In addition to the Han majority, there are 55 ethnic minority groups within China that are officially recognised by the People's Republic of China. As of 2005, the combined population of these minority groups made up 9.44% of China's total population.
China exercises a policy of regional autonomy for various ethnic minority groups, allowing minorities living in integrated communities to establish self-government and direct their own affairs. There are currently five autonomous regions in China. They are the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Tibet Autonomous Region. In addition, China also has 30 autonomous prefectures and 121 autonomous counties.
The defining elements of an ethnic group are language, homeland, and social values. Fifty-three ethnic minority groups speak their own dialects and among them 23 have their own written languages.
