Bangladesh is home to world’s third-largest Hindu population after India and Nepal

India, the world’s most populous country with over 1.4 billion people, is also home to the largest Hindu population globally, followed by Nepal, another Hindu-majority nation. However, official data shows that the world’s third-largest Hindu population lives in Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority country.

Bangladesh ranks third in global Hindu population

According to official figures, Bangladesh holds the distinction of having the world’s third-largest Hindu population. As per the 2022 Census, Hinduism is the second-largest religion in Bangladesh after Islam, with approximately 13.13 million Hindus, accounting for about 8 percent of the country’s total population. This places Bangladesh behind only India and Nepal in terms of Hindu population size.

Bangladesh has witnessed widespread atrocities against Hindus since the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. A recent report by the Pew Research Center noted that Hindu populations are declining rapidly in Muslim-majority countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, citing factors including religious intolerance, social repression, forced conversions and communal violence.


The report stated that Hindus formed about 80 percent of India’s population in 2010 and are projected to remain the majority by 2050, accounting for around 77 percent of the population. India and Nepal are expected to continue as Hindu-majority nations in the foreseeable future.

The study further projected that by 2050, India will remain a stronghold of Hinduism with a 77 percent Hindu population, even as its Muslim population is expected to reach about 310 million, making India home to the world’s largest Muslim population, surpassing Indonesia. By that time, India’s population is projected to constitute 18 percent of the global population, while Hinduism’s global share is expected to be around 15 percent. The global Hindu population is projected to rise from about 1 billion to 1.4 billion over the next 25 years, in line with overall global population growth.