View source for Autonomous prefecture

{{Short description|People's Republic of China prefecture-level subdivision}}
{{no footnotes|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox subdivision type
| name = Autonomous Prefecture<br>{{nobold|{{lang-zh|s=自治州|labels=no}}}}<br>{{lang-zh|p=Zìzhìzhōu|labels=no}}
| alt_name = 
| map = [[File:China autonomous prefectures.svg|330px]]
| category = Second-level [[administrative division]] of a [[unitary state]]
| territory = [[China]]
| start_date = <!--first APs created in the early 1950s-->
| current_number = 30
| number_date = 1983
| population_range = 
| area_range = 
| government = 
| subdivision = 
| caption = Current autonomous prefectures (yellow)
}}
{{Administrative levels and divisions of China sidebar}}

'''Autonomous prefectures''' ({{lang-zh|c=自治州|p=zìzhìzhōu}}) are one type of [[autonomous administrative divisions of China|autonomous administrative division in China]], existing at the [[Prefecture-level divisions of China|prefectural level]], with either [[list of ethnic groups in China and Taiwan|ethnic minorities]] forming over 50% of the population or being, most commonly, the historic home of significant minorities. The official name of an autonomous prefecture includes the most significant minority in that region, sometimes two, rarely three. For example, a prefecture with a large number of [[Kazakhs]] (''Kazak'' in official naming system) may be called a ''Kazak Autonomous Prefecture''. Like all other prefectural level divisions, autonomous prefectures are divided into [[County-level division|county level divisions]]. There is one exception: [[Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture]] contains two prefectures of its own. Under the [[Constitution of the People's Republic of China]], autonomous prefectures cannot be abolished.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}

== Autonomous administrative divisions ==
[[File:Autonomous rule divisions in China.png|thumb|Map of all minority regions under autonomous rule designated by the Central Government
{{legend|#78D2FF|Autonomous Region}}
{{legend|#78FFD2|Autonomous Prefecture}}
{{legend|#FFA850|Autonomous County}}
{{legend|#B9A03A|Autonomous Banner}}
{{legend|#FF0000|Ethnic district}}
]]
[[File:中国各自治地区及其指定的少数民族 China's Autonomous Regions and its Designated Ethnic Minority.png|thumb|250px|China's Autonomous Regions and its Designated Ethnic Minority]]

The PRC's autonomous administrative divisions may be found in the first (or top) to third levels of its national [[administrative division]]s thus:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! Level
! Type !! [[Chinese language|Chinese]] !! [[Pinyin]] !! Number [[Wikipedia:As of|as of]] June 2005
|-
|align="right"| Province (1)&nbsp;&nbsp;
| [[Autonomous regions of China|Autonomous regions]] || {{lang|zh-Hans|自治区}} || {{Transliteration|zh|Zìzhìqū}} || 5
|-
|align="right"| Prefecture (2)&nbsp;&nbsp;
| Autonomous prefectures || {{lang|zh|自治州}} || {{Transliteration|zh|Zìzhìzhōu}} || 30
|-
|rowspan="2" align="right"| County (3)&nbsp;&nbsp;
| [[Autonomous county|Autonomous counties]] || {{lang|zh-Hans|自治县}} || {{Transliteration|zh|Zìzhìxiàn}} || 117
|-
| [[Banners of Inner Mongolia#Autonomous banners|Autonomous banners]] || {{lang|zh|自治旗}} || {{Transliteration|zh|Zìzhìqí}} || 3
|}

==List of autonomous prefectures==
{|class="wikitable sortable" width=100% style="font-size:90%;"
|-
! Province
! Name
