Folk music is one of the major divisions of music, now often divided into traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. There are many styles of folk music, all of which can be classified into various traditions, generally based around some combination of ethnic, religious, tribal, political or geographic boundaries.
- North, Central, South American and the Caribbean
- Asia: East, Southeast, Northern, Central, Caucasus and South Asia
- Europe: Northern, Eastern, Southeastern, Western and Southern Europe
- Middle East and North Africa: Southwest Asia, North Africa
- Oceania and Australia: Polynesia, Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia
- Sub-Saharan Africa: East, Southern, Central and West Africa
As well as dividing songs according to geography, it is possible to categorise them by subject matter:
- War song
- Anti-war song
- Tamang Selo
- Sea songs, including sea shanties
- Drinking song
- Work song
- Love song
- Child Ballads (tragic ballads)
- Protest song
- Murder ballad
- Sporting song
Other folk music relates to social events: