There are only about 100,000 indigenous people that live within the Arctic Circle in Alaska and in Canada, comprising 2.5 percent of the 4 million people that live in the Arctic worldwide, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration‘s Arctic Research Program.

Map of all recognized tribes and reserves in Alaska and Canada.

In both Alaska and Canada, the number of Arctic indigenous are also small percentages of their entire native population.

Alaska has about 50,000 indigenous people living in the Arctic, comprising about 6.8 percent of the U.S. state’s total indigenous population of 736,399, according to data from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, analyzed by CCTV America.

(Map via Travel Alaska)
(Map via Travel Alaska) 

In Canada, indigenous people in the Arctic also number 50,000, comprising about 3.6 percent of all 1.4 million indigenous Canadians, according to analyzed data from Statistics Canada.

Source: Environment Canada
Source: Environment Canada

These communities are at the forefront of the impact of climate change which has affected all aspects of their lives, from housing, infrastructure, and transportation, to a loss of traditional culture.

Their small, scattered populations and lack of clout have led many communities to voice concerns about adequate representation when international power brokers in government and business discuss Arctic regulation.