Caste systems exist where?

The division of a society into castes is a global phenomenon not exclusively practised within any particular religion or belief system. 

In South Asia, caste discrimination is traditionally rooted in the Hindu caste system. Supported by philosophical elements, the caste system constructs the moral, social and legal foundations of Hindu society. Dalits are ‘outcastes’ or people who fall outside the four-fold caste system consisting of the Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vysya and Sudra. Dalits are also referred to as Panchamas or people of the fifth order. However caste systems and the ensuing caste discrimination have spread into Christian, Buddhist, Muslim and Sikh communities. 

Caste systems are also found in Africa, other parts of Asia, the Middle East, the Pacific and in Diaspora communities around the world. It affects approximately 260 million people worldwide, the vast majority living in South Asia. 

Caste discrimination occurs in multiple societies in Asia, most notably in South Asia. The following are not official statistics (with the exception of India) but estimates: 

• India - 167 million or 15-20 percent of total population (the actual number of affected people is more likely closer to 200 million)
• Pakistan - App. 2 million or 1,20 percent of total population
• Bangladesh - App. 4,5 million or 3-4 percent of total population
• Nepal - App. 4,5 million or 15-20 percent of population
• Sri Lanka - App. 4-5 million or 20-30 percent of total population 
• Japan - App. 3 million or 2-3 percent of total population

Africa
Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mali, Cameroon, Mauritania, Sierra Leone,  Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and possibly more.

Diaspora communities
Europe, North America, Asia, Pacific. 

Middle East
Yemen.

Other 
Micronesia

Much research still needs to be done on caste systems and discrimination in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and among diaspora population groups.

> Learn more about caste discrimination in South Asia