Copts
Copts (Coptic: ⲛⲓⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ niremənkhēmi; Arabic: الْقِبْط al-qibṭ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group indigenous to North Africa[24] who have primarily inhabited the area of modern Egypt and Sudan since antiquity. Most ethnic Copts are Coptic Orthodox Christians.[25] They are the largest Christian denomination in Egypt and the Middle East,[26] as well as in Sudan[4] and Libya. Copts have historically spoken the Coptic language, a direct descendant of the Demotic Egyptian that was spoken in late antiquity.
ⲛⲓⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ niremənkhēmi | |
|---|---|
 Coptic diaspora | |
| Total population | |
| 5–20 million[1] (estimates vary) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Traditional areas of Coptic settlement: | 5–20 million |
 Egypt | 5–20 million (estimates vary)[3] |
 Sudan | c. 500,000[4] |
 Libya | 60,000[5] |
| Diaspora: | 1–2 million (estimates vary) |
 United States | c. 200,000 – 1 million[6][7][8][9][10] |
 Canada | c. 200,000[1][11] |
 Australia | c. 75,000 (2003)[12] |
 France | c. 45,000 (2017)[13] |
 Italy | c. 30,000[14] |
 United Kingdom | 25,000 – 30,000 (2006)[15] |
 United Arab Emirates | c. 10,000[16] |
 Jordan | 8,000+ (2005)[17] |
 Kenya | 8,000+[18][19] |
 Lebanon | 3,000–4,000 (2012)[20] |
 Germany | 3,000[citation needed] |
 Austria | 2,000 (2001)[21] |
 Switzerland | 1,000 (2004)[22] |
 Israel | 1,000 (2014)[23] |
| Languages | |
| Coptic (liturgical and ancestral) | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (Predominantly: Coptic Orthodoxy, also Coptic Catholicism and Protestantism) | |
| Part of a series on the |
| Copts |
|---|
| Culture |
| Regions |
| Denominations |
| Language |
| Writing systems |
 Christianity portal |
Originally referring to all Egyptians at first,[citation needed] the term Copt became synonymous with native Christians in light of Egypt's Islamization and Arabization after the Muslim conquest of Egypt in the 7th century.[27] Copts in Egypt account for roughly 5–20 percent of the Egyptian population, although the exact percentage is unknown;[28] Copts in Sudan account for 1 percent of the Sudanese population while Copts in Libya similarly account for 1 percent of the Libyan population.[5]
Following the Arab conquest of Egypt in 639–646 CE, the treatment of the Copts ranged from relative tolerance to open persecution.[29][30][31][32] Historically, the Copts suffered from "waves of persecution giving way to relative tolerance in cycles that varied according to the local ruler and other political and economic circumstances".[27] Persecution is pivotal to the Copts' ethnic identity.[33] Most Copts adhere to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, an Oriental Orthodox Church.[34][35][36] The smaller Coptic Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church, in communion with the Holy See of Rome; others belong to the Evangelical Church of Egypt. The Copts played a central role in the Arab Renaissance as well as the modernization of Egypt and the Arab world as a whole;[27] they also contributed to the "social and political life and key debates such as Arabism, good governance, educational reform, and democracy",[27] and they have historically flourished in business affairs.[37]
Copts maintain a distinct ethnic identity and generally reject an Arab identity.[38] In Egypt, Copts have a relatively higher educational attainment, a relatively higher wealth index, and a stronger representation in white-collar job types, but limited representation in military and security agencies. The majority of demographic, socio-economic, and health indicators are similar among Copts and Muslims.[39]