Region
Asia
53 nations of Asia, each with its own name first and checked facts with sources.
53 nations
-
Ainu
Lands Hokkaido and other parts of Japan
Upopoy, a national centre for Ainu history and culture in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, opened to the public in July 2020.
Source: Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Akha
Lands Northern Thailand, eastern Myanmar and northern Laos
The Akha are one of more than 20 highland Indigenous peoples of northern Thailand.
-
Atayal
Also known as Tayal
Lands Mountain areas of northern and central Taiwan, across New Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taichung, Nantou and Yilan
In the Atayal language, the word Atayal means people, real people, or kinspeople.
Source: Council of Indigenous Peoples, Taiwan (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Bhil
Lands Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, India
India's government names the Bhil among the tribal peoples whose movements strengthened the country's freedom struggle.
Source: Prime Minister's Office, Government of India (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Bodo
Also known as Boro
Lands Bodoland Territorial Region and other parts of Assam, India
Bodo is an associate official language of Assam, and in 2022 the state announced it would become a medium of instruction in Classes XI and XII.
Source: Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Government of Assam (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Bunun
Lands Both sides of the Central Mountain Range in Nantou, Hualien, Taitung and Kaohsiung, Taiwan
About 59,536 Bunun people were counted in January 2020, with homes in Nantou, Hualien, Taitung and Kaohsiung.
Source: Council of Indigenous Peoples, Taiwan (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Chakma
Lands Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, and parts of northeast India
The Chakma make up more than half of the Indigenous population of Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts.
-
Dayak
Also known as Ngaju
Lands Borneo: Kalimantan (Indonesia), Sabah and Sarawak (Malaysia) and Brunei
Dayak is a shared name for many Indigenous peoples of Borneo, by some estimates about 450 ethnolinguistic groups.
-
Garo
Also known as A·chik
Lands Garo Hills of Meghalaya, India, and north-central Bangladesh
The Garo Hills Autonomous District Council, set up in 1952 under India's Sixth Schedule, is based in Tura and covers five districts.
Source: Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Gond
Also known as Gondo
Lands Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Odisha and neighboring states of central India
Gond painting, mostly made in Patangarh village in Dindori district, gained worldwide recognition after shows in Tokyo and Paris and became a livelihood for many tribal families.
Source: Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Hla'alua
Also known as Saaroa
Lands Taoyuan and Namaxia districts, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
In 2014 the Hla'alua were officially recognized as a distinct people, becoming the 15th Indigenous people listed in Taiwan.
Source: Council of Indigenous Peoples, Taiwan (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Ho
Also known as Hodoko
Lands Kolhan region of Jharkhand and northern Odisha, with communities in West Bengal and Bihar, India
In Odisha, Ho farmers grow paddy, maize and ragi, tend kitchen gardens, and gather mushrooms, mahua and greens from the forest.
Source: Odisha State Tribal Museum (SCSTRTI, Government of Odisha) (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Ibaloi
Also known as Ibaloy
Lands Southern Benguet and the Baguio area in northern Luzon, Philippines
The Ibaloi are one of the three major ethnolinguistic groups of Benguet province, with the Kankanaey and Kalanguya.
Source: Provincial Government of Benguet (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Iban
Also known as Sea Dayak
Lands Sarawak, Malaysia, with communities in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, and Brunei
In 2011 the Tun Jugah Foundation published Bup Sereba Reti Jaku Iban, described as the first monolingual Iban dictionary.
-
Ifugao
Lands Ifugao Province in the Cordillera mountains of northern Luzon, Philippines
Ifugao families still farm and care for their mountain rice terraces, a UNESCO World Heritage living landscape since 1995.
Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Kadazandusun
Also known as Kadazan
Lands Sabah, Malaysia
The Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association, founded in 1966, represents 48 Indigenous ethnic communities of Sabah.
Source: Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association Sabah (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Kalasha
Also known as Kalash
Lands The Kalasha valleys of Bamburet, Birir and Rumbur in the Hindu Kush, Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Kalasha families use Suri Jagek to choose the right time to sow seeds and care for livestock, and to anticipate natural hazards.
Source: UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Kanakanavu
Lands Namaxia District, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
The officially registered Kanakanavu population was 356 in January 2020.
