The following is a list of contemporary ethnic groups of Africa. There has been constant debate over the classification of ethnic groups. Membership of an ethnic group tends to be associated with shared ancestry, history, homeland, language or dialect and cultural heritage; where the term "culture" specifically includes aspects such as religion, mythology and ritual, cuisine, dressing (clothing) style and other factors.

By the nature of the concept, ethnic groups tend to be divided into subgroups, may themselves be or not be identified as independent ethnic groups depending on the source consulted.

Africa here is considered to be approximately delimited from South America by the South Atlantic Ocean; from Asia by the Red Sea, Suez Canal, and Gulf of Aden; and from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea, Strait of Sicily, and Strait of Gibraltar.

The following groups are commonly identified as "ethnic groups", as opposed to ethno-linguistic phyla, national groups, racial groups or similar.^[1][2]

By status:

• List of Indigenous peoples
• List of diasporas
• List of stateless nations

Regional lists:

• African people
  • Indigenous people of Africa
  • Ethnic groups in Algeria
  • Ethnic groups in Botswana
  • Ethnic groups in Burundi
  • Ethnic groups in Chad
  • List of ethno-linguistic groups in Eritrea
  • List of ethnic groups in Ethiopia
  • List of ethnic groups in Nigeria
    • List of ethnic groups in Rivers State
  • Ethnic groups in Rwanda
  • List of ethnic groups in Tanzania
  • Ethnic groups in Senegal
  • Ethnic groups in Sierra Leone
  • List of ethnic groups in South Sudan
  • List of ethnic groups in Zambia
• Asian people
  • List of contemporary ethnic groups of Asia
  • Ethnic groups in Northern Asia
    • List of ethnic groups in Russia
  • List of ethnic groups in East Asia
    • List of ethnic groups in China
    • List of ethnic groups in Japan
    • List of ethnic groups in North Korea
    • List of ethnic groups in South Korea
    • List of ethnic groups in Taiwan
      • List of indigenous peoples of Taiwan
  • South Asian ethnic groups
    • Ethnic groups in Nepal
    • Ethnic groups in Pakistan
      • Demographics of Sindh
  • Ethnic groups in Southeast Asia
    • Ethnic groups in Indonesia
    • List of ethnic groups in Laos
    • Ethnic groups in Malaysia
    • List of ethnic groups in Myanmar
    • Ethnic groups in the Philippines
    • List of ethnic groups in Vietnam
  • Ethnic groups in the Middle East
• European people
  • List of contemporary ethnic groups of Europe
  • Ethnic groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Peoples of the Caucasus
• Indigenous peoples of the Americas
  • List of contemporary ethnic groups of North America
  • List of contemporary ethnic groups of South America
  • Classification of indigenous peoples of the Americas
• Oceanian people
  • List of contemporary ethnic groups of Oceania
  • List of Indigenous Australian group names
  • List of Melanesian ethnic groups
    • List of New Guinean ethnic groups
  • List of Micronesian ethnic groups
  • List of Polynesian ethnic groups
• Ethnoreligious group
• Ethnic groups by country

• List of languages by number of native speakers
• List of language families
• Lists of people by nationality
• Lists of active separatist movements
• Uncontacted peoples
• Ethnic flag
• Race (human categorization)
• List of Y-chromosome haplogroups in populations of the world