! [[Simplified Chinese characters|Simplified Chinese]] and [[Pinyin]]
! Designated [[List of ethnic groups in China|minority]]
! Local name
! Capital
|-
| [[Gansu]]
| [[Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture|Linxia]]
| {{lang|zh-hans|临夏回族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Línxià Huízú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Hui people|Hui]]
| (''The Hui speak [[Chinese language|Chinese]]'') [[Xiao'erjing]]: {{script/Arabic|لٍ‌ثِیَا خُوِزُو زِجِجِوْ}}
| [[Linxia City|Linxia]] city
|-
| [[Gansu]]
| [[Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture|Gannan]]
| {{lang|zh|甘南藏族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Gānnán Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Tibetans|Tibetan]]
| [[Standard Tibetan|Tibetan]]: {{bo-textonly|ཀན་ལྷོ་བོད་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ་}} (''Kan-lho Bod-rigs rang-skyong-khul'')
| [[Hezuo|Hezuo (Hzö)]] city
|-
| [[Guizhou]]
| [[Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture|Qiandongnan]]
| {{lang|zh-hans|黔东南苗族侗族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Qiándōngnán Miáozú Dòngzú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Miao people|Miao]] and [[Dong people|Dong]]
| [[Hmu language|Hmu]]: Qeef Dongb Naif Dol Yat Hmub Zid Zid Zeb<br />[[Dong language (China)|Dong]]: Qeenc Dongs Nanc Nyenc Miiul Nyenc Gaeml Zil Zl Zous
| [[Kaili City|Kaili (Kad Linx)]] city
|-
| [[Guizhou]]
| [[Qiannan Bouyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture|Qiannan]]
| {{lang|zh|黔南布依族苗族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Qiánnán Bùyīzú Miáozú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Bouyei people|Bouyei]] and [[Miao people|Miao]]
| [[Buyei language|Bouyei]]: Qianfnanf Buxqyaix Buxyeeuz ziqziqzouy<br />[[Hmu language|Hmu]]: Qeef Naif Dol Yat Dol Hmub Zid Zid Zeb
| [[Duyun]] city
|-
| [[Guizhou]]
| [[Qianxinan Bouyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture|Qianxinan]]
| {{nowrap|{{lang|zh-hans|黔西南布依族苗族自治州}}}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Qiánxī'nán Bùyīzú Miáozú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Bouyei people|Bouyei]] and [[Miao people|Miao]]
| [[Buyei language|Bouyei]]: Qianfxiynanf Buxqyaix Buxyeeuz Ziqziqzouy<br />[[Hmu language|Hmu]]: Qeef Xib Naif Dol Yat Dol Hmub Zid Zid Zeb
| [[Xingyi City|Xingyi]] city
|-
| [[Hubei]]
| [[Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture|Enshi]]
| {{lang|zh|恩施土家族苗族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Ēnshī Tǔjiāzú Miáozú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Tujia people|Tujia]] and [[Miao people|Miao]]
| [[Tujia language|Tujia]]: Eng Shiv Bif Ziv Kar hev Bef Kar zouf xengv zuvз<br />[[Hmong language|Hmong]]: Ee Si Thws Ca Txhwj Mioj Txhwj Txim Tsim Tsawb
| [[Enshi City|Enshi]] city
|-
| [[Hunan]]
| [[Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture|Xiangxi]]
| {{lang|zh|湘西土家族苗族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Xiāngxī Tǔjiāzú Miáozú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Tujia people|Tujia]] and [[Miao people|Miao]]
| [[Tujia language|Tujia]]: Xiз’angv Xif Bif Ziv Kar hev Bef Kar zouf xengv zuvз<br />[[Hmong language|Hmong]]: Xyaa Xyi Thws Ca Txhwj Mioj Txhwj Txim Tsim Tsawb
| [[Jishou]] city
|-
| [[Jilin]]
| [[Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture|Yanbian]]
| {{lang|zh-hans|延边朝鲜族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Yánbiān Cháoxiǎnzú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Ethnic Koreans in China|Korean]]
