How many Christians there are in India — and why they are where they are.
About 28 million people, just over 2% of the population. But almost three in four live in two regions of the country, and in three states Christians are the majority.
India's last census, in 2011, recorded 27.8 million Christians — 2.3% of the population. In absolute numbers, that is more than the entire population of many countries; in proportion, it is a small minority in a country of over 1.4 billion people, where about 80% identify as Hindu and 14% as Muslim.
Christians recorded in the 2011 Census
of India's population
Christian-majority states: Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya
Where India's Christians live
They are not spread evenly. They are concentrated in two blocks: the states of the Northeast, bordering Myanmar and Bangladesh, and the South, especially Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The North and West, where most Indians live, account for a small share.
| State | Christians in the population (2011) |
|---|---|
| Nagaland | 88% |
| Mizoram | 87% |
| Meghalaya | 75% |
| Manipur | 41% |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 30% |
| Goa | 25% |
| Kerala | 18% |
| Tamil Nadu | 6% |
| Odisha | 2.8% |
| West Bengal | 0.7% |
In absolute numbers, Kerala (6.1 million) and Tamil Nadu (4.4 million) have the most Christians. West Bengal and Odisha, where this project is beginning to train pastors, are among the regions with the smallest Christian presence — and that small share, combined with the lack of theological training among local leaders, is what makes the work there so needed.
An ancient presence
Indian Christianity did not arrive with the Europeans. The Syriac-tradition churches of Kerala trace themselves, by their own tradition, to the preaching of the apostle Thomas in the first century, and there are records of Christian communities on the Malabar coast from the early centuries. With the Portuguese, from 1498, came the Catholic mission in Goa and along the coast; in 1706, German Lutheran missionaries founded the first Protestant mission at Tranquebar; and in 1793 William Carey arrived in Bengal and began translating the Bible into dozens of Indian languages.
The Northeast picture is more recent: the Christian majority in Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya formed between the late nineteenth and the twentieth century, through the work of Baptist and Presbyterian missions among the region's tribal peoples — and grew above all through local evangelists.
Who India's Christians are today
Besides the ancient churches of Kerala and the tribal communities of the Northeast, a large share of India's Christians comes from Dalit families — the groups outside and below the caste system — and from tribal peoples (Adivasis) of central and eastern India. These regions are home today to most small churches, many in homes, and also to most cases of persecution.
What changes in the next census
The next census, with a reference date in March 2027, will record caste alongside religion for the first time since independence. For many Christians of Dalit origin, the question has practical consequences: anyone who declares themselves Christian loses Scheduled Caste status and the benefits attached to it. Researchers therefore expect some Christians to keep not declaring their faith — which also explains why many organizations consider the official number an undercount.
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DataThe caste system and Dalit Christians: discriminated twice
Who the Dalits are, why Christians of Dalit origin lose rights and what the Supreme Court decided in 2026.
PioneersWilliam Carey: the cobbler who translated the Bible into 40 languages
The story of the missionary who changed the way the West saw India.
Those who live this need prayer — and training
Get real prayer requests for India every month, or learn about the project translating a theology course for Indian pastors.