Latin America's population is composed of a diverse mix of ancestries and ethnic groups, including Indigenous peoples, Europeans, Africans, Asians, and those of mixed heritage, making it one of the most ethnically diverse regions globally. The specific composition of the group varies from country to country. Many, including Mexico, Colombia, and some countries in Central America, having predominantly Mestizo identifying populations; in others, such as Bolivia, and Peru, Amerindians are a majority; while some are dominated by inhabitants of European ancestry, for example, Argentina or Uruguay; and some countries, such as Brazil and the Dominican Republic having sizable Mulatto and/or African populations.

Overview

According to Jon Aske:

Aske has also written that:

In his famous 1963 book The Rise of the West, William Hardy McNeill wrote that:

, p. 603

Thomas C. Wright, meanwhile, has written that:

, pp. 30 - 31

Racial and ethnic groups Mestizos: Intermixing between Europeans and Amerindians began early in the colonial period and was extensive. The resulting people, known as Mestizos (Caboclos in Brazil), make up the majority of the population in half of the countries of Latin America, with Paraguay and Chile being some of the lead countries. Additionally, Mestizos compose large minorities in nearly all the other mainland countries. Some countries in Latin America may use this term loosely as the literal meaning of the word "Mixed race", for example in the Dominican Republic and Honduras where the majority of the populations identify as Mestizo even if they have clear African ancestry. Whites: Beginning in the late 15th century, small numbers of Iberian colonists settled in what became Latin America. The Portuguese colonized Brazil primarily, and the Spaniards settled elsewhere in the region. At present, most white Latin Americans are of Spanish, Portuguese and Italian ancestry. Iberians brought the Spanish and Portuguese languages, the Catholic faith, and many Iberian-Latin traditions. Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela contain the largest absolute numbers of Whites in Latin America. Self-identified populations of whites make up the majorities of Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica , Cuba, and Uruguay and roughly half of Brazil's and Venezuela's populations. Ever since most of Latin America gained independence in the 1810s–1820s, millions of people have immigrated there. Of these immigrants, Italians formed the largest group, and next were Spaniards and Portuguese. Many others arrived, such as Germans, French, British, Greeks, Poles, Ukrainians, Russians, Croats and Irish. Also included are Jews and Armenians, as well as Arabs of Lebanese, Syrian, and Palestinian descent; most of them are Christian. Whites presently are the second most common racial group in Latin America and, whether as White, Mestizo, or Mulatto, the large number of Latin Americans have some degree of white ancestry. Amerindians: The indigenous population of Latin America, the Amerindians, arrived during the Lithic stage. In post-Columbian times they experienced tremendous population decrease, particularly in the early decades of colonization. They have since recovered in numbers, surpassing sixty million by some estimates. With the growth of other groups, they now compose a majority only in Bolivia and Guatemala, and nearly a third of Peru's population. Mexico (around one fifth of national population) has the largest Amerindian population in the Americas in absolute numbers. Most of the remaining countries have Amerindian minorities, in every case making up less than one-tenth of the respective country's population. In many countries, people of mixed Amerindian and European ancestry make up the majority of the population. Asians: People of Asian descent number several million in Latin America. The first Asians to visit the region were Filipino, as a result of New Spain's trading in Asia and Europe. The majority of Asian Latin Americans are of Japanese or Chinese ancestry and reside mainly in Brazil and Peru; there is also a growing Chinese minority in Panama. Brazil is home to about two million people of Asian descent; this includes the largest ethnic Japanese community outside Japan itself (estimated as high as 1.5 million), and about 200,000 ethnic Chinese and 100,000 ethnic Koreans. Ethnic Koreans also number tens of thousands in Argentina and Mexico. Mulattoes: Mulattoes are people of mixed African and European ancestry. In Latin America, Mulattoes descend primarily from Spanish or Portuguese men on one side, and enslaved African women on the other. Brazil is home to Latin America's largest mulatto population. Mulattoes are a population majority in the Dominican Republic and, depending on the source, Cuba as well. Mulattoes are also large in Venezuela, Panama, Honduras, Colombia, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico. Blacks: Millions of Africans were brought to Latin America from the 16th century onward, the majority of whom were sent to the Caribbean region and Brazil. Among the Latin American nations, Brazil leads this category in relative and absolute numbers, with 39% of the population being of at least partial Afro-Latin American descent. Significant populations are also found in Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Cuba, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Honduras, and Costa Rica. Latin Americans of mixed Black and White ancestry, called Mulattoes, are more numerous than Blacks. However, sometimes mulattos are included in the 'black' category, while other times they form their own ethnicity. Zambos: Intermixing between Africans and Amerindians was especially prevalent in Brazil and Middle America, often due to slaves running away (becoming cimarrones: maroons) and being taken in by Amerindian villagers. People of this mixed ancestry are known as Garifunas in Central America,Stranded in Paradise: Shipwrecked Hundreds of Years Ago, the Garifuna Are Still Trying to Find Their Way by Teresa Wiltz, The Washington Post. Lobos in Mexico, and Cafuzos in Brazil.