| {{Korean|연변 조선족 자치주}} (''Yeonbyeon Joseonjok Jachiju'')
| [[Yanji|Yanji (Yeongil)]] city
|-
| [[Qinghai]]
| [[Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture|Haibei]]
| {{lang|zh|海北藏族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Hǎiběi Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]]
| [[Standard Tibetan|Tibetan]]: {{bo-textonly|མཚོ་བྱང་བོད་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ་}} (''Mtsho-byang Bod-rigs rang-skyong-khul'')
| [[Haiyan County, Qinghai|Haiyan County]]
|-
| [[Qinghai]]
| [[Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture|Hainan]]
| {{lang|zh|海南藏族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Hǎinán Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]]
| [[Standard Tibetan|Tibetan]]: {{bo-textonly|མཚོ་ལྷོ་བོད་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ་}} (''Mtsho-lho Bod-rigs rang-skyong-khul'')
| [[Gonghe County]]
|-
| [[Qinghai]]
| [[Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture|Huangnan]]
| {{lang|zh-hans|黄南藏族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Huángnán Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]]
| [[Standard Tibetan|Tibetan]]: {{bo-textonly|རྨ་ལྷོ་བོད་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ་}} (''Rma-lho Bod-rigs rang skyong khul'')
| [[Tongren, Qinghai|Tongren]] city
|-
| [[Qinghai]]
| [[Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture|Golog]]
| {{lang|zh|果洛藏族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Guǒluò Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]]
| [[Standard Tibetan|Tibetan]]: {{bo-textonly|མགོ་ལོག་བོད་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ་}} (''Mgo-log Bod-rigs rang-skyong-khul'')
| [[Maqên County]]
|-
| [[Qinghai]]
| [[Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture|Yushu]]
| {{lang|zh-hans|玉树藏族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Yùshù Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]]
| [[Standard Tibetan|Tibetan]]: {{bo-textonly|ཡུལ་ཤུལ་བོད་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ་}} (''Yul-shul Bod-rigs rang-skyong-khul'')
| [[Yushu City, Qinghai|Yushu]] city
|-
| [[Qinghai]]
| [[Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture|Haixi]]
| {{lang|zh|海西蒙古族藏族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Hǎixī Měnggǔzú Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Ethnic Mongolians in China|Mongolian]] & [[Tibetans|Tibetan]]
| [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]]: {{Mongolunicode|ᠬᠠᠶᠢᠰᠢ ᠶᠢᠨ ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠣᠯ ᠲᠥᠪᠡᠳ ᠦᠨᠳᠦᠰᠦᠲᠡᠨ ᠦ ᠥᠪᠡᠷᠲᠡᠭᠡᠨ ᠵᠠᠰᠠᠬᠤ ᠵᠧᠦ}} (''Borotal a-yin mongγol ebereen öbertegen zasaqu ǰuu'')<br />[[Standard Tibetan|Tibetan]]: {{bo-textonly|མཚོ་ནུབ་སོག་རིགས་ཆ་བོད་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ་}} (''Mtsho-nub Sog-rigs dang Bod-rigs rang-skyong-khul'')
| [[Delingha|Delingha (Delhi)]] city
|-
| [[Sichuan]]
| [[Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture|Ngawa]]
| {{lang|zh-hans|阿坝藏族羌族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Ābà Zàngzú Qiāngzú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]] & [[Qiang people|Qiang]]
| [[Standard Tibetan|Tibetan]]: {{bo-textonly|རྔ་བ་བོད་རིགས་ཆ་བ༹ང་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ་}} (''Rnga-ba Bod-rigs dang Chavang-rigs rang skyong khul'')<br />[[Qiangic languages|Qiangic]]: Ggabba Shbea Rrmea nyujugvez zhou
| [[Barkam]] city
|-
