THE UNREACHED PEOPLES PRAYER PROFILES
An Introduction to Hinduism

Part 5.
Major Hindu PeopleGroups.

[IMAGE] India is a very ethnically and culturally complex nation, and no other part of the world has such a diversity and concentration of undreached peoples. Nearly 16% of the world's population is Indian, and it is estimated that by the year 2020, India will become the most populous nation in the world, with nearly 1.3 billion people.

A 1991 survey identified 4,635 distinct peoples groups. India is a secular state, and approximately 79% of Indians are Hindu, 12% are Muslims, and nearly 2% Sikhs.

Nepal is the world's only Hindu Kingdom, and is approximately 89% Hindu. The only other substantial location of Hindus is in Bali, Indonesia which is approximately 92% Hindu. Smaller Hindu communities (comprised mainly of expatriate Indians) can be found in many other countries around the world.

It should be noted that the current Joshua Project 2000 list is not an accurate picture of groups in India, as it primarily covers the major linguistic groups (such as the Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali etc.), and the scheduled tribes (such as the Bhil, Gond, Kond etc.). It doesn't take into account the numerous castes and occupational groups. It is estimated there are approximately 6,400 different castes in India.

Major Hindu Unreached People Groups ( > 1 million)
Country Name Population   Country Name Population
India Assamese
Awadhi Baiswari
Bangri
Bengali
Berar Marathi
Bhojpuri Bihari
Bundelkhandi
Chhattisgarhi
Gujarati
Hindi
Kanarese
Kanauji
Konkanese
Kumaoni
Magadhi Bihari
Maitili
Manipuri
 15,293,500
34,480,600
5,776,500
60,661,600
6,971,300
33,298,300
11,553,100
11,025,700
34,997,000
51,597,100
29,164,200
8,664,800
5,058,100
2,034,200
14,441,300
29,203,800
1,253,100
    
 
 
 
India  
 
 
 
 
 
Bangladesh
 
Indonesia
 
 
Nepal
 
 Maratha
Nagpur Bihari
Nepalese
Nimadi
Orisi
Rajasthani
Santal
Sindhi
Tulu
 
Bengali
 
Balinese
 
Bhojpuri Bihari
Maitili
Nepalese
 69,819,000
1,329,600
7,532,300
1,308,400
24,705,100
9,342,300
5,155,900
1,905,600
2,148,300
 
14,090,700
 
3,442,600
 
1,720,800
2,366,000
12,081,300

[MAP 18K]

© Copyright 1997
Bethany World Prayer Center
This article (which first appeared in "Frontiers Focus" Vol 1 #3, and is used by permission),
may be copied and distributed without obtaining permission
as long as it is not altered, bound, published
or used for profit purposes.
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