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List of ethnic groups in Myanmar

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Myanmar (Burma) is an ethnically diverse nation with 135 distinct ethnic groups officially recognised by the Burmese government. These are grouped into eight "major national ethnic races":

The "major national ethnic races" are grouped primarily according to region rather than linguistic or ethnic affiliation, as for example the Shan Major National Ethnic Race includes 33 ethnic groups speaking languages in at least four widely differing language families.{{cite web |url=http://myanmartravelinformation.com/mti-myanmar-people/index.htm |title=Myanmar People & Races |access-date=2007-12-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100609072939/http://myanmartravelinformation.com/mti-myanmar-people/index.htm |archive-date=9 June 2010 |df=dmy-all }} For example, the Shan speak a Tai–Kadai language, the Lahu speak a Tibeto-Burman language, the Khmu people speak a Mon–Khmer language, and the Yao speak a Hmong–Mien language. Myanmar's contemporary politics around ethnicity surround treating ethnicity as a minoritising discourse, pitting a "pan-ethnic" national identity against minority groups. Often ethnicity identities in practice are flexible- sometimes as flexible as simply changing clothes- in part due to a lack of religious or caste stratification prior to British colonialism.{{cite book |title=Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Myanmar |chapter=Ethnicity and Identity |last=Cho |first=Violet |pages=43-54 |editor-last1=Simpson |editor-first1=Adam |editor-last2=Farrelly |editor-first2=Nicholas |editor-last3=Holliday |editor-first3=Ian |publisher=Routledge |ISBN=9781138820777 |date=2020}}

The list has faced criticism for overcounting the number of ethnic groups. Specifically, it represents clans and people with dialectical differences as distinct ethnic groups, sometimes even repeating the same group under a different name.{{cite news

|author =

|title=2014 Population Census: The problematic of 135 ethnic groups categorization

|url=https://english.shannews.org/archives/16850

|access-date=8 March 2023|newspaper=Shan Herald|date=5 December 2017

|url-status=live

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129232224/https://english.shannews.org/archives/16850

|archive-date=29 January 2022|df=dmy-all}}

According to Gamanii, a researcher who scrutinized the claim, only 59 out of the 135 ethnic groups mentioned can be verified as existing entities.

Many unrecognised ethnic groups exist, the largest being the Burmese Chinese and Panthay (who together form 3% of the population), Burmese Indians (who form 2% of the population), Rohingya, Anglo-Burmese and Gurkha. There are no official statistics regarding the population of the latter two groups, although unofficial estimates place around 52,000 Anglo-Burmese in Burma with around 1.6 million outside the country.

{{Pie chart

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| radius = 100

| caption= Ethnic composition of Myanmar (2019 GAD township reports){{Cite web |title=PoneYate ethnic population dashboard |url=https://www.ponyate.org/ethnic-population-dashboard-740399e}}{{cite book

| last1 = Jap

| first1 = Jangai

| last2=Courtin

| first2=Constant

| author-link =

| title = Deciphering Myanmar's Ethnic Landscape: A Brief Historical and Ethnic Description of Myanmar's Administrative Units

| publisher = International IDEA

| series =

| volume =

| edition =

| date = 2022-11-22

| location =

| pages = 18

| language =

| url = https://doi.org/10.31752/idea.2022.57

| doi = 10.31752/idea.2022.57

| id =

| isbn = 978-91-7671-577-2

| mr =

| zbl =

| jfm =}}

| footer =

| label1 = Bamar

| value1 = 68.5

| color1 = orange

| label2 = Kayin

| value2 = 6.6

| color2 = blue

| label3 = Shan

| value3 = 4.7

| color3 = green

| label4 = Rakhine

| value4 = 4.3

| color4 = gold

| label5 = Mon

| value5 = 2.1

| color5 = red

| label6 = Chin

| value6 = 2.1

| color6 = greenyellow

| label7 = Pa-O

| value7 = 2.1

| color7 = pink

| label8 = Kachin

| value8 = 1.5

| color8 = dodgerblue

| label9 = Ta'ang

| value9 = 0.6

| color9 = purple

| label10 = Danu

| value10 = 0.6

| color10 = yellow

| label11 = Lahu

| value11 = 0.5

| color11 = indigo

| label12 = Kokang

| value12 = 0.4

| color12 = coral

| label13 = Karenni

| value13 = 0.4

| color13 = black

| other = 5.8

| other-color =

| other-label = others

}}

Officially recognized ethnic groups

Note: The list is very controversial. Many of the names and spelling variants are known only from this list.{{cite news|last=Gamanii|title=135: Counting Races in Burma|url=http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4965:135-counting-races-in-burma&catid=115:opinions&Itemid=308|access-date=26 August 2013|newspaper=Shan Herald|date=25 September 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140105075611/http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4965:135-counting-races-in-burma&catid=115:opinions&Itemid=308|archive-date=5 January 2014|df=dmy-all}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.embassyofmyanmar.be/ABOUT/ethnicgroups.htm |title=Composition of the Different Ethnic Groups |access-date=17 August 2013 |archive-date=10 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200410075744/https://www.embassyofmyanmar.be/ABOUT/ethnicgroups.htm |url-status=live }}