| [[Sichuan]]
| [[Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture|Garzê]]
| {{lang|zh|甘孜藏族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Gānzī Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]]
| [[Standard Tibetan|Tibetan]]: {{bo-textonly|དཀར་མཛེས་བོད་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ་}} (''Dkar-mdzes Bod-rigs rang-skyong khul'')
| [[Kangding|Kangding (Dartsedo)]] city
|-
| [[Sichuan]]
| [[Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture|Liangshan]]
| {{lang|zh-hans|凉山彝族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Liángshān Yízú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Yi people|Yi]]
| {{langx|ii|ꆃꎭꆈꌠꊨꏦꏱꅉꍏ}} (''Niepsha Nuosu Zytjiejux dde Zho'')
| [[Xichang|Xichang (Op Rro)]] city
|-
| [[Xinjiang]]
| [[Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture|Kizilsu]]
| {{lang|zh-hans|克孜勒苏柯尔克孜自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Kèzīlèsū Kē'ěrkèzī Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Kyrgyz people|Kyrgyz]]
| [[Kyrgyz language|Kyrgyz]]: {{script/Arabic|قىزىلسۇۇ قىرعىز اپتونوم وبلاسى}} (''Kızılsuu Kırgız avtonom oblastı'')
| [[Artux]] city
|-
| [[Xinjiang]]
| [[Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture|Bortala]]
| {{lang|zh-hans|博尔塔拉蒙古自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Bó'ěrtǎlā Měnggǔ Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Ethnic Mongolians in China|Mongolian]]
| [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]]: {{MongolUnicode|ᠪᠣᠷᠣᠳᠠᠯ᠎ᠠ ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠣᠯ ᠥᠪᠡᠷᠲᠡᠭᠡᠨ ᠵᠠᠰᠠᠬᠤ ᠵᠧᠦ}} (''Borotala mongγol ebereen zasaqu ǰuu'')
| [[Bole, Xinjiang|Bole (Bortala)]] city
|-
| [[Xinjiang]]
| [[Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture|Changji]]
| {{lang|zh|昌吉回族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Chāngjí Huízú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Hui people|Hui]]
| (''The Hui speak [[Chinese language|Chinese]]'') [[Xiao'erjing]]: {{script/Arabic|چَانْ‌ݣِ خُوِزُو زِجِجِوْ}}
| [[Changji]] city
|-
| [[Xinjiang]]
| [[Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture|Bayingolin]] 
| {{lang|zh|巴音郭楞蒙古自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Bāyīnguōlèng Měnggǔ Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Ethnic Mongolians in China|Mongolian]]
| [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]]: {{MongolUnicode|ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠨᠭᠣᠣᠯ ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠣᠯ ᠥᠪᠡᠷᠲᠡᠭᠡᠨ ᠵᠠᠰᠠᠬᠤ ᠵᠧᠦ}} (''Bayangol mongγol ebereen zasaqu ǰuu'')
| [[Korla]] city
|-
| [[Xinjiang]]
| [[Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture|Ili]]<br>([[Altay Prefecture|Altay]])<br>([[Tacheng Prefecture|Tacheng]])
| {{lang|zh-hans|伊犁哈萨克自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Yīlí Hāsàkè Zìzhìzhōu}}<br />({{lang|zh-hans|阿勒泰地区}})<br />({{Transliteration|zh|Ālètài Dìqū}})<br />({{lang|zh-hans|塔城地区}})<br />({{Transliteration|zh|Tǎchéng Dìqū}})
| [[Kazakhs|Kazakh]]
| [[Kazakh language|Kazakh]]: {{lang|kk-Arab|ىله قازاق اۆتونومىيالى وبلىسى}} (''İle Qazaq awtonomïyalıq oblısı'')<br />([[Kazakh language|Kazakh]]: {{lang|kk-Arab|ئالتاي ۋىلايىتى}}) (''Altay aymağı'')<br />([[Kazakh language|Kazakh]]: {{lang|kk-Arab|تارباعاتاي ايماعى}}) (''Tarbağatay aymağı'')
| [[Yining City|Yining (Ghulja)]] city<br>([[Altay City|Altay]] city)<br>([[Tacheng]] city)
|-
| [[Yunnan]]
| [[Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture|Dehong]]