Source: Council of Indigenous Peoples, Taiwan (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Kankanaey
Also known as Kankana-ey
Lands Benguet and Mountain Province in the Cordillera of northern Luzon, Philippines
The Kankanaey are one of the three major ethnolinguistic groups of Benguet province, with the Ibaloi and Kalanguya.
Source: Provincial Government of Benguet (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Karen
Also known as Kayin
Lands Eastern Myanmar, including Karen State, and western and northern Thailand
Karen communities have lived in what is now northern Thailand for many centuries.
-
Kavalan
Also known as Kebalan
Lands Yilan and the Hualien and Taitung coasts, Taiwan
The Kavalan population was about 1,492 in January 2020.
Source: Council of Indigenous Peoples, Taiwan (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Khasi
Lands Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, India, and nearby Bangladesh
The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council has a wing that oversees the Elakas, the traditional Khasi states.
Source: Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Kurukh
Also known as Oraon
Lands Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal in India, with communities in Assam, Bangladesh and Nepal
Odisha counted 358,112 Kurukh (Oraon) people in 2011; many farm and practice crafts such as carpentry, rope making and weaving date palm leaf mats.
Source: Odisha State Tribal Museum (SCSTRTI, Government of Odisha) (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Lumad
Also known as Manobo
Lands Mindanao, Philippines
Lumad is a shared name for many Indigenous peoples of Mindanao, among them the Manobo, Subanon, Mandaya, Talandig and Teduray.
-
Magar
Lands Hills of the Rapti and Gandaki river basins in western and central Nepal, and communities across Nepal
In 2021 Nepal's Language Commission recommended Magar as an official language for both Gandaki and Karnali provinces.
-
Marma
Lands Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh
Together, the Chakma, Marma and Tripura make up about 90 percent of the Indigenous peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
-
Mentawai
Lands The Mentawai Islands, including Siberut, off West Sumatra, Indonesia
On Siberut, a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1981, Mentawai communities use the forest with care, guided by traditional knowledge.
Source: UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Mizo
Lands Mizoram, northeast India
Mizoram became a full state of India on 20 February 1987; its Legislative Assembly first met on 10 May 1972.
Source: Mizoram Legislative Assembly (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Mru
Also known as Mro
Lands Bandarban district in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, and nearby areas of Myanmar
The Mru call themselves Marucha; in their language, maru means human.
Source: Banglapedia, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Munda
Also known as Hodoko
Lands Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Bihar in India, with communities in Bangladesh
Mundari has its own script, known in the community as Mundari Bani; a version reformed in 2008 by Munda community bodies is in the Unicode Standard.
-
Naga
Also known as Angami
Lands Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh in India, and neighbouring Myanmar
Nagaland's state portal lists 17 major tribes living in the state, each with its own language and festivals.
Source: Nagaland State Portal, Government of Nagaland (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Newa
Also known as Newar
Lands Swanigah, the Kathmandu Valley (Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur), and towns across Nepal
In 2021 Nepal's Language Commission recommended Nepal Bhasa, alongside Tamang, as an official language of Bagmati Province.
-
Orang Asli
Also known as Temiar
Lands Peninsular Malaysia
Orang Asli, a Malay collective term meaning original or first peoples, covers 18 officially listed groups of Peninsular Malaysia.
Source: Center for Orang Asli Concerns (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Paiwan
Also known as Payuan
Lands Southern Central Mountain Range across Pingtung and Taitung counties, Taiwan
About 102,730 Paiwan people were counted in January 2020, living in the southern mountains of Pingtung and Taitung.
Source: Council of Indigenous Peoples, Taiwan (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Pangcah
Also known as Amis
Lands East of the Central Mountain Range in Hualien and Taitung counties, plus the Hengchun Peninsula, Taiwan
In some Pangcah communities, each age class takes its name from a key event of its time, so one class name marks the computer era.
Source: Council of Indigenous Peoples, Taiwan (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Pinuyumayan
Also known as Puyuma
Lands Taitung City and Beinan Township on the Taitung Plain, Taiwan
Taitung City and Beinan Township on the Taitung Plain are the heart of Pinuyumayan life today.
Source: Council of Indigenous Peoples, Taiwan (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Rai
Also known as Kirat Rai
Lands Majh Kirat, also called Khambuwan, in the middle hills of eastern Nepal between the Dudh Koshi and Arun rivers, plus Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari and the Kathmandu Valley
The Rai homeland is Majh Kirat, also called Khambuwan, in the middle hills of eastern Nepal.
