Ethnic groups in the Middle East

{{Short description|none}} {{More citations needed|date=April 2023}} [[File:Middle-east-languages.jpg|thumb|290x290px|Ethnolinguistic distribution in Eastern Europe, Central and Southwest Asia of the Turkic, Caucasian, Afroasiatic (Hamito-Semitic) and Indo-European families.]] '''Ethnic groups in the Middle East''' are ethnolinguistic groupings in the "transcontinental" region that is commonly a geopolitical term designating the intercontinental region comprising West Asia (including Cyprus) without the South Caucasus,<ref name=Britannica>{{citation|title=The Middle East|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Middle-East|website=britannica.com|date=21 September 2023 }}</ref> and also comprising Egypt in North Africa. The Middle East has historically been a crossroad of different cultures and languages.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.su.se/english/education/all-subjects/middle-eastern-languages-and-cultures-1.426272?expEduItemPacks=&expEduItems=&open-collapse-boxes=|title=Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures|website=su.se}}</ref>

Since the 1960s, the changes in political and economic factors, especially the enormous oil wealth in the region and conflicts, have significantly altered the ethnic composition of groups in the region. While some ethnic groups have been present in the region for millennia, others have arrived fairly recently through immigration. The largest ethnic groups in the region are Arabs, Turks, Persians, Kurds, and Azerbaijanis<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SPBfnT_E1mgC&pg=PA16 |title=Ethnic Groups of Africa and the Middle East: An Encyclopedia|isbn=9781598843620 |access-date=26 May 2014 |last1=Shoup |first1=John A. |date=17 October 2011 |publisher=Abc-Clio }}</ref> but there are dozens of other ethnic groups that have hundreds of thousands, and sometimes millions of members.

Other indigenous, religious, or minority ethnic groups include: Antiochians, Armenians, Assyrians, Arameans in the Qalamoun Mountains,<ref>{{cite book |title=اثرنا في الايقليم السوري |date=1960 |page=56 |language=Arabic |quote=السريان في معلولا وجبعدين ولا يزال الأهلون فيها يتكلمون (The Syriacs in Maaloula and Jubb'adin still speak their language.…)}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Western Neo-Aramaic The Dialect of Jubaadin |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |page=2 |language=English, Arabic |quote=Jubaadinis are very proud of their language and their Aramean identity and they have no trouble at all balancing their religious and ethnic identities.…}}</ref><ref>"…The city of Jubaadin in Syria, which is close to Maaloula, is inhabited by Aramaic-speaking people who are Syriac Arameans…", translated quote from the Arabic book (Atlas of Religions) معلولا السريان</ref><ref>The Semitic Heritage of Northwest Syria, p. 271</ref><ref>"…Maaloula Syriacs have maintained their Syriac identity since ancient times, and there is ample evidence of their Syriac heritage, especially in Maaloula, Ain Tineh, Bakhah, and Jubaadin…", translated quote from the book إلياس أنطون نصر الله في معلولا, p. 45</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://friendsofmaaloula.de/en/ | title=Hilfe für das Aramäerdorf Maaloula e.V. | an aid project in Syria }}</ref> Baloch, Copts, Druze, Gilaks, Greeks (including Cypriots and Pontians), Jews, Kawliya, Laz, Lurs, Mandaeans, Maronites, Mazanderanis, Mhallami, Nawar, Samaritans, Shabaks, Talysh, Tats, Yazidis and Zazas.

Diaspora ethnic groups living in the region include: Albanians, Bengalis, Britons, Bosniaks, Chechens, Chinese, Circassians, Crimean Tatars, Filipinos, French people, Georgians, Indians, Indonesians, Italians, Malays, Malayali, Pakistanis, Pashtuns, Punjabis, Romanians, Romani, Serbs, Sikhs, Sindhis, Somalis, Sri Lankans, Turkmens, and sub-Saharan Africans.

==Demographics== {{Main|Demographics of the Middle East}} {| {{Table}} ! Countries !! Demographics |- ! {{flag|Bahrain}} | Ethnic groups in Bahrain |- ! {{flag|Cyprus}} | Ethnic groups in Cyprus |- ! {{flag|Egypt}} | Ethnic groups in Egypt |- ! {{flag|Iran}} | Ethnic groups in Iran |- ! {{flag|Iraq}} | Ethnic groups in Iraq |- ! {{flag|Israel}} | Ethnic groups in Israel |- ! {{flag|Jordan}} | Ethnic groups in Jordan |- ! {{flag|Kuwait}} | Ethnic groups in Kuwait |- ! {{flag|Lebanon}} | Ethnic groups in Lebanon |- ! {{flag|Oman}} | Ethnic groups in Oman |- ! {{flag|Palestine}} | Ethnic groups in Palestine |- ! {{flag|Qatar}} | Ethnic groups in Qatar |- ! {{flag|Saudi Arabia}} | Ethnic groups in Saudi Arabia |- ! {{flag|Syria}} | Ethnic groups in Syria |- ! {{flag|Turkey}} | Ethnic groups in Turkey |- ! {{flag|United Arab Emirates}} | Ethnic groups in the United Arab Emirates |- ! {{flag|Yemen}} | Ethnic groups in Yemen |- |}

