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Ethnic Groups In Pakistan




According to the latest census, the population comprises several main ethnic groups:

# Punjabis (44.15% of the population)
# Pakhtuns (15.42%)
# Sindhis (14.1%)
# Seraikis (10.53%)
# Muhajir s (7.57%)
# Baloch is (3.57%)
#Others (4.66%) including dispersed Kashmiris from Indian-held Kashmir .

Smaller ethnic groups, such as Turwalis , Kafiristanis , Burusho , Hindko , Brahui , Kashmiri s, Khowar , and Shina , are mainly found in the northern parts of the country. Pakistan's census does not include the sizeable refugee population from neighbouring Afghanistan , who are found mainly in the NWFP , Balochistan , and Karachi . From the 1980 s, Pakistan has accommodated over four million Afghan refugees — the largest refugee population in the world, including Pakhtuns , Tajiks , Uzbeks , Turkmen , Hazara s, etc. If the Afghan refugees were also added to the official population, total figures would alter the percentages of Pakhtuns and the category of others. Most of the Afghan refugees have permanently settled in Pakistan due to continuing violence in Afghanistan . In addition, the people of the Potohar Plateau in Northern Punjab, (Potoharis) are sometimes listed seperatly from Punjabis. This would tend to decrease the Punjabs population further. A large number of Bengali s, Arab s, Burmese , and African Muslim refugees have also permanently settled in Karachi , whilst hundreds of thousands of Iranian migrants are scattered throughout the country. There are also communities of Chinese , Arab , and Greek descent, along with a growing British expatriate community numbered at 47,000.