Today marks the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. It's celebrated every year and set up by the United Nations (UN) to raise awareness of the needs of these population groups.

Today marks the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. It's celebrated every year and set up by the United Nations (UN) to raise awareness of the needs of these population groups.

According to the UN, there are an estimated 476 million indigenous peoples in the world, living across 90 countries. They make up less than 5 percent of the world's population, but account for 15 percent of the poorest. They speak an overwhelming majority of the world’s estimated 7,000 languages and represent 5,000 different cultures.

This year's theme focuses on "The Role of Indigenous Women in the Preservation and Transmission of Traditional Knowledge."