According to the United States Census Bureau, approximately 5.2 million people in the U.S., or 1.7% of the total population, identified as Native American or Alaska Native alone or in combination with another ethnic

identity in 2010. Around 2.9 million, or 0.9% of the population, identified themselves only as American Indian or Alaska Native. In 2013, there were 566 federally recognized tribal entities in the United States,1  and most of these have recognized national homelands. Only 23% of those identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native live in American Indian areas or Alaska Native villages. The state with the largest Native population is California, the place with the largest Native population is New York City.2

While there are extreme variations in socio-economic indicators between tribes, taken as a whole, American Indians show higher poverty, unemployment and suicide rates than the general population, especially

in Native communities that are relatively isolated. American Indians are citizens of the United States but hold special legal statuses that, in practice, can result in differential political and legal treatment.

The government has treaty and trust obligations toward indigenous nations stemming from individual treaties, federal Indian law and the Alaska Native Settlement Act. They are under the tutelage of the state,

which acts as their guardian. Separate federal agencies, such as the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service, are responsible for implementing the federal government’s responsibilities.

The United States announced in 2010 that it would support the UNDRIP after voting against it in 2007. This support is limited, however, to a moral acknowledgment. The United States has not ratified ILO Convention 169.