Religion in India is among the world's most ancient and varied. The Indian subcontinent spawned Indian religions, which compose one of the world's three major groups of religions. Vedic religion gave rise to what is now the oldest extant and third-largest religion, Hinduism; almost 900 million of its one billion adherents live in the Republic of India.

The other major Dharmic religions, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, each have millions of Indian followers. The Abrahamic religions of Islam and Christianity, spread by missionary activity and conquest over many centuries, are the two largest non-native religions.

More than four-fifths of Indians practice Hinduism. Islam, practised by around one-sixth of the population, is the most prevalent minority religion. Christianity and Sikhism are each practised by around 2% of Indians. About 1.1% practise Buddhism and 0.4% practise Jainism. Zoroastrianism and Judaism have a centuries-long history in India; each has several thousand Indian adherents.

More than nine-tenths of Indians state that religion plays a key role in their lives. Though inter-religious marriage is not widely practiced, Indians are generally tolerant of other religions and retain a secular outlook.

Inter-community clashes have never found widespread support in the social mainstream, and it is generally perceived that its causes are political rather than ideological in nature. India's religious diversity extends to the highest levels of government.

 

 

 

The Prime Minister of India is a Sikh, the President of India is a Hindu, Vice President of India is a Muslim and the chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is a Christian. The Constitution of India declares the nation to be a secular republic that must uphold the right of citizens to freely worship and propagate any religion or faith.