Difference Between Punjabi and Indian

June 2022 · 3 minute read

Punjabi vs Indian

“Punjabi” and “Indians” are two terms which are related to ethnicity and race. Indians are people residing in India or having an Indian origin. Punjabis are people residing or originating from the region of Punjab both in India as well as in Pakistan.

Punjabi

The Punjabi people are more of an ethnic group mainly from North India among other groups which presently constitute some portions of Indian Punjab, Kashmir, Rajasthan, and a majority of regions of Punjab located in Pakistan and some other states of North India. The Punjabi people reside mostly in the state of Punjab of both India and Pakistan, a location of one of the oldest civilizations in the valley of the Indus River. They have a strong cultural background, and their culture has been their traditional identity. The Punjabi language is their prime language. Nevertheless, in recent years, the definition of “Punjabi” has been widened by including other emigrants from different regions who follow the Punjabi culture and traditions.

In India, the Punjabi population is about 2.5 percent, and the majority of Punjabi-speaking people live in the states of: Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Union Territory of Chandigarh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. Punjabis are culturally and linguistically related to other Indo-Aryan peoples of South Asia. Punjabis are located the world over especially in the U.K., Canada, USA, Kenya, Uganda, Persian Gulf, Tanzania, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Australia. As an ethnic group, Punjabis are among the largest in the world.

A portion of the Punjabi population is found in Pakistan as well. Approximately 40 percent of Pakistan’s population is Punjabi. They hail from groups called “biradris.” They are descendants of a common ancestor. The present nomenclature is based on the geographical location of the population. In India, the main language of the Punjabi people is Punjabi, while in the Pakistani Punjabi, a variety of dialects are used like: “Potwari,” “Hindko,” “Lahnda,” etc.

Indian

An Indian is a citizen of the Republic of India. Indians constitute about 17 percent of the total world’s population. India has hundreds of languages and thousands of ethnic groups. Punjabi is one among these.

India is a diverse nation with many different religions being followed which mainly include: Hinduism (80 percent of the population), Islam (13.4 percent of the population), Buddhism (0.8 percent of the population), Sikhism (1.9 percent of the population), Jainism (0.4 percent of the population), Christianity (2.3 percent of the population), and many more. It is a place where religion plays a central role in the lives of its people.

Summary:

  • The Punjabi people are natives of India as well as Pakistan, while Indians are people who are natives of India only.
  • The commonly spoken language by the Punjabi people is mainly Punjabi while the language spoken by an Indian is mainly Hindi or a regional language of the region he belongs to.
  • The Punjabi people follow mainly Sikhism in India and Islam in Pakistan while Indian people follow a variety of religions mainly: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity.

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