Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, and some practitioners and scholars refer to it as Sanātana Dharma, It has about 900 million adherents; 780 million of those are in India, comprising 79 percent of that country’s population. Hindus also make up 89 percent of the population of Nepal, where there are about 19 million adherents. In the United States, roughly two million individuals are Hindu. There are many forms of Hinduism, all with unique faiths and customs. This guide teaches you about the main varieties of Hinduism, and their rituals and practices; it also introduces you to Hindu news, music and art, points out some Hindu organizations, and helps you connect with the Hindu community online. Hinduism has approximately 1.2 billion adherents worldwide (15% of world's population). Nepal (81.3%) and India (79.8%) are countries with Hindus being the majority of their respective populations. Along with Christianity (31.5%) and Islam (23.2%), Hinduism is one of the three major religions of the world by percentage of population. Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world after Christianity and Islam. Presently, India and Nepal are the two Hindu majority countries. Most Hindus are found in Asian countries. The countries with more than 5,000 Hindu residents and citizens include (in decreasing order) – India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia (especially in Bali, which is 84% Hindu), Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, United States, Myanmar, Thailand, United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, Mauritius, and the Caribbean (West Indies). There are significant numbers of Hindu enclaves around the world, with many in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Hinduism is also practised by the non-Indic people like Balinese of Bali island (Indonesia), Tengger and Osing of Java (Indonesia) and Balamon Chams of Vietnam, Ghanaian Hindus in Ghana, Chinese Malaysians, Orang Asli of Malaysia and Butuanon people of Philippines. By total number, India has the most Hindus. With percentage, Nepal has the largest percentage of Hindu population in the world followed by India and Mauritius. There are an estimated 60 to 70 million Hindus who lived outside India in 2010. Only two countries in the world, in 2010, had a majority of its population as Hindus – Nepal and India. In Mauritius, Hindus comprise 48.5% i.e a plurality of its population in 2011 census. Bangladesh, Fiji, Bhutan, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Sri Lanka have very large and influential Hindu minorities.
