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Index / Peoples
   Iran /
Peoples
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Ethnic groups
Figures in 1000. |
| Iranians |
Persians
|
33,000 |
46.0% |
Kurds
|
6,600 |
9.0% |
Gilakis
|
3,700 |
5.1% |
Mazandaranis
|
2,700 |
3.7% |
Lors *)
|
2,000 |
2.8% |
Balochis
|
1,600 |
2.2% |
Bakhtiaris
|
1,300 |
1.8% |
Laks *)
|
1,000 |
1.4% |
Talysh
|
430 |
0.6% |
Afshars
|
320 |
0.4% |
Lari
|
300 |
0.4% |
Tats
|
12 |
<0.1% |
| Turkics |
Azerbaijanis
|
12,000 |
17.0% |
Qashqais
|
1,700 |
2.3% |
Turkmens
|
1,100 |
1.5% |
Khorasani Turks
|
800 |
1.1% |
| Semitics |
Arabs
|
1,600 |
2.2% |
| Other |
Doms
|
1,400 |
1.9% |
Armenians
|
200 |
0.3% |
*) Depending on defintions, Laks are either part of the Lor people, or an independent ethnic/cultural group.
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Less than half of the people of Iran are Persians, but they are culturally and structurally dominating the Iranian society. Other large peoples of Iran are Azerbaijanis, 17% and Kurds, 9%. Kurds live along the border areas close to Iraq, and in a territory close to Turkey. The Azerbaijanis live north and east of the Kurds, and the two peoples are divided by Lake Urmiye. Both Kurds and Azerbaijanis make up a large part of the population of the capital Teheran.
Other groups making up the population of Iran are Gilaki, living at the western coast of the Caspian sea; Mazandarani, living at the eastern coastal area of the Caspian Sea; Lors, who live in the mountainous areas in western Iran, east of the Kurds, and south of the Azerbaijanis; Bakhtiari, who live in southwestern Iran, south of the Lors; Arabs, who live in southern Iran, close to the border to Iraq, south of the Kurds and the Bakhtiari; Baloch, who live in southeastern Iran, in the areas close to Pakistan. Each of these peoples make up between 1 and 5% of the population of Iran.
Iran had in 1956 about 19 million inhabitants. In 1978, 22 years later, the population had almost doubled to 36 million. The present population is only given by estimates, and these vary. CIA World Factbook makes it 65.9 million by July 2008.
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