AUSTRALIA, August 11, 2011 (Stock & Land): The 2011 census collectors began their work only last night, but one result is already clear: the number of Australians who identify as Hindu is likely to have doubled since the last population survey in 2006.
High immigration from the Indian subcontinent during the past five years, especially among white-collar professionals and university students, has also made Hinduism a more visible faith, especially in parts of western Sydney, where new temples and houses of worship are being built.
Some of the Indian immigrants are Christian, including Catholics from Goa, but Sanjeev Bhakri, secretary of the Hindu Council of Australia, estimates 90 per cent are Hindu. Several years ago the Indian subcontinent overtook the People’s Republic of China as the second largest source country of Australian immigrants; the subcontinent now provides 19.9 per cent of the total.
[HPI note: In 2006, the census indicated that 0.7% of Australians were Hindu. Catholics were the majority, with 25%, followed by those who declared “No Religion” and then those who professed to be Anglicans.]