Sunni Islam is the largest religion in Bangladesh and in all of its districts, except Rangamati which is majority Buddhist. Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity are the other major religions in the country. Other religions and denominations have small populations, such as Shia Islam, Ahmadiyya, Sikhism, Bahai Faith, Jainism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism (Parsis), Ravidassia (Ad-Dharmi), as well as animism and folk religions.

The United Nations categorizes Bangladesh as a moderate democratic Muslim country. The Constitution of Bangladesh refers to Islam twice: the document begins with the Islamic phrase Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem () and article (2A), added later, declares that: "Islam is the state religion of the republic". However, secularism is also one of the four fundamental principles of the Constitution of Bangladesh since 2011, and the country is mostly governed by secular laws dating from the British colonization. The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and declares that "the State shall ensure equal status and equal right in the practice of the Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and other faiths and religions". In 2022, Freedom House rated Bangladesh's religious freedom as 2 out of 4.Freedom House, Retrieved 2023-04-25

Demographic history

Demographic landscape of Bangladesh before partition

East Bengal (present-day-Bangladesh) had a population of 39.12 million by the year (1941), of which 27.5 million people were followers of Islamic religion representing about (70.3%) of the region's population, while 10.95 million belongs to the Hindu faith constituting (28%) of the region. Smaller number of 6.65 lakhs people follows Buddhism, Animism and Christianity together presenting around (1.7%) of the region.

Demographic landscape of Bangladesh after Independence from Pakistan (1971)

After 1971, East Pakistan became the sovereign nation of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. During that time the population of Bangladesh was found to be 68.7 million, of which 85.4%, or around 58.7 million people, belonged to the Islamic Faith. Hindus were the second largest religious community with a population of 9.28 million, comprising 13.5% of the country's population, and an additional 1.1% practiced other religions such as Buddhism or Christianity.

Immigration & refugee crisis

Before the Partition of Bengal, it was found that the Muslim population of West Bengal stood at 26% and the Hindu population of East Bengal stood at 28% respectively. Soon after partition, Muslim population in West Bengal have reduced from 26% in 1941 to 19% in 1951, while Hindu population in East Bengal have reduced from 28% in 1941 to 22% in 1951.

During 1971 Bangladesh liberation war

It is estimated that during the time of Bangladesh liberation war, an estimated population of around 10 million people most being 80% Hindus fled from East Pakistan to neighbouring India as refugees following the torture of Pakistani army, and after independence nearly an estimated population of 1.5 - 2 million Hindus stayed back in India and never went back.

Religion in Censuses + Religion per 2022 census Religion Population Percentage Islam150,360,405 91.0% Hinduism13,130,1097.95% Buddhism1,007,4680.61% Christianity495,4750.30% Others198,1900.12% Total 165,158,616 100% Religion in Bangladesh (1901-2022)IslamHinduismBuddhismChristianityOthers1901added to othersadded to others1911added to othersadded to others1921added to othersadded to others1931added to others1941added to othersPartition of British India19511961Independence from Pakistan197419811991200120112022Sources:

Religions Islam

The Muslim population in Bangladesh was over 150.36 million according to the 2022 census which makes Muslims, 91.04% of the population in the country. Estimation shows that over 1 million Rohingya Muslim refugees live in Bangladesh who have come here during the period of (2016–17) massacre in Myanmar. On 28 September 2018, at the 73rd United Nations General Assembly, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said there are 1.1-1.3 million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

The Constitution of Bangladesh declares Islam as the state religion. Bangladesh is the fourth-largest Muslim-populated country. Muslims are the predominant community of the country and they form the majority of the population in all eight divisions of Bangladesh. The overwhelming majority of Bangladeshi Muslims are Bengali Muslims at 98 percent, but a small segment about 2 percent of them are Bihari Muslims and Rohingyas. Almost all Muslims in Bangladesh are Sunnis, but there is a small Shia community. There are 2 million Shias in Bangladesh. Although these Shias are few in number, in Dhaka on Ashura they bring out mourning processions commemorating the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad's grandson Husain ibn Ali. Muslims celebrate Eid ul-Fitr, Eid ul-Adha, Muharram, Mawlid, Shab-e-Barat and Chand Raat all across the country with much fanfare and grandeur. The annual Bishwa Ijtema is the largest and most notable congregation of Muslims in Bangladesh. Bangladesh also has a minority of Ahmadiyya Muslims. As of 2004, there are approximately 100,000 Ahmadis in the country.

The Muslim community in the Bengal region i.e., Bangladesh and West Bengal (India), developed independently of the dominant Islamic rules in India. Features of Bangladeshi Hinduism, which similar to other parts of South Asia (Indian subcontinent), influenced both the practices and the social structure of the Bangladeshi Muslim community. In spite of the general personal commitment to Islam by the Muslims of Bangladesh, observance of Islamic rituals and tenets varies according to social position, locale, and personal considerations. In rural regions, some beliefs and practices tend to incorporate elements that differ from and often conflict with orthodox Islam.

Hinduism

Hinduism is the second largest religious affiliation in Bangladesh, with around 13.1 million people identifying themselves as Hindus out of 165.16 million people and making up about 7.95 per cent of the total population as second largest minority according to the recent 2022 census. In terms of population, Bangladesh is the third largest Hindu populated country of the world, just after India and Nepal.

