View source for Asian people

{{Short description|All ethnic/racial/national groups originating in Asia}}
{{Redirect|Asians|other uses|Asian (disambiguation)}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2019}}

"'''Asian people'''"<ref>"[http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/Asian Asian M-w.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071226203404/http://m-w.com/dictionary/asian|date=December 26, 2007}}." ''[[Merriam-Webster]]'s Online Dictionary.''</ref> (sometimes "'''Asiatic people'''")<ref name="MESH">United States National Library of Medicine. Medical Subject Headings. 2004. November 17, 2006.[https://www.nlm.nih.gov/cgi/mesh/2004/MB_cgi?mode=&term=Asian+Continental+Ancestry+Group&field=entry Nlm.nih.gov] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304110000/http://www.nlm.nih.gov/cgi/mesh/2004/MB_cgi?mode=&term=Asian+Continental+Ancestry+Group&field=entry |date=March 4, 2016 }}: ''Asian Continental Ancestry Group'' is also used for categorical purposes.</ref> is an umbrella term for people who belong to any ethnic, racial, or national group with origins in [[Asia]]. It is most often used in contexts concerning the [[Asian diaspora]], which consists of Asian people and their descendants living outside of the continent.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-27 |title=Definition of ASIAN |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Asian |access-date=2023-12-30 |website=www.merriam-webster.com |language=en}}</ref> The exact definition of the term may vary by country; some classifications of "Asian" may only refer to certain [[Ethnic groups in Asia|Asian-origin groups]], as opposed to the [[Demographics of Asia|population of the entire continent]].

==Meanings by region==
===Anglophone Africa and the Caribbean===
{{Further|Indian South Africans|Asian Caribbeans|Indo-Caribbean|Chinese Caribbean|Indo-African (disambiguation)|Afro-Asians}}

In parts of [[English-speaking world|anglophone]] Africa, especially East Africa and in parts of the [[Caribbean]], the term "Asian" is more commonly associated with people of [[South Asian diaspora|South Asian origin]], particularly Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans.<ref name=autogenerated5 /> In South Africa the term "Asian" is also usually synonymous with the [[Indian South Africans|Indian race group]].<ref name="leej2016"/> East Asians in South Africa, including [[Chinese South Africans|Chinese]] were classified either as [[Coloureds]] or as [[honorary whites]].<ref name="leej2016">{{Cite web |url=https://krieger.jhu.edu/research-opps/wp-content/uploads/sites/86/2015/06/Lee-Jennifer.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=March 5, 2021 |archive-date=July 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716044440/https://krieger.jhu.edu/research-opps/wp-content/uploads/sites/86/2015/06/Lee-Jennifer.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Arab countries of the Persian Gulf===
In the [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf]], the term "Asian" generally refers to people of [[South Asian]] and [[Southeast Asia]]n descent due to the large [[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin|Indian]], [[Overseas Pakistani|Pakistani]], [[Overseas Bangladeshi|Bangladeshi]], and [[Overseas Filipinos|Filipino]] expatriate populations in these countries.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/emiratis-vs-asians-which-drivers-crash-most-2015-02-15-1.580758 |title=The source discusses car accidents amongst Asians, Emiratis and other Arabs in the UAE. |date=February 15, 2015 |access-date=January 15, 2016 |archive-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110075119/https://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/emiratis-vs-asians-which-drivers-crash-most-2015-02-15-1.580758 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://kuwaitasians.com/ |title="Kuwait Asians" is a community website for the Indian, Sri Lankan, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Filipino expatriate population in Kuwait. |access-date=January 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005010605/http://kuwaitasians.com/ |archive-date=October 5, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.qatar-tribune.com/viewnews.aspx?n=006E99B7-6F47-4B4A-BFDC-7D50DE7F3401&d=20150604 |title=The source discusses the Asian Town complex in Qatar that was created for the Asian expatriate community from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and the Philippines. |access-date=January 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160124211049/http://www.qatar-tribune.com/viewnews.aspx?n=006E99B7-6F47-4B4A-BFDC-7D50DE7F3401&d=20150604 |archive-date=January 24, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> However, there are instances where the term is used solely to refer to those of South Asian descent.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x-75n5Iaz5wC&q=asians+in+the+uae+indian+pakistani+filipino&pg=PT80 |title=''Time Out Dubai'' is a book written by local experts on travel in the UAE and the authors use the words "Asian" and "Filipino" separately. |isbn=9781407011783 |access-date=September 27, 2016 |archive-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110075120/https://books.google.com/books?id=x-75n5Iaz5wC&pg=PT80&lpg=PT80&dq=asians+in+the+uae+indian+pakistani+filipino&source=bl&ots=tWHs9xarfx&sig=ZH_dmWYSCuBfNQKBCdasWBrJ-KA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwix5K3ItKjKAhWBJpQKHRzaCAk4ChDoAQgoMAM |url-status=live |last1=Ltd |first1=Time Out Guides |date=August 5, 2011 |publisher=Ebury }}</ref>

