The Romani diaspora refers to the presence and dispersion of Romani people across various parts of the world. Their migration out of the Indian subcontinent occurred in waves, with the first estimated to have taken place in the 6th century."Genomic Study Traces Roma to Northern India", The New York Times, 10 December 2012. Findings recently reported also in Current Biology. They are believed to have first arrived in Europe in the 9th century, via the Balkans. Gradually, they came to settle across the areas of present-day European Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo, Moldova, Hungary, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia and Slovakia. From the Balkans, they migrated throughout Europe and, in the 19th and later centuries, some migrated to the Americas. The Romani population in the United States is estimated at around one million.Quote: "Today, estimates put the number of Roma in the U.S. at about one million."
Romani people are predominantly found in Europe, particularly in the Balkans, Slovakia and Spain. The total number of Romani people living outside Europe are primarily in the Americas, and are estimated in total at more than two million. Most Romani populations overseas were founded in the 19th century by emigration from Europe. Some countries do not collect data by ethnicity. As of the early 2000s, an estimated 4 to 9 million Romani people lived in Europe and Asia Minor,3.8 million according to Pan and Pfeil, National Minorities in Europe (2004), , p. 27f.; 9.1 million in the high estimate of Liégois, Jean-Pierre (2007). Roms en Europe, Éditions du Conseil de l'Europe. although some Romani organizations estimate numbers as high as 14 million., Council of Europe, compilation of population estimates. Archived from the original, 6 October 2009. There is no official or reliable count of the Roma populations worldwide."European effort spotlights plight of the Roma", USA Today, 1 February 2005 Many Roma refuse to register their ethnic identity in official censuses for fear of discrimination. There are also some descendants of intermarriage with local populations who no longer identify exclusively as Romani, or who do not identify as Romani at all.
The term Xoraxane refers to Turkified/Muslim Romani. whereas the term Dasikane is a lesser-used term referring to Christian Romani. Additionally, Romani people may identify with distinct subgroups based in part on territorial, religious, cultural and dialectal differences, and self-designation. The main branches are:Hancock, Ian, 2001, Ame sam e rromane džene / We are the Romani People, The Open Society Institute, New York, page 2Matras, Yaron, Romani: A linguistic introduction, Cambridge University Press, 2002, p. 5N. Bessonov, N. Demeter "Ethnic groups of Gypsies" , Zigane website, Russia
Roma or Romanies—in this context, these terms encompass Romani people who do not identify with a subgroup, present throughout the continent. They are also used to refer to all Romani people as a whole. Sinti, concentrated in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Italy. Kalderash, concentrated in Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary. Calé, concentrated in Spain, but also in Portugal (see Romani people in Portugal) and southern France. Manouche, concentrated in France and Belgium. Romanlar, in Turkey, particularly East Thrace. Romanichal, in England, the Scottish Borders, northeast Wales and south Wales. Romanisael, in Sweden and Norway. Gurbeti, concentrated in Turkey, Albania, Bulgaria, Kosovo and Serbia Boyash, concentrated in Romania and Moldova. Ursari, concentrated in Romania and Moldova. Kaale, in Finland and Sweden. Kalé, in Wales. Lovari, concentrated in Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Sevlengere in Greece and Turkey. Lowland Romani, in the Scottish Lowlands.
Romani people have additional internal distinctions, with groups identified as; Xaladytka (Ruska Roma); Bashaldé; Churari; Ungaritza; Machvaya (Machavaya, Machwaya, or Macwaia) in Serbia; Romungro in Hungary and neighbouring Carpathian countries; Erlides (Yerlii, Arli); Argintari from silversmiths; Aurari from goldsmiths; Florari from florists; and Lăutari from singers.
Population by country This is a table of Romani people by country.
The official number of Romani people is disputed in many countries; some do not collect data by ethnicity; in others, Romani individuals may refuse to register their ethnic identity for fear of discrimination, or have assimilated and do not identify exclusively as Romani. In some cases, governments consult Romani organizations for data.
Country Region Population SubgroupsAlbania Southeastern Europe (0.3%) (official 2011 census) Gabel (Vlax Roma), JevgsAlgeria North Africa Kale, XoraxaneAngola Africa Kale (from Portugal)Argentina South America Kalderash, Boyash, KaleAustralia Oceania + Romanichal, BoyashAustria Central Europe –50,000Jean-Pierre Liégeois, Roma, Tsiganes, Voyageurs, p.34, Conseil de l'Europe, 1994 Burgenland-Roma, Sinti, Lovari, Arlije from Macedonia, Kalderash from Serbia, Gurbeti from Serbia and MacedoniaBelarus Eastern Europe (census data)or 50,000–60,000(estimated data) Belaruska Roma, Ruska Roma, Polska Roma, Litovska Roma, Lotfitka Roma, Servy, KalderashBelgium Western Europe –15,000 RomungroBosnia and Herzegovina Southeastern Europe 12,0002013 census / 58,000Council of Europe's average estimate Brazil South America –1,000,000 Kale, Kalderash, Machvaya, Xoraxane, BoyashBulgaria Southeastern Europe (official census)to 600,000According to the last official census in 2001, 370,908 Bulgarian citizens define their identity as Roma (official results here). 