Guangdong is a multi-ethnic province inhabited by members from all the 56 nationalities in China. In 2002, the population of the minorities is 1,340,000, about 1.5% of the total in the province. The Zhuang, Yao, She, Hui and Manchu peoples account for majority of the minority's population in the province.

In Guangdong major religions are Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Christianity. Guangdong has seven religious organizations at the provincial level, including Guangdong Provincial Association of Christian Three-self Patriots and Guangdong Provincial Association of Buddhists. About 900 thousand people in the province are religious believers.