| {{lang|zh-hans|德宏傣族景颇族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Déhóng Dǎizú Jǐngpōzú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Dai people|Dai]] and [[Jingpo people|Jingpo]]
| [[Tai Nüa language|Tai Nüa]] - {{lang|tdd|ᥟᥪᥒᥱ ᥙᥪᥴ ᥓᥝᥲ ᥙᥩᥒ ᥛᥥᥝᥰ ᥖᥭᥰ ᥓᥤᥒ ᥚᥨᥲ ᥖᥬᥲ ᥑᥨᥒᥰ}} (''Sakhkung Sam Jinghpo Amyu Madu Uphkang Mungdo'')<br />[[Zaiwa language|Zaiwa]]:{{Lang|atb|Sikung Sam Zaizo Byumyu Yumsing Upkang Mau}}
| [[Mangshi]] city
|-
| [[Yunnan]]
| [[Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture|Nujiang]]
| {{lang|zh|怒江傈僳族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Nùjiāng Lìsùzú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Lisu people|Lisu]]
| [[Lisu language|Lisu]]: ꓠꓳ-ꓟꓵ ꓡꓲ-ꓢꓴ ꓫꓵꓽ ꓚꓲꓸ ꓛꓬꓽ ꓗꓪꓼ ꓫꓵꓽ ꓝꓳꓴ (''Nolmut lisu shit jilqait guatshit zhou'')
| [[Lushui]] city
|-
| [[Yunnan]]
| [[Dêqên Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture|Dêqên (Diqing)]]
| {{lang|zh-hans|迪庆藏族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Díqìng Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]]
| [[Standard Tibetan|Tibetan]]: {{bo-textonly|བདེ་ཆེན་བོད་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ་}} (''Bde-chen Bod-rigs rang-skyong khul'')
| [[Shangri-La, Yunnan|Shangri-La]] city
|-
| [[Yunnan]]
| [[Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture|Dali]]
| {{lang|zh|大理白族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Dàlǐ Báizú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Bai people|Bai]]
| [[Bai language|Bai]]: Darl•lit Baif•cuf zirl•zirl•zox
| [[Dali, Yunnan|Dali]] city
|-
| [[Yunnan]]
| [[Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture|Chuxiong]]
| {{lang|zh|楚雄彝族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Chǔxióng Yízú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Yi people|Yi]]
| {{langx|ii|ꀒꇐꆈꌠꊨꏦꏱꅉꍏ}} (''Olu Nuosu Zytjiejux dde Zho'')
| [[Chuxiong City|Chuxiong]] city
|-
| [[Yunnan]]
| [[Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture|Honghe]]
| {{lang|zh-hans|红河哈尼族彝族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Hónghé Hānízú Yízú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Hani people|Hani]] and [[Yi people|Yi]]
| [[Hani language|Hani]]: Haoqhoq Haqniqssaq Haqhholssaq Ziiqziifzel<br />{{langx|ii|ꉼꉻꆈꌠꊨꏦꏱꅉꍏ}} (''Hopho Nuosu Zytjiejux dde Zho'')
| [[Mengzi City|Mengzi]] city
|-
| [[Yunnan]]
| [[Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture|Wenshan]]
| {{lang|zh-hans|文山壮族苗族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Wenshān Zhuàngzú Miáozú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Zhuang people|Zhuang]] and [[Miao people|Miao]]
| {{langx|za|Munzsanh Bouxcuengh Myauzcuz Swcicouh}}<br />[[Hmong language|Hmong]]: Veej Sa Tsuaam Txhwj Mioj Txhwj Txim Tsim Tsawb
| [[Wenshan City|Wenshan]] city
|-
| [[Yunnan]]
| [[Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture|Xishuangbanna (Sibsongbanna)]]
| {{lang|zh-hans|西双版纳傣族自治州}}<br />{{Transliteration|zh|Xīshuāngbǎnnà Dǎizú Zìzhìzhōu}}
| [[Dai people|Dai]]
| {{langx|khb|ᦈᦹᧈ ᦈᦹᧈ ᦵᦋᦲᧁᧈ ᦘᦱ ᦉᦱ ᦺᦑ ᧑᧒ ᦗᧃ ᦓᦱ}}
| [[Jinghong]] city
|}

==Ethnic composition of autonomous prefectures==
:'''Note:''' <nowiki>*</nowiki> - denotes as the second titular ethnic group
{|class="wikitable sortable" 
! rowspan="2" |Autonomous<br />prefecture || rowspan="2" |Year<br />established|| rowspan="2" | Province|| colspan="3" | Titular<br />ethnic group|| colspan="3" | Other<br />minorities 
! colspan="2" |Han %|| Total<br />population
|-
!
