Second biggest religion in Pakistan From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hinduism is the second biggest religion in Pakistan, with about 2.17% of the population being Hindus. This is around 5.2 million people, according to the 2023 Pakistani census. However, the Pakistan Hindu Council says there are 8-10 million Hindus, making up 4% of the population.[1] The Umerkot district has the highest percentage of Hindus, with 52.2% of the population being Hindu. The Tharparkar district has the most Hindus in total, with 714,698 people.[2]
Most Hindus in Pakistan live in Punjab and Sindh. They speak different languages like Sindhi, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Seraiki, Aer, Dhatki, and others. In rural Sindh, the diversity of beliefs often makes it hard to strictly define Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Islam. Even though Pakistan is mostly Muslim, Sindh has a strong Hindu heritage.[3]
The official number of Hindus living in Pakistan was 5.2 million or approx. 2.17% in the 2023 census. However, at different time some of the demographic experts of Pakistan Hindu council as well as various Pakistani Hindu politicians have given numbers based on their estimation research:
| Source/claimed by | Population | Year of claimed |
|---|---|---|
| Pakistan Hindu Council[4] | 8,000,000 | 2020 |
| Gulf News (U.A.E based)[5] | 8,800,000 | 2019 |
| The Economic Times (according to an official estimation)[6] | 7,500,000 | 2021 |
| According to Hindu community of Pakistan[6] | 9,000,000 | 2021 |
| Claimed by Mangla Sharma, member provincial assembly (MPA) from Muttahida Quami Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P)[7] | 10,000,000 | 2020 |
Following is a table showing the percentage of Hindus in the districts of Pakistan:
| Administrative Unit | District | Percentage of Hindus |
|---|---|---|
| Sindh | Umerkot | 54.53% |
| Tharparkar | 43.39% | |
| Mirpurkhas | 38.74% | |
| Tando Allahyar | 34.17% | |
| Badin | 23.61% | |
| Tando Muhammad Khan | 22.25% | |
| Sanghar | 21.79% | |
| Matiari | 16.66% | |
| Hyderabad | 8.22% | |
| Ghotki | 6.19% | |
| Karachi South | 4.01% | |
| Jamshoro | 3.87% | |
| Shaheed Benazirabad | 3.86% | |
| Sukkur | 3.55% | |
| Kashmore | 3.22% | |
| Thatta | 3% | |
| Sujawal District | 2.91% | |
| Khairpur | 2.76% | |
| Jacobabad | 2.16% | |
| Malir | 1.77% | |
| Naushahro Feroze | 1.64% | |
| Larkana | 1.45% | |
| Shikarpur | 1.4% | |
| Karachi East | 1.38% | |
| Punjab | Rahim Yar Khan | 3.12% |
| Bahawalpur | 1.12% | |
| Balochistan | Sibi | 2.4% |
| Lasbela | 1.58% | |
| Jaffarabad | 1.34% | |
| Kacchi | 1.04% | |
| Mastung | 1% | |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | Kohat | 1% |
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