At 93.33% Sikh, Tarn Taran is the world's most Sikh district or county.[37] Located in the heart of the Majha region of Punjab founded by Guru Arjan Dev - the 5th Sikh guru, [38] Tarn Taran also hosts the world's largest sarovar (sacred pool)[39] even surpassing the great Darbar Sahib - Golden Temple in the neighbouring Amritsar district.
The figures on the table below are either based on each of the country's respective censuses or are calculated by specific organizations. Some of these figures are rounded off. In case of conflicting estimates, both the lowest and highest estimates are included.
As a religious minority, Sikhs have fought long and hard to get official status and to be counted in many countries across the world. Through the efforts of Sikh organisations and communities in their respective countries, there is now readily available population data on Sikhs as part of the census in the following territories:
Official statistics do not count unregistered arrivals or those who have not completed the census or surveys. However, they do provide for a much more accurate depiction of Sikh communities as opposed to estimates from various Sikh organisations whose estimates can vary vastly with no statistically valuable source. Thus, official statistics and census data is highly important and Sikh communities continue to push for census inclusion in many countries where they are still not counted.
Canada has the largest Sikh population outside India, this is largely due to those born overseas outside Canada numbering 500,000+. Whilst England ranks number 1 for having the largest number born in the diaspora.
A sub-district is a local administrative division known as different names in respective countries: called tehsils in India, electoral districts in Canada and wards in England. These are smaller than counties or districts and consist of neighbourhoods and suburbs. Newton, Surrey is the only Sikh majority sub-district outside India with Sikhs representing 51.5% of the population in 2021.[278] There are however, a number of other neighbourhoods outside India where Sikhs form the largest group (plurality).
Gurudwara Bangla Sahib is located in Delhi. India's capital and second-largest city with nearly 20 million inhabitants, Delhi was home to 570,581 Sikhs at the 2011 census, the largest municipal Sikh population in the world.
Gurdwara Dasmesh Darbar is located in Brampton, Ontario. Home to 163,260 Sikhs at the 2021 census, Brampton has the world's largest municipal Sikh population outside India.
Gurdwara Amb Sahib is located in Mohali, Punjab, the largest Sikh-majority city on Earth with a total population of 166,864 at the 2011 census.
^"April 2022: Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month". State of Michigan Office of the Governor. Retrieved 28 March 2023. Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world, and, today, there are more than 30 million Sikhs worldwide and an estimated 500,000 Sikh Americans;
^"A Brief Introduction to Sikhism". WTTW. 5 May 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2023. Despite its relatively recent arrival in Chicago, Sikhism is the world's fifth-largest religion, with 25 to 30 million adherents around the globe and an estimated 500,000 in America today.
^While the U.S. Census does not ask about religion,[10] 70,697 Americans (or 0.02% of the total population) declared Sikh as their ethnicity in the 2020 census.[11] In the 2021 Canadian census, 194,640 Canadians declared Sikh as their ethnicity while 771,790 Canadians declared Sikh as their religion, indicating that the Sikh American population may be around 280,329, or 0.08% of the total population.[12] The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the adult Sikh American population at 78,000 in 2008.[13] The Pew Research Center estimated the Sikh American adult population to be 140,000 and the total population at 200,000 in 2012 while the World Religion Database at Boston University estimated the American Sikh population to be at 280,000 in 2012.[14][15] Sikh organizations like the Sikh Coalition and American Sikh Congressional Caucus estimate the Sikh American population to be as high as 1,000,000, but do not provide any sources for these figures;[16][17][18] 500,000 nevertheless remains the most cited Sikh American population size in news media.[19][26] With 1% of Asian Americans being Sikh, and 90.7% of Sikh Americans being Asian American, the American Sikh population can be estimated around 280,000 in 2021.[27][28][29]
^Lavin, Talia (26 April 2015). "Vibrant Vaisakhi Celebrates Sikh Life In Greece". Huffington Post. The Sikh community in Greece, numbered at around 20,000 according to a 2012 report, joined together to mark the holy day
^ abc"The Continuing Struggle for Religious Freedom by Italy's Sikh Community". The Wire. It is estimated that there are around 220,000 Sikh migrants in Italy. The community, however, has been largely invisible to native Italians. The majority of Sikhs are dairy workers, living far from the cities, and settled mainly in the farms of north and central Italy.
