The Hakka are a Han Chinese subgroup distinguished by the Hakka language and a documented history of successive migrations from northern and central China into the hill country of Guangdong, Fujian and Jiangxi provinces, a migratory history embedded in the group's own name ('guest families'). Hakka communities are known for distinctive communal architecture, notably the large circular and rectangular earthen tulou dwellings of Fujian, built partly for defense as later-arriving settlers in already-populated regions. A substantial Hakka diaspora, driven by nineteenth- and twentieth-century emigration, is documented across Taiwan, Southeast Asia (notably Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia), and further abroad, and numerous prominent overseas Chinese political and business figures have been of Hakka descent.
Facts
Group TypeSourced to the subject's own accountEthnic subgroup (Han Chinese) 1 Typical RegionSourced to the subject's own accountSouthern China (Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi) with a substantial global diaspora 1 Primary LanguageSourced to the subject's own account Subsistence ModeSourced to the subject's own accountHistorically hill and highland agriculture in areas of southern China less favorable than the lowland rice plains already settled by earlier arrivals, reflecting the group's documented history of successive inland migration. 1 Disputed
Population Estimateestimated 80 to 90 million worldwide 1 Sourced to the subject's own accountHakka identity is linguistic and cultural rather than a separate national census category, and diaspora Hakka populations across Southeast Asia and beyond are not consistently counted, so cited totals vary widely. Sources
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