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(December 2008)
There are various ethnic groups in Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe.
Pan and Pfeil (2002) count 87 distinct "peoples of Europe", of which 33 form the majority population in at least one sovereign state, while the remaining 54 constitute ethnic minorities. The total number of national minority populations in Europe is estimated at 105 million people, or 14% of 770 million Europeans.[1]
Overview
Further information: Demographics of Europe
There are eight peoples of Europe with more than 30 million members:
- the Russians (ca. 90 million settling in the European parts of Russia),[2]
- the Germans (ca. 76 million),,[3]
- the French (ca. 63 million[4])
- the Italians (ca. 53 million)[5]
- the English (45 million[6])
- the Spanish (ca. 42 million),[7]
- the Ukrainians (ca. 41 million),
- the Poles (ca. 38 million).
These eight groups between themselves account for some 460 million or about 63% of European population.
About 20-25 million residents (3%) are members of diasporas of non-European origin. The population of the European Union, with some five hundred million residents, accounts for two thirds of the European population.
Overview map of the peoples of Europe
Size and geographic distribution of the 87 peoples of Europe according to Pan & Pfeil (2004).
[8
]
Font size reflects population size (groups smaller than 2 million not to scale) Groups not shown due to lack of geographic concentration: Roma (3.8 million), Jews (1.3 million), Karaim (4,600). Small Caucasian groups (<0.2 million) not shown in map: Cherkes, Karachays, Lak, Tabasarans, Balkars, Nogais, Rutuls, Tats, Tsakhurs.
Ethno-linguistic classifications
Further information: Languages of Europe
Of the total population of Europe of some 730 million (as of 2005), over 80% or some 600 million fall within three large ethno-linguistic super-groups, viz., Slavic, Latin (Romance) and Germanic. The largest groups that do not fall within either of these are the Greeks and the Hungarians (about 12 million each).
phylum
super-group
ethno-linguistic group
subgroups
approx. number (millions)
[9
]
notes
Indo-European
Indo-European
**641
Indo-Europeans
Slavic Europe
*226
Indo-Europeans
Slavic, East
Russians
Pomors, presently
Cossacks
90
[10
]
Indo-Europeans
Slavic, West
Poles
38
Indo-Europeans
Slavic, East
Ukrainians
Rusyns[dubious – discuss],
Boykos,
Hutsuls,
Lemkos,
Poleszuks
43
Indo-Europeans
Slavic, West
Czechs
10
Indo-Europeans
Slavic, South
Serbs
08
Indo-Europeans
Slavic, East
Belarusians
10
Indo-Europeans
Slavic, South
Bulgarians
Pomaks
08
Indo-Europeans
Slavic, South
Croats
05
Indo-Europeans
Slavic, West
Slovaks
05
Indo-Europeans
Slavic, South
Macedonians
01.6
Indo-Europeans
Slavic, South
Bosniaks
01.6
Indo-Europeans
Slavic, South
Slovenes
02
Indo-Europeans
Slavic, West
Silesians
01.9
Indo-Europeans
Slavic, South
Montenegrins
0.6
Indo-Europeans
Slavic, West
Kashubs
0.5
Indo-Europeans
Slavic, West
Sorbs
0.06
Indo-Europeans
Latin Europe
*190
Indo-Europeans
Latin, Western
Francophonie
French,
Walloons,
Romands,
Provencals,
Occitans,
Aranese
61
Indo-Europeans
Latin, Italo-Western
Italians
Sardinians,
Furlans,
Lombards,
Venetians,
Sicilians,
Neapolitans,
Corsicans
53
Indo-Europeans
Latin, Western
Spaniards
Castilians;
non-Castilian ethno-linguistic groups:
Andalusians,
Asturians,
Aragonese,
Catalans
38
Indo-Europeans
Latin, Eastern
Eastern Romance (
Vlachs)
Romanians,
Moldovans,
Megleno-Romanians,
Istro-Romanians,
Aromanians
23
Indo-Europeans
Latin, Western
Portuguese
Galicians
12
Indo-Europeans
Latin, Western
Rhaeto-Romanics
Romansh,
Friulians,
Ladins
0.6
Indo-Europeans
Latin, Western
Gibraltarians[dubious – discuss]
0.03
Indo-Europeans
Germanic Europe
*180
Indo-Europeans
Germanic, West, Continental
German-speaking Europe
Germans,
Austrians,
Alemannic Swiss,
Luxembourgers,
Alsatians,
Lorrainers, German speakers of
Bolzano-Bozen,
German-speaking Belgians,
North Schleswigers
89
Indo-Europeans
Germanic, West, North Sea
English
45
[11
]
also subsumed under
British or
White British.
Indo-Europeans
Germanic, North
Scandinavians
Norwegians,
Swedes,
Finland Swedes,
Danes,
Faroese,
Icelanders
22
Indo-Europeans
Germanic, West, Continental
Netherlandish
Dutch people,
Flemish people
17
Indo-Europeans
Germanic, West, North Sea
Frisians
0.5
Indo-Europeans
Celtic Europe
*002-22
approx. 2 million speakers of
Celtic languages, but depending on the definition, some 20 million may be considered "
Celtic"
Indo-Europeans
Anglo-Celtic, Goidelic
Irish
Gaeltacht
06
Some living in
Northern Ireland can also subsumed under
British or
White British.