!% 2000
!% 2010
!
!% 2000
!% 2010
!2000
!2010
!
|-
|Bayingolin Prefecture ||1954|| Xinjiang|| [[Mongolian people|Mongolian]] 
|3.40|| 3.40 ||[[Uyghurs|Uyghur]] 
|31.83|| 31.83 
|59.29|| 59.29 ||{{formatnum:1323028}}
|-
|Bortala Prefecture ||1954|| Xinjiang|| [[Mongolian people|Mongolian]] 
|5.64|| 5.66 ||[[Uyghurs|Uyghur]] 
|12.53|| 13.32 
|67.19|| 64.96 ||{{formatnum:482615}}
|-
|Changji Prefecture ||1954|| Xinjiang|| [[Hui people|Hui]] 
|11.55|| 9.52 || [[Kazakhs|Kazakh]] 
|7.98|| 9.33 
|75.14|| 75.31 || {{formatnum:1412844}}
|-
|Chuxiong Prefecture ||1958|| Yunnan|| [[Yi people|Yi]] 
|26.31|| 26.70 || [[Lisu people|Lisu]] 
|2.03|| 1.98 
|67.45|| 66.94 || {{formatnum:2615109}}
|-
|Dali Prefecture ||1956|| Yunnan|| [[Bai people|Bai]] 
|32.80|| 32.19 || [[Yi people|Yi]] 
|12.94|| 13.02 
|50.35|| 50.69 || {{formatnum:3525706}}
|-
|Dehong Prefecture ||1953|| Yunnan|| [[Dai people|Dai]] 
|30.14|| 28.88 || [[Jingpo people|Jingpo]]* 
|11.53|| 11.09 
|50.66|| 51.93 || {{formatnum:1124432}}
|-
|Dêqên (Diqing) Prefecture ||1957|| Yunnan|| [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]] 
|33.12|| 32.36 || [[Lisu people|Lisu]] 
|27.78|| 26.72 
|16.39|| 18.34 || {{formatnum:357528}}
|-
|Enshi Prefecture ||1983|| Hubei|| [[Tujia people|Tujia]] 
|45.00|| 47.50 || [[Miao people|Miao]]* 
|5.45 || 5.01 
|47.24|| 45.32 || {{formatnum:3976081}}
|-
|Gannan Prefecture ||1953|| Gansu|| [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]] 
|51.44|| 54.64 || [[Hui people|Hui]] 
|6.43|| 6.25 
|41.75|| 38.70 || {{formatnum:723521}}
|-
|Garzê Prefecture ||1950|| Sichuan|| [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]] 
|78.37|| 78.29 || [[Yi people|Yi]] 
|2.56|| 2.66 
|18.24|| 18.24 || {{formatnum:1060632}}
|-
|Golog Prefecture ||1954|| Qinghai|| [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]] 
|91.63|| 91.86 || [[Hui people|Hui]] 
|1.11|| 0.96 
|6.59|| 6.57 || {{formatnum:173541}}
|-
|Haibei Prefecture ||1953|| Qinghai|| [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]] 
|24.15|| 24.36 || [[Hui people|Hui]] 
|30.58|| 31.52 
|36.63|| 35.88 || {{formatnum:283230}}
|-
|Hainan Prefecture ||1953|| Qinghai|| [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]] 
|62.77|| 66.31 || [[Hui people|Hui]] 
|6.97|| 6.84 
|28.06|| 24.84 || {{formatnum:446849}}
|-
|Haixi Prefecture ||1954|| Qinghai|| [[Mongol]] 
|7.23|| 5.53 || [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]]* 
|12.16|| 10.93 
|64.95|| 66.01 || {{formatnum:390743}}
|-
|Honghe Prefecture ||1957|| Yunnan|| [[Hani people|Hani]] 
|16.60|| 17.55 || [[Yi people|Yi]]* 
|23.57
| 23.19 
|44.31|| 42.85 || {{formatnum:4408699}}
|-