^ abc"How the recent Punjabi migration to Spain & Italy is a departure for the diaspora". The Economic Times. 29 July 2018. The total number of Indians in Italy has now crossed 200,000, making it the largest Indian diaspora in continental Europe and far greater than the 30,000 estimated in Spain. This Indian contingent is mainly made up of Punjabi Jat Sikhs.
^ abc"How Sikhs saved the Italian cheese industry". Global Indian. Today, Italy has the largest Sikh population in Europe, only second to the United Kingdom, with an estimated number of 220,000
^Bertolani, Barbara (2013). "The Sikhs in Italy: A Growing Heterogeneous and Plural Presence". Globalizing Belief, Localizing Gods. Brill Publishers. p. 75. ISBN9789004254756. According to Gallo (2013), by contrast, the Sikhs would number at least 100,000. Barbara Bertolani estimates in 2013 "My own data gathered within the Sikh community in Italy show Sikh people constituting about 70% of all the Indians present, i.e., at least 84,000 residents
^ ab"Nepal Profile". Government of Nepal - Ministry Of Foreign Affairs. Religion(s): There are ten religious categories reported in the census 2011. Hindu is followed by 81.3 percent (21,551,492) of the population followed by Buddhism (9%; 2,396,099), Islam (4.4%; 1,162,370), Kirat (3.1%; 807,169), Christianity (1.4%; 375,699), Prakriti (0.5%; 121,982), Bon (13,006), Jainism (3,214), Bahai (1,283) and Sikhism (609).
^Lawrence, Mary (22 May 2022). "Het licht van God zien in de ander, daar gaat het om bij de sikhs" [Seeing the light of God in the other, that's what the Sikhs are all about]. Trouw. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2023. In Nederland wonen zo'n 15.000 sikhs, die hier sinds de jaren zestig vanuit Afghanistan, Pakistan en India kwamen, op zoek naar werk of op de vlucht voor de Sovjets, de Taliban of de geradicaliseerde aanhangers van Indira Gandhi, nadat zij in 1984 door haar sikhlijfwacht was vermoord. Ons land telt inmiddels negen gurdwara's. [Some 15,000 Sikhs live in the Netherlands, who have come here from Afghanistan, Pakistan and India since the 1960s, looking for work or fleeing the Soviets, the Taliban or the radicalized followers of Indira Gandhi, after they were killed in 1984. her Sikh bodyguard had been killed. Our country now has nine gurdwaras.]
^"Portugal Fact Sheet". Embassy of India (Lisbon, Portugal). Sikhs (35,000), In recent years, the number of Indians (especially from Punjab/Haryana) has increased significantly owing to the easing of immigration norms by Portugal. However, since many of them do not have valid residency documents, official figures are not available.
^"April 2022: Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month". State of Michigan Office of the Governor. Retrieved 28 March 2023. Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world, and, today, there are more than 30 million Sikhs worldwide and an estimated 500,000 Sikh Americans;
^"A Brief Introduction to Sikhism". WTTW. 5 May 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2023. Despite its relatively recent arrival in Chicago, Sikhism is the world's fifth-largest religion, with 25 to 30 million adherents around the globe and an estimated 500,000 in America today.
