The following is a list of Sri Lankans by diaspora .
Tamil may refer to:
Hinduism is one of Sri Lanka's oldest religions, with temples dating back over 2,000 years. As of 2011, Hindus made up 12.6% of the Sri Lankan population. They are almost exclusively Tamils, except for small immigrant communities from India and Pakistan. Hinduism has also taken a major influence on Buddhism, which is practiced by the majority Sinhalese.
The Tamil diaspora refers to descendants of the Tamil immigrants who emigrated from their native lands to other parts of the world. They are found primarily in Malaysia, Myanmar, South Africa, Singapore, Arab states of the Persian Gulf, North America, Oceania and Western Europe.
South Asian ethnic groups are an ethnolinguistic grouping of the diverse populations of South Asia, including the nations of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan, which is usually considered to be in Central Asia, is sometimes grouped with South Asia, but Afghans are generally not included among South Asian ethnic groups.
The Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora refers to the global diaspora of Sri Lankan Tamil origin. It can be said to be a subset of the larger Sri Lankan and Tamil diaspora.
Tamil Eelam is a proposed independent state that many Tamils in Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora aspire to create in the north and east of Sri Lanka. The name is derived from the ancient Tamil name for Sri Lanka, Eelam. Tamil Eelam, although encompassing the traditional homelands of Sri Lankan Tamils, does not have official status or recognition by world states. Large sections of the North-East were under de facto control of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for most of the 1990s–2000s during the Sri Lankan Civil War.
British Tamils are British people of Tamil origin. The term is used to denote people who have their homeland in the northern areas of Sri Lanka or the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Tamils Against Genocide (TAG) is a non-governmental organization formed in 2008, based in Columbia, Maryland, United States, which has actively protested the Sri Lankan Civil War and the alleged genocide of Sri Lankan Tamils in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. Tamils Against Genocide hired US attorney Bruce Fein to file human rights violation charges against two Sri Lankan officials associated with the civil war in Sri Lanka which has reportedly claimed the lives of thousands of civilians.
Between 2008 and 2009, major protests against the Sri Lankan Civil War took place in several countries across the world, urging national and world leaders and organisations to take action on bringing a unanimous cease fire to the Sri Lankan Civil War, which had taken place for twenty-six years. Tamil diaspora populations across the world expressed concerns regarding the conduct of the civil war in the island nation of Sri Lanka. The civil war, which took place between the Sri Lankan Army and the separatist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is believed to have killed over 100,000 civilians. Protesters and critics of the Sri Lankan government that triggered a culturally based civil war to be a systematic genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Sri Lankan Tamil minority in Sri Lanka.
Tamil Canadians, or Canadian Tamils, are Canadians of Tamil ethnic origin. Much of Canada's Tamil diaspora from India and Sri Lanka then majority consist of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees who sought to flee the ethnic tensions during the Sri Lankan Civil War between the 1970s and 2000s, while economic Tamil migrants also originate from India, Singapore and other parts of South Asia. From a population of fewer than 150 Tamils in 1983, it has become one of the largest visible minority population groups within the Greater Toronto Area. In the 1991 census, Tamils were the fastest-growing ethnic group in the city.
Sri Lankans in India mainly refer to Tamil people of Sri Lankan origin in India and non resident Sri Lankans. They are partly who migrated to India and their descendants and mostly refugees from Sri Lanka because of the recently concluded Sri Lankan Civil War. There is also a small population of Sinhalese people in India, numbering about 3,500 and mostly located in Delhi and Chennai. 57 Sri Lankans have become Indian citizens through naturalization since 2017.
Sri Lankans in Switzerland refer to Sri Lankans living in Switzerland. There are about 46,000 to 55,000 Swiss of Sri Lankan origin and Sri Lankan expatriates living in Switzerland. Most of them are ethnic Tamils.
The Sri Lankan diaspora are Sri Lankan emigrants and expatriates from Sri Lanka, and their descendants, that reside in a foreign country. They number a total estimated population of around 3 million.
With the Sri Lankan Civil War spanning nearly 30 years, (1983-2009), it has been portrayed in a wide range of ways in popular culture.
Tamils in Italy are people of ethnic Tamil ancestry who reside in Italy. Around 25,000 Tamils from both Sri Lanka and India are estimated to be living in Italy.
Tamil New Zealanders are New Zealand citizens and residents of Tamil ethnicity or ancestry. An estimated number of 3000 Tamils currently reside in the country. The 2013 New Zealand census found 732 people usually resident who identified as Sri Lankan Tamil, and 303 as Indian Tamil.
The Tamil Times was an English language British monthly news magazine focusing on Sri Lankan Tamil issues. Founded in 1981, the magazine was published from Sutton and distributed worldwide to the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora. It ceased publication in 2006.
Swiss Tamils refer to the Swiss citizens of Tamil as well as expatriate residents of Tamil origin living in Switzerland. Most of the Tamils in Switzerland are from Sri Lanka, who came to Switzerland during 1980s and 1990s as refugees due to the Sri Lankan Civil War. The Tamils are well integrated in the Swiss society and have proved themselves as a hard-working people and many young Tamils are doing well in school. Tamil values are still strong among the community, caste system and arranged wedding are common. The second generation seem to be better integrated than the first generation, but most still follow the old ways.
Dutch Tamils or Holland Tamils are people of ethnic Tamil ancestry who reside in Netherlands. Around 20,000 Tamils mostly from Sri Lanka are estimated to be living in Netherlands. The relationship between Tamils and Dutch dates back to the colonial era. The Dutch East India Company was active in Sri Lanka and Southern India. In Sri Lanka, most of Tamil areas were under Dutch Ceylon rule between 1640–1796. During Dutch rule some Dutch loanwords were adopted in Sri Lankan Tamil language. Back then, Tamils and Malayalis were known as "Malabars" among the Portuguese and Dutch.
