Archive · 25 Sep 2025
Hindu Population Claims: Examining Historical Data and Trends
Some people say the Hindu population in India went down a lot a long time ago, but others aren't sure if that is true because there wasn't an official way to count people back then.
The first real count was done after India got its independence in 1951.
Data from then shows the Hindu population grew from 304 million to 966 million by 2011, while the total population also increased.
Although the percentage of Hindus went down a little, it was mostly due to Muslim population increasing more quickly.
So, what's being claimed might not be as accurate as we think because it's hard to count people without official records.
Yogi Adityanath claimed the Hindu population decreased significantly due to historical events.
Formal population censuses in India began in 1871, with the first official one in 1951.
There is a lack of reliable data to verify population claims before the 20th century.
Between 1951 and 2011, the Hindu population increased from roughly 304 million to 966 million.
During this period, the Muslim population share increased by approximately 4 percentage points.
- Who
- Yogi Adityanath, Pew Research Centre
- What
- Claims about the decline of the Hindu population and the reality of census data.
- When
- Claims reference the years 1100 and 1947, while data focuses on census figures from 1951 and 2011.
- Where
- India
- Why
- To examine claims made about the Hindu population and provide factual context based on available data.
- 1100 AD Hindu Population (Claimed)
- 60 crore
- 1947 Hindu Population (Claimed)
- 30 crore
- 1951 Hindu Population (Census)
- 30.5 crore
- 1951 Total Population (Census)
- 361 million
- 2011 Hindu Population (Census)
- 966 million
- 2011 Total Population (Census)
- 1.2 billion