Indo-Europeans
Anglo-Celtic, Goidelic
Scots
Gàidhealtachd
06
also subsumed under
British or
White British.
Indo-Europeans
Anglo-Celtic, Brythonic
Welsh
05
[dubious – discuss]
also subsumed under
British or
White British.
Indo-Europeans
Franco-Celtic, Brythonic
Bretons
05
[dubious – discuss]
also subsumed under
French.
Indo-Europeans
Anglo-Celtic, Brythonic
Cornish
0.2
[dubious – discuss]
also subsumed under
English,
British or
White British.
Indo-Europeans
Anglo-Celtic, Goidelic
Manx
0.04
[dubious – discuss]
also subsumed under
British or
White British.
Indo-Europeans
Greek
Greeks
12
Indo-Europeans
Albanian
Albanians
05
Indo-Europeans
Baltic
04.5
Indo-Europeans
Lithuanians
03.1
Indo-Europeans
Latvians
Latgalians
01.4
Indo-Europeans
Indo-Iranian
04
Indo-Europeans
Indo-Aryan
Roma people
04
[12
]
Indo-Europeans
Iranian
Ossetians
0.4
depends on what part of the Caucasus is considered European, see below.
Indo-Europeans
Iranian
Tats
0.02
Turkic
Turkic
*025
Turkic peoples
Turkic, Oghuz
Turks
14
approx. 14 million in
Turkish Thrace and
Istanbul Province, with a large
Turkish diaspora in other parts of Europe of over 3 million, principally in Germany
[13
][14
][15
] 57 million including Asian populations.
Turkic peoples
Turkic, Kypchak
Tatars
Crimean Tatars,
Tat Tatars,
Yaliboyu Tatars,
Noğay Tatars
6
Turkic peoples
Turkic, Oghur
Chuvash
02
Turkic peoples
Turkic, Kypchak
Bashkirs
01.4
Turkic peoples
Turkic, Kypchak
Kumyks
00.3
Turkic peoples
Turkic, Kypchak
Karachays
01.5
Turkic peoples
Turkic, Oghuz
Gagauz
0.2
Turkic peoples
Turkic, Kypchak
Balkars
0.08
Turkic peoples
Turkic, Kypchak
Nogais
0.07
Finno-Ugric
Finno-Ugric
*022
Finno-Ugric peoples
Ugric
Hungarians
12
Finno-Ugric peoples
Finnic, Finno-Lappic
Finns
Karelians,
Sweden Finns,
Ingrian Finns,
Kven people
06
Finno-Ugric peoples
Finnic, Finno-Lappic
Estonians
Setos,
Võros
01
Finno-Ugric peoples
Finnic, Volgaic
Mordvins
Erzya/Shoksha,
Moksha,
Teryukhan,
Qaratay
1.1
Finno-Ugric peoples
Finnic, Permic
Udmurts
0.7
Finno-Ugric peoples
Finnic, Volgaic
Mari
0.6
Finno-Ugric peoples
Finnic, Permic
Komi
Komi-Izhemtsy, Komi-Permyaks
0.5
Finno-Ugric peoples
Finnic, Finno-Lappic
Sami
0.1
Finno-Ugric peoples
Finnic, Finno-Lappic
Veps
0.008
Finno-Ugric peoples
Finnic, Finno-Lappic
Izhorians
0.001
Finno-Ugric peoples
Finnic, Finno-Lappic
Livonians
0.0001
Caucasian
Caucasian
*03
depends on what part of the Caucasus is considered European, see below.
Caucasian
Northeast Caucasian
Chechens
1
Caucasian
Northeast Caucasian
Avars
0.5
Caucasian
Northeast Caucasian
Dargin
0.4
Caucasian
Northwest Caucasian
Kabards
0.4
Caucasian
Northeast Caucasian
Lezgins
0.3
Caucasian
Northeast Caucasian
Ingushetians
0.2
Caucasian
Northwest Caucasian
Cherkes
0.2
Caucasian
Northwest Caucasian
Lak
0.1
Caucasian
Northwest Caucasian
Tabasarans
0.1
Caucasian
Northeast Caucasian
Rutuls
0.02
Caucasian
Northeast Caucasian
Tsakhur people
0.007
Basque
Basque
Basques
00.7
Semitic
Semitic
2
Semitic
Semitic, Hebrew
Jews
1.3
also subsumed under various other, see below.
Semitic
Semitic, Maltese
Maltese
0.4
ethno-linguistic classification is difficult, since there is significant historical admixture of Italian, Sicilian, Siculo-Arabic and French influence.
Mongolic
Mongolic
Kalmyks
0.17
Europe has a population of about 2 million ethnic Jews (mostly also counted as part of the ethnic group of their respective home countries):