In 2010, the population of China totalled 1.33 billion people, of which an overwhelming majority (91.6 % of the total) were members of the Han nationality. The remaining 112 million (almost 8.4 %) were members of one of China’s 55 minority nationalities. The authors examine the demographic and socioeconomic structure of China’s minority populations, focusing in particular on the 18 groups with populations of over 1 million.

The chapter begins with a brief review of the history of relations between the Han and the non-Han minorities. It next presents vignettes for the largest 18 groups and analyses their socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, and the differences between them and the Han population. It concludes by spelling out some of the implications of our research for assimilationist theories of ethnic group relations.