|Huangnan Prefecture ||1953|| Qinghai|| [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]] 
|66.32|| 68.55 || [[Mongol]] 
|13.54|| 13.98 
|7.54|| 6.08 || {{formatnum:254033}}
|-
|Ili Prefecture ||1954|| Xinjiang|| [[Kazakhs|Kazakh]] 
||| 21.53 || [[Uyghurs|Uyghur]] 
||| 26.88 
||| 35.22 || {{formatnum:2814980}}
|-
|Kizilsu Prefecture ||1954|| Xinjiang|| [[Kyrgyz people|Kyrgyz]] 
|28.32|| 27.32 || [[Uyghurs|Uyghur]] 
|63.98|| 64.68 
|6.41|| 6.78 || {{formatnum:539849}}
|-
|Liangshan Prefecture ||1952|| Sichuan || [[Yi people|Yi]] 
|44.43|| 49.13 || [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]] 
|1.49|| 1.39 
|51.97|| 47.55 || {{formatnum:4789421}}
|-
|Linxia Prefecture ||1956|| Gansu|| [[Hui people|Hui]] 
||| 31.59 || [[Dongxiangs|Dongxiang]] 
||| 25.99 
||| 39.70 || {{formatnum:2103259}}
|-
|Ngawa Prefecture ||1953|| Sichuan|| [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]] 
|53.72|| 54.50 || [[Qiang people|Qiang]]* 
|18.28|| 17.58 
|24.69|| 24.56|| {{formatnum:898846}}
|-
|Nujiang Prefecture ||1954|| Yunnan|| [[Lisu people|Lisu]] 
|47.13|| 48.21 || [[Bai people|Bai]] 
|26.97|| 26.04 
|13.13|| 12.35 || {{formatnum:520765}}
|-
|Qiandongnan Prefecture ||1956|| Guizhou|| [[Miao people|Miao]] 
|41.48|| 41.57 || [[Dong people|Dong]]* 
|31.40|| 29.02 
|19.3|| 21.73 || {{formatnum:4535015}}
|-
|Qiannan Prefecture ||1956|| Guizhou|| [[Buyei]] 
|32.46|| 31.22 || [[Miao people|Miao]]* 
|13.37|| 12.69 
|43.37|| 44.84 || {{formatnum:4037887}}
|-
|Qianxinan Prefecture ||1982|| Guizhou|| [[Buyei]] 
|30.04|| 27.56 || [[Miao people|Miao]]* 
|7.51|| 7.08 
|57.53|| 60.62 || {{formatnum:3398147}}
|-
|Wenshan Prefecture ||1958|| Yunnan|| [[Miao people|Miao]] 
|12.94|| 13.68 || [[Zhuang people|Zhuang]]* 
|30.04|| 29.20 
|41.99 || 42.69|| {{formatnum:3703008}}
|-
|Xiangxi Prefecture ||1957|| Hunan|| [[Tujia people|Tujia]] 
||| 42.73 || [[Miao people|Miao]]* 
||| 33.85 
||| 22.85 ||{{formatnum:2547833}}
|-
|Xishuangbanna (Sibsongbanna) Prefecture ||1953|| Yunnan|| [[Dai people|Dai]] 
|29.89|| 27.89 || [[Hani people|Hani]] 
|18.73|| 19.01 
|29.11|| 30.03 || {{formatnum:942844}}
|-
|Yanbian Prefecture ||1952|| Jilin|| [[Koreans in China|Korean]] 
|36.26|| 32.45 || [[Manchu people|Manchu]] 
|2.58|| 2.52 
|60.70|| 64.55 ||{{formatnum:2190763}}
|-
|Yushu Prefecture ||1951|| Qinghai|| [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]] 
||| 96.49 || [[Hui people|Hui]] 
||| 0.22 
||| 3.09 || {{formatnum:373427}}
|-
|}

==Former autonomous prefectures of China==
* [[Hainan Li-Miao Autonomous Prefecture|Hainan Li and Miao Autonomous Prefecture]] (1952–1988) in [[Guangdong]], abolished because of the establishment of Hainan Province.
