Linguistic Classifications
Further information: Languages of EuropeOf the total population of Europe of some 730 million (as of 2005), over 80% or some 600 million fall within three large branches of Indo-European languages, viz., Slavic, Latin (Romance) and Germanic. The largest groups that do not fall within either of these, or the so-called separate groups, are the Greeks and Armenians (about 12 million each) and the Albanians (about 8 million). Beside the Indo-European languages there are two other major language families on the European continent: Turkic languages and Uralic languages. The Semitic languages that dominate the coast of the northern Africa as well as the Near East are preserved on the Malta islands, a Mediterranean archipelago. The Basque language is a linguistic isolate unrelated to any other languages inside or outside of Europe.
| Family | Branch | People | Sub-groups and minority languages | approx. number (millions) | notes |
| Indo-European | Indo-European | **641 | |||
| Indo-Europeans | Slavic Europe | *235 | |||
| Indo-Europeans | Slavic, East | Russians | Pomors, Cossacks | 95 | 82 in European Russia, 8.3 in Ukraine, 0.7 in Belarus, 1 in the Baltic States, 0.3 in Moldova and Transnistria; up to 0.5 in the Russian communities throughout the EU, especially in Germany |
| Indo-Europeans | Slavic, East | Ukrainians | Rusyns, Boykos, Hutsuls, Lemkos, Poleszuks | 41 | 37.5 million in Ukraine; 2 million in European Russia |
| Indo-Europeans | Slavic, West | Poles | 38 | ||
| Indo-Europeans | Slavic, South | Bulgarians | Pomaks | 012 | Total speakers worldwide |
| Indo-Europeans | Slavic, West | Czechs | 11 | ||
| Indo-Europeans | Slavic, East | Belarusians | 10 | ||
| Indo-Europeans | Slavic, South | Serbs | 010.5 | ||
| Indo-Europeans | Slavic, South | Croats | Bunjevci, Šokci | 08.0 | |
| Indo-Europeans | Slavic, West | Slovaks | 05 | ||
| Indo-Europeans | Slavic, South | Bosniaks | 02.3 | ||
| Indo-Europeans | Slavic, South | Slovenes | 02 | ||
| Indo-Europeans | Slavic, West | Silesians | 01.9 | ||
| Indo-Europeans | Slavic, South | Macedonians | Torbeš | 01.6 | |
| Indo-Europeans | Slavic, South | Montenegrins | 0.6 | ||
| Indo-Europeans | Slavic, West | Kashubs | 0.5 | ||
| Indo-Europeans | Slavic, West | Sorbs | 0.06 | ||
| Indo-Europeans | Latin (Romance) Europe | *190 | |||
| Indo-Europeans | Latin, Western | Francophonie | French, Walloons, Romands, Provencals, Occitans, Aranese | 72 | |
| Indo-Europeans | Latin | Italians | Catalan, Corsican, Friulan, Gallo-Italic, Sardinian, Italo-Dalmatian as Sicilian | 59 | |
| Indo-Europeans | Latin, Western | Spaniards | Castilians; non-Castilian ethno-linguistic groups: Andalusians, Asturians, Aragonese, Galicians, Catalans | 40 | |
| Indo-Europeans | Latin, Eastern | Romanians (Vlachs) | Daco-Romanians, Moldovans, Megleno-Romanians, Istro-Romanians, Aromanians, Morlachs, Moravian Vlachs | 24-26 | |
| Indo-Europeans | Latin, Western | Portuguese | 12 | ||
| Indo-Europeans | Latin, Western | Rhaeto-Romanics | Romansh, Friulians, Ladins | 0.6 | |
| Indo-Europeans | Latin, Western | Gibraltarians | 0.03 | (Speak English mainly as first language) Also summed under White British | |
| Indo-Europeans | Germanic Europe | *180 | |||
