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)[25][26] are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group[27] associated with the Punjab region of South Asia, comprising areas of present-day eastern Pakistan and northwestern India.[28] They share a common history, culture and language, generally speaking Standard Punjabi or various Punjabi dialects on both sides.[29]
| |
---|---|
Total population | |
c. 150 million[1][2][3][4] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Pakistan | 108,586,959 (2022)[lower-alpha 1][6][7][8] |
India | 37,520,211 (2022)[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 |
With a population of 150 million, Punjabis are the second-largest ethnic group in South Asia, after Bengalis, and the third-largest predominantly Islam-adhering ethnicity in the world,[30] after Arabs and Bengalis.[31][32] Ethnic Punjabis form a majority in the Punjab province, Islamabad Capital Territory, Hazara Division (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa),[lower-alpha 5] Dera Ismail Khan District (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)[lower-alpha 6] and Azad Kashmir[lower-alpha 7] in Pakistan; and the Punjab state, Sirsa district (Haryana) and Sri Ganganagar district (Rajasthan) in India. Afghanistan had a significant population of Punjabi descent, most of which left the country during the Afghan conflict. The global Punjabi diaspora have well-established communities in Canada, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, the United States, Australia, the European Union, East Asia and South East Asia.
Approximately 73 to 74 percent of the total Punjabi population adheres to Islam, with 15 to 16 percent adhering to Sikhism, 11 percent to Hinduism and less than 0.1 percent adhering 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.[22][23][33]
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,[34][35][36] in addition of the now-vanished Ghaggar.[37]
The coalescence of the various Punjabi tribes, castes and the inhabitants of the region into a broader common "Punjabi" identity as a nationality initiated from the onset of the 18th century CE.[38][39][40] 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.[40][41]
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.[42] Integration and assimilation, through Punjabization, are important parts of Punjabi culture, since Punjabi identity is not based solely on tribal connections.[43] 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.[44]