When we discuss countries with large Black populations, many immediately start to think of countries on the continent of Africa. However, Black people aren’t just in those countries, we can see them all over. Places such as Asia, South America and even Europe have countries with large Black populations that may surprise you. Many scholars and historians consider those individuals to be part of the “African Diaspora” — which refers to Black people outside of Africa.
The term, African Diaspora originated during the 1950s but that migration of Black people took place long before they created a name for it. It was associated with Africa during the Transatlantic Slave Trade where millions are Africans from Western and Central Africa were taken to the Americas and the Caribbean.
For years, social media influencers — like Jessie Woo — has discussed the Haitian history along with Black history. We dive into the brief history and the Black population of each country.
Dominican Republic
Black Population: 8 Million
Many people who are of African ancestry do not label themselves as being Black in Dominican Republic. Due to the extreme discrimination in the country, many Black people are facing difficulties obtaining official documents and gaining education. According to the 2022 study of the Dominic Republic by the United Nations only about 8% label themselves as Black.
Haiti
Black Population: 10.8 Million
Haiti’s population is predominantly Black, with a percentage of 95. Their population consists mostly of descendants from the enslaved Africans brought over by the French colonists. The country is renowned for being the first Black republic. It was also the first nation in the Western Hemisphere to abolish slavery.
Venezuela
Black Population: 1.1 Million
Many outlets suggest that Black people or Afro-descendants makeup nearly a quarter of Venezuela’s population. Like many other countries, Africans were forced to come to Venezuela as slaves to work mostly on the cocoa plantations.
Cuba
Black Population: 1.1 Million
Many Afro-Cubans were settled into the country as early as 1513. Most of the Africans live in the districts of Havana. More than 9% of Africans make up for their population.
Peru
Black Population: 828,841 thousand
Black Peruvians make up approximately 3.6% of the population. Afro-Peruvians mostly live in the city of Nazca & the southern coastal regions.
Mexico
Black Population: 2.5 Million
2,576,213 is the number of Black people that live in Mexico. That is almost more than 2.04%. Most of the Black people or people of African ancestry came into the country when as slaves and laborers from other Spanish territories.
United Kingdom
Black Population: 2,485,724 Million
The Transatlantic Slave Trade create a high population in the United Kingdom. They were the first country to enslave black people during this time. This created the country to become the largest ethnic minority in the country. With almost 2.5 million black people making the population.
Trinidad and Tobago
Black Population: 1.2 Million
African slaves were brought into the country in the 17th century. Which created the country to be the second largest ethnic group. Approximately 30% of their population are of African descent.
Jamaica
Black Population: 2.4 Million
Jamaica was where the first Africans came as slaves — mostly from Ghana, Nigeria and Central Africa. More than 90% of Jamaica is made up of black ancestry.
Brazil
Black Population: 91 Million
Brazil is mentioned to be one of the largest black population outside of Africa. Almost 55% of their population is of African descent.
Colombia
Black Population: 4.4 Million
Only about 4.4 Million Afro-Colombians identify as Black. While other Afro-Colombians do not due to the inter-relations with white and indigenous Colombians.
Black history goes further than what we read or what we are taught. There is so much more to our history, we just have to be willing to find it. Again, these are only a few of the countries that have a greater black population.
Which countries surprised you the most? Give us your thoughts in the comments below.
Main Image: Photo by Nastya Sensei via Pexels
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