Santal people

Santal people
Santals in traditional dress celebrating Baha parab
Total population
c. 7.4 million
Regions with significant populations
 India,  Bangladesh,    Nepal
 India:
       Jharkhand
2,752,723
       West Bengal2,512,331
       Odisha894,764
       Bihar406,076
       Assam213,139
 Bangladesh300,061 (2001)
   Nepal51,735
Languages
Santal, Hindi, Odia, Bengali, Nepali
Religion
Majority
Hinduism (63%)
Minority
Folk religions (Sarna sthal) (24%)
Christianity (12%), Others (1%)
Related ethnic groups
Mundas • Hos • Juangs • Kharias • Savaras • Korku • Bhumij

The Santal are an ethnic group native to eastern India. Santals are the largest tribe in the Jharkhand state of India in terms of population and are also found in the states of Assam, Tripura, Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal. They are the largest ethnic minority in northern Bangladesh's Rajshahi Division and Rangpur Division. They have a significant population in Nepal and Bhutan. The Santals speak the Santali language, the third largest language of the Austroasiatic family.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "A-11 Individual Scheduled Tribe Primary Census Abstract Data and its Appendix". censusindia.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  2. ↑ "C-16 Population By Mother Tongue". censusindia.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  3. 1 2 Cavallaro, Francesco; Rahman, Tania. "The Santals of Bangladesh" (PDF). ntu.edu.sg. Nayang Technical University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 November 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  4. ↑ "National Population and Housing Census 2011: Social Characteristics Tables" (PDF). Nepal Census. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2022 – via Government of Nepal.
  5. 1 2 "ST-14 Scheduled Tribe Population By Religious Community - Jharkhand". census.gov.in. Retrieved 3 November 2019.