Origins & History
The Slavic peoples are the largest ethnolinguistic group in Europe, sharing a common linguistic ancestor that split into East, West, and South Slavic branches beginning around the 6th century CE. Major Slavic peoples include Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians (East Slavs), Poles, Czechs, Slovaks (West Slavs), and Serbs, Croats, Bulgarians, Slovenes, Macedonians, Bosnians, and Montenegrins (South Slavs).
Geographic Distribution
There are approximately 300 million Slavs worldwide. The largest groups are Russians (around 130 million), Ukrainians (around 40 million), Poles (around 38 million), Serbs (around 8 million), Czechs (around 10 million), Bulgarians (around 6 million), and Belarusians (around 8 million). Slavic peoples form majorities in most of Eastern Europe and much of the Balkans.
Diaspora & Migration
The Slavic diaspora is substantial. Russian-speaking communities live throughout the former Soviet republics, Israel, Germany, and the United States. Polish communities are large in the United States (over 9 million), the United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada. Ukrainian and Serbian diasporas are also significant in North America and Western Europe.
About This Map
This map shows global perceptions of Slavic populations. Because this includes many distinct national groups, votes may reflect familiarity with any of them or with Eastern Europe as a whole.
The map above shows crowd opinion, not official demographic data. Vote on the main map to contribute your own perception of where Slavs populations live.