Most migrants living in India are Hindus, finds Pew study

The majority of migrants living in India are Hindus, according to a report by the United States-based think tank Pew Research Centre published on Monday.

The study, The Religious Composition of the World’s Migrants, estimates that 61% of all migrants living in India are Hindus. The community makes up around 79% of the country’s population.

In contrast, 19% of migrants living in India are Muslims. The community accounts for about 15% of India’s population.

Most foreign-born residents living in India are from Bangladesh and Pakistan, according to Pew Research.

The study also said that Muslims and Christians were more likely than others to have left India.

In 2020, about 41% of Indians who migrated to other countries were Hindus, according to Pew Research. This figure was significantly lower than the overall share of Hindus in the country.

In contrast, 33% of Indians who left the country in 2020 were Muslims and 16% were Christians. The figures for both communities were significantly higher than their share in the country’s overall population.

According to the 2011 Census, 14.2% of India’s population were Muslims and 2.3% were Christians.

The Pew Research study noted that in recent decades, violent attacks on religious minorities, including Muslims and Christians, have been associated with a “rising tide of Hindu nationalism in India”.

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