===Australia===
{{Main|Asian Australians|Indian Australians}}

The [[Census in Australia|Australian Census]] includes four regions of Asia in its official definition. Defined by the 2006–2011 Australian Census, three ''broad groups'' have the word Asian included in their name: [[Central Asia|''Central'']] and [[South Asia|''Southern Asian'']], [[Southeast Asia|''South-East Asian'']] and [[East Asians|''North-East Asian'']]. [[West Asians]] are classified as ''[[North African]] and [[Middle Eastern]]''.<ref>Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Standard Classification of Cultural and Ethnic Groups Second Edition. 2005. August 20, 2006. [http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/subscriber.nsf/0/8D2B70A9563E9970CA257036008072B8/$File/ascceg%202nd%20ed%20classification%20structure.xls Ausstats.abs.gov.au] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110075135/https://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/subscriber.nsf/0/8D2B70A9563E9970CA257036008072B8/$File/ascceg%202nd%20ed%20classification%20structure.xls |date=January 10, 2021 }}</ref>

===Canada===
{{Main|Asian Canadians|East Asian Canadians|South Asian Canadians|West Asian Canadians}}
The [[Census in Canada|Canadian Census]] uses the term 'Asian' pan-continentally. In its presentation of the "ethnic origin" results of the 2016 census, [[Statistics Canada]] under the category "Asian origins" includes: West Central Asian and Middle Eastern (includes "Arab, not otherwise specified"), South Asian, East and Southeast Asian, and "other" Asian origins.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/dt-td/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=110528&PRID=10&PTYPE=109445&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2017&THEME=120&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= | title=Data Tables, 2016 Census | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=February 14, 2018 | access-date=March 17, 2019 | archive-date=October 26, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026161129/http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/dt-td/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=110528&PRID=10&PTYPE=109445&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2017&THEME=120&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= | url-status=live }}</ref>

===New Zealand===
{{Main|Asian New Zealanders}}

New Zealand's census undertaken by [[Statistics New Zealand]] defines Asian to include people of Bangladeshi, Chinese, Indian, Korean, [[Filipino people|Filipino]], Japanese, [[Vietnamese people|Vietnamese]], [[Demographics of Sri Lanka|Sri Lankan]], [[Demographics of Cambodia|Cambodian]] and [[Thai people|Thai]] ancestries.<ref name=StatNewZealand>[http://www.stats.govt.nz/people/communities/asianpeople.htm Statistics New Zealand. Asian people. 2006. December 4, 2006] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061130000252/http://www.stats.govt.nz/people/communities/asianpeople.htm |date=November 30, 2006 }}</ref> In less formal contexts, the term ''Asian'' often does not refer to [[South Asian ethnic groups|South Asian people]].<ref>For example, "Asian and Indian people" are referred to in the New Zealand Heart Foundation's [http://www.pickthetick.org.nz/bmi/ BMI calculator] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531222922/http://www.pickthetick.org.nz/bmi/ |date=May 31, 2009 }}.</ref> Those of West or Central Asian origin are excluded from the term.

