Overview
Roma are an ethnic people whose distant origins are traced through linguistic and historical evidence to the Indian subcontinent. Communities migrated westward over many centuries, reaching parts of Europe by the late medieval period and later establishing communities in the Americas and elsewhere.
Roma is widely used as a collective term, while Rom, Romani, Sinti and other names may refer to particular peoples, languages or communities. Preferences differ. The term historically applied by outsiders is still encountered in older records, but many Roma regard it as inaccurate or offensive. Respectful writing uses the name preferred by the people concerned.
A note on population estimates
Reliable global totals are difficult to establish. Census categories differ, ethnic identity may not be recorded, and some people choose not to disclose Roma identity because of discrimination. Older numerical claims should therefore be read as estimates rather than precise counts.
Identity is not one religion
Roma identity is ethnic and cultural, not the name of a single faith. Religious life varies by country, family and community. Roma may be Christian, Muslim, members of other religious traditions, nonreligious, or combine local religious practice with family customs. No one set of beliefs can represent every Roma person.
Language is similarly diverse. Varieties of Romani are spoken alongside the languages of the countries in which Roma live. Some communities use other heritage languages, and many people are multilingual.
Exclusion and persecution
Across different periods and regions, Roma communities have experienced enslavement, forced settlement, expulsion, segregation and organized violence. During the Second World War, Nazi Germany and its allies persecuted and murdered Roma and Sinti as part of their racial policies. The Roma genocide is commonly known as the Romani Holocaust or by Roma terms used for this catastrophe.
Discrimination did not end with the war. Human-rights reporting has documented barriers affecting housing, education, health care, employment, public services and equal treatment under law. Conditions vary greatly among countries and communities, so accounts should avoid portraying all Roma people as sharing one experience.
Reading historical sources carefully
Older articles and official records may use generalized language or labels that Roma communities reject. They may also present uncertain population figures as settled facts. This guide retains the historical context while using current, respectful terminology and distinguishing ethnicity from religion.
Migration and diaspora
Historical reconstruction places early westward migration through Persia and neighboring regions before Roma groups arrived in southeastern and western Europe. Later movement—sometimes voluntary and sometimes caused by expulsion, enslavement or economic pressure—created a broad diaspora. Roma communities reached North America in several migration periods, especially during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
This history does not imply that Roma culture has remained unchanged. Communities have developed in dialogue with local languages, religions, laws and customs while maintaining varied forms of kinship, identity and cultural continuity.
Archive note: This overview revises an older collection page and paraphrases its historical and human-rights material. The linked essays below preserve the collection's subject structure and should be read with attention to their original dates. The earlier overview cited an Amnesty International report on discrimination against Roma in Europe.