Hinduism in the United Kingdom

British Hindus
Total population
817,000 (2011)[1]
1.5% of the Population
Regions with significant populations
England
Languages
Indian Languages
Nepali Languages

Hinduism has had a presence in the United Kingdom since the early 19th century, as at the time India was ruled by the British. According to 2011 Census of England and Wales, 817,000 residents (1.5%) identified themselves as Hindus.[1] Recent immigration has resulted in the number of Hindus effectively doubling from the 1991 Census to the 2011 Census. Hindus was the fourth largest religious group in the 2011 Census of the United Kingdom, after Christianity (59%), No Religion (25%), and Muslims (5%).[1]

British Hindus

Religion in England and Wales[1]
Religion Percent
Christianity
  
 59%
No Religion
  
 25%
Islam
  
 4.8%
Hinduism
  
 1.5%
Sikh
  
 0.8%
Others, Not stated
  
 8.8%

The British Hindu population includes those who came directly from the Indian sub-continent, descendants of those Hindus who had originally migrated to other countries but later resettled in the United Kingdom, and those born and raised in the UK. It is not unusual to find third or fourth generation Hindus in the UK.

There have been three main waves of migration of Hindus in the UK.[2] The first wave was before India's independence in 1947. Also, in the early 1960s the Conservative Health Minister the Rt Hon Enoch Powell recruited a large number of doctors from the Indian sub-continent. The second wave occurred in the 1970s mainly from East Africa especially due to Expulsion of Asians from Uganda.[3] Later, communities included those from Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Mauritius and Fiji. The last wave of migration began in the 1990s and is a result of the the United Kingdom's immigration policy, which made it easier for Indians to study and immigrate to. This wave also included Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka and professionals including doctors and software engineers from India. Most of the Indians in the United Kingdom came from the third wave.

In terms of relative numbers of South Asian descendants in the United Kingdom, Hindu population of 817,000 is the second largest group.[4]

Diaspora

Part of a series on
Hinduism by country

Hinduism was the religion of 558,342 people in the United Kingdom according to the 2001 census,[5] and 817,000 people according to 2011 census.[1]

An estimate from a prominent British newspaper put the figure as high as 1.5 Million in 2007.[6] According to the 2011 census, 816,633 Hindus live in England and Wales with the figure for Scotland yet to be released. Most Hindus in the UK live in England, with half living in London alone.[7] However, fast growing communities also exist in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Temples and Organisations

The largest Hindu temple of England, in northwest London.

UK-wide Hindu organisations include the National Council of Hindu Temples UK, the oldest UK-wide Hindu organisation comprising over 300 Hindu Temples and Hindu Faith Organisations,[8] The Hindu Council UK representing almost 400 affiliated cultural and religious organisations of various Hindu denominations including temples,[9] and The Hindu Forum of Britain, with nearly 300 member organisations.[10]

There are over 150 Hindu Temples in the UK [11] with 30 Temples in the London area alone.[12] Slough Hindu Temple was built by the Slough Hindu Cultural Society - formally opened in 1981 - it was the first purpose-built Hindu Temple in the British Isles. However, the first Hindu Temple in the UK was opened in the late 1920s near Earls Court in London and it was functional for about four years.[13]

Some of the most notable Hindu-based organisations in the UK include the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), Swaminarayan (BAPS) in Neasden (Greater London), the Chinmaya Mission, Ramakrishna Mission and Sai Organisation, each having large followings. SHYAM, an educational Hindu organisation teaches the Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Shrimad Bhagavad, Vedas and Upanishads.[14]

For more specific details of Hinduism in each country of the United Kingdom, see:

Converts to Hinduism

Hindus in the Media


See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 UK Government. "Religion in England and Wales 2011". Office of National Statistics (11 December 2012). Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  2. ↑ http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/foreign-hand/2010/07/30/india-britain-and-three-waves-of-migration/
  3. ↑ http://www.ibtimes.com/uganda-legacy-idi-amins-expulsion-asians-1972-214289
  4. ↑ "2011 Census: KS209EW Religion, local authorities in England and Wales (Excel sheet 270Kb)" (XLS). Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  5. ↑ UK 2001 census
  6. ↑ Hindu school is first to make vegetarianism a condition of entry | Schools special reports | EducationGuardian.co.uk
  7. ↑ Minority religions mainly in London. National Statistics. Accessed 5 Jun 2006.
  8. ↑ National Council of Hindu Temples UK, accessed 3 August 2009
  9. ↑ Affiliates Hindu Council UK, accessed 4 August 2009
  10. ↑ About us About us, accessed 12 December 2008
  11. ↑ Hindu Temples in the UK, accessed 4 August 2014
  12. ↑ 30 Temples in the London area
  13. ↑ Bimal Krishnadas (edited by), Directory of Hindu Temples in the UK, 2004-2006, page 7, published by the National Council of Hindu Trmples (UK), Leicester.
  14. ↑
  15. ↑ http://www.isherwoodfoundation.org/biography.html
  16. ↑ http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/british-priest-in-kerala-in-conversion-debate/article3074555.ece

External links