313,000 self-declared in the 1992 census (Elena Marushiakova and Vesselin Popov, The Gypsies of Bulgaria: Problems of the Multicultural Museum Exhibition (1995), cited in ). According to Marushiakova and Popov, "The Roma in Bulgaria", Sofia, 1993, the people who declared Romani identity in 1956 were about 194,000; in 1959—214,167; in 1976—373,200; because of the obvious and significant difference between the number of Bulgarian citizens with Romani self-identification and this of the large total population with physical appearance and cultural particularity similar to Romanies in 1980, the authorities took special census of all people, defined as Roma through the opinions of the neighboring population, observations of their way of life, cultural specificity, etc.—523,519; in the 1989 the authorities counted 576,927 people as Roma, but noted that more than a half of them preferred and declared Turkish identity (pages 92–93). According to the rough personal assumption of Marushiakova and Popov, the total number of all people with Romani ethnic identity plus all people of Romani origin with different ethnic self-identification around 1993 was about 800,000 (pages 94–95). Similar supposition Marushiakova and Popov made in 1995: estimate 750,000 ±50,000. Some international sources mention the estimates of some unnamed experts, who suggest 700,000–800,000 or higher than figures in the official census, UNDP's Regional Bureau for Europe). These mass non-Romani ethnic partialities are confirmed in the light of the last census in 2001—more than 300,000 Bulgarian citizens of Romani origin traditionally declare their ethnic identity as Turkish or Bulgarian. Other statistics: 450,000 estimated in 1990 (U.S. Library of Congress study); at least 553,466 cited in a confidential census by the Ministry of the Interior in 1992 (cf Marushiakova and Popov 1995). Yerli, Gurbeti, Kalderash, Boyash, Ursari, Turkish RomaCanada North America Kalderash, RomanichalChile South America –20,000 XoraxaneColombia South America KalderashCroatia Central / Southeastern Europe (census results)Estimated:3,000 Lovari, BoyashCyprus West Asia (estimated) Kalderash, Kurbet, MantidesDenmark Northern Europe –2,000Ecuador South America KalderashEstonia Northern Europe BalticFinland Northern Europe + – 2008 – archived at Wayback Machine KàloFrance Western Europe (official estimation)1,200,000–1,300,000 (unofficial estimation) Manush, Kalderash, Lovari, SintiGermany Central / Western Europe mostly Sinti, but also Balkan Roma, Vlax RomaGeorgia West Asia / Eastern Europe + Greece Southeastern Europe or 300,000200,000, according to the Greek government (); 300,000 to 350,000 according to the IHF monitor for Greece (). Erlides, Xoraxane, Hungary Central / Southeastern Europe (census);394,000–1,000,000 (estimated) Romungro, Boyash, LovariIreland Northern Europe Italy Southern Europe –180,000 + 152,000 illegal Roma in 700 camps Sinti, Ursari, Kalderash, XoraxaneKosovo Southeastern Europe Latvia Northeastern Europe (2012 est.) or 13,000–15,000Estimated by the Soros foundation Lofitka Roma (in same Baltic Romani dialect family as Polska Roma and Ruska Roma)Lithuania Central / Northeastern Europe –4,000 Luxembourg Western Europe –150 North Macedonia Southeastern Europe Roma and 3,843 Balkan Egyptiansto 100,000 Yerli, Gurbeti, Cergari, EgyptiansMexico North America Kale, Boyash, Machwaya, Lovari, Gitanos, KalderashMoldova Eastern / Southeastern Europe (2014 census)20,000 (government estimate) Rusurja, Ursari, KalderashMontenegro Southeastern Europe to 20,000, additionally 8,000 registered Roma refugees from Kosovo, the entire number of IDP Kosovarian Roma in Montenegro is twice as large. Netherlands Western Europe –40,000 New Zealand Oceania 132 Norway Northern Europe or more Romanisael, VlaxPoland Central / Eastern Europe –60,000 Polska RomaPortugal Southern / Western Europe People on the Move—Supp. N°93, Pontifical Council, December 2003, pp. 299–305. Romania Eastern / Southeastern Europe (2021 census)1,850,000 (CoE estimate) Kalderash, Ursari, Lovari, Vlax, Romungro, Turkish RomaRussia Eastern Europe / North Asia (census 2002)or450,000–1,000,000 (estimated) Ruska Roma (descended from Polska Roma, from Poland), Kalderash (from Moldova), Servy (from Ukraine and Balkans), Ursari (from Bulgaria) Lovare, Wallachian Roma (from Wallachia)Serbia Southeastern Europe (census 2011)or 400,000–800,000 (estimated) See Romani people in Serbia. Main sub-groups include "Turkish Gypsies", "White Gypsies", "Wallachian Gypsies" and "Hungarian Gypsies".Slovakia Central / Eastern Europe or 550,000 RomungroSlovenia Central / Southeastern Europe –10,000 Spain Southern / Western Europe (official estimation)600,000–800,000or 1,500,000Estimated by the Society for Threatened Peoples Gitanos, Kalderash, Boyash, ErromintxelaSweden Northern Europe –65,000 Romanisael, Vlax (Kalderash, Lovara), Kàlo Switzerland Central / Western Europe –35,000 Turkey West Asia / Southeastern Europe to 5,000,000 Romani people in TurkeyUkraine Eastern Europe (census 2001) or 400,000 (estimated)Kelderare (Hungarian name for Kotlyary; Zakarpattia), Kotlyary (other Ukrainian regions), Ruska Roma (northern Ukraine), Servy (Serby, southern and central Ukraine, from Serbia), Lovare (central Ukraine), Kelmysh, Crymy (in Crimea), Servica Roma (in Zakarpattia from Slovakia), Ungriko Roma (in Zakarpattia from Hungary)Helbing Adriana, Ukraine: Performing Politics, 28 February 2006United Kingdom Northern / Western Europe –94,000+ Unspecified number of Romani immigrants from Eastern Europe (among them in 2004 there were 4,100 Vlax Roma)and additionally 200,000 recent migrants Romanichal, KaleUnited States North America (Romani ancestry. Romani organizations' estimate) Uruguay South America –5,000Venezuela South America –5,000 Gitanos, Gurbeti, Kalderash, Xaladitka Roma, Ciganos, Manouche