Total population | |
---|---|
(Approx. 49 million (2009)) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Pakistan | 30,699,037 (2008) |
Afghanistan | 13,750,117 (2008) |
UAE | 338,315 (2009) |
United States | 138,554 (2010) |
Iran | 110,000 (1993) |
United Kingdom | 100,000 (2009) |
Germany | 37,800 (2012) |
Canada | 26,000 (2006) |
India | 13,000 (2009) |
Russia | 9,800 (2002) |
Australia | 8,154 (2006) |
Malaysia | 5,500 (2008) |
Tajikistan | 4,000 (1970) |
Languages | |
Pashto, Waneci, Ormuri In their different forms: Durrani, Ghilji, Yusufzai, Afridi, Wazirwola |
|
Religion | |
Islam (Sunni) with small Twelver Shia minority |
The Pashtuns (/ˈpʌʃˌtʊnz/, /ˈpɑːʃˌtʊnz/ or /ˈpæʃˌtuːnz/; Pashto: پښتانه Pax̌tānə; singular masculine: پښتون Pax̌tūn, feminine: پښتنه Pax̌tana; also Pukhtuns, and also in Pakistan as Pakhtoons, or Pukhtoons), historically known by the exonyms Afghans (Persian: افغان, Afğān) and Pathans (Hindustani: پٹھان, पठान, Paṭhān), are an Iranic ethnic group who mainly live in Pakistan and Afghanistan. They speak the Pashto language and adhere to Pashtunwali, which is a traditional set of ethics guiding individual and communal conduct. The ethnogenesis of the Pashtun ethnic group is unclear but historians have come across references to various ancient peoples called Pakthas (Pactyans) between the 2nd and the 1st millennium BC, who may be their early ancestors. Their history is mostly spread amongst the countries of Pakistan and Afghanistan, centred on their traditional seat of power in that region.