| Indo-Europeans | Germanic, West, Continental | German-speaking Europe | Germans, Austrians, Alemannic Swiss, Luxembourgers, Alsatians, Lorrainers, South Tyroleans, German-speaking Belgians, North Schleswigers | 89 | |
| Indo-Europeans | Germanic, West, North Sea | English | 45 | also subsumed under British or White British. | |
| Indo-Europeans | Germanic, West, Continental | Dutch people | Netherlandic, Flemish people | 23 | |
| Indo-Europeans | Germanic, North | Scandinavians | Norwegians, Swedes, Finland Swedes, Gotlanders, Danes, Faroese, Icelanders | 22 | |
| Indo-Europeans | Germanic, West, North Sea | Frisians | 00.5 | ||
| Indo-Europeans | Indo-Iranian | 05 | |||
| Indo-Europeans | Indo-Aryan | Romani people | 04 | ||
| Indo-Europeans | Iranian | Ossetians | 0.6 | ||
| Indo-Europeans | Iranian | Tats | 0.02 | ||
| Indo-Europeans | Celtic Europe | *002-22 | approx. 2 million speakers of Celtic languages, but depending on the definition, some 20 million may be considered "Celtic" | ||
| Indo-Europeans | Celtic, Goidelic | Irish | Gaeltacht | 06 | All but 10 - 20,000 speak English as a first language. Some living in Northern Ireland can also subsumed under British or White British. |
| Indo-Europeans | Celtic, Goidelic | Scots | Gàidhealtachd | 06 | also subsumed under British or White British. |
| Indo-Europeans | Celtic, Brythonic | Welsh | 03 | UK, does not include Welsh in USA and elsewhere, also subsumed under British or White British. | |
| Indo-Europeans | Celtic, Brythonic | Bretons | 04.3 | Bretagne and Loire-Atlantique provinces of France, does not include Bretons in Canada and elsewhere, also subsumed under French. | |
| Indo-Europeans | Celtic, Brythonic | Cornish | 00.5 | UK, does not include Cornish in Australia and elsewhere, also subsumed under British or White British. | |
| Indo-Europeans | Celtic, Goidelic | Manx | 0.04 | also subsumed under British or White British. | |
| Indo-Europeans | Greek | Greeks | Pontic Greeks | 13 | Total speakers worldwide |
| Indo-Europeans | Armenian | Armenians | Eastern Armenian, Western Armenian, Classical Armenian (Grapar) | 6-10 million | Total speakers worldwide, Armenian Diaspora + Armenians in Armenia |
| Indo-Europeans | Albanian | Albanians | 07.6 | Total speakers worldwide | |
| Indo-Europeans | Baltic | 04.5 | |||
| Indo-Europeans | Lithuanians | Samogitians, Prussian Lithuanians | 03.1 | ||
| Indo-Europeans | Latvians | Latgalians, Kursenieki | 01.4 | ||
| Turkic | Turkic | *035 | |||
| Turkic peoples | Turkic, Oghuz | Turks | Chepni, Yorouks, Bulgarian Turks, Turks of Western Thrace | 9 (excluding Turkey) 19 (including European Turkey) |
approx. 9 million (not including Turkey), 10 million in Eastern Thrace (European Turkey); overall there is a total of 55-60 million Turks in Turkey. (see Turks in Europe) |
| Turkic peoples | Turkic, Oghuz | Azerbaijanis | 9.16 | in European Azerbaijan only | |
| Turkic peoples | Turkic, Kipchak | Kazakhs | 1 | in European Kazakhstan only | |
| Turkic peoples | Turkic, Kipchak | Volga Tatars | 4.5 | in European Russia only | |
| Turkic peoples | Turkic, Oghur | Chuvash | 01.5 | in European Russia only | |
| Turkic peoples | Turkic, Kipchak | Bashkirs | 01.4 | in European Russia only | |
| Turkic peoples | Turkic, Kipchak | Kumyks | 00.4 | ||
| Turkic peoples | Turkic, Kipchak | Karachay-Balkars | Karachays, Balkars | 00.3 | |
| Turkic peoples | Turkic, Kipchak / Oghuz | Crimeans | Tat Tatars, Yaliboyu Tatars, Noğay Tatars | 0.25 | |
| Turkic peoples | Turkic, Oghuz | Gagauz | 0.15 | ||
| Turkic peoples | Turkic, Kipchak | Nogais | 0.09 | ||
| Finno-Ugric | Finno-Ugric | *025.5 | |||
| Finno-Ugric peoples | Ugric | Hungarians | Hungarians, Székelys, Csangos | 13.5 | |
| Finno-Ugric peoples | Finnic, Finno-Lappic | Finns | Karelians, Sweden Finns, Ingrian Finns, Kven people | 06 | |
| Finno-Ugric peoples | Finnic, Finno-Lappic | Estonians | Setos, Võros | 01 | |
| Finno-Ugric peoples | Finnic, Volgaic | Mordvins | Erzya/Shoksha, Moksha, Teryukhan, Qaratay | 0.85 | |
| Finno-Ugric peoples | Finnic, Permic | Udmurts | 0.7 | ||
| Finno-Ugric peoples | Finnic, Volgaic | Mari | 0.6 | ||
| Finno-Ugric peoples | Finnic, Permic | Komi | Komi-Izhemtsy, Komi-Permyaks | 0.4 | |
| Finno-Ugric peoples | Finnic, Finno-Lappic | Sami | 0.1 | ||
| Finno-Ugric peoples | Finnic, Finno-Lappic | Veps | 0.008 | ||
| Finno-Ugric peoples | Finnic, Finno-Lappic | Izhorians | 0.001 | ||
| Finno-Ugric peoples | Finnic, Finno-Lappic | Livonians | 0.0001 | ||
| Northern Caucasian | Caucasian | *05 | depends on what part of the Caucasus is considered European, see below. | ||
| Caucasian | Northeast Caucasian | Chechens | 1.3 | ||
| Caucasian | Northeast Caucasian | Avars | 0.8 | ||
| Caucasian | Northeast Caucasian | Dargin | 0.5 | ||
| Caucasian | Northwest Caucasian | Kabards | 0.5 | ||
| Caucasian | Northeast Caucasian | Lezgins | 0.4 | ||
| Caucasian | Northeast Caucasian | Ingush | 0.4 | ||
| Caucasian | Northwest Caucasian | Adyghes | 0.15 | ||
| Caucasian | Northwest Caucasian | Cherkesses | 0.06 | ||
| Caucasian | Northwest Caucasian | Lak | 0.15 | ||
| Caucasian | Northwest Caucasian | Tabasarans | 0.13 | ||
| Caucasian | Northeast Caucasian | Rutuls | 0.03 | ||
| Caucasian | Northeast Caucasian | Tsakhur people | 0.01 | ||
| Semitic | Semitic | 2 | |||
| Semitic | Semitic, Hebrew | Jews | 1.3 | also subsumed under various "Other", see below. | |
| Semitic | Semitic, Maltese | Maltese | 0.4 | ||
| Basque | Basque | Basques | 02.0 | ||
| Mongolic | Mongolic | Kalmyks | 0.17 |
Europe has a population of about 2 million ethnic Jews (mostly also counted as part of the ethno-linguistic group of their respective home countries):
- Ashkenazi Jews (about 1.4 million, mostly German and French).
- Sephardi Jews (about 0.3 million, mostly French and Italian).
- Mizrahi Jews (about 0.3 million, mostly French).
- Italian Jews (some 50,000, mostly Italian).
- Romaniotes (some 6,000, mostly Greek).
- Karaites (less than 4,000 in Poland and Lithuania).
Depending on what parts of the South Caucasus are considered part of Europe, various peoples of the Caucasus may also be considered "European peoples":
- Abkhazians: approx. 100,000
- Armenians: approx. 4.6 -6.3 million
- Georgians: approx. 4 million
- Kabardians, Cherkesses and Adyghes: approx. 600,000
- Nokhches (Chechens and Ingushes): approx. 1.8 million
- Ossetians: approx. 600,000
- Peoples of the Mountain Dagestan (Avars, Dargins, Lezgins, Laks etc.): approx. 2 million
Read more about this topic: Ethnic Groups In Europe By Country
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