Hinduism is the leading single religion of the

Indo-Caribbean Indo-Caribbeans or Indian-Caribbeans are Indian people in the Caribbean who are descendants of the Jahaji Indian indentured laborers brought by the British, Dutch, and French during the colonial era from the mid-19th century to the early 20th c ...

communities of the West Indies. Hindus are particularly well represented in

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

and Trinidad and Tobago, where they constituted 18 percent of the total population, as of 2011. The

Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territory—the largest by population in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located to the ...

also hosts a sizable Hindu population, with 2.4 percent of the country affiliating with the religion. Smaller groups of Indo-Caribbeans live elsewhere in the Caribbean, especially Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Belize, Barbados, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindian ...

, and Bahamas.

Hinduism by territories

Anguilla

The total Hindu population of Anguilla is 58 as of the 2011 Census. This represents 0.42% of the population and is an increase of 13 from the previous count of 45 (0.39%, taken from the 2001 Census). Hinduism is also the 7th fastest growing religion by percent (28.9%) and the 9th fastest by absolute change (13). Hindus also contributed 0.61% of the total population gain.

Antigua and Barbuda

The percentage of Hindus in

Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda (, ) is a sovereign country in the West Indies. It lies at the juncture of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Leeward Islands part of the Lesser Antilles, at 17°N latitude. The country consists of two maj ...

as of the 2011 Census is 0.4%, or 379 adherents. This represented growth of more than 40% from the 2001 Census, which showed that there were 157 active followers. This growth made the number of Hindus surpass Presbyterians (170 to 142), Salvation Army (369 to 365) and Islam (189 to 208). The population is mainly made up of Indian immigrants, who alone make up over 1.1% of the total population. Most Hindus are from the category of Indian/East Indian, which makes up less than 5%.

Bahamas

According to the 2010 Census, there were a total of 428 Hindus living in the Bahamas, making up 0.12% of the total population. The 2010 census showed that slightly more than half of Hindus (around 220 people) in the Bahamas are younger than age 34.

Barbados

Today, Barbados has 2,000 Indians living in the country. They came as recently immigrants from Guyana. Because of the huge Indian population, Hinduism became one of the growing religions of Barbados. The 2000 Census showed the number of Hindus in Barbados to be at 840, which accounted for 0.34% of the total population. The 2010 Census showed that the number of Hindus rose by 215 people (or 25%) to be at 1,055. This increased Hinduism's share of the total Barbados population from 0.34% in 2000 to 0.46% in 2010.

Bermuda

Most of the Hindus in Bermuda are of South Indian/

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

descent. The population of Hindu's in Bermuda is 0.2%

Cayman Islands

Hinduism is the fastest growing religion in the

, with the population skyrocketing in recent years. Previously, there were only 98 Hindus in the Caymans according to the 2000 census (about 0.25% of the population). In the 2008 census, the number of Hindus increased to 510 (1% of the total population). The 2010 Census showed the number of Hindus decreasing to 454 (0.8% of the total Cayman Islands population). In 2021, the Hindu population increased to 1,671 (2.4% of the population).https://www.eso.ky/UserFiles/File/The%202010%20Cayman%20Islands%20Census%20Report.pdf

Cuba

Hindus who live in Cuba accounted for 0.2% of the population in 2010.

Dominica

A non-negligible amount of Hindus live in Dominica, accounting for under 0.1% of the population.

Grenada

According to the 2000 census and the National Census Report 2001, there were 156 Hindus in

Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...

accounting 0.15% of the total population.

Guadeloupe

Hinduism is a minority religion in

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...

, followed by a small fraction of

Indo-Guadeloupeans Indo-Guadeloupeans are mostly descended from indentured workers who came mostly from South India in the late 19th century. There are currently about 35,617 people of Indian origin living in Guadeloupe, making it home to one of the largest South ...

. According to a statistics data, Hinduism is practised by 0.5% of the people in Guadeloupe.

Martinique

Hinduism is followed in the Martinique by a small fraction of Indo-Martiniquais. As of 2007,Hinduism constitute 0.3% of the population of Martinique.

Jamaica

Jamaica was once home to 25,000 Hindus until the mid-20th century. However, most of them were converted to Christianity. In the last few decades, the population of Hindus in Jamaica decreased steeply. In the 1970s, 5,000 identified themselves as Hindus. Since then, the Hindu population of Jamaica has risen and it has become the second largest religion (after Christianity) in Jamaica.