===Norway===
[[Statistics Norway]] uses the term 'Asian' pan-continentally and considers people of Asian background to be people from all Asian countries.<ref>{{in lang|no}} [http://www.ssb.no/vis/english/subjects/02/02/20/innvutv_en/main.html Immigration and emigration<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110075123/https://www.ssb.no/en/innvutv |date=January 10, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{in lang|no}} [http://www.ssb.no/vis/samfunnsspeilet/utg/200604/10/art-2006-10-10-01.html SSB: Unge innvandrere i arbeid og utdanning – Er innvandrerungdom en marginalisert gruppe?<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110075148/https://www.ssb.no/sosiale-forhold-og-kriminalitet/ssp |date=January 10, 2021 }}</ref>

===Sweden===
{{Main|Asian in Sweden}}
[[Statistics Sweden]] uses the term 'Asian' to refer to immigrants of Asian background from all Asian countries, including Western Asia/the Middle East.<ref>{{in lang|sv}} [http://www.scb.se/sv_/Hitta-statistik/Statistik-efter-amne/Levnadsforhallanden/Levnadsforhallanden/Integration---analys/224581/224589/Behallare-for-Press/Integration---En-beskrivning-av-laget-i-Sverige1/ Scb.se]</ref><ref>{{in lang|sv}} [http://www.scb.se/statistik/_publikationer/BE0701_1950I02_BR_06_BE51ST0405.pdf Scb.se]</ref> [[West Asia]]ns make up the largest region of Asian descent in the country, with Iraq once being the largest group of Asian immigrants.<ref name="Immigration">{{cite web|title=Invandring och utvandring för grupper av länder|url=http://www.scb.se/statistik/_publikationer/BE0701_1950I02_BR_06_BE51ST0405.pdf|website=Statistics Sweden|access-date=14 July 2021|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612085937/http://www.scb.se/statistik/_publikationer/BE0701_1950I02_BR_06_BE51ST0405.pdf|archive-date=12 June 2011|pages=39–40}}</ref>

===United Kingdom===
{{Main|British Asian|East Asians in the United Kingdom|British Indo-Caribbean people}}
In the United Kingdom, the term "Asian" is more commonly associated with people of South Asian origin, particularly Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans.<ref name=autogenerated5>British Sociological Association. Equality and Diversity. Language and the BSA:Ethnicity & Race. 2005. October 26. [http://www.britsoc.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/4E70B7F7-58A1-43AB-A414-77F929A954D2/534/EqualityandDiversity_LanguageandtheBSA_RaceMar05.doc Britsoc.co.uk] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061101052823/http://www.britsoc.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/4E70B7F7-58A1-43AB-A414-77F929A954D2/534/EqualityandDiversity_LanguageandtheBSA_RaceMar05.doc |date=November 1, 2006 }}</ref><ref name="Aspinall">Aspinall, Peter J. Oxford Journals. Journal of Public Health. 2003. October 26, 2006. [http://jpubhealth.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/25/2/91 Jpubhealth.oxfordjournals.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110075200/https://academic.oup.com/jpubhealth/article/25/2/91/1504920?login=true |date=January 10, 2021 }}</ref> Most respondents to the UK 2001 Census of non-Chinese East Asian and Southeast Asian descent chose to write-in their ethnicity in the "Other Ethnic Group" category rather than the "Other Asian" category, reflecting the association of the word Asian in the UK with South Asian.<ref name="ONS who">{{cite web|url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/articles/nojournal/other_ethnicgroups.pdf|title=Who are the 'Other' ethnic groups?|last=Gardener|first=David|author2=Connolly, Helen|date=October 2005|publisher=Office for National Statistics|access-date=June 6, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090530164748/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/articles/nojournal/other_ethnicgroups.pdf| archive-date= May 30, 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> Despite there being a strong presence of [[East Asians in the United Kingdom]] there are considerably more [[British Asian|South Asians]], for example the 2001 Census recorded 1.05&nbsp;million people of Indian origin and 247,000 of Chinese origin in the UK.<ref name="ONS ethnicity">{{cite web|url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=273|title=Population size: 7.9% from a minority ethnic group|date=February 13, 2003|publisher=Office for National Statistics|access-date=June 6, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090527101447/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=273| archive-date= May 27, 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> Common origins in the "Other Asian" category include Filipinos, Afghans and Nepalese.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/ethnicity/articles/2011censusanalysisethnicityandreligionofthenonukbornpopulationinenglandandwales/2015-06-18|title=2011 Census analysis: Ethnicity and religion of the non-UK born population in England and Wales: 2011|publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]]|date=18 June 2015}}</ref> [[Peter J. Aspinall]] of the Centre for Health Services Studies, [[University of Kent]], recommends privileging the term "South Asian" over the term "Asian", since the term "Asian" is a "contested term".<ref name="Aspinall" />

