Hinduism in the United Kingdom

Hindus in the United Kingdom
Total population
1,032,775 (2021) Increase; 1.7% of the total population
Religions
Hinduism
Languages
Related ethnic groups
British Sikhs and British Buddhists

Hinduism is the third largest religious group in the United Kingdom, after Christianity and Islam; the religion is followed by around 1.7% of the total population of the nation.[2] Hindus had a presence in the United Kingdom since the early 19th century, as at the time India was part of the British Empire. Many Indians in the British Indian Army settled in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.[3] According to 2021 United Kingdom census, 1,032,775 residents (1.7%) identified themselves as Hindus.[4]

Most of the British Hindus are immigrants, mainly from India,[5] and there are also significant number of Hindu immigrants from Sri Lanka[6] and Nepal,[7][8] with even smaller numbers from Afghanistan,[9] Bangladesh,[10][11] and Bhutan.[12] In the recent times, due to the efforts of ISKCON, BAPS and other Hindu organisations and mass following of Yoga, Meditation and other Hindu practises, many British citizens have embraced Hinduism, including many celebrities.[13][14]

Year Percent Increase
1971 0.25%
1981 0.49% +0.24%
1991 0.69% +0.20%
2001 0.95% +0.26%
2011 1.32% +0.37%
2021 1.70% +0.38%
  1. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). media.johnwiley.com.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ "CT0341 2018 Census - Religion by ethnic group by main language - England and Wales". ONS. National Archives, Government of the United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  3. ^ Tong, Junie T. (2016-04-15). Finance and Society in 21st Century China: Chinese Culture versus Western Markets. CRC Press. pp. 151–152. ISBN 978-1-317-13522-7.
  4. ^ UK Government (27 March 2009). "Religion in England and Wales 2011". Office of National Statistics (11 December 2012). Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  5. ^ "UK-based Hindu groups call upon Prime Minister Boris Johnson to act against persecution of Hindus in Pakistan". The Times of India. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  6. ^ Aspinall, Peter J. (2019-01-02). "The Sri Lankan community of descent in the UK: a neglected population in demographic and health research". South Asian Diaspora. 11 (1): 51–65. doi:10.1080/19438192.2018.1505065. ISSN 1943-8192. S2CID 149483258.
  7. ^ "From Kathmandu to Kent: Nepalis in the UK". Himal Southasian. 2014-12-26. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  8. ^ Pariyar, Mitra (2020-06-01). "Caste, military, migration: Nepali Gurkha communities in Britain". Ethnicities. 20 (3): 608–627. doi:10.1177/1468796819890138. ISSN 1468-7968. S2CID 214103367.
  9. ^ Yudhvir Rana (Jan 13, 2019). "UK government to obtain inputs from Afghan Sikh and Hindu's for processing their asylum applications". The Times of India. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  10. ^ "Bangla Stories - Bengali Hindu Migrant: Ashim Sen - Bradford". www.banglastories.org. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  11. ^ "London Kalibari – London Kalibari". Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  12. ^ "The ethnic cleansing hidden behind Bhutan's happy face". Firstpost. 2013-07-01. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  13. ^ Berg, Travis Vande; Kniss, Fred (2008). "ISKCON and Immigrants: The Rise, Decline, and Rise Again of a New Religious Movement". The Sociological Quarterly. 49 (1): 79–104. doi:10.1111/j.1533-8525.2007.00107.x. ISSN 0038-0253. JSTOR 40220058. S2CID 146169730.
  14. ^ "At 47%, Hinduism biggest gainer in religious conversion in Kerala". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2021-06-10.