Hinduism in Asia

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Hinduism is an Indian religion and in terms of followers, it is one of the largest religions in Asia. In 2022, the total number of Hindus in Asia is more than 1.2 billion, more than 22.8% of Asia's total population. [1] About 99.2% of the world's Hindus live in South Asia. [2] with India having 94% of the global Hindu population. [3] Other Asian nations with a notable Hindu population include Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates. [4] [5] [6] [7]

Contents

History

Hinduism expansion in Asia, from its heartland in Indian Subcontinent, to the rest of Asia, especially Southeast Asia, started circa 1st century marked with the establishment of early Hindu settlements and polities in Southeast Asia. Hinduism Expansion in Asia.svg
Hinduism expansion in Asia, from its heartland in Indian Subcontinent, to the rest of Asia, especially Southeast Asia, started circa 1st century marked with the establishment of early Hindu settlements and polities in Southeast Asia.

The roots of Hinduism started and emerged in the Indus river basin at the Indus Valley civilisation, nearly 3,000 BCE and spread through the Indian subcontinent, [8] though the history of Hinduism overlaps or coincides with the development of religion in the Indian subcontinent since the Iron Age, with some of its traditions tracing back to prehistoric religions such as those of the Bronze Age Indus Valley civilization. It has thus been called the oldest religion in the world. [9]

Hinduism spread in South and Southeast Asia through Hindu rulers and dynasties, and the reign of the Gupta Empire (the Gupta era) was considered the Golden period for Hinduism and the religion also spread to Central Asia (including Afghanistan) through the Silk route. [10] [11] [12] There were also many Hindu colonies in West Asia due to significant trade with this parts of the world. [13] Though with the Spread of Islam and Muslim conquests in the Indian subcontinent, Afghanistan and Southeast Asia, especially in Indonesia, Hinduism started declining and shrunk in these regions. [14] [15]

Demographics

Bratan Bali Indonesia Balinese-family-after-Puja-01.jpg
A Balinese Hindu family after puja at Bratan temple in Bali, Indonesia

Central Asia

CountryTotal popHindus %ageHindus pop
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg Kazakhstan 18,744,5480.01%12,732
Flag of Kyrgyzstan.svg Kyrgyzstan 6,019,480<0.01%<1,000
Flag of Tajikistan.svg Tajikistan8,734,951<0.01<1,000
Flag of Turkmenistan.svg Turkmenistan5,851,466<0.01<1,000
Flag of Uzbekistan.svg Uzbekistan32,653,9000.01%2,778
Total72,004,345<0.01%16,000 (approx)

East Asia

CountryTotal popHindus %ageHindus pop
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China 1,425,178,7820.1%20,000
Flag of Hong Kong.svg Hong Kong 7,448,9001.6%119,182
Flag of Macau.svg Macau658,900<0.01%<1,000
Flag of Japan.svg Japan 126,420,000<0.01%30,000
Flag of North Korea.svg North Korea 25,610,672<0.01%<1,000
Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea 51,635,2560.04%24,414
Flag of Mongolia.svg Mongolia 3,231,200<0.01%<1,000
Flag of the Republic of China.svg Taiwan 23,577,488<0.01%1,900
Total1,633,202,4160.09% (approx)1,551,037

Middle-East

CountryTotal popHindus %ageHindus pop
Flag of Bahrain.svg Bahrain 1,496,3009.8%144,286
Flag of Kuwait.svg Kuwait4,226,9207.1% [α] 300,667
Flag of Oman.svg Oman 4,651,7065.7%182,679
Flag of Qatar.svg Qatar 2,561,64313.8%358,800
Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Saudi Arabia 33,413,6601.1%303,611
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Arab Emirates 9,582,3407.5% [β] 660,000
Flag of Yemen.svg Yemen 28,915,2840.7%200,000
Total84,847,8532.52%2,140,574

South Asia

CountryTotal popHindus %ageHindus pop
Flag of the Taliban.svg Afghanistan 37,466,414<0.01%<1,000
Flag of Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh 165,158,6167.95%13,130,109
Flag of Bhutan.svg Bhutan 742,73722.6%185,700
Flag of India.svg India 1,320,000,00079.8%1,053,000,000
Flag of Maldives.svg Maldives 369,0310.01%<1,000
Flag of Nepal.svg Nepal 28,901,79081.3%23,500,000
Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan 224,864,2932.14%4,678,078
Flag of Sri Lanka.svg Sri Lanka 21,200,00012.6%2,671,000
Total2,032,080,41568%1,068,728,901

