Georgia is aSouth AtlanticU.S. state with a population of 10,711,908 according to the2020 United States census, or just over 3% of the U.S. population. The majority of the state's population is concentrated withinMetro Atlanta, although other highly populated regions include:West Central andEast Central Georgia;West,Central, andEast Georgia; andCoastal Georgia; and theirAthens,Columbus,Macon andWarner Robins,Augusta,Savannah,Hinesville, andBrunswick metropolitan statistical areas.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, Georgia's population has experienced diversification with the decline of itsnon-Hispanic white population.^[3] This diversification has reflected nationwide trends of the United States' population identifying with other races and ethnicities at the 2020 census.^[4][5] In 2020, the state'sBlack and African American population increased by 13%, remaining the second-largest racial and ethnic group; the state'sAsian population grew by 53% and itsHispanic and Latino American population increased by 32%. In 2020, the state's foreign born population was 10.4%.^[6][7]

The leading countries of origin for immigrants included Mexico, accounting for 25.7 percent of the total immigrant population, followed by India (8.6%), Korea (4.1%), Vietnam (3.5%), and Jamaica (3.2%).^[8]

Georgia experienced the second highest growth of its Asian population in the U.S. from 1990 to 2000, more than doubling in that decade.^[9] The state also has a significant and diverse Hispanic population, particularly Mexicans and Puerto Ricans. Most of the recent influx of Hispanic, Asian, Caribbean, and Sub-Saharan African residents live in the diverse Atlanta metropolitan area, while the rest of Georgia is mostly made up of Blacks and Whites. In addition, according to census estimates, Georgia ranks third in the nation for the percentage of its total population that is African American, followingMississippi andLouisiana, and it has the third largest number of Black residents after New York and Florida. From 2006 to 2007, Georgia saw the largest numerical increase in its Black population, adding 84,000 people.

The settlement of manyScottish Americans,English Americans, andScotch-Irish Americans in the mountains and piedmont, along withEnglish Americans and African Americans in coastal areas, has greatly shaped the culture of the state, especially in food, language, and music. In the 18th century, a significant number of Africans were brought to the coastal regions from rice-growing areas in West Africa, which led to the emergence of theGullah-Geechee language and culture among African Americans in the Lowcountry. They have a distinct heritage where African traditions in food, religion, and culture have been preserved much more than in any other Black American community. Their culinary practices became a key part of the overall cooking traditions in the Lowcountry.^[10]

According to the2020 U.S. census, the racial and ethnic makeup of the population was 50.1% non-Hispanic white, 32.6% African American, 4.4% Asian American, 0.3%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Native Hawaiian and otherPacific Islander, and 10.5% Hispanic and Latino American of any race.

Internal Georgia state government population estimates project that the State of Georgia was 50.26% Non-Hispanic White on July 1, 2024 and was 49.34% Non-Hispanic White on July 1, 2025. According to that data, Georgia became majority-minority on Oct 12 2024, 1:10 a.m.: 49.9% Non-Hispanic White to 50.1% all other races.^[16]

But ACS Data disagrees. It indicates that in 2010, with a population of 9,687,653, Non-Hispanic Whites were 55.9% of the Georgia state population and African Americans were 30.5%. ACS Data indicates that the percentage of Non-Hispanic White in subsequent years was: 2018: 52.225%; 2019: 51.822%; 2020: 52.092%; 2021: 50.226%; 2022: 49.626%; 2023: 48.658%; 2024: 48.009%. According to that data, Georgia crossed into majority-minority status on November 15, 2021, at about 11:37 a.m.^[17]

According to data from 2010, the largest ancestry groups were: 10.8% American (mostlyBritish descent), 9.5%Irish, 8.9%English, 8.8%Hispanics andLatinos and 8.2%German.^[18] According to theAmerican Community Survey in 2023, the largest ancestral groups were 10.1% English, 6.6% Irish, 6.1% German, 5.5% Mexican, 2.3% Italian, 1.7%Indian, 1.7%Scottish, 1.1% Puerto Rican, 1%French, 1%Polish, 0.9%Scotch-Irish, 0.9% Chinese, 0.7% Korean, 0.7% Vietnamese, 0.5% Nigerian, and 0.4%Norwegian.^[19][20][21]

In the 1980 census, 1,584,303 Georgians cited that they were of English ancestry out of a total state population of 3,994,817 making them 40% of the state, and the largest ethnic group at the time.^[22] Many people today who claim to have "American" ancestry are actually of English orScots-Irish descent. However, due to the long-standing presence of their families in the region, often dating back to the colonial era, many prefer to identify solely as having "American" ancestry or may not be aware of their specific ancestral roots. Their ancestry primarily goes back to the originalThirteen Colonies and for this reason many of them today simply claim "American" ancestry, though they are of predominantly English ancestry.^{[23][24][25][26]}

In 2004, 7.7% of its population was reported as under 5 years of age, 26.4% under 18, and 9.6% were 65 or older. Also as of 2004, females made up approximately 50.6% of the population, and African Americans made up approximately 29.6% of the state's population.

White andEuropean Americans have historically composed the predominant racial and ethnic composition for the state. Primarily descending from British, Irish, English, and German ancestry,^[18] the state's White and European American population have shared a common,White Southern andProtestant culture with Americans of neighboring states.

Historically, about half of Georgia's population was composed of African Americans who, prior to theAmerican Civil War, were almost exclusively enslaved. TheGreat Migration of blacks from the ruralSouth to the industrialNorth from 1914–1970 reduced the African American population.^[27] Since the New Great Migration of African Americans into the South, Black and African Americans grew to becoming the second-largest race and ethnicity in the state. WithinAtlanta and itsmetropolitan statistical area, the state's black population forms the largest residential composition; there are also large black populations inMiddle,East,West, andSouthwest Georgia, with the black population in the Southwest region forming part of theBlack Belt in the American South.

