Hinduism by country
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The two Hindu-majority countries are India and Nepal and together account for more than 95% of the Hindu population worldwide. The past two centuries have seen large-scale migration of Hindus from Southeast Asia, to around the world. Countries with more than 500,000 Hindu residents and citizens are (in decreasing order) India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the United States, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Myanmar, Australia, Mauritius, South Africa, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates. Global data shows Hinduism is still largely concentrated in the Indian Subcontinent, but significant communities also exist in Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and Oceania. WorldData.info reports that India holds most of the world’s Hindus, with notable populations in Nepal, Bangladesh, and Indonesia.
There are significant numbers of Hindu enclaves around the world, with many in South Africa, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Hinduism is also practiced by the non-Indic people including the Balinese of Bali island (Indonesia), Tengger of Java (Indonesia), the Balamon Chams of Vietnam, and Butuanon people in Philippines. Outside South Asia, Hindu communities often adapt traditional practices to multicultural environments, including by modifying rituals, language use, and temple organization.
Background
Hinduism is a heterogeneous religion and consists of many schools of thought. Hinduism includes a diversity of ideas on spirituality and traditions, but has no ecclesiastical order, no unquestionable religious authorities, no governing body, no prophet(s) nor any binding holy book; Hindus can be polytheistic, monotheistic, pantheistic, monistic, agnostic, humanist, or atheistic.
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Early migration
One of the first major waves of Hindus leaving South Asia was a result of colonialism in India during 19th and early 20th century. Under indenture contracts, many Hindus migrated far across the world to Guyana, Surinam, Trinidad, Mauritius, South Africa, Eastern Africa, Fiji, Burma and Malaysia. These were some of the first countries with Hinduism established outside of the Indian sub-continent, many of which still have a thriving Hindu community today. Migration has played a major role in spreading Hindu communities worldwide. Kramer and Tong report that many Hindu migrants have settled in North America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and East Africa, creating expanding diaspora networks
Demographic estimates
Demographic estimates of Hindu populations by country have been published by the Pew Research Center in 2012, as well as US State Department's International Religious Freedom Report 2006.
By total number, India has the most Hindus. As a percentage, Nepal has the largest percentage of Hindus in the world, followed by India and Mauritius. The Hindu population around the world as of 2020 is about 1.17 billion, making it the world's third-largest religion after Christianity and Islam. Nearly 1.1 billion Hindus live in India. representing about 94% of the global Hindu population. According to a statistical study, an estimated 100 million Hindus live outside of India. In 2010, only two countries in the world had a majority of their population as Hindus – Nepal and India. In Mauritius, 47.9 percent of the population were Hindu, according to the 2022 census.
By country
Sources used for the table below include the US State Department, the CIA World Factbook, adherents.com, thearda.com, and Pew Research Center. and as identified.
By region
These percentages were calculated by using the above numbers. The first percentage, in the 4th column, is the percentage of the population that is Hindu in a specific region (Hindus in the region * 100/total population of the region). The last column shows the Hindu percentage compared to the total Hindu population of the world (Hindus in the region * 100/total Hindu population of the world). The historical development of Hinduism in India and Nepal continues to influence how the religion is viewed and practiced globally. Williams and Moktan note that political and cultural traditions in these countries shape modern Hindu identity beyond South Asia
(Note: Egypt, Sudan, and other Arab Maghreb countries are counted as part of North Africa, not the Middle East).