The major ethnic group in Bangladesh is the Bengalis, or Bangla speaking people. They amount to 98% of the total population of the country. The remaining 2% comprises more than thirty different tribal ethnic groups that are settled in different corners of Bangladesh.

Bengalis

The Bengalis being the prime ethnic group of Bangladesh mainly communicate in the Bengali language. Regardless of what religion the Bengalis follow, the sole language that they speak is Bengali. Due to this fact, many consider Bangladesh to be ethnically homogeneous.

Bengalis are believed to have existed in modern Bangladesh or earlier Bengal for around 4000 years. Bengalis, though considered homogeneous by some based on their common language, are in fact a heterogeneous ethnic group with prominent diversity. This is so because though Bengalis are basically Indo-Aryan people they have descendants from Tibeto-Burmans, Dravidians and Austro-Asiatic people. Bengalis are further sub classified based on the religion they follow, whether they are Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Catholics or Protestants.

Almost 89% of Bengalis are Muslims, around 10% are Hindus, and the remaining 1% comprises Buddhists, Catholics and Protestants. The Muslims can be subdivided into the Sunnis, Shias and the Ahmadis. Around 95% Muslims are Sunnis while 3% are Shias and rest are Ahmadis.

Famous Bengalis that have been major contributors in the freedom movement were A.K.Fazlul Huq and Huseyn Suhrawardy.

Tribal ethnic groups in Bangladesh

The different tribal ethnic groups in Bangladesh include but are not limited to: Rajbangshi, Manipuri, Khasia, Tripura, Marma, Mandi, Hajong, Chakma, Rakhain, Santal, Tanchyanga, Murong, Zomi and Garo.

Chakmas

This ethnic group is the largest type of tribal group found in Bangladesh. There are close to a million Chakma people living in Bangladesh. They have mix descendants from Tibet and Burma and have existed in Bangladesh even before its formation as an independent state. The Chakmas are concentrated in the hilly region of Chittagong province of Bangladesh.

The majority of Chakma people practice Buddhism. They communicate in their own Chakma language and have a distinct culture, which they adhere to. The Chakmas communicate in their own Chakma language called Changma Vaj, which is biased on the Chittagonian dialect and has its own writing script.

Santals

This is the other largest tribal ethnic group in Bangladesh. They are mainly found in the regions of Dinajpur, Naogaon, Panchagar and Thakurgaon in Bangladesh. They follow the animist faith.