Roma communities—also known as Romani or Sinti in particular historical and regional contexts—live across Europe and many other parts of the world. Population estimates are difficult because records differ between countries and some people conceal their identity in response to discrimination.
Background
Roma history is marked by mobility, cultural diversity and long-standing relationships with the societies in which communities have lived. Public descriptions have often been shaped by prejudice, incomplete records and policies that treated ethnicity as a problem to be controlled.
Reliable comparisons of population size remain challenging. Census categories vary, and fear of discrimination can affect whether people identify as Roma in official surveys. These limitations should be kept in mind when reading demographic claims.
Persecution during the twentieth century
Discrimination did not begin in the twentieth century, but state policies in that period made exclusion increasingly systematic. In Germany during the Weimar era, Roma were subjected to police registration, restrictions on public facilities and internment in work camps. After the Nazi seizure of power, racial laws and policing measures intensified.
Escalation under Nazi rule
Roma were classified through racial policy, monitored by police authorities and deprived of rights. These measures prepared the way for deportation, forced labor and mass murder.
The genocide
During the Holocaust, Roma and Sinti were murdered in shootings, camps and extermination facilities. Historians use different methods and records to estimate the number of victims; a commonly cited estimate is several hundred thousand people.
After 1945
Survivors often received limited recognition and compensation, while discrimination continued. The destruction of families, records and cultural institutions also made the history harder to document.
Many Roma refer to this genocide as Porajmos or by other Romani terms, though terminology and spelling vary among communities and scholars.
Discrimination in the twenty-first century
Reports from the early twenty-first century described persistent inequality in education, employment, housing, health care and public services in parts of Europe. Roma communities have also faced hostile political rhetoric, racist attacks and inadequate protection from authorities. Conditions differ substantially between countries and regions, so broad claims should not obscure local experiences.
Commonly documented barriers include segregated or unequal schooling, difficulties obtaining identity documents, insecure housing, restricted access to work and distrust caused by negative encounters with public institutions. Children and women may face additional vulnerabilities when poverty, exclusion and exploitation overlap.
Bulgaria: an example in the archive
Earlier reports described the suppression of Roma cultural institutions and language during the communist period, followed by severe unemployment and social exclusion after political change. Surveys from that era recorded widespread prejudice among the majority population. Such historical figures should be read as evidence of the attitudes measured at the time, not as a description of every person or community today.
Progress has included legal protections, civil-society work and greater public recognition of Roma history. Implementation remains uneven, and formal equality does not by itself remove inherited disadvantages.
Continue reading
This discussion continues in Part 2. For the wider site collection, explore human rights, religious tolerance and other public questions.
References and archive note
The original essay drew on historical and human-rights materials, including publications concerning Roma and Sinti under Nazi rule and reports on discrimination in Europe. Older sources may use terminology or estimates that have since been reassessed. Readers should consult current scholarship and documentation when undertaking research.
- Historical studies of Roma and Sinti persecution during the Holocaust.
- Human-rights reporting on access to housing, education, employment, health care and public services.
- Comparative research on anti-Roma prejudice and the treatment of minority communities.