Religious Minority
Religious Minority Communities in India
Followers of all the religions except Hinduism are considered as religious minorities in India. Here is a list of all religious minorities of the country and what percentage of the population they constitute.
According to the “Census of India 2001′ which excludes some areas of India like areas of Senapati district of Manipur, the population percentage of Minorities lies underneath:
| Muslims | : | 13.4%, |
| Christians | : | 2.3%, |
| Sikhs | : | 1.9%, |
| Buddhists | : | 0.8%, |
| Jains | : | 0.4%, |
| Others including the Parsis | : | 0.7% |
India is home to people of many religions making it a remarkable kaleidoscope of the country’s rich social composition. Many of these religions have their origins in India whereas many of foreign origin have also flourished here. India has the identity as the land where many significant religion of the world like Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism originated here. Also the country shelters several indigenous faiths, tribal religions that have survived the effect of major religions for centuries and are still following the indigenous faith.
The Census of India has collected and published data about the religious affiliations as expressed by the people of India. In fact, population census is a rarestudy of data and it is the only instrument that collates the information of the diverse and important characteristics of the Indian population.
Religion Chart of the Indian Population as per census 2001.
| Religion | Number | % |
|---|---|---|
| All religious communities | 1,028,610,328 | 100.0 |
| Hindus | 827,578,868 | 80.5 |
| Muslims | 138,188,240 | 13.4 |
| Christians | 24,080,016 | 2.3 |
| Sikhs | 19,215,730 | 1.9 |
| Buddhists | 7,955,207 | 0.8 |
| Jains | 4,225,053 | 0.4 |
| Others | 6,639,626 | 0.6 |
| Religion not stated | 727,588 |
Census 2011 is still being worked upon and that shows briefly the population risen to 1.21 crore.