===United States===
{{Main|Asian Americans|Racial classification of Indian Americans|Indo-Caribbean Americans}}
[[File:RegionsofAsia-Census.PNG|thumb|left|upright=0.9|Asian ancestries as defined by the 2000 U.S. census.]]
In 1968, an Asian activist conference decided on favoring the name "Asian American" over the competing terms—"[[yellow people|yellow]]", "[[Mongoloid race|Mongoloid]]", "Asiatic", and "[[Orient]]al"—since the [[Filipinos]] at the meeting thought they were "[[Brown (racial classification)|brown]]" rather than "yellow" and the conference thought the term "Oriental" was [[Eurocentrism|Eurocentric]] since they originate from lands "east" only from Europe's standpoint and the term "Oriental" suggested to them "passivity".<ref>Yen Le Espiritu. (1992). [https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1bw1jcp Asian American Panethnicity: Bridging Institutions and Identities] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110075123/https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1bw1jcp |date=January 10, 2021 }}. Temple University Press, Philadelphia. {{ISBN|978-1-4399-0556-2}}</ref>

Earlier Census forms from 1980 and prior listed particular Asian ancestries as separate groups along with ''White'' and ''Black or Negro''.<ref>[http://usa.ipums.org/usa/voliii/items1980.shtml 1980 Census: Instructions to Respondents], republished by [[IPUMS|Integrated Public Use Microdata Series]], Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota at www.ipums.org Accessed November 19, 2006.</ref> Previously, Asian Americans were classified as "other".<ref name=GordonLee>Lee, Gordon. [[Hyphen (magazine)|Hyphen Magazine]]. "The Forgotten Revolution." 2003. January 28, 2007.[http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/features/issues/summer03/theforgottenrevolution.php Hyphenmagazine.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071002114541/http://hyphenmagazine.com/features/issues/summer03/theforgottenrevolution.php |date=October 2, 2007 }}</ref> But the [[1980 United States census|1980 Census]] marked the first general analyses of Asians as a group, combining several individual ancestry groups into "Asian or Pacific Islander." By the [[1990 United States census|1990 census]], ''[[Asian Pacific American|Asian or Pacific Islander]] (API)'' was included as an explicit category, although respondents had to select one particular ancestry.<ref>[http://usa.ipums.org/usa/voliii/items1990.shtml 1990 Census: Instructions to Respondents] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406100938/http://usa.ipums.org/usa/voliii/items1990.shtml |date=April 6, 2012 }}, republished by [[IPUMS|Integrated Public Use Microdata Series]], Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota at www.ipums.org Accessed November 19, 2006.</ref><ref>Reeves, Terrance Claudett, Bennett. United States Census Bureau. Asian and Pacific Islander Population: March 2002. 2003. September 30, 2006.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/p20-540.pdf#search=%22asian%20definition%20difference%22 |title=U.S. Bureau of Statistics |access-date=December 11, 2017 |archive-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110075208/https://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/p20-540.pdf#search=%22asian%20definition%20difference%22 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The 2000 and 2010 U.S. Census Bureau definition of the Asian [[Race (human classification)|race]] is: "people having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the [[Indian subcontinent]] (for example, [[Bangladesh]], [[Cambodia]], [[China]], [[India]], [[Indonesia]], [[Japan]], [[Korea]], [[Malaysia]], [[Pakistan]], the [[Philippines|Philippine Islands]], [[Thailand]], and [[Vietnam]])".<ref name="USCensus2000Asian">Barnes, Jessica S. and Bennett, Claudett E. The Asian Population:2000. 2002. September 1, 2006. [https://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/c2kbr01-16.pdf#search=%22Asian%20Census%20PDF%22 Census.gov] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116102137/https://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/c2kbr01-16.pdf#search=%22Asian%20Census%20PDF%22 |date=November 16, 2020 }}</ref>

