Ethnic minorities of Bangladesh[1] or loosely termed minority people of Bangladesh are ethnic minorities in Chittagong Hill Tracts (southeastern), Sylhet Division (northeastern), Rajshahi Division (west), and Mymensingh Division (north-central) areas of the country. They are assumed as ethnic group and the tribal races, total population of ethnic minorities in Bangladesh was estimated to be over 2 million in 2010.[2] They are diverse ethnic communities including Tibeto-Burman,[3] Austric and Dravidian people.
According to the Ethnologue, there are 36 indigenous living linguistic communities, which include 17 Sino-Tibetan, 10 Indo-European, 7 Austro-Asiatic and 2 Dravidian language-speaking groups.[4]
Quite a few of these groups, such as the Chakmas and Marmas (the largest and second largest respectively), live in before the British period from modern Burma. Most of these groups are often disadvantaged compared to ethnic Bengalis since Bangladesh was created as a Bengali nation-state. Ethnic minorities of Bangladesh have their own cultural traditions and, frequently, languages.[5] Vast number of ethnic tribes of Bangladesh are traditionally Buddhists and Hindus by faith while others are largely Christians and small animists.
The government of Bangladesh has referred to the Chittagong Hill Tracts' small ethnic groups as such, rather than indigenous people.