Hindus in Christian-Majority Lands and the Moral Paradox of Religious Hostility at Home

Hinduism today is a global faith that extends far beyond the Indian subcontinent. Although the vast majority of the world’s Hindus live in South Asia, a significant and growing number are part of global diasporas scattered across Christian-majority nations. These diaspora communities have, in many cases, found ways—imperfect and contested—to live in pluralistic environments in which religious identity is protected by law and by social norms of inclusion. Yet in India, where Hinduism emerged millennia ago, a rising strain of ethnoreligious nationalism known as Hindutva has turned parts of the political landscape toward intolerance and violence—most visibly against Christians during their holiest seasons. To understand the contradictions and challenges faced by Hindus abroad and at home, we must first map the numbers and places where Hindus live as minorities under Christian-majority conditions.

Hindu Populations in Christian-Majority Countries

Globally, there are about 1.2 billion Hindus, making Hinduism the third-largest religious group worldwide after Christianity and Islam. Around 95% of Hindus reside in the Indian subcontinent, chiefly in India and Nepal, where Hinduism is the majority religion. Outside South Asia, however, Hindu populations are sustained by historical migration and modern diaspora communities.

United States

In the United States—a nation where Christians constitute the largest religious group—Hinduism is the fastest-growing minority religion. Approximately 3.3 million Hindus are living in the U.S., making it one of the largest Hindu diaspora communities outside Asia.

These Hindus are a diverse mix of recent immigrants and multi-generation families from India, East Africa, and Southeast Asia. They celebrate Hindu festivals openly, participate in public life, and in many cities have built large temples alongside churches and mosques.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has about 1.07 million Hindus, making Hinduism a recognizable religious minority there. Most British Hindus trace their roots to South Asia and East Africa, arriving in waves after the end of the empire and continuing through modern economic migration.

In the UK, Hindus are legally recognized as a religious group, and temples hold public events to celebrate major festivals such as Diwali. Christians, Muslims, Jews, and non-religious citizens share secular public spaces and civil liberties, even as social debates about multiculturalism persist.

Canada

In Canada, where Christians are the majority, the Hindu community has grown significantly in recent decades. There are roughly 828,000 Hindus in Canada today, according to census shaped data.

Canadian Hindus have established vibrant temples and cultural centers. Canadian law guarantees religious freedom and multiculturalism, providing a framework in which Hindu festivals and Christian holidays are recognized in public life.

Australia

In Australia, Hindus number around 684,000 people, again in a predominantly Christian context. Hindu communities in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane celebrate events like Navaratri and Diwali with public participation that includes non-Hindus. Australian multicultural policy promotes diversity, albeit within debates over national identity and integration.

New Zealand and Europe

Smaller but still significant Hindu populations are found in New Zealand (~123,000 Hindus) and across Europe (e.g., the Netherlands ~180,000; France ~150,000; Germany ~130,000), all within societies where most citizens identify culturally or historically as Christian.

Caribbean Christian-Majority States

In the Caribbean, the legacy of indentured labor from the 19th and early 20th centuries left substantial Hindu communities in countries with Christian majorities:

• Guyana: Hindus constitute approximately 24.8% of the population.

• Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname also have Hindu populations, often estimated around 20–25%.

These Afro-Caribbean communities have maintained religious traditions and celebrate both Hindu and national holidays in multi-faith societies.

A World of Religious Coexistence—and Contrasts

Across these varied societies—from North America to Europe to the Caribbean—Hindus live under laws that protect freedom of conscience and worship. Christianity dominates statistically but not coercively; churches operate openly, alongside temples and mosques. There are tensions and debates, to be sure, but the legal and social frameworks largely ensure that religious minority rights are respected, even when contesting issues arise.

This normative context of pluralism contrasts sharply with the experiences of religious minorities in India in recent years.

Christian Holidays, Church Desecrations, and the Specter of Hindutva

In India—where Hinduism is the majority faith and the Constitution declares secularism and freedom of religion—there have been repeated reports over recent years of attacks on Christian communities, particularly around Christmas.

During the Christmas season in several Indian states, there have been incidents of church vandalism, disruption of worship services, and harassment of congregants, often attributed to local groups aligned with Hindutva ideology. These attacks frequently involve allegations that Christians are engaging in “forced conversions,” a claim that has been used to justify intimidation and violence. While precise national statistics on these incidents vary—and official reporting systems may differ—the pattern has been documented by independent human rights organizations and media accounts. (Precise census-level figures for Hindu attacks at Christmas are not centrally compiled in government data, but multiple reports from civil society groups and international observers confirm localized outbreaks of violence.) 

The narrative driving such attacks is rooted in an exclusionary interpretation of Indian identity, where only one religious outlook is normatively “authentic.” In this worldview, visible celebrations like Christmas become political targets because they challenge a homogeneous idea of culture and belonging.

Moral Contradictions and the Global Hindu Experience

What emerges from the comparison between Hindus living in Christian-majority nations and Christians living under Hindu majoritarian pressure in India is a deep moral paradox.

In pluralistic societies like the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, Hindus have become defenders of religious freedom for all, including Christians. They stand alongside Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, and non-religious citizens in advocating for laws that protect churches, temples, and mosques alike.

The lived experience of Hindus in these Western democracies underscores the value of constitutional protections, legal equality, and cultural pluralism. They demonstrate that Hindus can flourish as religious minorities while upholding the rights of co-religionists and other faiths.

Yet within India itself, where Hinduism is culturally dominant, the rise of Hindutva has triggered a politics that often fails to protect religious minorities in the same spirit. When churches are harassed or vandalized during Christmas, the message sent to Christians and other non-Hindus is one of conditional belonging rather than equal citizenship.

This paradox highlights a crucial distinction between religion and politics. Hinduism as a spiritual tradition does not inherently demand coercion or exclusion; its classical theology embraces a diversity of paths. Hindutva, however, is a modern political ideology that co-opts Hindu identity into a narrower, zero-sum paradigm.

The Way Forward: Pluralism, Rights, and Shared Citizenship

The world’s major faith traditions—whether Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, or Buddhism—face the historical challenge of integrating pluralism into lived reality. The contrast between global contexts where Hindus live peacefully under Christian majorities and the contested space within India itself points to the importance of law, civil society, and ethical leadership in shaping interfaith relations.

Religious harmony does not require erasing difference; it demands acknowledging it with dignity. In Christian-majority nations, Hindus have often learned this lesson by experience, advocating for inclusive constitutions and mutual respect. India, with its rich traditions of spiritual diversity, stands at a crossroads: it can either reaffirm its constitutional commitment to equal protection for all religions or permit sectarian politics to erode the moral basis of its republic.

Christmas, with its themes of birth, hope, and reconciliation, becomes a powerful symbol of this moral test. To protect a minority’s right to worship peacefully is not merely an act of tolerance—it is a testament to a society’s confidence in itself and in its capacity for justice.

Numbers, Narratives, and a Shared Humanity

The presence of millions of Hindus in Christian-majority nations across the world—whether the 3.3 million in the U.S., the 1.07 million in the UK, the 828,000 in Canada, or the hundreds of thousands in Australia, New Zealand, and the Caribbean—shows that religious identity need not be a source of enmity.

Yet the recent desecrations of Christian churches in India during Christmas highlight the fragility of pluralism when politics overrides principle. In celebrating diverse religious traditions within a shared political community, societies strengthen their moral foundation and honor the dignity of every citizen.

The challenge for India—and indeed for any pluralistic society—is to ensure that the freedom enjoyed by minorities in foreign lands is not denied to minorities at home. That, perhaps, is the ultimate lesson of the global Hindu experience.