==Middle East== ;Egyptians

* Copts ;'''Arabs'''

* Arabs in Turkey * Iranian Arabs * Israeli Arabs ;Sub-Saharan Africans *Afro-Arabs *Ethiopian Jews *Nubians *Sudanese in Israel

;Jews *Israeli Jews *Ashkenazi Jews *Ethiopian Jews *Mizrahi Jews *Sephardi Jews *Yemenite Jews

;Samaritans

;Aramaic-speaking peoples *Arameans **Arameans in Israel *Assyrians **Assyrians in Armenia **Assyrians in Georgia **Assyrians in Iran **Assyrians in Iraq **Assyrians in Israel **Assyrians in Jordan **Assyrians in Lebanon **Assyrians in Syria **Assyrians in Turkey *Mandaeans *Maronites

;Indo-European peoples *Albanians **Albanians in Egypt **Albanians in Syria *Armenians **Armenians in the Middle East **Armenians in Egypt **Armenians in Iran **Armenians in Iraq **Armenians in Israel **Armenians in Lebanon **Armenians in Syria **Armenians in Turkey *Greeks **Greek Cypriots **Greeks in Egypt **Greeks in Israel **Greeks in Lebanon **Greeks in Syria *Iranian peoples **Ajam of Bahrain **Ajam of Iraq *Kurds **Shabaks **Yazidis *Italians **Levantines **Italian Egyptians **Italians in Lebanon *Romani **Dom **Kawliya **Nawar–Romani people in Syria **Romani people in Egypt

;Turkic peoples *Azerbaijanis *Iraqi Turkmen *Syrian Turkmen *Turks in Egypt *Turks in Israel *Turks in Jordan *Turks in Lebanon

==Anatolia== {{main|Ethnic groups of Turkey}}

thumb|400px|An ethnic map of Asia Minor and Caucasus in 1914

;Indo-European peoples *Armenians in Turkey *Bosniaks in Turkey *Greeks in Turkey *Cappadocian Greeks *Pontic Greeks *Levantines *Pomaks in Turkey *Iranian peoples *Kurds in Turkey *Romani **Dom **Romani people in Turkey *Zazas ;Kartvelian peoples *Georgians in Turkey *Laz people in Turkey ;Semites *Arabs in Turkey *Assyrians in Turkey *Jews in Turkey ;Turkic peoples *Azerbaijanis in Turkey *Crimean Tatars in Turkey *Gagauz people *Turks ;Muhacir *Muslims from the Caucasus (Peoples of the Caucasus in Turkey) *Muslims from the Balkans (mainly Albanians, Bosniaks, and Pomaks)

==Cyprus== {{further|Ethnic groups of Cyprus}} *Armenians in Cyprus *Greek Cypriots *Maronite Cypriots *Turkish Cypriots

==Iranian Plateau== {{main|Ethnicities in Iran}}

[[File:Distribution of Iranian Languages.png|thumb|400px|The geographic distribution of modern Iranian languages]]

;Indo-European peoples: *Armenians in Iran *Iranian peoples **Persians *Baloch *Kurds in Iran **Feylis **Kaka'is **Kurds of Khorasan **Laks *Gilaks *Lurs *Mazanderanis *Talysh *Tats ;Kartvelian peoples: *Georgians in Iran ;Semites: *Arabs in Iran *Assyrians in Iran *Jews in Iran **Persian Jews *Mandaeans ;Turkic peoples: *Azerbaijanis in Iran *Qashqai *Turkmen in Iran

==Diaspora populations== {{Further|Foreign worker#Middle East}}

Because of the low population of many of the Arab States of the Persian Gulf and the demand for labor created by the large discoveries of oil in these countries there has been a steady stream of immigration to the region (mainly from South Asia). Ethnic groups which comprise the largest portions of this immigration include Afghans, Albanians, Armenians, Bengalis, Bosniaks, Britons, Chinese, Filipinos, Greeks, Indians, Indonesians, Italians, Malays, Nepalis, Pakistanis, Punjabis, Sikhs, Sindhis, Somalis, Sri Lankans, and Sub-Saharan Africans. Many of these people are denied certain political and legal rights in the countries in which they live and frequently face mistreatment by the native-born citizens of the host countries.

==References== {{Reflist}} {{Middle East topic|Ethnic groups in|title=Ethnic groups in the Middle East}} {{Ethnicity}} {{Authority control}}

Category:Ethnic groups in the Middle East Category:Ethnic groups by region