=Kachin=

Kachin comprises 12 different ethnic groups:

{{columns-start|num=2}}

  • Kachin
  • Tarone
  • Dalaung{{Cite web |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/ |title=Ethnologue |access-date=1 May 2006 |archive-date=13 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111013215305/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_lang_family.asp?code=haw |url-status=live }}
  • Jinghpaw
  • Guari
  • Hkahku see: Jingpo people

{{column}}

{{columns-end}}

=Kayah=

Nine groups:{{noteTag|name=kayah|group=kayah|The source of this list is the nine captions from an unscientific Italian book, using Italian spelling.}}{{cite book |last1=Manna |first1=Paolo |title=I Ghekù, tribù cariana della Birmania orientale {{!}} WorldCat.org |date=1902 |publisher=Tipografia pontificia S. Giuseppe |location=Milan |url=https://search.worldcat.org/title/I-Gheku-tribu-cariana-della-Birmania-orientale/oclc/46932249 |access-date=30 September 2024 |language=en}}

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=Kayin=

11 groups:

{{columns-start|num=2}}

  • Karen (Kayin)
  • Kayinpyu (Geba Karen)
  • Pa-Le-Chi, maybe Mobwa
  • Mon Kayin (Sarpyu), unknown
  • Sgaw (Karen, S’gaw)
  • Ta-Lay-Pwa, maybe Thalebwa

{{column}}

  • Paku (Karen, Paku)
  • Bwe (Bwe Karen)
  • Monnepwa (Karen, Paku)
  • Monpwa, unknown
  • Shu (Pwo Kayin)

{{columns-end}}

=Chin=

53 groups. This list was possibly originally a list of tax rate districts with the highest tax first.

{{columns-start|num=3}}

  • Chin
  • Meithei (Meitei; Kathe)
  • Saline
  • Ka-Lin-Kaw people (Lushay)
  • Khumi (Khami)
  • Mro-Khimi people
  • Kaungso
  • Kaung Saing Chin
  • Kwelshin (Khualsim)
  • Kwangli (Sim)
  • Gunte people (Lyente; Falam)
  • Ngorn (Chin, Ngawn)
  • Sentang

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=Bamar=

Nine groups:

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{{column}}

{{columns-end}}

=Mon=

=Rakhine=

Seven groups:

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{{columns-end}}

=Shan=

33 groups:

{{columns-start|num=3}}

  • Shan (Tai)
  • Yun (Tai Yuan/Northern Thai)
  • Kwi
  • Pyin
  • Yao (Mien)
  • Danaw (Danau)
  • Pale
  • Eng (En)
  • Son
  • Khamu (Khmu)
  • Kaw (Akha- Kaw

{{column}}

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{{columns-end}}

Unrecognised ethnic groups

The government of Myanmar does not recognise several ethnic groups as being among the list of 135 officially recognised ethnic groups:

  • Anglo-Burmese people
  • Burmese Chinese
  • Panthay{{cite news |last1=Mullins |first1=Jeremy |last2=Aye |first2=Mon Mon |date=30 March 2014 |title=Panthay Muslims protect their name |url=http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/mandalay-upper-myanmar/9998-panthay-muslims-protect-their-name.html |work=Myanmar Times |access-date=30 May 2017 |archive-date=23 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170523083610/http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/mandalay-upper-myanmar/9998-panthay-muslims-protect-their-name.html |url-status=live }}
  • Burmese Indians[https://books.google.com/books?id=ofo3H1cWp6IC&pg=PA40 Tracing an Indian Diaspora: Contexts, Memories, Representations – Google Books]
  • Taungtha people
  • Rohingya people
  • Burmese gorkhas/Nepalese
  • Burmese Mizos
  • Jews
  • Bamar Muslims (Pathi)

Thaungtha is similar with rabain

See also

  • {{portal-inline|Myanmar}}

References

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External links

  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20071220174829/http://www.myanmar.gov.mm/ministry/hotel/fact/race.htm List of ethnic groups in Myanmar] – Myanmar Ministry of Hotels and Tourism
  • [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=MM Ethnologue page for Burma languages]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20090729173430/http://www.minorityrights.org/3546/briefing-papers/minorities-in-burma.html Minorities in Burma] and [http://www.minorityrights.org/1022/reports/burma-myanmar-time-for-change.html Burma: Time for Change] by Minority Rights Group International

Books

  • U Min Naing, National Ethnic Groups of Myanmar (Trans. by Hpone Thant).

Yangon: Thein Myint Win Press, 2000.

  • "National Races of Myanmar" (1960) by the Ministry of Culture

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Category:Ethnic groups in Myanmar

Burma