Most migrants living in India are Hindus, finds Pew Research study
However, migrants were less likely than the general population in India to be Hindu and more likely to be Muslim, the United States-based think tank said.
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Hindus constitute the largest share of migrants living in India, a report by the United States-based think tank Pew Research Centre said on Monday.
The study, titled “The Religious Composition of the World’s Migrants”, said that Hindus accounted for 61% of the migrants living in India, while Muslims accounted for 19% of them. Bangladesh and Pakistan were the most common sources of foreign-born residents in India.
However, Pew Research said that migrants were less likely than the general population in India to be Hindu and more likely to be Muslim.
The think tank released projections in 2021 estimating that Hindus constituted 79% of the population, while Muslims constituted 15%. According to the 2011 Census, 79.8% of India’s population were Hindus, while 14.2% were Muslims.
The study by Pew Research also said that Muslims and Christians were more likely than others to have left India.
In 2020, about 41% of Indians who migrated elsewhere were Hindus, according to the research. This figure was significantly lower than the overall percentage of Hindus in the country.
In contrast, 33% of Indians who migrated elsewhere were Muslims, and 16% were Christians, the figures for both communities being significantly higher than their share in the country’s overall population. According to the 2011 Census, Christians constituted 2.3% of the country’s...
