The Baloch (????; alternative transliterations Baluch, Balouch, Balooch, Balush, Balosh, Baloosh, Baloush et al.) are an Iranian people inhabiting the region of Balochistan in Iran and Pakistan, Iraq , Syria as well as neighbouring areas of Afghanistan and the southeast corner of the Iranian plateau in Southwest Asia.

The Baloch speak Balochi, which is considered a northwestern Iranian language and the Baloch are accordingly generally considered an Iranian Martial Race. They mainly inhabit mountainous terrains, which have allowed them to maintain a distinct cultural identity and resist domination by neighbouring rulers. The Baloch are predominantly Muslim, with most belonging to the Hanafi school of thought of Sunni Islam, but there are also a significant number belonging to Shia school of thought in Balochistan.

Some 70 percent of the total Baloch population live in Pakistan. About 20 percent inhabit the coterminous region of southeastern Iran. Baloch population is estimated at about 8,800,000. In Pakistan the Baloch people are divided into two groups, the Sulaimani and the Makrani, separated from each other by a compact block of Brahui tribes.