Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

in Samoa has had a small presence, constituted mainly by migrants from Fiji. The number of

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

s, like the number of Muslims, fluctuates repeatedly. As of the 2006 Samoan Census, there were 25 Hindus. More than 55% of Hindus are concentrated in Faleata West.

Growth and demographics

Hinduism in Samoa began in the late 20th century, though natural disasters have made some of the fewer than 100 Hindus emigrate. Hinduism was not in the 2001 Census, possibly because it did not have any adherents at the time, unlike Muslims (48). Hinduism was added in the 2006 Census, which stated that there were 25 Hindus, 12 being male and 13 female. Due to smaller numbers, the Muslim and Hindu population count was merged in the 2011 Census, with the total now being 38 adherents. The 2011 Census stated that of the 38 Muslims/Hindus, 25 were male and 13 female. This gender imbalance, which has inflated the proportion of male to females, may have been a consequence of the

2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami The 2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami took place on 29 September 2009 in the southern Pacific Ocean adjacent to the Kermadec-Tonga subduction zone. The submarine earthquake occurred in an extensional environment and had a moment magnitude of ...

, when more than 150 people died and many emigrated. In 2016 the religion claimed more than a thousand followers across Samoa.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hinduism in Samoa

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

Religion in Samoa