Population of region estimated at 2.84m

The population of the Tibet autonomous region was 2.84 million at the end of last year, up 30,000 from 2006, according to government figures.

However, it is unclear what percentage of the current population is ethnic Tibetans, according to a report by Tibet's regional bureau of statistics (TRBS) and a survey team from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The 2000 NBS census said Tibetans then accounted for 92 percent of the population. However, a 2005 study jointly conducted by NBS and TRBS put the total at 95.3 percent.