Census and other sources This is a list of ethnic groups based on national or other sources.

+ Country Native White Mestizo Mulatto Black East Asian Pardo or Mixed Zambo Other Undeclared Type of study Year 2.83% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.66% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 96.51% Census 2022 41.52% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.23% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 58.25% Census 2012 0.60% 43.46% 0.0% 0.0% 10.17% 0.42% 45.34% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Census 2022 12.44% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.06% 87.50% Census 2017 4.31% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 6.76% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.01% 88.93% Census 2018 2.42% 0.0% 0.0% 6.72% 1.05% 0.21% 0.0% 0.0% 87.37% 2.21% Census 2011 0.0% 64.1% 0.0% 0.0% 9.3% 0.0% 26.6% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Census 2012 0.0% 13.6% 0.0% 67.6% 18.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Household survey 2006 7.69% 2.21% 77.47% 1.45% 3.36% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 7.82% 0.0% Census 2022 0.2% 12.7% 86.3% 0.0% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.6% 0.0% Census 2007 Resultados del Censo 2018 43.43% 0.0% 56.01% 0.0% 0.19% 0.0% 0.0% 0.13% 0.24% 0.0% Census 2018 7.24% 7.87% 82.94% 0.0% 1.39% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.55% 0.0% Census 2013 9.35% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2.04% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 88.61% Census 2020 2.07% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2.79% 3.75% 91.36% Census 2005 12.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 9.2% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 78.5% Census 2010 2.29% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 97.71% Census 2022 25.75% 5.89% 60.20% 0.0% 3.57% 0.16% 0.0% 0.0% 4.42% 0.0% Census 2017 0.5% 17.1% 0.0% 0.0% 7.0% 0.1% 49.8% 0.0% 32.5% 0.0% Census 2020 2.4% 87.7% 0.0% 0.0% 4.6% 0.2% 0.0% 0.0% 0.1% 4.9% Census 2011 0.0% 43.6% 0.0% 0.0% 3.6% 0.0% 51.6% 0.0% 1.2% 0.0% Census 2011

Official census data in graphic form

According to Lizcano The following table contains information based on a 2014 non-genetic work entitled "Composición Étnica de las Tres Áreas Culturales del Continente Americano al Comienzo del Siglo XXI" ("Ethnic Composition of the Three Cultural Areas of the American Continent at the Beginning of the 21st Century") by National Autonomous University of Mexico professor Francisco Lizcano Fernández.

Lizcano compiled his estimation of groups based on criteria of cultural patterns, not on genotypes nor even phenotype.See table on page 218 In these estimations, therefore, "whites" encompasses all those whose practiced culture is predominantly Iberian-derived, while "mestizos" encompasses those whose practiced culture noticeably mixes Iberian and Amerindian cultural traditions, and "Amerindians" only those whose practiced culture is predominantly indigenous.

The resulting effect of employing these criteria, therefore, skews the figure of said groups if they had been based on genetic factors, or even based on phenotypic factors. Thus, for instance, the estimate of "whites" given for Chile would include mostly genetic mestizos, while the estimate of "mestizos" in Mexico would include not only a significant proportion of genetic Amerindians, but also many genetic whites, and so on for other countries.

