Punjabis
Ethnolinguistic group native to Punjab / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Punjabis (Punjabi: پنجابی (Shahmukhi); ਪੰਜਾਬੀ (Gurmukhi); romanised as Panjābī)[26][27] are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group[28] associated with the Punjab region, comprising areas of eastern Pakistan and northwestern India.[29] They generally speak Standard Punjabi or various Punjabi dialects on both sides.[30]
| |
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Total population | |
c. 150 million[1][2][3][4] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Pakistan | 112,806,516 (2024)[lower-alpha 1][6][7][8] |
India | 38,046,464 (2024)[lower-alpha 2][3][lower-alpha 3][10] |
Canada | 942,170 (2021)[11][lower-alpha 4] |
United Kingdom | 700,000 (2006)[12] |
United States | 253,740[13] |
Australia | 132,496 (2017)[14] |
Malaysia | 56,400 (2019)[15] |
Philippines | 50,000 (2016)[16] |
New Zealand | 34,227 (2018)[17] |
Norway | 24,000 (2013)[18] |
Bangladesh | 23,700 (2019)[19] |
Germany | 18,000 (2020)[20] |
Nepal | 10,000 (2011)[21] |
Others | See Punjabi diaspora |
Languages | |
L1: Punjabi and its dialects L2: Urdu (in Pakistan) and Hindi and other Indian languages (in India) | |
Religion | |
| |
Related ethnic groups | |
Other Indo-Aryan peoples |
Approximately 73 percent of the total Punjabi population adheres to Islam, with 16 percent adhering to Sikhism, 11 percent to Hinduism, and less than 0.1 percent to Christianity. However, the religious demographics significantly vary when viewed from Pakistani and Indian sides, respectively, with over 95 percent of the Punjabi population from Pakistan being Muslim, with a small minority of Christians and Hindus and an even smaller minority of Sikhs. Over 55 percent of the Punjabi population from India is Sikh, with a significant minority of Hindus and a small minority of Muslims and Christians.[23][24][31]
The ethnonym is derived from the term Punjab (Five rivers) in Persian to describe the geographic region of the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, where five rivers Beas, Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi, and Sutlej merge into the Indus River,[32][33][34] in addition of the now-vanished Ghaggar.[35]
The coalescence of the various tribes, castes and the inhabitants of the Punjab region into a broader common "Punjabi" identity initiated from the onset of the 18th century CE.[36][37][38] Historically, the Punjabi people were a heterogeneous group and were subdivided into a number of clans called biradari (literally meaning "brotherhood") or tribes, with each person bound to a clan. With the passage of time, tribal structures became replaced with a more cohesive and holistic society, as community building and group cohesiveness form the new pillars of Punjabi society.[38][39]
Traditionally, the Punjabi identity is primarily linguistic, geographical and cultural. Its identity is independent of historical origin or religion and refers to those who reside in the Punjab region or associate with its population and those who consider the Punjabi language their mother tongue.[40] Integration and assimilation are important parts of Punjabi culture, since Punjabi identity is not based solely on tribal connections.[41] While Punjabis share a common territory, ethnicity and language, they are likely to be followers of one of several religions, most often Islam, Sikhism, Hinduism or Christianity.[42]