Source: National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities, Nepal (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Rukai
Also known as Drekay
Lands Southern Central Mountain Range in Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung, Taiwan
About 13,465 Rukai people were counted in January 2020, living in Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung.
Source: Council of Indigenous Peoples, Taiwan (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Saisiyat
Also known as SaySiyat
Lands Hsinchu and Miaoli counties in northwestern Taiwan
The Saisiyat population was 6,730 in January 2020.
Source: Council of Indigenous Peoples, Taiwan (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Sakizaya
Lands Hualien Plain, the East Rift Valley and coast, Taiwan
The Sakizaya population was about 985 in January 2020.
Source: Council of Indigenous Peoples, Taiwan (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Santal
Also known as Santhal
Lands Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and nearby states of India, northwest Bangladesh, and Nepal
On 25 December 2025, India's Constitution was released in the Santali language, written in the Ol Chiki script.
Source: President's Secretariat, India (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Sediq
Also known as Seediq
Lands Mountain areas of Nantou and Hualien in central Taiwan
About 10,452 Sediq people were counted in January 2020, mostly in the mountains of Nantou and Hualien.
Source: Council of Indigenous Peoples, Taiwan (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Sherpa
Lands Solukhumbu and the upper Dudh Koshi and Sun Koshi valleys of northeastern Nepal, from Solu to Helambu, and Kathmandu
In Nepal's 2021 census, 90.3 percent of Sherpa people reported Sherpa as their own language.
Source: National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities, Nepal (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Tamang
Lands Hills around the Kathmandu Valley and central Nepal
Tamang is the mother tongue of about 4.88 percent of Nepal's population, according to the 2021 census.
-
Tamu
Also known as Gurung
Lands Tamuwan, the hills between the Trishuli and Kali Gandaki rivers in central Nepal, including Gorkha, Lamjung, Kaski, Syangja, Manang and Mustang
In 2021 Nepal's Language Commission recommended Gurung, the Tamu language, as an official language of Gandaki Province.
-
Tao
Also known as Yami
Lands Lanyu (Orchid Island), Taitung County, Taiwan
The Tao, who live on Lanyu, also called Orchid Island, numbered 4,684 in January 2020.
Source: Council of Indigenous Peoples, Taiwan (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Thao
Lands Ita Thao Village by Sun Moon Lake and Dapinglin, Nantou County, Taiwan
Thao people live mainly in Ita Thao Village in Yuchi Township and in Dapinglin, Shuili Township, both in Nantou County. They numbered about 817 in January 2020.
Source: Council of Indigenous Peoples, Taiwan (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Tharu
Lands The Terai plains of southern Nepal, and neighbouring India
Tharu is the mother tongue of about 5.88 percent of Nepal's population, according to the 2021 census.
-
Tripura
Also known as Tripuri
Lands Chittagong Hill Tracts and other districts of Bangladesh, and the state of Tripura, India
Tripura University opened a Department of Kokborok in 2015 and began doctoral research in the language in 2018.
-
Truku
Also known as Taroko
Lands Xiulin, Wanrong and Zhuoxi townships in Hualien County, Taiwan
About 32,333 Truku people were counted in January 2020, mostly in Hualien County.
Source: Council of Indigenous Peoples, Taiwan (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Tsou
Also known as Cou
Lands Alishan Township in Chiayi County, plus Nantou and Kaohsiung, Taiwan
The Tsou population was 6,702 in January 2020.
Source: Council of Indigenous Peoples, Taiwan (opens in a new tab) Checked
-
Wanniyala-Aetto
Also known as Vedda
Lands Eastern Sri Lanka, including the Maduru Oya area
In 1983, 51,468 hectares of Wanniyala-Aetto customary land were declared the Maduru Oya National Park.
-
Yakthung
Also known as Limbu
Lands Limbuwan in the eastern hills of Nepal, including Taplejung, Panchthar, Terhathum and Ilam, plus Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari, with communities in Sikkim and Darjeeling, India
In Nepal's 2021 census, 84.5 percent of Yakthung people reported Limbu as their mother tongue, a language with its own script, Sirijanga.
Source: National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities, Nepal (opens in a new tab) Checked