Peoples of the Arctic: who lives in the far North
Almost four million people live in the Arctic. Roughly one in ten belongs to an Indigenous people, and dozens of distinct Indigenous peoples, speaking between 40 and 90 languages, call the region home.
How many people live in the Arctic
The Arctic Council puts the Arctic population at almost four million people, living in the northern parts of the eight Arctic states: Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States.
About 10 percent are Indigenous. Sources give slightly different totals: 10 percent of 4 million is 400,000 (4,000,000 × 0.10), while the Arctic Council and Arctic Portal also cite a round figure of about 500,000 Indigenous people. The gap comes from how "the Arctic" is drawn and who is counted, so treat both as estimates.
Where you draw the line matters. In the strictest sense, the Arctic is everything north of the Arctic Circle, at about 66°34′N. Others use the northern limit of upright trees, or areas where average temperatures stay below about 10°C (50°F). A wider definition takes in more towns and more people.
The share of Indigenous residents also varies a lot by country. NOAA's Arctic FAQ notes that Indigenous people make up roughly 70 percent or more of the population in mainland Alaska along the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, and about half of the population of the Canadian Arctic, but 15 percent or fewer along Russia's north coast.
Indigenous peoples of the Arctic
This is a short introduction, not a complete list. Each people has its own languages, history and name for itself.
- Inuit
- Inuit live across Alaska, Canada, Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat) and Chukotka in Russia. The Inuit Circumpolar Council, founded in 1977, represents about 180,000 Inuit. Regional groups include the Iñupiat of northern Alaska and the Kalaallit of Greenland.
- Yupik and Yup'ik
- Closely related to Inuit. In Alaska, mainland Yup'ik people spell their name with an apostrophe; Yupik without one refers to people of St. Lawrence Island and nearby Chukotka.
- Aleut (Unangan)
- People of Aleut descent live in the United States (Alaska) and Russia. They are represented by the Aleut International Association.
- Athabaskan peoples
- The Arctic Athabaskan Council represents about 45,000 Athabaskan people in 76 communities in Alaska, Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
- Gwich'in
- The Gwich'in live in Canada and the United States and are represented by Gwich'in Council International.
- Sámi
- The Sámi homeland, Sápmi, stretches across Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia's Kola Peninsula. The Saami Council, founded in 1956, represents an estimated 50,000 to 80,000 Sámi through member organizations in all four countries. Reindeer husbandry is a way of life for many Sámi.
- Peoples of the Russian North
- Russia officially recognizes more than 40 "small-numbered" Indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East, a status for groups of fewer than 50,000 people. Arctic Portal estimates their total at 180,000 to 260,000. They include the Nenets of northwestern Siberia, for whom reindeer herding is central; the Chukchi of the Chukotka Peninsula, known for reindeer herding and, in coastal communities, marine mammal hunting; and the Nganasan, Enets, Dolgan, Evenks, Evens and Yukaghir.
The Permanent Participants
Six Indigenous organizations hold the status of Permanent Participant in the Arctic Council. They sit at the table alongside the eight Arctic states and have full consultation rights in the Council's negotiations and decisions, though decisions are taken by consensus of the states.
| Organization | Represents |
|---|---|
| Aleut International Association | Aleut peoples in the United States and Russia |
| Arctic Athabaskan Council | About 45,000 Athabaskan people in Alaska, Yukon and the Northwest Territories |
| Gwich'in Council International | Gwich'in in Canada and the United States |
| Inuit Circumpolar Council | About 180,000 Inuit in Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Chukotka |
| Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North (RAIPON) | 40 Indigenous peoples of northern Russia |
| Saami Council | 50,000–80,000 Sámi in Finland, Norway, Sweden and Russia |
Learn more about how the Council works on Arctic governance.
Respectful terminology
- Use the name a people uses for itself. In 2010, the Inuit Circumpolar Council formally asked researchers and others to use "Inuit" instead of "Eskimo", noting that "Eskimo" is not an Inuit term and not one Inuit adopted. The Alaska Native Language Center describes "Eskimo" as a colonial name that is fading from use.
- Do not call all Arctic peoples Inuit. Yup'ik, Yupik and Aleut people are not Inuit, and many Alaska Natives prefer names in their own languages, such as Iñupiaq or Yup'ik. When in doubt, use the specific name.
- Singular and plural. "Inuit" is already plural; one person is an Inuk.
- Sámi or Saami. Both spellings are used in English. The Saami Council uses "Saami" in its name.
- Capitalize Indigenous when referring to Indigenous peoples, as the Arctic Council does.
- Peoples, not "tribes" or "natives" in general. Name the people or the organization, and avoid describing living cultures in the past tense.
Maps of Arctic peoples
- Location of Arctic indigenous peoples: a downloadable PDF map from the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), a working group of the Arctic Council. It is based on 1998 material and was last updated in 2010.
- Arctic Indigenous languages map: from the Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples' Secretariat in Tromsø. It shows languages spoken by members of the Permanent Participant organizations. Between 40 and 90 Indigenous languages are spoken in the Arctic, depending on how languages and dialects are counted. The secretariat notes that its borders are illustrative, not precise.
Treat any map of peoples as a simplification: communities overlap, people move to cities, and boundaries are drawn by mapmakers, not by the peoples themselves.
Organizations to follow
- Inuit Circumpolar Council
- Saami Council
- Arctic Council Permanent Participants
- Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples' Secretariat
Sources
- Arctic peoples, Arctic Council
- Arctic States, Arctic Council
- Permanent Participants, Arctic Council
- Permanent Participant article series: RAIPON, Arctic Council
- Arctic FAQ, NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
- Indigenous organizations, Arctic Portal
- Indigenous peoples of the Russian Arctic, Arctic Portal
- Inuit Circumpolar Council
- About ICC, Inuit Circumpolar Council
- ICC Resolution 2010-01 on the use of the term Inuit (PDF), Inuit Circumpolar Council
- Inuit or Eskimo: which name to use?, Alaska Native Language Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- The Saami Council
- Rain-on-snow impacts, National Snow and Ice Data Center
- Location of Arctic indigenous peoples, AMAP
- Arctic Indigenous languages, Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples' Secretariat