Bangladeshi Hindus are predominantly Bengali Hindus, but a distinct Hindu population also exists among the indigenous tribes like Garo, Khasi, Jaintia, Santhal, Bishnupriya Manipuri, Tripuri, Munda, Oraon, Dhanuk etc. Hindus are evenly distributed throughout all regions of Bangladesh, with significant concentrations in northern, southwestern and northeastern parts of the country. In nature, Bangladeshi Hinduism closely resembles the rituals and customs of Hinduism practised in the neighbouring Indian state of West Bengal with which Bangladesh (at one time known as East Bengal) was united until the partition of India in 1947. Hindu festivals of Durga Puja, Rath Yatra, Dol Yatra (Holi), Janmashtami, Deepabali, Sankranti, Kali Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Saraswati Puja etc. witness jubilant celebrations across various cities, towns and villages of Bangladesh.

Buddhism

About 1 million people in Bangladesh adhere to the Theravada school of Buddhism. Buddhists form about 0.61 per cent of the population of Bangladesh as per 2022 census. Buddhism is the third largest religion in Bangladesh.

In antiquity, the region of present-day Bangladesh was a center of Buddhism in Asia. Buddhist civilisation, including philosophies and architecture, traveled to Tibet, Southeast Asia and Indonesia from Bengal. The Buddhist architecture of Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand, including the Angkor Wat Temple and the Borobudur vihara, are believed to have been inspired by the ancient monasteries of Bangladesh such as the Somapura Mahavihara.

Most of the followers of Buddhism in Bangladesh live in the Chittagong division. Here, Buddhism is practised by the Bengali-speaking Baruas, who are almost exclusively Buddhist and are concentrated heavily in the Chittagong area as well as few of the Barua Buddhists live in other parts of Bangladesh, such as Comilla, Mymensingh, Rangpur, Sylhet districts. Most of the followers of Buddhism in Bangladesh live in southeastern region, especially in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Chittagong and Comilla district. Most of the Buddhists of Chittagong Hill Tracts belong to the Chakma, Marma, Mru, Khumi, Chak, Murang, Tanchangya and Khiang tribes, who since time immemorial have practised Buddhism. Other tribal communities who practise animism, have come under some Buddhist influence. The beliefs and rituals of the Buddhist communities in this region are amalgamations of Buddhism and ancient animistic faiths. Buddha Purnima is the most widely observed festival among both Bengali Buddhists and Buddhist tribes.

Christianity

Christianity is the fourth largest religion in Bangladesh. Christianity arrived in what is now Bangladesh during the late sixteenth to early seventeenth centuries AD, through the Portuguese traders and missionaries. Christians numbering around half a million account for approximately 0.3 per cent of the total population and they are mostly an urban community. Roman Catholicism is predominant among the Bengali Christians, while the remaining are mostly Baptist and others. Few followers of Christianity are also present among certain indigenous tribal communities such as Garo, Santal, Oraon, Khasi, Lushei, Bawm, etc.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) also exists in Bangladesh.

Bahá'í Faith

Bangladesh has a small community of the Baháʼí Faith. Baháʼís have spiritual centres in Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Barisal, Rangpur, Mymensingh, Jessore, Rangamati and other places. There is a National Bahá'í Centre in Dhaka.

The origins of the Baháʼí Faith in Bangladesh begin previous to its independence, when it was part of the British Raj. The roots of the Baháʼí Faith in the region go back to the first days of the Bábí religion in 1844.

According to The Business Standard the population is about 300,000.

Sikhism

The presence of this religion goes back to the visitation of Guru Nanak in 1506–07 with some of his followers to spread Sikhism in the region of the present-day Bangladesh. When some Bengali people accepted this faith, a Sikh community was born. This community became bigger when almost 10,000 Sikhs came from India during the Bangladesh Liberation War. This community has made great progress in the country. Today there are almost 10 gurdwaras in Bangladesh. Among them only 7 are well-known, especially the Gurdwara Nanak Shahi beside the University of Dhaka in Dhaka, which was built in 1830, the oldest gurdwara in Bangladesh. There are currently 23,000 Sikhs in Bangladesh.

Judaism

Since the 18th century there have been Jews in what today is Bangladesh, but their number was always very small, often only some few individuals. The Jewish population in East Bengal was only about 135 Jews at the time of the Partition of British India in 1947.

By the late 1960s, much of the Jewish community had left for Calcutta. According to historian Ziauddin Tariq Ali, a trustee of the Liberation War Museum, "There were two Jewish families in Bangladesh [after independence], but both migrated to India — one in 1973 and the other in 1975." In 2018 there were 4 Jews in Dhaka.[But despite this history, today, the Jewish population of Bangladesh is virtually non-existent. According to local sources, there are only 4 Jews living in Dhaka and they keep their identity private.What happened to the Jews of Bangladesh? - Foreign Policy ...foreignpolicyblogs.com/2018/04/30/what-happened-to-th] Some sources also claim that there are 175 Jews in Bangladesh, and 3,500 with Bangladeshi ancestry. Bangladesh also has a small community of the Jewish Bnei Menashe Kuki-Chin-Mizo community, they mostly live in Bandarban district.

Jainism