* [[Wuzhong, Ningxia|Hedong Hui Autonomous Prefecture]] (1954–1955) in [[Gansu]], later changed name as [[Wuzhong, Ningxia|Wuzhong Hui Autonomous Prefecture]] (1955–1958), abolished because of the establishment of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
* [[Guyuan|Xihaigu Hui Autonomous Prefecture]] (1953–1955) in [[Gansu]], later changed name as [[Guyuan|Guyuan Hui Autonomous Prefecture]] (1955–1958), abolished because of the establishment of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
* Guixi Zhuang Autonomous Prefecture (sub-provincial level, 1953–1955) in Guangxi Province, abolished because of the establishment of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
* Bayinhot Mongol Autonomous Prefecture (1954–1956) in [[Gansu]], included today's [[Dengkou County]] and [[Alxa League]]. The autonomy abolished after it merged into [[Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region]].

== Administrative prefecture level units with a population of 30% or more of ethnic minorities ==
:Excluding prefecture level units of autonomous regions in 2000.

* Hebei: [[Chengde]] (Han - 55.32%, Manchu - 39.87%)
* Liaoning: [[Benxi]] (Han - 66.84%, Manchu - 30.22%), [[Dandong]] (Han - 64.11%, Manchu - 32.99%)
* Hunan: [[Zhangjiajie]] (Tujia - 68.40%, Han - 22.81%), [[Huaihua]] (Han - 61.33%, Dong - 17.42%, Miao - 15.63%) 
* Guizhou: [[Anshun]] (Han - 61.6%, Buyei - 16.92%, Miao - 14.27%), [[Tongren, Guizhou|Tongren]] (Tujia - 37.81%, Han - 31.76%, Miao - 14.87%, Dong - 11.41%) 
* Yunnan: [[Yuxi]] (Han - 68,18%, Yi - 19,32%), [[Puer City|Pu'er]] (Han - 40,92%, Hani - 16,98%, Yi - 16.58%, Lahu - 11.47%), [[Lijiang, Yunnan|Lijiang]] (Han - 42.71%, Nakhi 20.51%, Yi - 18.68%, Lisu - 9.62%), [[Lincang]] (Han - 61.22%, Dai - 15.77%, Lahu and Va - 9.76%)
* Qinghai: [[Haidong]] (Han - 56.33%, Hui - 20.38%, Tibetan - 9.2%, Tu - 8.06%)

==See also==
* [[List of prefecture-level divisions of China]]
* [[Tusi]] Native Chieftain System
* [[Autonomous regions of China]]

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170314233106/http://www.bjreview.com/nation/txt/2009-05/27/content_197768_8.htm Regional Autonomy for Ethnic Minorities in China]

{{Terms for types of country subdivisions}}

[[Category:Autonomous prefectures of the People's Republic of China| ]]
[[Category:Autonomous prefectures|China]]