current numbers
There are over 40 million overseas Chinese, mostly living in Southeast Asia, where they make up a majority of the population of Singapore and significant minority populations in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam. The overseas populations in those areas arrived between the 16th and 19th centuries, mostly from the maritime provinces of Guangdong and Fujian, followed by Hainan. There were incidences of earlier emigration from the 10th to 15th centuries, in particular to Malacca and Southeast Asia.
Statistics
| Continent/Country | Articles about Chinese population | Overseas Chinese Population | % of local population |
% of Global Overseas Chinese population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia | 30,976,784 (2006) | 0.8% | 78.7% | |
| Thailand | Thai Chinese | 8.5 million (2006) | 14% | 11.7% |
| Indonesia | Chinese Indonesian | 7.3 million (2003) | 3.1% | 11.7% |
| Malaysia | Malaysian Chinese, Peranakan | 7.0 million (2006)[22] | 24.5% | 12.1% |
| Singapore | Chinese in Singapore | 2.7 million (2005) | 75.6% | 4.3% |
| Vietnam | Hoa, Ngái, San Diu | 2.3 million (2006)[23] | 3% | 2%-3% |
| Philippines | Chinese Filipino, Tornatras, Sangley | 1.5 million (2004) | 2% | 2.4% |
| Myanmar | Burmese Chinese, Panthay | 1.3 million (2003) | 3% | 2.1% |
| India | Chinese community in Kolkata | 186,461 (2005) | 0.02% | 0.5% |
| Japan | Chinese in Japan | 175,000 (2003) | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| Cambodia | Chinese Cambodian | 150,000 (2003) | 1.2% | 0.2% |
| South Korea | Ethnic Chinese in Korea | 85,000 (2003) | 0.2% | 0.16% |
| Brunei | Ethnic Chinese in Brunei | 56,000 (2006) | 15% | 0.1% |
| Laos | Laotian Chinese | 50,000 (2003) | 1% | 0.1% |
| North Korea | Ethnic Chinese in Korea | 50,000 (2003) | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Israel | Chinese in Israel | 23,000 | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| Mongolia | Han Chinese in Mongolia | 11,323 | 0.4% | 0.03% |
| Americas | 5,945,000 (2008) | 0.6% | 14.5% | |
| United States | Chinese American, American-born Chinese | 3 million (2005) | 1% | 6.8% |
| Canada | Chinese Canadian, Canadian-born Chinese | 1.3 million (2004) | 3.69% | 3.4% |
| Brazil | Chinese Brazilian | 360,000 (2006) | 0.10% | 0.4% |
| Peru | Chinese-Peruvian | 250,000 | 2.08% | 0.4% |
| Panama | Ethnic Chinese in Panama | 150,000 | 5% | 0.4% |
| Argentina | Asian Argentine | 60,000 | 0.16% | 0.1% |
| Dominican Republic | Asian Dominican | 25,000 | 0.27% | 0.1% |
| Nicaragua | Chinese Nicaraguan | 12,000[24] | — | — |
| Jamaica | Chinese Jamaican | Unknown | — | — |
| Suriname | — | 9,400 | 2.00% | — |
| Cuba | Chinese Cuban | Unknown | — | — |
| Trinidad & Tobago | Chinese Trinidadian | 3,800 | — | — |
| Europe | 1,700,000 (2006) | 0.2% | 4.1% | |
| Russia | Chinese people in Russia, Dungan | 680,000 | 0.5% | 1.9% |
| France | Chinese French, Sino-Réunionnaise | 300,000 | 0.5% | 0.9% |
| United Kingdom England |
British Chinese | 500,000 (2008) 347,000 (2005)[25] |
0.8% 0.7% |
1.3% 0.8% |
| Italy | Chinese in Italy | 111,712 | 0.19% | 0.2% |
| Spain | Chinese people in Spain | 99,000 (2006)[26] | 0.22% | 0.16% |
| Germany | — | 71,639 (2004)[27] | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| The Netherlands | — | 144,928 (2006)[28] | 0.7% | 0.1% |
| Ireland | — | 16,533 (2006)[29] | 0.39% | |
| Romania | Chinese of Romania | 2,249 | — | — |
| Oceania | 1,000,000(2003) | 1.9% | 1.7% | |
| Australia | Chinese Australian | 974,689(2006)[30] | 4.8% | 1.3% |
| New Zealand | Chinese New Zealander | 147,570 (2006) | 3.5% | 0.3% |
| Fiji | Chinese in Fiji | 6,000 (2000) | 0.5% | 0.01% |
| Tonga | Chinese in Tonga | 3,000 to 4,000 (2001)[31][32] | 3 or 4% | — |
| Africa | 103,000 (2003) | 0.02% | 0.3% | |
| Cape Verde | Chinese in Cape Verde | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| South Africa | South African Chinese | 100,000 (2003) | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Mauritius | Sino-Mauritian | Unknown | 3% | Unknown |
| Total | — | 39,379,784 | 0.6% | 100% |
Statistics compiled using local country statistics or best available estimates. Note that the percentages may not add up due to varying census and estimate dates.
