Hinduism in Australia
| Total population | |
|---|---|
|
275,534 (2011) 1.28% of the Australian Population |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Sydney · Canberra · Melbourne · Adelaide · Perth · Brisbane | |
| Languages | |
| English, Indian Languages (Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil), Mauritian Creole |
Hinduism in Australia is a minority religion consisting of more than 275,000 individuals, representing 1.3% of the total Australian population according to the 2011 census (up from 148,119 in the 2006 census). Hinduism is one of the fastest growing religions in Australia mostly through immigration. Hinduism is also one of the most youthful religions in Australia, with 34% and 66% of Hindus being under the age of 14 and 34 respectively.
In the 19th century, the British first brought Hindus from India to Australia to work on cotton and sugar plantations. Many remained as small businessmen, working as camel drivers, merchants and hawkers, selling goods between small rural communities. These days Hindus are well educated professionals in fields such as medicine, engineering, commerce and information technology, constituting a model minority. The Hindus in Australia are mostly of Indian, Sri Lankan, Fijian, Malaysia, Singapore, Nepali, and Bangladesh origin, with some originating from other parts of the Indian subcontinent including Sindh.
The majority of Australian Hindus live along the Eastern Coast of Australia and are mainly located in the cities of Melbourne and Sydney. As a community Hindus live relatively peacefully and in harmony with the local populations. They have established a number of temples and other religious meeting places and celebrate most Hindu festivals.
The following dates briefly outline the arrival of Hinduism.
Data from the 2011 Census showed that all states(and A.C.T and the Northern Territory) apart from New South Wales had their Hindu population double from the 2006 census. New South Wales has had the largest number of Hindus since at least 2001.
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