USA: Hindu population doubled in 15 years: Temples increased from 435 to 1000 in 20 years.

Hindu population doubled in America in 15 years: Temples increased from 435 to 1000 in 20 years, Indians most generous.

~Rohit Sharma

The influence of the Hindu community in America is continuously increasing. In the last 15 years, the population of Hindus in America has doubled to about 22.25 lakhs. According to the Hindu American Foundation, by 2025 the population of Hindus will be around 28 lakhs.

According to the Pluralism Project of Harvard University, 20 years ago there were 435 temples in America, whose number has increased to about 1000.

The reason for the increase in the number of temples is the increase in the population of Hindus who settled here. Hinduism and Sanskrit have also expanded rapidly in America.

Pandit Ram Sneh Tripathi, the head priest of the Rajdhani Temple in Washington DC, told Dainik Bhaskar that in 5 years the number of children in his schools increased by almost 200%. A record 600 new children enroll in Hindu classes every weekend.

Hindu community is the most educated

The Hindu community is the most educated among immigrants in the US, with an average of 15.7 years of formal education. On the other are the Jews with an average of 14.7 years of education. Whereas the average American only attends 12.9 years of schooling.

Hindus were 0.4% of the US population in 2007. Today it has become 0.7%. According to the Religious Data Archive, it is the third largest religious community after Christians and Muslims.

Dharma-Karma: 48% donate to Hindu religious institutions

In view of the increasing trend towards Hindu religion and culture, summer schools have now been started in many cities of America. About 20,000 children attend weekend classes in the schools of 31 ISKCON temples in the US.

Interestingly, about 48% of Hindus in the US make regular donations to religious institutions. According to a Pew Research Center report, Hindus are the largest contributors of donations to religious institutions among immigrants. He donates about 16 thousand rupees on an average annually.

48% of Hindu people donate to Hindu religious institutions. The number of donors has doubled in 10 years. According to the treasurer of BAPS Swaminarayan, every temple receives an average of $20 million in donations.

54 million Americans do yoga and meditation

The growing presence of Hindus in America is not limited to demographic changes. The Hindu American Foundation report also states that Hindu Americans are becoming increasingly politically active.

In addition, there has been a huge increase in the popularity of yoga and meditation in recent years. In America, yoga has become a popular form of exercise and stress relief. An estimated 36 million Americans practice yoga and 18 million meditate.

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This news was first published in Hindi in Danik Bhaskar on March 3, 2023.