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|url=https://www.meteo.psu.edu/holocene/public_html/shared/articles/littleiceage.pdf|author= Mann, Michael|editor=Michael C MacCracken and John S Perry|access-date=17 November 2012|chapter=Little Ice Age}}</ref><ref name="Lamb1972">{{cite book|chapter = The cold Little Ice Age climate of about 1550 to 1800|author=Lamb, HH|title=Climate: present, past and future|publisher= Methuen|location=London|year=1972|page=107|isbn=0-416-11530-6}} (noted in Grove 2004:4).</ref><ref name="NASA Glossary">{{Cite journal|title=Earth observatory Glossary L-N|publisher=NASA|url=https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Glossary/?mode=alpha&seg=l&segend=n|place=NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Green Belt MD|access-date=17 July 2015}}.</ref> (or alternatively, from about 1300<ref name="miller2012">Miller ''et al''. 2012. "Abrupt onset of the Little Ice Age triggered by volcanism and sustained by sea-ice/ocean feedbacks" ''Geophysical Research Letters'' '''39''', 31 January: [https://web.archive.org/web/20120202002252/https://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/pip/2011GL050168.shtml abstract (formerly on AGU website)] (accessed via wayback machine 11 July 2015); see [https://news.agu.org/press-release/unusual-volcanic-episode-rapidly-triggered-little-ice-age-researchers-find/ press release on AGU website] (accessed 11 July 2015).</ref> to about 1850<ref>Grove, J.M., ''Little Ice Ages: Ancient and Modern,'' Routledge, London (2 volumes) 2004.</ref><ref>Matthews, J.A. and Briffa, K.R., [https://www.lakeheadu.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/53/outlines/2014-15/NECU5311/MatthewsBriffa_2005_GA_LIAconcept.pdf "The 'Little Ice Age': re-evaluation of an evolving concept"], ''Geogr. Ann., 87,'' A (1), pp. 17–36 (2005). Retrieved 17 July 2015.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/ch1s1-4-3.html|title=1.4.3 Solar Variability and the Total Solar Irradiance - AR4 WGI Chapter 1: Historical Overview of Climate Change Science|publisher=Ipcc.ch|access-date=24 June 2013}}</ref>), although climatologists and historians working with local records no longer expect to agree on either the start or end dates of this period, which varied according to local conditions. According to Professor Baloch, the climate of Balochistan was very cold and the region was uninhabitable during the winter so the Baloch people migrated in waves and settled in [[Sindh]] and [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]].<ref>[https://tribune.com.pk/story/688234/from-zardaris-to-makranis-how-the-baloch-came-to-sindh/ From Zardaris to Makranis: How the Baloch came to Sindh]</ref> There are 6.273 million Balochs in Pakistan, according to the 2017 national census (3.02% of the total population). ===Kashmiris=== [[Kashmiri Muslims|Kashmiri]] are a [[Dards|Dardic]] (subgrouping of Indo-Aryan) ethnic group native to the [[Kashmir Valley]]. The majority of Kashmiri Muslims are Sunni. They refer to themselves as "Kashur" in their mother language. Kashmiri Muslims are [[Kashmiri Muslim tribes from Hindu lineage|descended]] from [[Kashmiri Pandit|Kashmiri Hindus]] and are also known as 'Sheikhs'.Since 1947, many ethnic Kashmiri Muslims also live in [[Pakistan]]. There are Kashmiris who live in areas that border the Kashmir Valley, in the Neelum and Leepa Valleys of northern Azad Kashmir. Invariably, Kashmiris in Azad Kashmir and Pakistan are Muslims. ===Brahuis=== The [[Brahui people|Brahui]] or '''Brahvi''' people are a Pakistani ethnic group of about 2.2 million people with the vast majority found in [[Balochistan (Pakistan)|Balochistan]], [[Pakistan]]. They are a small minority group in [[Afghanistan]], where they are native, but they are also found through their diaspora in [[Middle East]]ern states.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fOQkpcVcd9AC&pg=PT73|title=Brahuis|encyclopedia=Ethnic Groups of South Asia and the Pacific: An Encyclopedia|author=James B. Minahan|date=30 August 2012|isbn=9781598846607|access-date=21 November 2015}}</ref> They mainly occupy the area in Balochistan from [[Bolan Pass]] through the Bolan Hills to Ras Muari ([[Cape Monze]]) on the Arabian sea, separating the [[Baloch people]] living to the east and west.