Our answer
China's largest ethnic group 汉族
91.11% of China's population in the 2020 census; one of the 56 officially recognised groups
The short answer
The Han Chinese (汉族, Hànzú) are China's largest ethnic group: 1,286,311,334 people, 91.11% of the population in the 2020 census, and about 17% of everyone in the world. The name comes from the Han dynasty. Han is an ethnicity; 'Chinese' can also mean a citizen of China from any of its 56 groups.
| In Chinese | 汉族 (Hànzú), the Han ethnic group; 汉人 (Hànrén), Han people |
|---|---|
| Population (2020 census) | 1,286,311,334, or 91.11% of China's population |
| Change since 2010 | +60.38 million, +4.93% |
| Name from | The Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 220) |
| Share of the world | About 17% of the world's population |
| Main speech groups | Mandarin, Wu, Yue (Cantonese), Min (incl. Hokkien, Teochew), Hakka, Xiang, Gan and others |
| Traditional dress | 汉服 (hànfú), 'Han clothing' |
Who the Han are
The Han are one of the 56 ethnic groups China officially recognises, and by far the largest: in the 2020 census 1,286,311,334 people, or 91.11% of the population, were Han. They are also the world's largest ethnic group, at about 17% of the global population. See our table of all 56 ethnic groups in China for the other 55.
The name 汉人 (Hànrén), 'Han people', was inspired by the Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 220). The Han trace their ancestry further back, to the Huaxia, a confederation of agricultural tribes. Two other old names are still in use: 华人 (Huárén), 'Hua people', which today usually means ethnic Chinese living overseas, and 唐人 (Tángrén), 'Tang people', after the Tang dynasty (618–907). Tangren is used in Cantonese, Hakka and Minnan, and survives in 唐人街 (Tángrénjiē), the Chinese word for a Chinatown.[1][2][3][8]
Han subgroups: Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien, Teochew and more
The Han are one ethnic group officially, but they speak many varieties of Chinese, and people often identify with a regional group defined by speech. These are subgroups of the Han, not separate ethnic groups.[2][4][5][9]
| Speech group | Subgroup | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Mandarin 官话 | Northern people and several regional groups | Northern and southwestern China |
| Yue 粤语 (Cantonese) | Cantonese people | Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong and Macau |
| Hakka 客家话 | Hakka people | Hills of northeastern Guangdong and southwestern Fujian, many other parts of southern China, Taiwan |
| Min 闽语: Hokkien | Hoklo or Minnan people 闽南人 | Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou in southern Fujian; Taiwan; Southeast Asia |
| Min 闽语: Teochew | Teochew people 潮汕 | The Chaoshan region (Chaozhou, Shantou, Jieyang); Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia |
| Wu 吴语 | Jiangzhe people | Shanghai, most of Zhejiang, southern Jiangsu and Anhui |
| Xiang 湘语 | Hunan people | Hunan and southern Hubei |
| Gan 赣语 | Jiangxi people | Jiangxi and neighbouring areas |
| Jin 晋语 | Jinsui people | Shanxi and neighbouring areas |
| Hui 徽语 | Wannan people | Southern Anhui |
Hokkien and Teochew are both forms of Southern Min and are partly mutually intelligible. In Thailand the Teochew are the largest Chinese subgroup, more than half of the Thai-Chinese population.
Is 'Chinese' an ethnicity or a nationality?
It can be either, and Chinese keeps the two apart with different words. 中国人 (Zhōngguórén) refers to people who live in China or are Chinese citizens, whatever their ethnic group. 汉族 (Hànzú) is the Han ethnic group specifically. 华人 (Huárén) means ethnic Chinese, and is often used for people of Chinese descent overseas who are not Chinese citizens.
So a Zhuang farmer in Guangxi is Chinese by nationality but not Han, while a Singaporean of Hokkien descent is ethnically Chinese and a Singaporean citizen. The official umbrella term 中华民族 (Zhōnghuá mínzú), 'the Chinese nation', is a supra-ethnic concept covering all 56 groups.
