Hinduism is the third-largest religious group in the United Kingdom, after Christianity and Islam. It is followed by just over one million people (around 1.7% of the total population). According to the 2021 United Kingdom census Hindus are primarily concentrated in England, particularly in Greater London and the South East, with just under 50,000 Hindus residing in the three other nations of the United Kingdom. Hindus have had a presence in the United Kingdom since the early 19th century, as at the time India was part of the British Empire. Many Indians in the British Indian Army settled in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Later, more Hindus arrived in the UK, including students who came to study at British universities. Madan Lal Dhingra was one of the nationalists who fought for Indian Human Rights in early twentieth century from the UK.

Most British Hindus were immigrants, mainly from India, and there are also significant number of Hindu immigrants from Sri Lanka and Nepal, with even smaller numbers from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Bhutan. In recent decades, due to the efforts of ISKCON, BAPS and other Hindu organisations and increased interest in Yoga, Meditation and other practises associated with Hindu traditions, many British citizens have embraced Hinduism, including many celebrities. The UK has the largest Hindu population in Europe.

History The British Hindu population includes those who came directly from the Indian subcontinent, 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.

There have been three main waves of migration of Hindus in the UK, and most of the Hindu migration has occurred after World War II. The first wave was at the time of British India's independence and partition in 1947. Also, in the early 1960s the Conservative health minister Enoch Powell recruited a large number of doctors from the Indian subcontinent. The second wave occurred in the 1970s mainly from East Africa especially due to the expulsion of Asians from Uganda. 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 United Kingdom's immigration policy, which made studying and immigration to the UK easier. This wave also included Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka and professionals including doctors and software engineers from India.

Life and culture

Community and social life

According to United Kingdom's Office of National Statistics, of all ethnic minorities in Britain, the British Hindus had the highest rate of economic activity in 2011 and 2018,Full story: What does the Census tell us about religion in 2011? Office of National Statistics, UK Government (May 2013) and a median net wealth of in 2006 (compared to median net wealth of for British Christians).Karen Rowlingson, Policy Commission on the Distribution of Wealth University of Birmingham (2012) In addition to this, according to survey conducted by Trust for London in 2012, Hindus living in London have the second highest median net wealth of £277,400 following British Jews, with the highest median wealth of £312,500. Hindu men are more likely than the general population to be entrepreneurs, and both Hindu men and women are more likely than the general population to have higher education. Over a 20-year period, British Hindus also had the third-lowest poverty level (after British Christian and British Jews),Anthony Heath and Yaojun Li (2015), Review of the relationship between religion and poverty , Nuffield College, Oxford and University of Manchester and the second-lowest rates of arrest, trial or imprisonment at 0.5% (after British Jews' 0.3%) among all ethnic groups tracked by UK's Ministry of Justice.Gavin Berman & Aliyah Dar (July 2013), Prison Population Statistics 1991-2012, Social and General Statistics, Ministry of Justice, ONS, UK Government Hindus constitute less than 0.5% of the total prison population in Britain (compared to 48% for Christians and 15% for Muslims). According to Office for National Statistics, British Hindus also have the second highest employment rate of 76% amongst all religious groups in UK followed by people with no religious affiliation at 77%. Employees who identified as Hindu have consistently had the second-highest median hourly earnings; in 2018, this was £13.80. 4 in 10 of those who identified as Hindu were occupied in high-skill occupations which was second in the country following British Jews. British who identified as Hindus have the highest percentage with a degree or equivalent qualification.

Temples and organisations

A University of Derby report states that there are considerable linguistic and theosophical diversities among Hindus in the United Kingdom, yet they also share certain core beliefs, rites and festivals of Hinduism.

UK-wide Hindu organisations include the National Council of Hindu Temples, the Hindu Council UK and the Hindu Forum of Britain—national umbrella organisations for Hindus in the UK. The National Council of Hindu Temples UK which is the oldest UK-wide Hindu organisation. It comprises over 300 Hindu temples (mandirs (IAST: maṇḍira; Sanskrit: मण्डिर)) and Hindu faith organisations. National Council of Hindu Temples UK, accessed 3 August 2009 The Hindu Council UK representing almost 400 affiliated cultural and religious organisations of various Hindu denominations including temples,Affiliates Hindu Council UK, accessed 4 August 2009 and the Hindu Forum of Britain, with nearly 300 member organisations.About us About us, accessed 12 December 2008

The Bharat Hindu Samaj Mandir in Peterborough which has operated from New England Complex since 1986 has served over 13,000 Hindus across Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Lincolnshire. In 2026, the city council approved selling the temple to the Khadijah Mosque, part of the United Kingdom Islamic Mission for redevelopment into a mosque, this decision was criticised by temple's trustees and the Hindu Council UK as unlawful and religiously insensitive.

