Romani diaspora

The Romani diaspora refers to the presence and dispersion of Romani people across various parts of the world. Their migration out of the Indian subcontinent occurred in waves, with the first estimated to have taken place in the 6th century. They are believed to have first arrived in Europe in the 9th century, via the Balkans. Gradually, they came to settle across the areas of present-day Turkey, Greece, Serbia, Romania, Croatia, Moldova, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Hungary, Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and Slovakia, by order of volume. From the Balkans, they migrated throughout Europe and, in the 19th and later centuries, to the Americas. The Roma population in the United States is estimated at more than one million.

Romani people are predominantly found in Europe, particularly in the Balkans, Slovakia and Spain. The total number of Romani people living outside Europe are primarily in the Americas, and are estimated in total at more than two million. Most Romani populations overseas were founded in the 19th century by emigration from Europe. There were Romani people with Christopher Columbus on his third voyage to Hispaniola in 1498. Some countries do not collect data by ethnicity. As of the early 2000s, an estimated 4 to 9 million Romani people lived in Europe and Asia Minor, although some Romani organizations estimate numbers as high as 14 million. There is no official or reliable count of the Roma populations worldwide. Many Roma refuse to register their ethnic identity in official censuses for fear of discrimination. There are also some descendants of intermarriage with local populations who no longer identify exclusively as Romani, or who do not identify as Romani at all.

The Romani people may identify with distinct subgroups based in part on territorial, religious, cultural and dialectal differences, and self-designation. The main branches are:

1. Roma—in this context encompassing Romani people who do not identify with a subgroup, concentrated in Central and Eastern Europe, but present throughout the continent. The term is also used to refer to all Romani people as a whole.
2. Sinti, concentrated in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Italy.
3. Kalderash, concentrated in Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary.
4. Calé, concentrated in Spain, but also in Portugal (see Romani people in Portugal) and southern France.
5. Manouche, concentrated in France and Belgium.
6. Romanlar, in Turkey, particularly East Thrace.
7. Romanichal, in England, the Scottish Borders, northeast Wales and south Wales.
8. Romanisael, in Sweden and Norway.
9. Gurbeti, concentrated in Turkey, Albania, Bulgaria, Kosovo and Serbia
10. Boyash, concentrated in Romania and Moldova.
11. Ursari, concentrated in Romania and Moldova.
12. Kaale, in Finland and Sweden.
13. Kalé, in Wales.
14. Lovari, concentrated in Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
15. Sevlengere in Greece and Turkey.
16. Horahane Roma in the Balkans.
17. Lowland Romani, in the Scottish Lowlands.

Romani people have additional internal distinctions, with groups identified as; Xoroxane (Muslim Roma in the Balkans); Xaladytka (Ruska Roma); Bashaldé; Churari; Ungaritza; Machvaya (Machavaya, Machwaya, or Macwaia) in Serbia; Romungro in Hungary and neighbouring Carpathian countries; Erlides (Yerlii, Arli); Argintari from silversmiths; Aurari from goldsmiths; Florari from florists; and Lăutari from singers.