Originally from the Indian subcontinent, Hinduism is a prominent global religion spread across Southeast Asia. Hinduism encompasses many concepts, religious practices, and ceremonial practices.
Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism are the four major schools of Hinduism, with a combined following of over 100 million adherents. Truth and reality cannot be captured and must be sought through numerous sources celebrated in Hinduism more than any other religion.
Tolerance is the most important religious attribute of many Hindus, who see Hinduism more as a way of life than a religion. Due to the wide range of beliefs and practices within Hinduism and the lack of a single founder or central deity or prophet, this idea is further strengthened.
The four parathas, or right purposes, of human existence, are prominent concepts in Hinduism. It’s all about Dharma (morality/responsibility), Artha (prosperity/work), Kama (passions/wants), and Moksha (freedom from the cycle of rebirth and death, as well as salvation for certain Hindus).
The five pillars of Hinduism are theory, practice, society, tale, and devotion, which influence one another.
The countries having the most Hindus in their population:
With more than 1.2 billion adherents spread over more than 100 nations, Hinduism is the world’s third-largest religion. However, Hinduism is the predominant religion only in three nations, with India being the most populous (78.9 percent ).
Nepal (80%) and Mauritius (80%) have two additional nations in the top three. (48.4 percent ). Although Hinduism is seldom the major religion of a nation, it has a worldwide following.
There are large communities of Hindus in the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, North America, South America, and other parts of the globe.
According to Pew Research, the top 10 countries having the most Hindus in 2020:
- India – 1,093,780,000
- Nepal – 28,600,000
- Bangladesh – 13,790,000
- Indonesia – 4,210,000
- Pakistan – 3,990,000
- Sri Lanka – 3,090,000
- United States – 2,510,000
- Malaysia – 1,940,000
- United Kingdom – 1,030,000
- Myanmar (Burma) – 890,000
At 1.094 billion, India has the world’s biggest Hindu population, accounting for 78% of the country’s total population.
According to the United Nations, India is home to around 95 percent of the world’s Hindu population. The Shaivite and Vaishnavite sects make up the bulk of Hindus in India.
With a Hindu majority of 28.6 million, Nepal is home to 80.6% of the country’s total population. Nepal was the last Hindu state in the world until 2008 when India overtook it. Nepali Hinduism varies from Indian Hinduism in three ways:
- Local communities do not distinguish between Hinduism and Buddhism.
- Islam has no effect.
- Bhakti traditions have no influence.
With a Hindu population of almost 13.8 million, Bangladesh ranks third globally. With 8.2% of the population, Hinduism is the second-largest religious affiliation behind Islam, home to 90% of the population.
As of 1940, 28 percent of Bangladesh’s overall population was Hindus, but that ratio has steadily decreased since then. With a Hindu population of over 4.2 million, Indonesia is home to the world’s largest concentration of Hindus after India and Pakistan.
Only 1.6% of Indonesians practice Hinduism, despite the country being 90% Muslim. The Indonesian island of Bali has the highest percentage of Hindus in the country, with more than 83% of the population being Hindu.
Islamic fundamentalists took control of Indonesia’s Ministry of Religion shortly after independence from the Dutch. They declared religion to be monotheistic. People who did not follow a monotheistic faith were refused citizenship in Indonesia.
Thus the Balinese Hindus changed their religion to be monotheistic. A unique style of Balinese Hinduism blends indigenous animism, ancestor worship (Pitru Paksha), and veneration for Buddhist saints into its practices (Bodhisattva).
Nearly 4 million Hindus live in Pakistan, making up 1.9% of the country’s overall population. In Pakistan, Hinduism is the second most popular religion after Islam. For millennia, the practice of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism has been declining in Pakistan.
With the advent of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), a coalition of Islamist political groups with a strong anti-Hindu agenda, non-Muslims in Pakistan have experienced discrimination and persecution.
In addition, the establishment of the Taliban in Pakistan has exacerbated the anti-Hindu sentiment and escalated persecution of non-Muslims. Many Hindus are fleeing Pakistan because of religious persecution and intolerance.