There are regional organisations that organise community events and social affairs in the UK, such as The Hindu Council of Birmingham.

There were over 150 Hindu temples in the UK in 2012 National Council of Hindu Temples (UK), accessed 3 May 2015 with 30 temples in the London area alone. 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.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. In 2020, Historic England (HE) published A Survey of Hindu Buildings in England with the aim of providing information about buildings that Hindus use in England so that HE can work with communities to enhance and protect those buildings now and in the future. The scoping survey identified 187 Hindu temples in England.

There is a diversity of Hindu-based organisations in the UK including the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (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. The predominant Hindu beliefs found in the UK include its Vedanta monist, Vedanta monotheistic and various sampradayas (IAST: sampradāya-s; Sanskrit: सम्प्रदाय; lit. ‘traditions’ or ‘lineages’).Paul Weller, Hindu Origins and Key Organisations in the UK University of Derby, United Kingdom Less of 1% of the Hindus in the UK identify themselves to be belonging to Divine Life Society, Hare Krishna and other organizations.Paul Weller, Some ‘Other’ Religious Groups in the UK: Key Information University of Derby, United Kingdom

Festivals and community events

Hindus in the United Kingdom celebrate major festivals such as Diwali. Homes and businesses are decorated with festive lights and Hindus gift sweets such as laddoo and barfi. Community events such as dances and parties bring Hindus and non-Hindus together. Leicester annually plays hosts to one of the biggest Diwali celebrations outside of India.

The Hindu festival of Diwali has begun to find acceptance into the larger British community. King Charles has attended Diwali celebrations at some of UK’s prominent Hindu temples, such as the Swaminarayan Temple in Neasden. Since 2009, Diwali has been celebrated every year at 10 Downing Street, the residence of the UK Prime Minister.

Hindu Council UK The Hindu Council UK is an umbrella organisation for Hindus living in the United Kingdom, and is one of several groups representing Hindus that are influential at the national level. It was set up in 1994. According to the Council's then-General Secretary, it faced opposition from the Sangh Parivar when it was founded. It collaborated with the Department for Communities and Local Government to explore how caste influenced public life in the UK. A debate on religious conversion hosted on its website reflected a Hindu nationalist perspective, and included contributors from the Vishva Hindu Parishad.

Demographics

+ Hindus in the United Kingdom by region and countryRegion / Country 202120112001NumberNumberNumber England 1,020,533 1.8% 806,199 1.5% 546,982 1.1% —Greater London 453,034 5.1% 411,291 5.0% 291,977 4.1% —South East 154,748 1.7% 92,499 1.1% 44,575 0.6% —East Midlands 120,345 2.5% 89,723 2.0% 66,710 1.6% —West Midlands 88,116 1.5% 72,247 1.3% 56,668 1.1% —East 86,631 1.4% 54,010 0.9% 31,386 0.6% —North West 49,749 0.7% 38,259 0.5% 27,211 0.4% —Yorkshire and the Humber 29,243 0.5% 24,074 0.5% 15,797 0.3% —South West 27,746 0.5% 16,324 0.3% 8,288 0.2% —North East 10,924 0.4% 7,772 0.3% 4,370 0.2% Scotland 29,929 0.6% 16,379 0.3% 5,564 0.1% Wales 12,242 0.4% 10,434 0.3% 5,439 0.2% Northern Ireland 4,190 0.2% 2,382 0.1% 825 0.05% United Kingdom 1,066,894 1.6% 835,394 1.3% 558,810 1.0% Population

According to the 2021 Census, Hindus in England and Wales enumerated 1,032,775, or 1.7% of the population. Northern Ireland recorded a population of 4,190, or 0.2% of the population. The equivalent census was recorded a year later in Scotland with a population of 29,929, making up 0.6% of the population. The local authorities with the highest number of Hindus were: Harrow (67,392: 25.8% of the population), Leicester (65,821: 17.9%), Brent (52,876: 15.6%), Redbridge (34,372: 11.1%) and Hillingdon (33,020: 10.8%).

In the 2011 census, Hinduism was followed by 1.5% of the population of England, 0.34% in Wales and 0.31% in Scotland. Nearly half of the 817,000 Hindus living in England and Wales were residents of the London metropolitan area. About 300,000 British Hindus of all ages were born in the UK.

The Hindu population in the UK is predominantly urban, and has relatively higher representation in the professional and managerial positions.Robert Berkeley, Connecting British Hindus - An enquiry into the identity and public policy engagement of British Hindus Runnymede Trust, Hindu Forum of Britain (2006)

Ethnicity