Diwali Diwali (), Dewali, Divali, or Deepavali ( IAST: ''dīpāvalī''), also known as the Festival of Lights, related to Jain Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, and Bandna, is a religious celebration in Indian religions. It is ...

(pronounced Divali), the festival of lights, is celebrated in Jamaica every year. There were 1,453 Hindus in Jamaica according to the 2001 census. The 2011 Census showed that the number of Hindus in Jamaica increased by 383 people to be at 1,836 adherents. Hinduism's share of the total Jamaican population increased from 0.06% in 2001 to 0.07% of the population in 2011.

Montserrat

According to the 2001 census there were 31 Hindus in

Montserrat Montserrat ( ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, with r ...

, accounting for 0.8% of the total population and forming the 4th largest religious entity. Hindu males numbered 20 and made up 1.0% of the total number of males in the 2001 Census, with 11 Hindu females making up 0.6% of the female total.

Puerto Rico

As of 2006, there were 3,482 Hindus in Puerto Rico making 0.09% of the population according to Religious Intelligence.

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Hindus made up 1.82% of the total population of Saint Kitts and Nevis according to the 2010 census up from 0.8% in 2001. There are 860 Hindus in Saint Kittie and Nevis. Hinduism is currently the second largest religion in St. Kitts-Nevis after Christianity.

Saint Lucia

Most of the Indian community in

have converted to Christianity. Only 325 people were reported as Hindus in the 2001 census (0.2% of the total populatio
census
. The 2010 Census showed the percentage total of Hindus had increased to 0.3%. Most of them were recent immigrants. Of the original East Indian community, only 1-2% retains Hinduism.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

The 2000 census reported 83 Hindus in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines making up 0.08% of the total population. The 2000 Census showed that Hindus in St Vincent-Grenadines were overwhelmingly male, with only 77 females for every 100 males on average. The 2000 Census also showed a very youthful Hindu population, with less than 1.5% of Hindus being classified as "elder".

Trinidad and Tobago

Hinduism is a minority but significant religion in Trinidad and Tobago, making up over 18% in the 2011 census, the second largest religion in the islands. Hinduism has had a presence for 170 years, when the first Indians came to work. There are currently 240,100 Hindus in Trinidad and Tobago, with the decline resulting from emigration.

Turks and Caicos Islands

The Indian population in the Turks and Caicos Islands is mostly of Sindhi origin. The community mostly is employed in retail jewellery and electronics business, in addition to some doctors, nurses, teachers, chartered accountants and other sectors. Many Indians are self-employed, and some are employed in the local hospitality industry.

United States Virgin Islands

According to the 2000 census there were more than 400 Hindus in the United States Virgin Islands (0.4% of the population). Most of them were recent immigrants from India, and most of them reside on St. Thomas.

British Virgin Islands

According to the 1991 census, Hindus constituted 2.16% of the population of British Virgin Islands, which then decreased to 1.95% in the 2001 census. It further decreased to 1.88% in 2011 census.

Hindu populations according to the latest Census

: 213,282 or 28.4% (Census of 2002) *

: 120,623 or 22.3% (Census of 2012) * Trinidad and Tobago: 240,100 or 18.2% (Census of 2011) * Puerto Rico: 3,482 or 0.09% (Religious Intelligence 2006) * Jamaica: 1,836 or 0.07% (Census of 2011) * Barbados: 1,055 or 0.38% (Census of 2010) * St Lucia: 500 or 0.3% (Census of 2010) * Bahamas: 428 or 0.12% (Census of 2010) * US Virgin Islands: 400 or 0.4% (Census of 2000) *

: 379 or 0.4% (Census of 2011) *

St Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis (), officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country and microstate consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of ...

: 860 or 1.82% (Census of 2011) *

: 156 or 0.15% (Census of 2001) * St Vincent: 83 or 0.08% (Census of 2001) * Anguilla: 58 or 0.42% (Census of 2011) *

: 31 or 0.8% (Census of 2001) *

:454 or 0.8%(Census of 2011)

References

* ''This article contains public domain material from the

Library of Congress Country Studies The Country Studies are works published by the Federal Research Division of the United States Library of Congress, freely available for use by researchers. No copyright is claimed on them. Therefore, they have been dedicated to the public domain a ...

on Trinidad and Tobago and

(1995).'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Hinduism In The West Indies West Indies Religion in the Caribbean Indo-Caribbean religion