Southeast Asia

CountryTotal popHindus %ageHindus pop
Flag of Brunei.svg Brunei Darusalem 374,5770.035%131
Flag of Cambodia.svg Cambodia 13,995,9040.3%41,988
Flag of Indonesia.svg Indonesia 259,000,0001.74%4,646,357 [γ]
Flag of Malaysia.svg Malaysia 30,949,9626.3%1,949,850
Flag of Myanmar.svg Myanmar 50,279,9000.5%252,763
Flag of the Philippines.svg Philippines 102,000,000<0.1%30,634 (2015) [20]
Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore 5,600,0005.0%280,000
Flag of Thailand.svg Thailand 65,068,1490.1%65,000
Flag of Vietnam.svg Vietnam 85,262,3560.07%20,000
Total571,337,0701.118%6,386,614

West Asia

CountryTotal popHindus %ageHindus pop
Flag of Armenia.svg Armenia 2,975,000<0.01%<1,000
Flag of Azerbaijan.svg Azerbaijan 10,027,874<0.01%<1,000
Flag of Iran.svg Iran 81,871,500<0.01%20,000
Flag of Iraq.svg Iraq39,339,753<0.01%<1,000
Flag of Israel.svg Israel 8,930,6800.12%11,500
Flag of Lebanon.svg Lebanon6,093,509<0.01%<1,000
Flag of Palestine.svg State of Palestine4,816,503<0.01%<1,000
Flag of the Syrian revolution.svg Syria18,284,407<0.01%<1,000
Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey 80,810,525<0.01%<1,000
Total253,149,7510.018%46,000 (est)

See also

Notes

  1. The estimates vary depending on whether temporary workers – with no residency nor right to openly practice their religion – are included or not. The official Kuwaiti government census data does not count Hindus as residents or citizens of Kuwait.
  2. In the United Arab Emirates, only Sunni Muslims can become citizens, non Muslims there are working as work-class laborers and employees on a particular time and contract basis. [16]
  3. The lower number is based on Pew Research estimate and is primarily concentrated in the island of Bali, Indonesia and nearby provinces of Indonesia. The higher number is based on a 2010 estimate by the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Government of Indonesia. [17] The largest Hindu organization in Indonesia Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia states that the Indonesian census greatly underestimates Hindu population, because predominantly Muslim nation of Indonesia does not recognize all forms of Hinduism, and only recognizes monotheistic Hinduism under its constitution. [18] [19]

References

Citations

  1. Johnson, Todd M.; Crossing, Peter F. (14 October 2022). "Religions by Continent". Journal of Religion and Demography. 9 (1–2): 91–110. doi:10.1163/2589742x-bja10013. ISSN   2589-7411.
  2. Pechilis, Karen; Raj, Selva J. (2013). South Asian Religions: Tradition and Today. Routledge. ISBN   978-0-415-44851-2.
  3. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/09/21/population-growth-and-religious-composition/
  4. "Table: Religious Composition by Country, in Numbers". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  5. Reyaz, M. (30 May 2014). "[Analysis] Are there any takeaways for Muslims from the Narendra Modi government?". DNA India. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  6. "Gorkhas to march for restoration of Nepal's Hindu nation status". Hindustan Times. 10 August 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  7. "Hinduism - The spread of Hinduism in Southeast Asia and the Pacific". Encyclopedia Britannica . Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  8. Brodd 2003.
  9. Klostermaier 2007, p. 1.
  10. Flood, Gavin D. (1996). An Introduction to Hinduism. Cambridge University Press. p. 21. ISBN   978-0-521-43878-0.
  11. Klostermaier 2007, p. 78-81.
  12. Michaels 2004, p. 40.
  13. Pillalamarri, Akhilesh. "The Origins of Hindu-Muslim Conflict in South Asia". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  14. Werner, Karel (11 August 2005). A Popular Dictionary of Hinduism. Routledge. p. 728. ISBN   978-1-135-79753-9.
  15. Brodd 2003, p. 57; Michaels 2004, pp. 147–158.
  16. Marsh 2015e, p. 3.
  17. Indonesia: Religious Freedoms Report 2010, US State Department (2011), Quote: "The Ministry of Religious Affairs estimates that 10 million Hindus live in the country and account for approximately 90 percent of the population in Bali. Hindu minorities also reside in Central and East Kalimantan, the city of Medan (North Sumatra), South and Central Sulawesi, and Lombok (West Nusa Tenggara). Hindu groups such as Hare Krishna and followers of the Indian spiritual leader Sai Baba are present in small numbers. Some indigenous religious groups, including the "Naurus" on Seram Island in Maluku Province, incorporate Hindu and animist beliefs, and many have also adopted some Protestant teachings."
  18. F.K. Bakker (1997), Balinese Hinduism and the Indonesian State: Recent Developments, Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, Deel 153, 1ste Afl., Brill Academic, pp. 15–41
  19. Martin Ramstedt (2004). Hinduism in Modern Indonesia: A Minority Religion Between Local, National, and Global Interests. Routledge. pp. 7–12. ISBN   978-0-7007-1533-6.
  20. "Philippines, Religion And Social Profile". thearda.com. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2021.

Bibliography

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Hinduism in Asia at Wikimedia Commons