Sri Lanka’s first religion is Hinduism. With a Hindu population of 3.09 million, Sri Lanka ranks 6th globally, accounting for around 13.7% of the country’s total population.
Many Indian and Pakistani immigrants make up the remainder of Sri Lanka’s Hindu community, which Tamils dominate. While some Sri Lankan Hindus practice Shaktism, the majority adhere to the teachings of Saiva Siddhanta.
With a Hindu population of 2.51 million, the United States ranks sixth in the world, making up 0.7% of the country’s total. In the United States, most Hindus are descended from immigrants and their descendants, with the remainder being non-Hindu converts.
The educational attainment of Hindu-Americans is the greatest among all religious groups in the United States. Karma, vegetarianism, reincarnation, meditation, yoga, and Ayurveda are some Hindu principles that have grown popular in the mainstream in the United States.
With 80% of persons raised as Hindus continuing to practice Hinduism, it has the greatest retention of any religion in the United States. As of 2016, Malaysia has a population of 1.94 million Hindus or 5.8% of the country’s total.
Throughout the ancient and medieval ages, when Indians started to settle in Peninsular Malaysia, the majority of Hindus still resided there.
Like their Muslim counterparts in other Muslim-majority nations, Malaysian Hindus are subject to systematic discrimination as a result of the country’s discriminatory policies.
The Malaysian government demolished hundreds of Hindu temples, and religious violence against Hindus is widespread.
With 1.03 million Hindus, the United Kingdom ranks as the ninth most populous country globally. Approximately 1.6 percent of the entire population of the United Kingdom. When the British Empire ruled India in the 19th century, Hinduism was already established in the United Kingdom.
Four major waves of Hindu migration from India to the United Kingdom occurred following World War II.
According to the Office of National Statistics, economic activity among British Hindus is the greatest among ethnic minorities, and Hindu males are more likely to be business owners than the overall population.
Burma, previously known as Burma, has 890,000 Hindus, or 1.7 percent of the population, making it into the top 10. Several Buddhist notions, such as Buddha images in Hindu temples, have been accepted by Myanmar’s 41 million Hindus.
Burmese architecture and the origins of the names Burma and Myanmar are both influenced by Hinduism, and this trade has been reciprocal.
The following table provides information on the number of Hindus living in each country throughout the globe.
| Country | Hindu Population | % Hindus |
|---|---|---|
| Nepal | 28600000 | 80.6000 |
| India | 1093780000 | 78.9000 |
| Mauritius | 640000 | 48.4000 |
| Fiji | 270000 | 27.9000 |
| Guyana | 200000 | 23.3000 |
| Bhutan | 190000 | 22.5000 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 310000 | 22.3000 |
| Suriname | 110000 | 18.8000 |
| Qatar | 360000 | 15.9000 |
| Sri Lanka | 3090000 | 13.7000 |
| Bahrain | 150000 | 10.2000 |
| Kuwait | 330000 | 9.9000 |
| Bangladesh | 13790000 | 8.2000 |
| United Arab Emirates | 660000 | 7.7000 |
| Singapore | 380000 | 6.5000 |
| Malaysia | 1940000 | 5.8000 |
| Oman | 190000 | 5.7000 |
| Reunion | 40000 | 4.5000 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 5000 | 3.4000 |
| New Zealand | 120000 | 2.5000 |
| Seychelles | 5000 | 2.1000 |
| Pakistan | 3990000 | 1.9000 |
| Gibraltar | 5000 | 1.8000 |
| Australia | 410000 | 1.7000 |
| Canada | 610000 | 1.7000 |
| United Kingdom | 1030000 | 1.6000 |
| Indonesia | 4210000 | 1.6000 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 5000 | 1.5000 |
| French Guiana | 5000 | 1.4000 |
| Saudi Arabia | 440000 | 1.3000 |
| British Virgin Islands | 5000 | 1.2000 |
| South Africa | 540000 | 1 |
| Vatican City | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Tokelau | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Niue | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Falkland Islands | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Montserrat | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Nauru | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Wallis and Futuna | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Tuvalu | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Anguilla | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Cook Islands | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Palau | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| San Marino | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Liechtenstein | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Monaco | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Sint Maarten | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| American Samoa | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Greenland | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Marshall Islands | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Bermuda | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Cayman Islands | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Dominica | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Andorra | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Isle of Man | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Aruba | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Tonga | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Grenada | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Micronesia | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Kiribati | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Curacao | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Guam | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Saint Lucia | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Samoa | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| French Polynesia | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Mayotte | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Barbados | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| New Caledonia | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Vanuatu | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Iceland | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Martinique | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Guadeloupe | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Bahamas | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Belize | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Malta | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Brunei | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Maldives | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Cape Verde | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Western Sahara | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Montenegro | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Luxembourg | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Macau | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Solomon Islands | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Comoros | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Djibouti | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Cyprus | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Estonia | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Timor-Leste | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Latvia | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Slovenia | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| North Macedonia | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Lesotho | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Gabon | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Botswana | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Gambia | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Namibia | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Lithuania | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Puerto Rico | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Albania | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Armenia | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Jamaica | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Mongolia | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Uruguay | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Eritrea | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Georgia | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Moldova | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Croatia | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Panama | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Mauritania | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Central African Republic | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Ireland | 20000 | 0.5000 |
| Costa Rica | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Liberia | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Palestine | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Slovakia | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Norway | 30000 | 0.5000 |
| Finland | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Republic of the Congo | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Denmark | 30000 | 0.5000 |
| Turkmenistan | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| El Salvador | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Lebanon | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Nicaragua | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Bulgaria | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Libya | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Paraguay | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Laos | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Hong Kong | 30000 | 0.5000 |
| Sierra Leone | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Serbia | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Togo | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Switzerland | 40000 | 0.5000 |
| Israel | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Austria | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Papua New Guinea | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Belarus | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Hungary | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Tajikistan | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Portugal | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Sweden | 30000 | 0.5000 |
| Honduras | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Azerbaijan | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Jordan | 10000 | 0.5000 |
| Greece | 20000 | 0.5000 |
| Czech Republic | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Dominican Republic | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Cuba | 20000 | 0.5000 |
| South Sudan | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Belgium | 10000 | 0.5000 |
| Haiti | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Bolivia | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Tunisia | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Burundi | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Benin | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Rwanda | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Guinea | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Zimbabwe | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Somalia | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Cambodia | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Netherlands | 100000 | 0.5000 |
| Chad | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Senegal | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Ecuador | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Guatemala | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Romania | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Kazakhstan | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Chile | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Syria | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Zambia | 20000 | 0.5000 |
| Malawi | 10000 | 0.5000 |
| Mali | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Burkina Faso | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Taiwan | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| North Korea | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Niger | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Ivory Coast | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Cameroon | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Madagascar | 20000 | 0.5000 |
| Venezuela | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Yemen | 200000 | 0.5000 |
| Ghana | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Mozambique | 10000 | 0.5000 |
| Peru | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Uzbekistan | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Angola | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Poland | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Morocco | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Afghanistan | 10000 | 0.5000 |
| Iraq | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Ukraine | 30000 | 0.5000 |
| Algeria | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Sudan | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Argentina | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Spain | 40000 | 0.5000 |
| Uganda | 140000 | 0.5000 |
| South Korea | 20000 | 0.5000 |
| Colombia | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Kenya | 70000 | 0.5000 |
| Italy | 140000 | 0.5000 |
| Tanzania | 50000 | 0.5000 |
| France | 40000 | 0.5000 |
| Thailand | 80000 | 0.5000 |
| Germany | 80000 | 0.5000 |
| Turkey | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Iran | 20000 | 0.5000 |
| DR Congo | 40000 | 0.5000 |
| Vietnam | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Egypt | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Philippines | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Ethiopia | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Japan | 40000 | 0.5000 |
| Mexico | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Russia | 60000 | 0.5000 |
| Brazil | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| Nigeria | 5000 | 0.5000 |
| United States | 2510000 | 0.5000 |
| China | 30000 | 0.5000 |
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