page_title: Miao people
section_title: Demographics
hierarchical_section_title: Miao people / Demographics
caption_attribution_description: English: Miao women in Laomeng village on market day, Yunnan province, China
context_page_description: The Miao are a minority ethnic group living in southern China, and are recognized by the government of China as one of the 56 official ethnic groups. Miao is a Chinese term, while the component groups of people, which include Hmong, Hmu, Xong, and A-Hmao, may have their own self-designations.
  The different peoples in the "Miao" group may not necessarily be either linguistically or culturally related, though the majority are members of Miao-Yao language family, which includes the Hmong, Hmub, Xong and A-Hmao dialetcs and the majority do share cultural similarities. Many Miao groups cannot communicate with each other in their native tongues and have different histories and cultures. Many groups designated as Miao do not even agree that they belong to the ethnic group, though some Miao groups, such as the Hmong do agree with the collective grouping as a single ethnic group – Miao.
  The Miao live primarily in southern China's mountains, in the provinces of Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi, Guangdong and Hainan. Some sub-groups of the Miao, most notably the Hmong people, have migrated out of China into Southeast Asia.
context_section_description: According to the 2000 census, the number of Miao in China was estimated to be about 9.6 million. Outside of China, members of the Miao sub-group or nations of the Hmong live in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Burma due to outward migrations starting in the 18th century. As a result of recent migrations in the aftermath of the Indochina and Vietnam Wars from 1949–75, many Hmong people now live in the United States, French Guiana, France and Australia. Altogether, there are approximately 10 million speakers in the Miao language family. This language family, which consists of 6 languages and around 35 dialects (some of which are mutually intelligible) belongs to the Hmong/Miao branch of the Hmong–Mien (Miao–Yao) language family.
  A large population of the Hmong have emigrated to the northern mountainous reaches of Southeast Asia including Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Burma. However, many continue to live in far Southwest China mostly in the provinces of Yunnan, Guangxi, and to a very limited extent in Guizhou.
  Note: The Miao areas of Sichuan province became part of the newly created Chongqing Municipality in 1997.
  Most Miao currently live in China. Miao population growth in China:
  1953: 2,510,000
  1964: 2,780,000
  1982: 5,030,000
  1990: 7,390,000
  3,600,000 Miao, about half of the entire Chinese Miao population, were in Guizhou in 1990. The Guizhou Miao and those in the following six provinces make up over 98% of all Chinese Miao:
  Hunan: 1,550,000
  Yunnan: 890,000
  Sichuan: 530,000
  Guangxi: 420,000
  Hubei: 200,000
  Hainan: 50,000 (known as Miao but ethnically Yao and Li)
  In the above provinces, there are 6 Miao autonomous prefectures (shared officially with one other ethnic minority):
  Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou
  Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou
  Qianxinan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou
  Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hunan
  Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan
  Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hubei
  There are in addition 23 Miao autonomous counties:
  Hunan: Mayang, Jingzhou, Chengbu
  Guizhou: Songtao, Yinjiang, Wuchuan, Daozhen, Zhenning, Ziyun, Guanling, Weining
  Yunnan: Pingbian, Jinping, Luquan
  Chongqing: Xiushan, Youyang, Qianjiang, Pengshui
  Guangxi: Rongshui, Longsheng, Longlin (including Hmong)
  Hainan: Qiongzhong and Baoting
  Most Miao reside in hills or on mountains, such as
  Wuling Mountain by the Qianxiang River (湘黔川边的武陵山; Xiāngqián Chuān Biān Dí Wǔlíng Shān)
  Miao Mountain (苗岭; Miáo Líng), Qiandongnan
  Yueliang Mountain (月亮山; Yuèliàng Shān), Qiandongnan
  Greater and Lesser Ma Mountain (大小麻山; Dà Xiǎo Má Shān), Qiannan
  Greater Miao Mountain (大苗山; Dà Miáo Shān), Guangxi
  Wumeng Mountain by the Tianqian River (滇黔川边的乌蒙山; Tiánqián Chuān Biān Dí Wūmēng Shān)
  Several thousands of Miao left their homeland to move to larger cities like Guangzhou and Beijing. There are 789,000 Hmong spread throughout northern Vietnam, Laos, Burma, and on other continents. 174,000 live in Thailand, where they are one of the six main hill tribes.
caption: Miao women during market day in Laomeng village, Yuanyang County, Yunnan
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