With almost all major religions being practiced throughout the country, India is known for its religious diversity. Hinduism made up for the highest share of faith followed by people in the country. According to the Indian census of 2011, Muslims had the highest population growth in the country.

A survey conducted across India in 2024 found that 77 percent of Hindu population and 81 percent of minorities agree that India belongs to all religions equally. The survey reflects citizens' faith in the secular and pluralistic fabric of the country.

It was estimated that by 2050, India's Muslim population would grow by 76 percent compared to 2010. For followers of the Hindu faith, this change stood at 33 percent. According to this projection, the south Asian country would be home not just to the world's majority of Hindus, but also Muslims by this time period. Regardless, the latter would continue to remain a minority within the country at 18 percent, with 77 percent or 1.3 billion Hindus at the forefront by 2050.

Census: Population: by Religion: Hindu: Uttarakhand data was reported at 8,368,636.000 Person in 03-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 7,212,260.000 Person for 03-01-2001. Census: Population: by Religion: Hindu: Uttarakhand data is updated decadal, averaging 7,790,448.000 Person from Mar 2001 (Median) to 03-01-2011, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 8,368,636.000 Person in 03-01-2011 and a record low of 7,212,260.000 Person in 03-01-2001. Census: Population: by Religion: Hindu: Uttarakhand data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAE002: Census: Population: by Religion: Hindu.

Census: Population: by Religion: Muslim: Karnataka: Female data was reported at 3,885,194.000 Person in 03-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 3,160,545.000 Person for 03-01-2001. Census: Population: by Religion: Muslim: Karnataka: Female data is updated decadal, averaging 3,522,869.500 Person from Mar 2001 (Median) to 03-01-2011, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3,885,194.000 Person in 03-01-2011 and a record low of 3,160,545.000 Person in 03-01-2001. Census: Population: by Religion: Muslim: Karnataka: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAE003: Census: Population: by Religion: Muslim.

According to India's last census in 2011, about 14.2 percent of the total population identified as Muslims. This was an increase from about ten percent in 1951. Overall, India has been a religiously pluralistic and multiethnic democracy with people of several faiths.

With almost all major religions being practiced throughout the country, India is known for its religious diversity. Islam makes up the highest share among minority faiths in the country. According to the Indian census of 2011, the Muslim population in Uttar Pradesh more than 35 million, making it the state with the most Muslims.

Socio-economic conditions of Muslims
Muslims seem to lag behind every other religious community in India in terms of living standards, financial stability, education and other aspects, thereby showing poor performance in most of the fields. According to a national survey, 17 percent of the Muslims were categorized under the lowest wealth index, which indicates poor socio-economic conditions.

Growth of Muslim population in India
Islam is one of the fastest-growing religions worldwide. According to India’s census, the Muslim population has witnessed a negative decadal growth of more than 16 percent from 1951 to 1960, presumably due to the partitions forming Pakistan and Bangladesh. The population showed a positive and steady growth since 1961, making up 14 percent of the total population of India . Even though people following Islam were estimated to grow significantly, they would still remain a minority in India compared to 1.3 billion Hindus by 2050.

Census: Population: by Religion: Muslim: Assam: Female data was reported at 5,215,952.000 Person in 03-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 3,987,920.000 Person for 03-01-2001. Census: Population: by Religion: Muslim: Assam: Female data is updated decadal, averaging 4,601,936.000 Person from Mar 2001 (Median) to 03-01-2011, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5,215,952.000 Person in 03-01-2011 and a record low of 3,987,920.000 Person in 03-01-2001. Census: Population: by Religion: Muslim: Assam: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAE003: Census: Population: by Religion: Muslim.

Census: Population: by Religion: Buddhist: Uttar Pradesh data was reported at 206,285.000 Person in 03-01-2011. This records a decrease from the previous number of 302,031.000 Person for 03-01-2001. Census: Population: by Religion: Buddhist: Uttar Pradesh data is updated decadal, averaging 254,158.000 Person from Mar 2001 (Median) to 03-01-2011, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 302,031.000 Person in 03-01-2001 and a record low of 206,285.000 Person in 03-01-2011. Census: Population: by Religion: Buddhist: Uttar Pradesh data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAE006: Census: Population: by Religion: Buddhist.