^While the U.S. Census does not ask about religion,[95] 70,697 Americans (or 0.02% of the total population) declared Sikh as their ethnicity in the 2020 census.[96] In the 2021 Canadian census, 194,640 Canadians declared Sikh as their ethnicity while 771,790 Canadians declared Sikh as their religion, indicating that the Sikh American population may be around 280,329, or 0.08% of the total population.[97] The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the adult Sikh American population at 78,000 in 2008.[98] The Pew Research Center estimated the Sikh American adult population to be 140,000 and the total population at 200,000 in 2012 while the World Religion Database at Boston University estimated the American Sikh population to be at 280,000 in 2012.[99][100] Sikh organizations like the Sikh Coalition and American Sikh Congressional Caucus estimate the Sikh American population to be as high as 1,000,000, but do not provide any sources for these figures;[101][102][103] 500,000 nevertheless remains the most cited Sikh American population size in news media.[104][111] With 1% of Asian Americans being Sikh, and 90.7% of Sikh Americans being Asian American, the American Sikh population can be estimated around 280,000 in 2021.[112][113][114]
^Puri, Harish K. (June–July 2003). "Scheduled Castes in Sikh Community: A Historical Perspective". Economic and Political Weekly. 38 (26). Economic and Political Weekly: 2693–2701. JSTOR4413731.
^The Indian Sikh population grew from 16,420,685 to 19,237,391 between 1991 and 2001, a rise of 2,816,706 or 17.15%. It further rose from 19,237,391 to 20,833,116 between 1991 and 2001, a rise of 1,595,725 or 8.29%.[150][151][152] Assuming the Indian Sikh population growth rate continues to decline at the same rate, which is likely since Sikhs have the lowest birth rate across all Indian religious groups, the Indian Sikh population would grow by 4.01% between 2011 and 2021, or from 20,833,116 to 21,668,524.[153]
^"April 2022: Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month". State of Michigan Office of the Governor. Retrieved 28 March 2023. Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world, and, today, there are more than 30 million Sikhs worldwide and an estimated 500,000 Sikh Americans;
^"A Brief Introduction to Sikhism". WTTW. 5 May 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2023. Despite its relatively recent arrival in Chicago, Sikhism is the world's fifth-largest religion, with 25 to 30 million adherents around the globe and an estimated 500,000 in America today.
^While the U.S. Census does not ask about religion,[157] 70,697 Americans (or 0.02% of the total population) declared Sikh as their ethnicity in the 2020 census.[158] In the 2021 Canadian census, 194,640 Canadians declared Sikh as their ethnicity while 771,790 Canadians declared Sikh as their religion, indicating that the Sikh American population may be around 280,329, or 0.08% of the total population.[159] The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the adult Sikh American population at 78,000 in 2008.[160] The Pew Research Center estimated the Sikh American adult population to be 140,000 and the total population at 200,000 in 2012 while the World Religion Database at Boston University estimated the American Sikh population to be at 280,000 in 2012.[161][162] Sikh organizations like the Sikh Coalition and American Sikh Congressional Caucus estimate the Sikh American population to be as high as 1,000,000, but do not provide any sources for these figures;[163][164][165] 500,000 nevertheless remains the most cited Sikh American population size in news media.[166][173] With 1% of Asian Americans being Sikh, and 90.7% of Sikh Americans being Asian American, the American Sikh population can be estimated around 280,000 in 2021.[174][175][176]
^Bertolani, Barbara (2013). "The Sikhs in Italy: A Growing Heterogeneous and Plural Presence". Globalizing Belief, Localizing Gods. Brill Publishers. p. 75. ISBN9789004254756. According to Gallo (2013), by contrast, the Sikhs would number at least 100,000. Barbara Bertolani estimates in 2013 "My own data gathered within the Sikh community in Italy show Sikh people constituting about 70% of all the Indians present, i.e., at least 84,000 residents
^"Malaysia gets first Sikh minister". WION. Miri Indian Association president, Councillor Karambir Singh was quoted as saying by the Borneo Post. Malaysia has nearly 100,000 Sikh population
^"On the Gurdwara Trail in Malaysia: A Spiritual Experience". SikhNet. 20 January 2023. The Malaysian Sikh community is the fourth largest ethnic group of Malaysian Indians. It is estimated that over 100,000 Sikhs reside in Malaysia. The Sikh population is the largest here among Southeast and East Asia.