People searching for 'what race are Chinese people' are usually asking about this distinction. China's census counts people by 民族 (mínzú), ethnic group, and the Han are one of the 56 groups it records.[1][3]
Hanfu: traditional Han clothing
汉服 (hànfú) means 'Han clothing', and covers the traditional dress of the Han over more than three thousand years, up to the end of the Ming dynasty. Its signature is the crossed collar, with the left front panel wrapped over the right and tied at the right side of the waist. Typical pieces include the 襦 (rú) jacket and 裙 (qún) skirt, worn together as a ruqun, and long robes such as the 深衣 (shēnyī).
Since the start of this century, young people in China and in Chinese communities abroad have revived hanfu for festivals, photo shoots and days out at historic sites. iMedia Research put China's hanfu market at 12.54 billion yuan in 2022, and Caoxian county in Shandong has become a manufacturing centre, with more than 2,000 related businesses.[6][7]
Han Chinese outside mainland China
Figures for overseas populations count people of Chinese descent, most of whom are Han.[2][4]
| Where | Chinese population | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Worldwide, outside Greater China | About 60 million | Overseas Chinese worldwide |
| Southeast Asia | 30–40 million | People of Han Chinese descent |
| Singapore | About 3.07 million | The only country where overseas Chinese are the majority |
| United States | 3.8–5.8 million | Estimates vary by definition |
| Canada | About 1.5 million | |
| Australia | Over 1 million |
Questions readers ask
Who are the Han Chinese?
The Han are China's largest ethnic group and the largest in the world: 1,286,311,334 people in China in the 2020 census (91.11% of the population), and about 17% of the world's population. They are one of China's 56 officially recognised ethnic groups.
What is the largest ethnic group in China?
The Han Chinese, at 91.11% of the population in the 2020 census. The largest minority, the Zhuang, has about 19.57 million people. See [all 56 ethnic groups](/culture/ethnic-groups-in-china).
Why are they called Han?
The name 汉人 (Hànrén), 'Han people', was inspired by the Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 220). Older and alternative names include Huaxia, 华人 (Huárén) and 唐人 (Tángrén), 'Tang people'.
Is Chinese an ethnicity?
'Chinese' can mean a nationality or an ethnicity. 中国人 (Zhōngguórén) refers to people of China, of any of its 56 ethnic groups; 汉族 (Hànzú) is the Han ethnic group; 华人 (Huárén) is used for ethnic Chinese, especially overseas.
What race are Chinese people?
China's census counts people by ethnic group (民族, mínzú) rather than race. Most Chinese citizens, 91.11% in 2020, are Han; the rest belong to 55 recognised ethnic minorities. Not all Chinese citizens are Han, and many ethnic Chinese people are citizens of other countries.
Are Cantonese and Hakka people Han Chinese?
Yes. [Cantonese](/culture/cantonese-people), [Hakka](/culture/hakka-people), Hokkien and Teochew people are all subgroups of the Han, defined mainly by the variety of Chinese they speak and the region they come from. None is a separate officially recognised ethnic group.
What percentage of China is Han?
91.11% in the 2020 census, down slightly from 2010 because the minority population grew faster (10.26% against 4.93% for the Han).
What is hanfu?
汉服 (hànfú), 'Han clothing', is the traditional dress of the Han, recognisable by its crossed collar wrapped left over right. Young people have revived it this century; China's hanfu market was estimated at 12.54 billion yuan in 2022.
Sources
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, Communiqué of the Seventh National Population Census (No. 2), 11 May 2021 · accessed 2 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Han Chinese (name, subgroups, hanfu, overseas populations) · accessed 2 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Chinese people (Zhongguoren, Huaren, Zhonghua minzu) · accessed 2 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Hoklo people · accessed 2 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Teochew people · accessed 2 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Hanfu · accessed 2 Nov 2026
- China Daily, More youngsters choosing to dress with cultural confidence, 1 March 2023 · accessed 2 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, List of ethnic groups in China · accessed 2 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Varieties of Chinese (where each group is spoken) · accessed 2 Nov 2026
Update log. 2 November 2026 — reviewed. Next review due 2 February 2027. Suggest a correction