India's Religious Populations: Major Trends from 2001 to 2011

Key Takeaways

• Hinduism remains the dominant religion in India, with 79.8% of the population adhering to it.
• All major religious groups in India have experienced declining fertility rates, contributing to a steady religious composition since 1951.
• The Christian population grew at the slowest pace among the three largest religious groups, with a 1.57% increase from 2001 to 2011.

Religious Distribution in India

According to the 2011 census, Hinduism is the most prevalent religion in India, practiced by 79.8% of the population.

Islam is the second-largest religion, with 14.2% adherence. Christianity (2.3%), Sikhism (1.7%), and other religions account for the remaining population.

India's Christian population, the third largest, grew at the slowest pace of the three major religious groups during the 2001-2011 census decade.

Fertility Rates and Religious Composition

All major religious groups in India have exhibited significant declines in their fertility rates. This trend has played a role in the country's relatively stable religious composition since 1951.

The declining fertility rates suggest that the growth of different religious groups in India is less influenced by new births and more by factors such as conversion and migration.

Global Context

While India has one of the largest Hindu populations globally, it also hosts the world's third-largest Muslim population (14%).

Census of India