Major Tribes of India — State-wise List with PYQs

Tribes is a small topic with a steady return. One question appears in most SSC, Railway and state papers, and it almost always asks the same thing — which state a tribe belongs to. The list worth knowing is about thirty names, plus a short set of particularly vulnerable tribal groups that examiners favour. This post gives the state-wise list, separates the pairs that get confused, and ends with 15 real questions from past papers.

1. The constitutional basics exams ask

Before the list, three facts get asked directly.

The last two rows are a classic trap pair. Madhya Pradesh has the largest number of tribal people, but Mizoram has the highest percentage of tribal population. Read whether the question asks for number or proportion.

2. Tribes of Central and Western India

Two extra facts attach to this group. Gond is the largest tribal community in India by population, which is asked on its own. And Warli painting, the white-on-mud-wall art form of Maharashtra, comes from the Warli tribe — a question that appears in the art and culture section rather than the tribes section.

3. Tribes of East and North-East India

Two names carry extra facts. The Khasi and Garo of Meghalaya follow a matrilineal system, where descent and inheritance pass through the mother, and this is asked directly. The Apatani of Arunachal Pradesh are known for their wet-rice cultivation in the Ziro valley, a UNESCO tentative-list landscape.

The Santhal is the largest tribe of eastern India and is also linked to the Santhal rebellion of 1855 in the history syllabus, so the name appears in two different sections.

4. Tribes of South India and the islands

The island tribes are the most examined part of this list because all of them fall under the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups category, and the Sentinelese in particular is asked as the community that has remained uncontacted. On the mainland, the Toda of the Nilgiris is the single most asked southern tribe.

Other frequently asked particularly vulnerable groups include the Baiga and Sahariya of central India, the Bonda and Kondh of Odisha, the Cholanaikkan of Kerala and the Katkari of Maharashtra.

5. How it is asked in exams — 15 PYQs

1. Which is the largest tribal group in India? — Gond (SSC CGL 2023)
2. The Toda tribe is found in which hills? — Nilgiri hills, Tamil Nadu (SSC CHSL 2023)
3. The Santhal tribe is mainly found in which state? — Jharkhand (SSC MTS 2023)
4. Which article of the Constitution deals with Scheduled Tribes? — Article 342 (RRB NTPC 2024)
5. The Jarawa tribe belongs to? — Andaman Islands (SSC CGL 2022)
6. Which state has the highest tribal population? — Madhya Pradesh (SSC GD 2024)
7. The Bhil tribe is mainly found in? — Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan (SSC CHSL 2024)
8. Which tribe follows a matrilineal system in Meghalaya? — Khasi (SSC CPO 2023)
9. The Apatani tribe belongs to which state? — Arunachal Pradesh (RRB Group D 2024)
10. Which schedule deals with tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram? — Sixth Schedule (SSC CGL 2024)
11. The Chenchu tribe is found in? — Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (SSC MTS 2024)
12. Warli painting is associated with which tribe? — Warli (RRB NTPC 2025)
13. The Lepcha tribe belongs to which state? — Sikkim (SSC GD 2023)
14. Which state has the highest percentage of tribal population? — Mizoram (SSC CHSL 2022)
15. The Bodo tribe is mainly found in? — Assam (RRB Group D 2023)

6. Quick Revision

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the largest tribe in India?

The Gond, spread across Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Telangana and neighbouring states, is the largest tribal community in India by population. The Bhil is generally counted next, concentrated in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat, and the Santhal is the largest tribe of eastern India.

Which state has the most tribal people?

By number, Madhya Pradesh has the largest Scheduled Tribe population. By proportion, Mizoram has the highest share of tribal population among states, followed by other north-eastern states. Questions phrase this both ways, so notice whether the wording asks for population or percentage.

What is the difference between the Fifth and Sixth Schedules?

The Fifth Schedule governs the administration of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in states other than Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. The Sixth Schedule applies specifically to the tribal areas of those four north-eastern states and provides for Autonomous District Councils with law-making powers.

Which tribes are called Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups?

These are communities identified as needing special protection because of very small or declining populations, pre-agricultural technology and low literacy. Frequently asked examples include the Jarawa, Onge, Great Andamanese, Sentinelese and Shompen in the islands, and the Baiga, Sahariya, Bonda and Katkari on the mainland.

How many questions come from tribes in exams?

Usually one per paper in SSC and Railway exams, and often more in state examinations where the state's own tribes are asked. The format almost never changes — a tribe is named and you identify the state — so about thirty tribe-state pairs plus the constitutional provisions cover nearly everything.

For more Static GK lists in simple language, see our Folk Dances of India post and the Static GK section. Preparing for a specific exam? Start with the IBPS Clerk guide or join the 100 Hour GS Course.