| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 1,567,784 (2011)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Predominantly in Hyderabad, Coastal Andhra, Secunderabad, the Northern Circars and Medak, also found among Non-Resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin diaspora populations nationwide in the major cities such as New Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Calcutta, Chennai, Mangalore and also overseas countries | |
| Languages | |
| Telugu, English and vernacular languages of the foreign country where the community reside as Non-Resident Indian and Persons of Indian Origin emigrants and their descendants | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly United Protestant (Church of South India), India Pentecostal Church of God, Assemblies of God in India, Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist but also significant number of Roman Catholics and Evangelicals |
| Part of a series on |
| Christianity |
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Telugu Christians or Telugu Kraistava are a religious community who form the third-largest religious minority in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.[2] According to the 2001 Census of India, there are over a million Christians in Andhra Pradesh, constituting around 1.51% of the state's population.[2] This is a decrease from the 1971 census figure which put the percentage of Christians in state as 2%, and this decrease is mainly a result of low birth rates and emigration.[citation needed]
Most Telugu Christians are Protestant, belonging to major Indian Protestant denominations such as the predominant United Protestant Church of South India, Pentecostals such as Assemblies of God in India, India Pentecostal Church of God, The Pentecostal Mission, the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches, the Salvation Army and several others. There also is a significant number of Roman Catholics and Evangelicals. Although the Franciscans of the Roman Catholic Church brought Christianity to the Deccan area in 1535, it was only after 1759 AD, when the Northern Circars came under the rule of the East India Company, that the region opened up to greater Christian influence.[3]
The first Protestant missionaries in Andhra Pradesh were Rev. Cran and Rev. Des Granges who were sent out by the London Missionary Society. They set up their station at Visakhapatnam in 1805 AD.[4] Regions with significant populations of Telugu Christians include the erstwhile Northern Circars, the coastal belt and the cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Telugu Christians have one of the highest literacy and work participation figures and most even male-to-female ratio figures among the various religious communities in the state.[5][6][7]
- ^ "Indian Census 2011". Census Department, Government of India. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
- ^ a b "Census Reference Tables, C-Series Population by religious communities". Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
- ^ "About Medak Diocese". Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ^ History of Christianity in India: With Its Prospects : a Sketch Compiled ... 9 September 2008.
- ^ "Census of India, Religious composition by gender". Finder.geocommons.com. GeoCommons. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011.
- ^ "National Minority Status For Jain Community in India". Theindiapost.com.
- ^ "Census of India : Salient Features". Servinghistory.com.