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Femmes en milieu rural, Nedumbassery, 2012

India

L’Œuvre d’Orient funded 58 projects in 2025

Support

  • Population: 1,295,237,138 people, or 394.02 people per square kilometer
  • Official languages: Hindi and English, as well as 22 regional languages (including French)
  • Form of Government: Federal parliamentary republic (Ram Nath Kovind)

Religion

The main religion in India is Hinduism, practiced by 79.8% of the population, followed by Islam (14.2%) and Christianity (2.3%). Other religious minorities are also present in the country, such as Sikhs (1.7%) and Buddhists (0.4%).

The Christian community in India is one of the oldest in the world (evangelized by Saint Thomas). They are primarily concentrated in the state of Kerala, in the south of the country.

In the north of the country, Christians are persecuted, and attacks are on the rise. They are viewed as outsiders by radical Hindus. Hindus who have converted to Catholicism face intense pressure to return to their original religion. They are often physically assaulted and sometimes even killed.