Having a concentration of African-descended peoples inSoutheast Georgia and theLower Coastal Plain, the descendants of enslaved Africans led to the development of theGullah-Geechee people and language. In thecreolization of Lowcountry culture, their foodways became an integral part of all cooking in the Lowcountry.^[10]

Culturally, black Georgians have shared the dialects ofSouthern American English,African American Vernacular English, andAfrican American English with the remainder of theBlack Southerner population. Gullah-Geechee Georgians also speak theGullah language. In terms of religious affiliation and observance, the black Georgian communities have identified withAfrican American Protestantism orBlack Catholicism. Since the late 18th century, most black Georgian Protestants have affiliated with theBaptist tradition through theNational Baptist Convention,National Baptist Convention of America,Progressive National Baptist Convention, andNational Primitive Baptist Convention.^[28][29]

Georgia has had a growing Hispanic andLatino American population since the beginning of the 21st century, although there has been a historically minorHispanic presence in present-day Southwest, Southeast andCoastal Georgia through theSpanish missions and initial settlement.^[30][31] DuringSpanish colonization of the Americas, followingHernando de Soto's expedition, explorers arrived at the territories of theCoosa chiefdom inNorthwest Georgia, but none successfully established colonies.^[32]

As of 2022, most Hispanics and Latinos in Georgia are ofMexican ancestry.^[33] Among its Hispanic and Latino population, the majority have the common religious tradition ofCatholicism, which has been increasing statewide.^[34] According to 2018U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the majority of Hispanics and Latinos in Georgia were ofMexican descent (58.1%) followed by those ofPuerto Rican descent (10.1%),Guatemalan descent (6.3%),Salvadoran descent (4.8%),Cuban descent (3.4%),Colombian descent (3.1%),Honduran descent (2.5%),Dominican descent (2.2%),Venezuelan descent (1.4%),Peruvian descent (1.2%),Spanish descent (1.2%), and those of other Hispanic ethnicity or of mixed Hispanic ethnicity (5.7%).^[35]

Native Americans were once the predominant ethnicity in the present-day U.S. state of Georgia, beforeEuropean colonization. Since the decline of Georgia's Native American population due to colonialism and diseases from theOld World, alongside relocation, its constituency has remained small. Numbering 34,485 individuals, of which 70.5% belonged tofederally recognized tribes as of 2018, the largest recognized tribe was theCherokee (5,950 individuals) followed byChippewa (727),Navajo (502),Sioux (347), andAlaska Natives (76).^[36][37]

TheAsian American population in Georgia is diverse and growing, and as of 2018 with the largest group being that ofIndian descent (32.6% of Asians) followed by those ofChinese (excluding Taiwan) descent (15.0%),Vietnamese descent (13.8%),Korean descent (12.2%),Filipino descent (6.0%),Pakistani descent (3.8%),Nepalese descent (2.4%),Japanese descent (2.1%),Burmese descent (1.9%),Hmong descent (1.5%),Bangladeshi descent (1.3%),Cambodian descent (1.1%),Thai descent (1.0%), and those of other Asian ethnicity or of mixed Asian ethnicity (5.3%).^[38]

^[39][40]

Source:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)^[41][42]

Note: Births in table don't add up, because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number.

• Since 2016, data for births ofWhite Hispanic origin are not collected, but included in oneHispanic group; persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

In 2010, 87.35% (7,666,663) of Georgia residents age 5 and older spokeEnglish at home as aprimary language, while 7.42% (651,583) spokeSpanish, 0.51% (44,702)Korean, 0.44% (38,244)Vietnamese, 0.42% (36,679)French, 0.38% (33,009)Chinese (which includesMandarin,) andGerman was spoken as amain language by 0.29% (23,351) of the population over the age of five. In total, 12.65% (1,109,888) of Georgia's population age 5 and older spoke amother language other than English.^[55]

Georgia's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community has had a long history. The state's capital has one of the highestLGBTQ populations per capita. It ranked third of all major cities, behindSan Francisco and slightly behindSeattle, with 12.8% of the city's total population identifying themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual according to studies in 2009 and 2007.^[56][57] According to the 2000 United States census (revised in 2004), Atlanta had the twelfth highest proportion of single-person households nationwide among cities of 100,000 or more residents, which was at 38.5%.^[58]

As a state within theBible Belt, Georgia has historically been a relatively religious state. Pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial Georgians have practiced numerousNative American religions alongsideChristianity through the formation of missions. Other faiths includingHoodoo or Lowcountry Voodoo were also introduced in colonial and post-colonial Georgia through the Gullah-Geechee peoples. In colonial and post-colonial Georgia, Christianity became the state's largest religion, representing 79% of the adult population in 2014, and 78% in 2020, according to two separate studies by thePew Research Center andPublic Religion Research Institute.^[59][60]'

Per the Pew Research Center in 2014, non-Christian religions accounted for 3% of the population, withJudaism andIslam tied at 1% of the religiously-affiliated population.Eastern religions includingBuddhism andHinduism were both less than 1% each of the population, and other world religions accounted for less than 1% of the state's religious constituents. Other faiths such asNew Age and Native American religions were 2% of the population, and approximately 18% of the state were unaffiliated, including agnostics and atheists. Among the state in 2014, 13% practiced nothing in particular.^[59]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Georgia (U.S. state) (category)

• Demographics of Georgia (U.S. state)
• Demographics of the United States by state

• CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown
• Webarchive template wayback links
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata