Introduction
India is one of the oldest civilizations in the world and boasts a rich cultural heritage. It has achieved great socio-economic progress since its independence in 1947.
India has become self-sufficient in agricultural production and is now one of the top ten industrialized countries in the world. With a population of more than one billion, India is the world’s second most populous country, after China.
It is believed that Christianity first arrived in India about 2000 years ago, yet currently, only 5.84 percent of the population is Christian.
| Population (2010) 1 | 1.19 billion |
| Major languages2 (number of speakers) |
Hindi (180 million) |
| Bengali (70.6 million) | |
| Telugu (69.6 million) | |
| Main religions3 (percentage of total population) |
Hindu (74.33%) |
| Muslim (14.2%) | |
| Christian (5.84%) | |
| Others (5.63%) | |
| Main UPGs4 (Unreached People Groups) |
Shaik (72.6 million) |
| Brahman (55 million) | |
| Yadav (54.8 million) |
1. World Population Data Sheet, 2010
2. www.ethnologue.com
3. Operation World 7th Edition, 2010
4. Joshua Project