+ Country Population2014Population obtained from U.S. Census Bureau, International Data Base, accessed on October 5, 2011. Whites Mestizos Mulattoes Amerindians Blacks Asians Creoles &Garifunas 41,769,726 85.0% 12.0% 0.0% 1.0% 0.0% 2.0% 0.0% 10,118,683 15.0% 28.0% 2.0% 55.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 203,429,773 53.8% 0.0% 39.1% 0.4% 6.2% 0.5% 0.0% 17,300,000 52.7% 39.3% 0.0% 8.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 41,725,543 20.0% 53.2% 21.0% 1.8% 3.9% 0.0% 0.1% 4,576,562 82.0% 15.0% 0.0% 0.8% 0.0% 0.2% 2.0% 11,087,330 37.0% 0.0% 51.0% 0.0% 11.0% 1.0% 0.0% 9,956,648 14.6% 0.0% 75.0% 0.0% 7.7% 0.4% 2.3% 16,888,760 9.9% 41.0% 5.0% 39.0% 5.0% 0.1% 0.0% 6,071,774 1.0% 91.0% 0.0% 8.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 13,824,463 4.0% 42.0% 0.0% 53.0% 0.0% 0.8% 0.2% 8,143,564 1.0% 85.6% 1.7% 7.7% 0.0% 0.7% 3.3% 121,724,226 15.0% 70.0% 0.5% 14.0% 2.4% 0.5% 0.0% 5,666,301 14.0% 78.3% 0.0% 6.9% 0.0% 0.2% 0.6% 3,989,133 10.0% 32.0% 27.0% 8.0% 5.0% 4.0% 14.0% 6,759,058 20.0% 74.5% 3.5% 1.5% 0.0% 0.5% 0.0% 30,814,175 12.0% 32.0% 9.7% 45.5% 0.0% 0.8% 0.0% 3,308,535 74.8% 0.0% 10.0% 0.0% 15.0% 0.2% 0.0% 3,460,462 88.0% 8.0% 4.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 27,635,743 16.9% 37.7% 37.7% 2.7% 2.8% 2.2% 0.0% Total 579,092,570 36.1%30.3%20.3%9.2%3.2%0.7%0.2% Note: "Creoles" refer to people of African descent originated in British and French colonies.

According to Latinobarometro The following table shows how Latin Americans answer the question What race do you consider yourself to belong to? in the Latinobarometro survey.Via SPSS output: ,

+ Country Mestizos Whites Amerindians Mulattoes Blacks Asians Other race 28% 56% 5% 1% 3% 1% 7% 63% 5% 28% 1% 1% 0% 3% 16% 37% 3% 12% 23% 0% 9% 20% 73% 5% 1% 0% 0% 1% 47% 25% 10% 6% 9% 1% 2% 34% 37% 9% 17% 4% 0% 0% 29% 16% 6% 25% 17% 1% 6% 87% 3% 5% 3% 2% 0% 0% 60% 16% 16% 5% 3% 0% 0% 37% 7% 48% 5% 1% 1% 0% 49% 19% 10% 17% 8% 0% 1% 58% 9% 21% 2% 1% 1% 7% 63% 15% 10% 4% 4% 0% 0% 43% 12% 18% 5% 22% 1% 0% 65% 22% 6% 0% 3% 0% 3% 77% 5% 7% 1% 2% 0% 8% 12% 74% 4% 4% 4% 0% 3% 43% 31% 8% 9% 7% 0% 3% Total 46% 27% 11% 6% 6% 0% 3%

Ethnic distribution

Indigenous distribution by country Percentage of Self-identified indigenous peoples in relation to the total population of each countryCountry or RegionPercent of the Population 44% 42% 25.8% 12.8% 12.5% Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo 10.4%Documentos, Documentos de resultados, Colombia; Latinobarómetro 2018 9.36% 7% 7%Nicaragua cepal.org 5% 2.7% 2.4% 2.4% 2.4% 1.8% 0.8% 0.2% ND ND ND

European distribution by country