Christianity is the third largest religion in India after Hinduism and Islam. While the origins of Christianity in India have been a controversial subject, the population of Christians in the region has seen a steady increase for the last few decades. As of 2011, the population of Christians in India was nearly 28 million which made up for 2% of the total Indian population. Below is a table showing the estimated size and distribution of Christianity in India.
Population of Christians in India by State
|
State |
Christian Population |
Percentage (%) share of Christian population in India (27,800,000) |
Percentage(%) share of total state population |
|
Nagaland |
1,739,651 |
6.26% |
87.9% |
|
Mizoram |
956,331 |
3.44% |
87.1% |
|
Meghalaya |
2,213,027 |
7.96% |
74.5% |
|
Manipur |
1,179,043 |
4.24% |
41.3% |
|
Arunachala Pradesh |
418,732 |
1.51% |
30.3% |
|
Goa |
366,130 |
1.32% |
25.1% |
|
Andaman and Nicobar Islands |
80,984 |
0.29% |
21.2% |
|
Kerala |
6,141,269 |
22.09% |
18.4% |
|
Sikkim |
60,522 |
0.22% |
9.9% |
|
Puducherry |
78,550 |
0.28% |
6.3% |
|
Tamil Nadu |
4,418,331 |
15.89% |
6.1% |
|
Tripura |
159,882 |
0.58% |
4.4% |
|
Jharkhand |
1,418,608 |
5.10% |
4.3% |
|
Assam |
1,165,867 |
4.19% |
3.7% |
|
Orissa |
1,161,708 |
4.18% |
2.8% |
|
Chandigarh |
490,542 |
1.76% |
1.9% |
|
Karnataka |
1,142,647 |
4.11% |
1.9% |
|
Dadra and Nagar Haveli |
5,113 |
0.02% |
1.5% |
|
Andhra Pradesh/Telangana |
1,129,784 |
4.06% |
1.3% |
|
Punjab |
348,230 |
1.25% |
1.3% |
|
Daman and Diu |
2,820 |
0.01% |
1.2% |
|
Maharashtra |
1,080,073 |
3.89% |
0.96% |
|
Delhi |
146,093 |
0.53% |
0.87% |
|
Chandigarh |
8,270 |
0.03% |
0.83% |
|
West Bengal |
658,618 |
2.37% |
0.72% |
|
Gujrat |
316,178 |
1.14% |
0.52% |
|
Lakshadweep |
317 |
0.001% |
0.49% |
|
Uttarakhand |
37,781 |
0.14% |
0.37% |
|
Madhya Pradesh |
213,282 |
0.77% |
0.29% |
|
Jammu and Kashmir |
35,631 |
0.13% |
0.28% |
|
Haryana |
50,353 |
0.18% |
0.2% |
|
Himachal Pradesh |
12,646 |
0.05% |
0.18% |
|
Uttar Pradesh |
356,448 |
1.28% |
0.18% |
|
Rajasthan |
96,430 |
0.35% |
0.14% |
|
Bihar |
129,247 |
0.46% |
0.14% |
Top 10 Indian states with highest share of Christians
|
State |
Christian Population |
Percentage (%) share of total Christians in India |
|
Nagaland |
6,141,269 |
22.09% |
|
Mizoram |
4,418,331 |
15.89% |
|
Meghalaya |
2,213,027 |
7.96% |
|
Manipur |
1,739,651 |
6.26% |
|
Arunachala Pradesh |
1,418,608 |
5.10% |
|
Goa |
1,179,043 |
4.24% |
|
Andaman and Nicobar Islands |
1,165,867 |
4.19% |
|
Kerala |
1,161,708 |
4.18% |
|
Sikkim |
1,142,647 |
4.11% |
|
Puducherry |
1,129,784 |
4.06% |
Christians Denominations in India
|
Denomination |
Population |
Percentage (%) share of total Christians in India (27,800,000) |
|
Protestants |
18,860,000 |
67.84% |
|
Catholics |
10,570,000 |
38.02% |
|
Orthodox |
2,370,000 |
8.53% |
|
Other Christians |
50,000 |
0.18% |
Christians as a share of the total population in India between 1951 and 2011
|
Year |
Total population |
Total Christians Population |
Percentage (%) share of total population |
|
1951 |
361,000,000 |
7,220,000 |
2% |
|
1961 |
438,936,918 |
10,710,061 |
2.44% |
|
1971 |
547,949,809 |
14,246,695 |
2.6% |
|
1981 |
712,900,000 |
17,394,760 |
2.44% |
|
1991 |
888,900,000 |
20,622,480 |
2.32% |
|
2001 |
1,028,737,436 |
24,072,456 |
2.34% |
|
2011 |
1,200,000,000 |
28,080,000 |
2.34% |
Christianity vs Other Religions in India
|
Religion |
Percentage (%) share of total population |
Population |
|
Hinduism |
79.8% |
957,600,000 |
|
Muslim |
14.2% |
170,400,000 |
|
Christianity |
2.3% |
27,600,000 |
|
Sikhs |
1.7% |
20,400,000 |
|
Unaffiliated |
0.9% |
10,800,000 |
|
Buddhists |
0.7% |
8,400,000 |
|
Jains |
0.4% |
4,800,000 |
Note: Majority of this data is from 2011 and may have undergone changes since then.
As a devout Christian, I have always been passionate about the Christian faith. This inspired me to pursue a degree in Religious studies and a Masters in Theology in college. I have also been privileged to teach 4 Christian courses in a college and university. Since I am dedicated to spreading the word of God, I am actively involved in the Church. Additionally, I share his word online and cover diverse topics on the Christian faith through my platform. You can read more about me on the about us page.