^Bertolani, Barbara (2013). "The Sikhs in Italy: A Growing Heterogeneous and Plural Presence". Globalizing Belief, Localizing Gods. Brill Publishers. p. 75. ISBN9789004254756. According to Gallo (2013), by contrast, the Sikhs would number at least 100,000. Barbara Bertolani estimates in 2013 "My own data gathered within the Sikh community in Italy show Sikh people constituting about 70% of all the Indians present, i.e., at least 84,000 residents
^"Portugal Fact Sheet". Embassy of India (Lisbon, Portugal). Sikhs (35,000), In recent years, the number of Indians (especially from Punjab/Haryana) has increased significantly owing to the easing of immigration norms by Portugal. However, since many of them do not have valid residency documents, official figures are not available.
^Lavin, Talia (26 April 2015). "Vibrant Vaisakhi Celebrates Sikh Life In Greece". Huffington Post. The Sikh community in Greece, numbered at around 20,000 according to a 2012 report, joined together to mark the holy day
^Lawrence, Mary (22 May 2022). "Het licht van God zien in de ander, daar gaat het om bij de sikhs" [Seeing the light of God in the other, that's what the Sikhs are all about]. Trouw. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2023. In Nederland wonen zo'n 15.000 sikhs, die hier sinds de jaren zestig vanuit Afghanistan, Pakistan en India kwamen, op zoek naar werk of op de vlucht voor de Sovjets, de Taliban of de geradicaliseerde aanhangers van Indira Gandhi, nadat zij in 1984 door haar sikhlijfwacht was vermoord. Ons land telt inmiddels negen gurdwara's. [Some 15,000 Sikhs live in the Netherlands, who have come here from Afghanistan, Pakistan and India since the 1960s, looking for work or fleeing the Soviets, the Taliban or the radicalized followers of Indira Gandhi, after they were killed in 1984. her Sikh bodyguard had been killed. Our country now has nine gurdwaras.]
^The United States Census does not ask about religious affiliation.[233] Sikh organizations estimate the Sikh American population to be as high as 750,000.[234][235] Before the United Kingdom Census started asking about religion in 2001, Sikh organizations estimated the British Sikh population to be as high as 750,000, but the 2001 census found the British Sikh population to be only 336,149.[236][237][229][238][239][240] Thus, population figures by Sikh organizations are likely overestimates. A comprehensive 2012 survey by the Pew Research Center estimated that 1% of Asian Americans and 5% of Indian Americans are Sikhs,[241] which would yield a Sikh population of approximately 200,000 in 2012 and 290,000 in 2021.[242][243]
The most comprehensive way to estimate the Sikh American population is by comparing to the Punjabi American population.[244] Out of the 4,060,554 Americans who spoke a South Asian language at home in 2021, 318,588, or 7.85%, spoke Punjabi at home. This indicates that Punjabi Americans make up 7.85% of the South Asian American population of 5,492,692, and thus number 430,952.[245][246][247][248][249] This matches with a comprehensive 2020 survey of Indian Americans by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, which found that 8% of Indian Americans were Punjabi.[250] Using this same method, the populations of Punjabi Canadians, English Punjabis, and Punjabi Australians can be estimated at 1,146,900, 931,671, and 319,377 respectively, using language data from censuses conducted in 2021 in those nations.[251][252][253] Those nations also ask about religion in their censuses, with there being 771,790 Sikh Canadians, 520,092 English Sikhs, and 210,400 Sikh Australians in 2021.[254][255][256]Thus, the Sikh population was about 62.65% of the Punjabi population in those three countries combined. Using this ratio, the American Sikh population can be estimated at 269,986 in 2021. This ratio can also be used to estimate Sikh populations of American states, counties, and communities using population data of Punjabi speakers.
^While the U.S. Census does not ask about religion,[270] 70,697 Americans (or 0.02% of the total population) declared Sikh as their ethnicity in the 2020 census.[271] In the 2021 Canadian census, 194,640 Canadians declared Sikh as their ethnicity while 771,790 Canadians declared Sikh as their religion,[272] indicating that the Sikh American population may be around 280,329, or 0.08% of the total population. Similarly, the Sikh American populations can be estimated using census data.
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