Sandra S. Lee et al. (2001) said, in regards to the [[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|categories of the 2000 U.S. census]], that it is difficult to determine why Asian Americans are a "race" while [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Latino and Hispanic]] are an "ethnic group."<!--This is in the last sentence, of the 2nd paragraph, of page 44. The context of it being in regards to the categories of the 2000 US Census is given by that paragraph and the previous paragraph, which is on the previous page.--> Lee said, referring to the Hispanic or Latino category, that the category of Asian Americans, quite similarly, comprises different populations of diverse origins.<!--This is in the 2nd-to-last sentence, of the 2nd paragraph, of page 44. The phrase "Quite similarly...," used in that sentence, refers to the Hispanic or Latino category, mentioned in the previous sentence.--> Lee said that people of South Asian origin were categorically identified as "[[Hinduism|Hindu]]," regardless of their religion, in the early 20th century.<!--This is in the 2nd-to-last sentence, of the 2nd paragraph, of page 45.--> Lee said that the [[Racial classification of Indian Americans|policy changed to classify people from the Indian subcontinent as "white."]]<!--This is in the last sentence, of the 2nd paragraph, of page 45.--> Lee said that, more recently, South Asian Americans were added to the long list of groups that comprise the category of Asian American.<!--This is in the 1st sentence, of the last paragraph, of page 45.--> Referring to their classification as "Asian," Lee said that, in the United States, the classification of people from the Indian subcontinent depends on their historical location.<!--This is in the 3rd sentence, of the 2nd paragraph, of page 45. The phrase "these individuals," used in that sentence, refers to "...those from the Indian subcontinent," mentioned in the previous sentence. The "categorization," mentioned in the 3rd sentence, of the 2nd paragraph, of page 45, refers to their categorization as "Asian," mentioned in the previous sentence.--><ref name="LeeMountainKoenig2001">Lee, S.S., Mountain, J. & Koenig, B.A. (2001). The Meanings of Race in the New Genomics: Implications for Health Disparities Research. ''[[Yale Journal of Health Policy, Law, and Ethics]] 1,'' (1). Pages 43, 44, & 45. [https://web.archive.org/web/20061101012859/http://www.yale.edu/yjhple/volume_1/pdf/033%20%28koenig%29.pdf Wayback Machine link].</ref>

In 1930 and 1940, ''[[Indian Americans]]'' were identified as a separate race, ''[[Hindus|Hindu]]'', and in 1950 and 1960 they were racially classified as ''Other Race'', and then in 1970 they were classified as ''White''. Since 1980, Indians and all other South Asians have been classified as part of the [[Race (United States Census)|Asian ethnic group]].<ref>Campbell Gibson and Kay Jung. [https://web.archive.org/web/20051031073634/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076.html Historical Census Statistics On Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For Large Cities And Other Urban Places In The United States], Working Paper No. 76 (2005). See footnote 6 in paper</ref> Sociologist Madhulika Khandelwal described how "''....as a result of activism, South Asians came to be included as 'Asians' in the census only in the 80's. Prior to that many South Asians had been checking 'Caucasian' or 'Other'.''"<ref>Chandy, Sunu P. [http://way.net/sawa/desiaspora/02conf.html What is a Valid South Asian Struggle?] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061205220353/http://way.net/sawa/desiaspora/02conf.html |date=December 5, 2006 }} Report on the Annual SASA Conference. Retrieved August 8, 2008.</ref>

