Michael Brooks
India is a diverse country with a range of religious groups. Christians make up a small percentage of the population, estimated at 2.3% to 2.4% according to the 2011 census, which equates to about 28 million people. This number has grown from 8 million in 1951. Christianity is the third-most followed religion in India, after Hinduism and Islam, and is the dominant religion in parts of Northeast India, including Nagaland, Mizoram, and Meghalaya. The majority of Indian Christians are Catholic, with around 78.3% belonging to the Latin Church, and the rest are Syrian Catholics.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Percentage of Christians in India | 2.3% (2011 census), 2.4% (2021 estimate) |
| Number of Christians in India | 28 million (2011 census), 30 million (2021 estimate) |
| Percentage of Catholics in India | 78.3% of Christians in India are Catholic |
| Catholic Church in India | The majority of Indian Catholics (78.3%) belong to the Latin Church. The rest are Syrian Catholic Christians, with the Syro-Malabar Church making up 19.7% and the Syro-Malankara Church 2.0%. |
| Religious Conversion in India | A contentious issue, with nine states enacting laws against proselytism as of 2021. |
| Religious Freedom in India | Guaranteed by the Constitution of India, following a 13-point memorandum submitted by the All India Conference of Indian Christians and All India Catholic Union in 1947. |
| Religious Practices of Indian Christians | 76% say religion is very important; 98% believe in God; 77% pray daily; 55% attend church weekly; 89% give money to a church; 78% read/listen to the Bible weekly; 49% believe in Judgment Day; 48% believe in miracles; 54% believe in karma. |
| Education and Fertility of Indian Christian Women | Higher levels of education; average of seven years of schooling for women in their 40s (compared to 4.2 years for Hindu women and 3.2 years for Muslim women). Lower fertility rates; predicted to have nearly a full child less than similar Indian women from other religious groups. |
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What You'll Learn
Indian Christians make up 2.3% to 2.4% of the population
Christianity is India's third-largest religion, with about 28 million adherents, constituting 2.3% to 2.4% of the population as of the 2011 census. This number has increased from 8 million in 1951. Christians make up a significant portion of the population in Arunachal (30%), and are the majority in Nagaland, Mizoram, and Meghalaya. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of Indian Christians reside in South India, Goa, and Bombay (Mumbai).
Christianity first came to India in AD 52 when Thomas the Apostle, also known as St. Thomas, reached the Malabar Coast in present-day Kerala. He is considered the founder of Indian Christianity and preached on both the eastern and western coasts of India. Syrian Christians who came to Kerala in the 4th century were granted copper plates by the Chera Dynasty, which gave them and native Christians socio-economic privileges. Syrian Christians are also known as Saint Thomas Christians or Nasrani, a Syriac term meaning "Follower of the Nazarene Jesus".
The arrival of Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama in the 15th century established Western Christianity in the European colonies of Goa, Tranquebar, Bombay, Madras, and Pondicherry. The Portuguese missionaries made contact with the St. Thomas Christians in Kerala and introduced Latin liturgical rites. This group faced persecution from Portuguese evangelists in the 16th century, and Catholicism spread along the Konkan coast.
Indian Christians engage in a variety of traditional beliefs and practices. They are deeply religious, with 98% believing in God, 77% praying daily, 55% attending church weekly, and 89% giving money to the church. They also read or listen to the Bible weekly (78%), but only about half believe in Judgment Day (49%) and miracles (48%). Interestingly, most Indian Christians believe in karma (54%), which is not a traditionally Christian belief.
Conversion is a contentious issue in India, and several states have enacted laws against proselytism. Religious conversion is rare, and only 0.4% of adults are Hindu converts to Christianity.
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The Latin Church accounts for 78.3% of Indian Catholics
Indian Catholics belong to three churches within the Catholic Church: the Latin Church, the Syro-Malabar Church, and the Syro-Malankara Church. The Latin Church, with about 78.3% of Indian Catholics, is the largest group.
The Latin Church in India was introduced by Portuguese missionaries in the 16th century. These missionaries sought to introduce the Latin liturgical rites among the St Thomas Christians in Kerala, who had been following Eastern Christian practices for over a millennium. The Latinisation of St Thomas Christians began in the late 16th century, against their wishes. This was done under the authority of the Archdiocese of Goa, administered by the Portuguese Padroado mission. The Synod of Diamper, convened in 1599, introduced reforms that brought the Indian Church under the control of the Archdiocese of Goa and the Latin Catholic hierarchy.
The Syro-Malabar Church, one of the Eastern Catholic Churches, makes up around 19.7% of Indian Catholics. This church traces its origins to the travels of the Apostle Thomas and follows East Syriac traditions. The Syro-Malabar Church is an Oriental Church in communion with the Catholic Church, with communities primarily based in the present-day state of Kerala.
The Syro-Malankara Church, another "oriental" Catholic church, accounts for approximately 2.0% of Indian Catholics.
Christianity is India's third-largest religion, with about 28 million adherents, or 2.3-2.4% of the population as per the 2011 census. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of India's Christians are found in South India, Goa, and Bombay (Mumbai).
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The Syro-Malabar Church is made up of 19.7% of Indian Catholics
The Syro-Malabar Church is an Eastern Catholic church based in Kerala, India. It is one of 23 "Oriental" or "Eastern" churches in full communion with the Catholic Church. The church is predominantly of the Malayali ethnic group who speak Malayalam, although there are also Tamil, Telugu, and North Indian minorities from various eparchies outside Kerala. The Syro-Malabar Church is made up of around 19.7% of Indian Catholics, according to figures reflecting the diverse liturgical traditions within Indian Catholicism.
