Hinduism in the United Kingdom

This article is about Hinduism in the United Kingdom as a whole. For Hinduism in each of its constituent countries, see Hinduism in England, Hinduism in Scotland, Hinduism in Wales, and Hinduism in Northern Ireland.
Hindus in the United Kingdom
Neasden Temple in London.
Total population
United Kingdom United Kingdom: 1,066,894 – 1.6% (2021)
England England: 1,020,533 – 1.8% (2021)[1]
Scotland Scotland: 29,929 – 0.6% (2022)[2]
Wales Wales: 12,242 – 0.4% (2021)[1]
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland: 4,190 – 0.2% (2021)[3]
Regions with significant populations
Greater London453,034 – 5.1%[4]
South East England154,748 – 1.7%
East Midlands120,345 – 2.5%
West Midlands88,116 – 1.5%
Religions
Majority: Vaishnavism
Minority: Shaivism
Languages
Related ethnic groups
British Sikhs and British Buddhists
Hinduism by country
Africa
Asia
Europe
North America
Caribbean
Oceania
South America
Full list

Hinduism is the third-largest religious group in the United Kingdom, after Christianity and Islam; the religion is followed by over one million people representing around 1.6% of the total population.[6] According to the 2021 United Kingdom census Hindus are primarily concentrated in England, particularly in Greater London and the South East, with just under 50,000 Hindus residing in the three other nations of the United Kingdom.[7][2][8][9] Hindus have 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.[10]

Most British Hindus are immigrants, mainly from India,[11] and there are also significant number of Hindu immigrants from Sri Lanka[12] and Nepal,[13][14] with even smaller numbers from Afghanistan,[15] Bangladesh,[16][17] and Bhutan.[18] 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.[19][20]

  1. ^ a b "Religion, England and Wales: Census 2021". Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Scotland's Census 2022 - Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion - Chart data". Scotland's Census. National Records of Scotland. 21 May 2024. Archived from the original on 21 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024. Alternative URL Archived 2021-05-14 at the Wayback Machine 'Search data by location' > 'All of Scotland' > 'Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion' > 'Religion'
  3. ^ "MS-B21: Religion". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. 22 September 2022. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  4. ^ "TS030 - Religion Edit query". www.nomisweb.co.uk. Nomis: Official Census and Labour Market Statistics. Archived from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  5. ^ "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)
  6. ^ "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.
  7. ^ "Religion, England and Wales - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2022-11-29. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  8. ^ "Census 2021 main statistics religion tables". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. 2022-09-07. Archived from the original on 2022-10-04. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  9. ^ "MS-B21: Religion - full detail". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Archived from the original on 2024-06-13. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ "From Kathmandu to Kent: Nepalis in the UK". Himal Southasian. 2014-12-26. Archived from the original on 2021-06-10. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ "Bangla Stories - Bengali Hindu Migrant: Ashim Sen - Bradford". www.banglastories.org. Archived from the original on 2010-10-26. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  17. ^ "London Kalibari – London Kalibari". Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  18. ^ "The ethnic cleansing hidden behind Bhutan's happy face". Firstpost. 2013-07-01. Archived from the original on 2019-12-23. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ "At 47%, Hinduism biggest gainer in religious conversion in Kerala". The New Indian Express. 2 April 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-06-10. Retrieved 2021-06-10.