Respondents can also report their specific ancestry, e.g.: [[Ryukyuan people|Okinawan]], etc. Someone reporting these ancestries but no race would be classified as "Asian". Unlike Southeast Asians, [[Afghan Americans]], [[Arab Americans]], [[Armenian Americans]], [[Assyrian Americans]], [[Azerbaijani Americans]], [[Georgian Americans]], [[Israeli Americans]], [[Kurdish Americans]], [[Turkish Americans]], [[Iranian Americans]], and Central Asian Americans have not lobbied to be included as Asians by the U.S. Census Board.<ref name=autogenerated1>[http://www.aaiusa.org/foundation/355/not-quite-white Not Quite White: Race Classification and the Arab American Experience] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060927220911/http://www.aaiusa.org/foundation/355/not-quite-white |date=September 27, 2006 }}, Arab American Institute, 1997, September 29, 2006.</ref>

In normal American usage Asian does not refer to the people from the [[List of islands in the Pacific Ocean|Pacific Islands]] who are usually called [[Pacific Islander]]s.<ref>American Heritage Book of English Usage. Asian. 1996. September 29, 2006. [http://www.bartleby.com/64/C006/007.html Bartleby.com] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060216060110/http://www.bartleby.com/64/C006/007.html |date=February 16, 2006 }}</ref> The term "Asians and Pacific Islanders" or "Asia/Pacific" was used on the [[1990 United States census|1990 U.S. census]].<ref>Census '90. Asian and Pacific Islanders in the United States. 1990. September 1, 2006. [https://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cp3/cp-3-5.pdf#search=%22pacific%20islanders%20%22not%20asian%22%201990%20census%22 Census.gov]</ref>
<!-- Misinterpretation of source
As late as 2001, they were considered by most Americans to be the same racial group as Asians due to a perception of their implicit contrast to "whiteness".<ref name=autogenerated3 />
-->

However, in the [[2000 United States census|2000 U.S. census]], the Asian or Pacific Islander category was separated into two categories, "Asian" and "Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander".<ref>{{cite web|year=1997|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fedreg/1997standards.html|publisher=White House|title=Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity|quote=The Native Hawaiians presented compelling arguments that the standards must facilitate the production of data to describe their social and economic situation and to monitor discrimination against Native Hawaiians in housing, education, employment, and other areas. Under the current standards for data on race and ethnicity, Native Hawaiians comprise about three percent of the Asian and Pacific Islander population. By creating separate categories, the data on the Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islander groups will no longer be overwhelmed by the aggregate data of the much larger Asian groups. Native Hawaiians will comprise about 60 percent of the new category. The Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander population groups are well defined; moreover, there has been experience with reporting in separate categories for the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander population groups. The 1990 census included "Hawaiian," "Samoan," and "Guamanian" as response categories to the race question. In addition, two of the major tests conducted as part of the current review (the NCS and the RAETT) used "Hawaiian" and/or "Native Hawaiian," "Samoan," "Guamanian," and "Guamanian or Chamorro" as response options to the race question. These factors facilitate breaking apart the current category.|access-date=August 27, 2008|archive-date=February 8, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040208185224/http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fedreg/1997standards.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Demographics of Asia]]
** [[Ethnic groups in Asia]]
* [[List of Asian countries by population]]
** [[Asian diaspora]]
* [[Eastern world]]
** [[Orient]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|People of Asia}}

{{Overseas Asians}}{{Asia topics}}{{Asian Americans}}
{{AsiansinUK}}
{{Asian Canadians}}
{{Asian Australians}}
{{Historical definitions of race}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Asian people| ]]
[[Category:Race (human categorization)]]