mixedrace

Mixed race refers to people whose ancestry includes more than one racial or ethnic group. Terms such as mixed race, multiracial, biracial, or two or more races are used variably by individuals and in different countries, and identification is a personal matter that can reflect genetics, culture, and lived experience.

Terminology matters, and communities may prefer different terms. In some places civil and census classifications formalize categories for two or more races, while elsewhere the concept remains informal.

Historically, interracial unions and offspring were restricted by laws and social norms in many countries. In the United States, anti-miscegenation laws were overturned in 1967 by Loving v. Virginia. Census practice broadened in the 2000s to allow multiple race selections, and in 2020 the U.S. Census reported about 33.8 million people, roughly 10 percent of the population, identifying as two or more races.

Genetic research shows that human populations are not cleanly separated into discrete races. Most individuals have ancestry from multiple populations, and genetic variation within any one so‑called race often exceeds differences between races, leading many scientists to describe race as a social construct rather than a biological one.

Socially, mixed-race individuals may navigate multiple cultural backgrounds, languages, and family histories. Representation in media and institutions has grown, but disparities in education, healthcare, and economic outcomes can persist and vary by country and community.