The Syro-Malabar Church is unique among Catholics in its inculturation with traditional Indian customs through its Saint Thomas Christian heritage. The Saint Thomas Christian community has been described as "Indian in culture, Christian in faith, and Syriac in liturgy". The church follows East Syriac traditions and is named after its use of the East Syriac liturgy and its origins in Malabar (modern-day Kerala and parts of Tamil Nadu). The term “Syrian” in the context of Indian Christianity refers to the liturgical rite that is celebrated, rather than Syrian ethnicity.
The history of the Syro-Malabar Church can be traced back to the ancient Church of the East Syriac diocese of India, which was elevated to a metropolitan province in the eighth century by Patriarch Ishoyab III. The Saint Thomas Christians, who practiced Eastern Christian traditions, were pressured to acknowledge the authority of the Pope and most eventually accepted the Catholic faith. However, some switched to the West Syriac Rite, leading to the formation of the Syro-Malabar Church in the second half of the 19th century.
The Syro-Malabar Church is the largest Syriac Christian church and the largest Eastern Catholic church, with about 4,537,342 members according to the 2023 Annuario Pontificio pontifical yearbook. In the state of Kerala, there are around 2.35 million Syro-Malabar Catholics, making them the largest Christian body in the state. Overall, Christians make up about 2.3% to 2.4% of India's population, with approximately 28 million adherents as of the 2011 census.
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Saint Thomas Christians are also known as Nasrani
Christianity is the third-largest religion in India, with about 28 million adherents, making up 2.3% of the population as of the 2011 census. The majority (78.3%) of Indian Christians belong to the Latin Church, while the rest are Syrian Catholic Christians. Syrian Catholics include the Syro-Malabar Church (19.7%) and the Syro-Malankara Church (2.0%). These figures reflect the diverse liturgical traditions within Indian Catholicism, with Eastern Catholic communities primarily based in the Malabar region (present-day Kerala).
Saint Thomas Christians, also known as Syrian Christians of India, are an ethno-religious community of Indian Christians in the state of Kerala (Malabar region). They trace their origins to the evangelistic activity of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century. According to tradition, Thomas the Apostle reached Muziris on the Malabar Coast in 52 CE and preached Christianity in the eastern and western coasts of India.
The Saint Thomas Christians are also known as Nasrani, a Syriac term for Christians, derived from the Hebrew word "Netzer" or the Aramaic "Nasraya" from Isaiah 11:1. It is also cognate with the English word "Nazarene", referring to a Christian. The term "Nasrani" is especially used locally in Kerala and the Near East. The Nasrani or Saint Thomas Christians still retain many ancient traditions and rituals in their social and religious life, such as the celebration of Holy Thursday or Pesaha, derived from the Aramaic or Hebrew word for Passover. Their language is Malayalam, the language of Kerala, and Syriac is used for liturgical purposes.
The Saint Thomas Christians were historically part of the hierarchy of the Church of the East but are now divided into several Eastern Catholic, Oriental Orthodox, Protestant, and independent bodies, each with distinct liturgies and traditions. They are further divided into two ethnic groups: the majority Vadakkumbhagar or Northist, and the minority Tekkumbhagar or Southist. This division is based on the location of the early converts of Saint Thomas the Apostle in the city of Kodungallur.
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The Diocese of Quilon was the first Roman Catholic diocese in India
As of 2018, Christians comprised approximately 2.3 percent of India's population, with Catholics accounting for around 1.5 percent. This history, however, goes back much further, and the roots of Catholicism in India can be traced to the arrival of Portuguese explorers and missionaries in the 15th and 16th centuries.
The Diocese of Quilon, located in the city of Kollam (formerly Quilon) in the state of Kerala, was the first Roman Catholic diocese in India. It was established on November 9, 1329, by Pope John XXII, making it one of the oldest dioceses in the entire Asian continent. The establishment of the diocese was a significant milestone in the history of Catholicism in India and played a crucial role in the spread of the faith in the region.
The arrival of Christianity in Kerala is traditionally linked to the apostle Thomas, who is believed to have landed in Kerala in 52 AD and established several Christian communities along the Malabar Coast. These ancient Christian communities, known as St. Thomas Christians or Nasrani, were in communion with the Church of the East in Mesopotamia but maintained their distinct liturgical and theological traditions.
By the 13th century, the St. Thomas Christians were seeking closer relations with the Latin Church in the West. This led to the arrival of Franciscan missionaries in Quilon, who established a mission there in 1301. The mission flourished, and in 1329, Pope John XXII established the Diocese of Quilon as a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Sultany in Persia. The diocese originally encompassed the entire Indian subcontinent, including modern-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
The first bishop of Quilon was a French Dominican priest, Jordanus Catalani de Severac. He arrived in Quilon in 1329 and worked tirelessly to spread the faith and establish churches in the region. Bishop Jordanus is also known for his writings, which provide valuable insights into the social, cultural, and religious life of 14th-century India.
Over the centuries, the Diocese of Quilon played a pivotal role in the growth and development of Catholicism in India. It served as a center of missionary activity, and many notable missionaries passed through or worked within its jurisdiction. The diocese also contributed significantly to the inculturation of the Catholic faith in India, with efforts to translate liturgical texts into local languages and adapt certain Indian cultural practices within the Church.
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Frequently asked questions
Christians make up 2.3% to 2.4% of India's population as of the 2011 census. However, there is no data on what percentage of these are Catholic.
Christianity is believed to have been introduced to India in AD 52 when Thomas the Apostle reached the Malabar Coast, presently called the state of Kerala.
The Latin Church is the largest Christian denomination in India, making up around 78.3% of Indian Christians.
The second largest Christian denomination in India is the Syro-Malabar Church, making up around 19.7% of Indian Christians.
The smallest Christian denomination in India is the Syro-Malankara Church, accounting for approximately 2% of Indian Christians.