<ref>{{citation |last=Shah |first=Mahmood Ali |title=Sardari, jirga & local government systems in Balochistan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k4iOAAAAMAAJ |year=1992 |publisher=Qasim Printers|pages=6–7}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Minahan |first=James B. |chapter=Brahui |title=Encyclopedia of Stateless Nations: Ethnic and National Groups around the World, 2nd Edition: Ethnic and National Groups around the World |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pGClDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA79 |date=31 August 2016 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-61069-954-9 |pages=79–80}}</ref> The Brahuis are almost entirely [[Sunni]] [[Muslim]]s.<ref name="Andrew Dalby - Hindu origin of Brahui people">{{cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CnckpL8auSIC&q=brahui+hindu&pg=PA96| title = Dictionary of Languages: The Definitive Reference to More Than 400 Languages|publisher = Columbia University Press|access-date = 2010-09-09|isbn = 9780231115698|date = 2004-03-01}}</ref> ===Hindkowans=== [[Hindkowans]] are a Hindko speaking people, they live mainly in the [[Hazara division]] and the [[Peshawar Division]] of [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]] and there is also a large population of Hindkowans that can be found in the [[Pothohar Plateau|Pothohar Region]] of [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]] and [[Azad Kashmir]] in Pakistan. They have a population that consists of nearly four million people and they form 2% of [[Pakistan]] entire population.<ref name=":1" /> ===Hazara=== The [[Hazara people]], natives to the present day [[Hazarajat]] ('''Hazaristan'''), are a [[Persian language|Persian]]-speaking people mostly residing in all [[Pakistan]] and specially in [[Quetta]]. Some are citizens of Pakistan while others are refugees. Genetically, the Hazara are a mixture of [[Turko-Persian tradition|Turko-Mongols and Iranian-speaking]] peoples, and those of [[Middle East]] and [[Central Asia]]. The genetic research suggests that they are closely related to the [[Eurasian (mixed ancestry)|Eurasian]] and the [[Uyghurs]]. The [[Pakistani]] Hazaras estimated population is believed to be more than 1,550,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thediplomat.com/2013/07/the-plight-of-the-hazaras-in-pakistan/|title=The Plight of the Hazaras in Pakistan|author=Malik Ayub Sumbal|website=thediplomat.com|publisher=The Diplomat|access-date=25 June 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/267225/who-are-the-hazara/|title=Who are the Hazara?|publisher=The Express Tribune|date=5 October 2011|website=tribune.com.pk|access-date=25 June 2016}}</ref> ===Burusho people=== The [[Burusho people|Burusho]] or '''Brusho''' people live in the [[Hunza Valley|Hunza]] and [[Yasin Valley|Yasin]] valleys of [[Gilgit–Baltistan]] in northern [[Pakistan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/handle/2152/2777/munshis96677.pdf |title=Jammu and Kashmir Burushaski : Language, Language Contact, and Change |publisher=Repositories.lib.utexas.edu |access-date=2013-10-20}}</ref> They are predominantly Muslims. Their language, [[Burushki]], has not been shown to be related to any other language.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://original.britannica.com/eb/article-9018245/ |title=Burushaski language | encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica online }}</ref> The '''Hunzakuts''' or Hunza people, are an ethnically Burusho people indigenous to the Hunza Valley, in the [[Karakorum Mountains]] of northern Pakistan. They are descended from inhabitants of the former principality of [[Hunza (princely state)|Hunza]]. The Hunza's are predominantly [[Shia]]s, with many of them [[Ismaili]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ghoash|first1=Palash|title=Hunza: A Paradise Of High Literacy And Gender Equality In A Remote Corner Of Pakistan|url=https://www.ibtimes.com/hunza-paradise-high-literacy-gender-equality-remote-corner-pakistan-1524688|access-date=31 July 2016|newspaper=International Business Times|date=1 February 2014}}</ref> ==See also== * [[Demographics of Pakistan]] * [[Minorities in Pakistan]] * [[Languages of Pakistan]] * [[Pakistanis]] * [[Indo-Iranian peoples]] ==References== {{reflist|40em}} {{Ethnic groups in Pakistan}} {{Pakistan topics}} {{Asia topic|Ethnic groups in}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Ethnic Groups In Pakistan}} [[Category:Ethnic groups in Pakistan| ]]'