Census: Population: by Religion: Sikh: West Bengal data was reported at 63,523.000 Person in 03-01-2011. This records a decrease from the previous number of 66,391.000 Person for 03-01-2001. Census: Population: by Religion: Sikh: West Bengal data is updated decadal, averaging 64,957.000 Person from Mar 2001 (Median) to 03-01-2011, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 66,391.000 Person in 03-01-2001 and a record low of 63,523.000 Person in 03-01-2011. Census: Population: by Religion: Sikh: West Bengal data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAE005: Census: Population: by Religion: Sikh.

This statistic shows the religious affiliation of the population in India as of 2011. In 2011, 79.8 percent of the total Indian population were Hindu.

As of 2010, Christianity was the religion with the most followers worldwide, followed by Islam (Muslims) and Hinduism. In the forty years between 2010 and 2050, it is projected that the landscape of world religions will undergo some noticeable changes, with the number of Muslims almost catching up to Christians. The changes in population sizes of each religious group is largely dependent on demographic development, for example, the rise in the world's Christian population will largely be driven by population growth in Sub-Saharan Africa, while Muslim populations will rise across various regions of Africa and South Asia. As India's population is set to grow while China's goes into decline, this will be reflected in the fact that Hindus will outnumber the unaffiliated by 2050. In fact, India may be home to both the largest Hindu and Muslim populations in the world by the middle of this century.

According to the latest census data, Lakshadweep, the island union territory had the highest share of Muslim population in the country, where 97 percent of its population identified as followers of the Islamic faith. Jammu & Kashmir ranked second at 68 percent during the same time period. With almost all major religions being practiced throughout the country, India is known for its religious diversity. Islam makes up the highest share among minority faiths in the country.

In 2011, about 79.8 percent of the population across India identified as Hindus. This was a decrease from about 84 percent in 1951. Despite of this decrease, India still has a majority of Hindu population compared to other religions in the country.

According to a survey conducted in 2020, 54 percent of Indian Americans in the United States said that they identified as Hindu while 13 percent said that they identified as Muslim. A further nine percent said that they identified with no religion in particular.

Sikhism is a religion that originated on the Indian subcontinent during the fifteenth century. Sikhs follow the teachings of 'gurus', who descend from the first guru Guru Naruk who established the faith. Followers of Sikhism are monotheists, believing in only one god, and other core beliefs include the need to meditate, the importance of community and communal living, and the need to serve humanity selflessly (or 'seva'). Sikhism and the British Empire In total, there are around 26 million Sikhs worldwide, and over 24 million of these live in India. Outside of India, the largest Sikh populations are mostly found in former territories of the British Empire - the UK and Canada both have Sikh populations of over half a million people. Migration from India to other parts of the British Empire was high in the 19th century, due to the labor demands of relatively newer colonies, as well as those where slavery had been abolished. These countries also remain popular destinations for Sikh migrants today, as many are highly trained and English-speaking. Other regions with significant Sikh populations Italy also has a sizeable Sikh population, as many migrated there after serving there in the British Army during WWI, and they are now heavily represented in Italy's dairy industry. The Sikh population of Saudi Arabia is also reflective of the fact that the largest Indian diaspora in the world can now be found in the Middle East - this is due to the labor demands of the fossil fuel industries and their associated secondary industries, although a large share of Indians in this part of the world are there on a temporary basis.

With almost all major religions being practiced throughout the country, India is known for its religious diversity. Hinduism made up for the highest share of faith followed by people in the country. According to the Indian census of 2011, Himachal Pradesh had the highest share of Hindu population in the country.

According to India's last census in 2011, the Muslim population had about 24.6 percent of decadal growth rate, while Hindus had a decadal growth rate of 16.8 percent. India, a secular nation provides religious freedom as a fundamental right under the constitution to its citizens.

In 2022, Indonesia has the largest population of Muslims worldwide with around 241.5 million. This was followed with around 225.6 million Muslims in Pakistan and 211.16 million Muslims in India.

In 2011, about 1.87 percent of the population identified with Sikhism as their religion, a slight decrease from about 1.9 percent in 1951. Overall, India has been a religiously pluralistic and multiethnic democracy with people of several faiths.