Most of the 25-30 million followers of Sikhism, the world's fifth-largest religion live in the northern Indian state of Punjab, the only Sikh-majority administrative division on Earth,[1][2][3][4][5][6] but Sikh communities exist on every inhabited continent. Sizeable Sikh populations in countries across the world exist in India (20,833,116),[7] Canada (771,790),[8] England (520,092),[9] the United States (~280,000),[30] Italy (~220,000), and Australia (210,400), while countries with the largest proportions of Sikhs include Canada (2.12%),[8] India (1.56%), Cyprus (1.1%)[31][32] England (0.92%),[9][33] New Zealand (0.87%), and Australia (0.83%).
Administrative divisions with significant proportions of Sikhs include Punjab, India (Sikhs account for 58 percent of the population), Chandigarh, India (13.1 percent), British Columbia, Canada (5.9 percent),[8] Haryana, India (4.9 percent), Delhi, India (3.4 percent), West Midlands, England (2.9 percent), Manitoba, Canada (2.7 percent),[8] Alberta, Canada (2.5 percent),[8] Uttarakhand, India (2.3 percent), and Ontario, Canada (2.1 percent).[8] Meanwhile, cities outside India with the largest Sikh populations are Brampton, Ontario, Canada (163,260),[34] Surrey, British Columbia, Canada (154,415),[35] and London, England (144,543).[36]
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.
Countries
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.
| Region | Country | No. of Sikhs | Sikh % | % of all Sikhs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Asia |  Afghanistan * | 140 (2022 est.)[40] | 0% | 0% |
| South America |  Argentina | 300 families (2012 est.)[41] | 0% | 0% |
| Central Europe |  Austria * | 9,000 (2020 est.)[42] | 0.04% | 0.04% |
| Oceania |  Australia * | 210,400 (2021 census)[43] | 0.83% | 0.9% |
| South Asia |  Bangladesh * | 20 families (2012 est.)[44] | 0% | 0% |
| Western Europe |  Belgium * | 10,000 (2020 est.)[45] | 0.09% | 0.04% |
| South America |  Brazil | 300 (2018 est.)[46] | 0% | 0% |
| North America |  Canada * | 771,790 (2021 census)[8] | 2.12% | 3.31% |
| Southern Europe |  Cyprus * | 13,280 (2020 est.)[31][32] | 1.07% | 0.06% |
| Northern Europe |  Denmark * | 4,000 (2019 est.)[47] | 0.07% | 0.02% |
| Oceania |  Fiji * | 2,577 (2007 census)[48] | 0.31% | 0.01% |
| Western Europe |  France * | 30,000 (2017 est.)[49] | 0.04% | 0.13% |
| Western Asia |  Georgia | 200 (2018 est.)[50] | 0.01% | 0% |
| Central Europe |  Germany * | 18,000 (2017 est.)[51] | 0.02% | 0.08% |
| Southern Europe |  Greece * | 20,000 (2015 est.)[52] | 0.19% | 0.09% |
| East Asia |  Hong Kong | 12,000 (2021 est.)[53] | 0.16% | 0.05% |
| Northern Europe |  Iceland | 100 (2013 est.)[54] | 0.03% | 0% |
| South Asia |  India * | 20,833,116 (2011 census) | 1.72% | 89.27% |
| Southeast Asia |  Indonesia * | 15,000 (2009 est.)[55] | 0.01% | 0.06% |
| Western Europe |  Ireland | 2,183 (2022 census)[56] | 0.04% | 0.01% |
| Southern Europe |  Italy * | 220,000 (2022 est.)[70] | 0.37% | 0.94% |
| East Africa |  Kenya | 6,000 (2013 est.)[71] | 0.01% | 0.03% |
| Middle East |  Kuwait | 15,000 (2021 est.)[72] | 0.35% | 0.06% |
| Southeast Asia |  Malaysia * | 100,000 (2016 est.)[73] | 0.3% | 0.43% |
| South Asia |  Nepal * | 609 (2011 census)[74] | 0% | 0% |
| Western Europe |  Netherlands * | 15,000 (2022 est.)[75] | 0.08% | 0.06% |
| Oceania |  New Zealand * | 40,908 (2018 census)[76] | 0.87% | 0.18% |
| Northern Europe |  Norway * | 4,080 (2020 est.)[77] | 0.08% | 0.02% |
| Middle East |  Oman | 33,704 (2020 est.)[78] | 0.75% | 0.14% |
| South Asia |  Pakistan * | 6,146 (2021 est.)[79][80][81] | 0% | 0.03% |
| Central America |  Panama * | 302 (2020 est.)[32] | 0.01% | 0% |
| Southeast Asia |  Philippines | 28,436 (2020 est.)[32] | 0.03% | 0.12% |
| Southern Europe |  Portugal | 35,000 (2020 est.)[82] | 0.34% | 0.15% |
| Middle East |  Saudi Arabia | 6,700 (2021 est.)[83] | 0.02% | 0.03% |
| Southeast Asia |  Singapore * | 12,051 (2020 census)[84] | 0.35% | 0.05% |
| Southern Africa |  South Africa * | 13,000 (2020 est.)[85] | 0.02% | 0.04% |
| Southern Europe |  Spain | 26,000 (2020 est.)[86] | 0.05% | 0.11% |
| Northern Europe |  Sweden * | 4,000 (2020 est.)[86] | 0.04% | 0.02% |
| Southeast Asia |  Thailand * | 70,000 (2005 est.)[87] | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| Central America |  Trinidad and Tobago | 150 (2022 est.)[88] | 0.01% | 0% |
| East Africa |  Uganda | 2,400 (2021 est.)[89] | 0.01% | 0.01% |
| Middle East |  United Arab Emirates * | 52,000 (2022 est.)[90] | 0.56% | 0.22% |
| Western Europe |  United Kingdom * | 524,529 (2021 census)[9][91][92] | 0.85% | 2.25% |
| North America |  United States * | 280,000 (2021 est.)[113] | 0.08% | 1.2% |
| Total | 23,336,631[a] | 0.3% | 100% |
Census Data
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:
| Country | Sikh Religion | Sikh Ethnicity (single response) | Sikh Ethnicity (multiple response) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Pop. | % | Year | Pop. | % | Year | Pop. | % | Year | |
| India | 4th | 20,833,116 | 1.72% | 2011[114] | ||||||
| Canada | 4th | 771,790 | 2.12% | 2021[8] | 194,640 | 0.54% | 2021[115] | |||
 England | 4th | 520,092 | 0.92% | 2021[9] | 98,666 | 0.17% | 2021[116] | |||
| United States | 48,321 | 0.01% | 2020[117][118][119] | 70,697 | 0.02% | 2020[120][121][122] | ||||
| Australia | 5th | 210,400 | 0.83% | 2021[123] | 60,501 | 0.24% | 2021[124] | |||
| New Zealand | 5th | 40,908 | 0.87% | 2018[76] | 105 | 0% | 2018[125] | 192 | 0% | 2018[126] |
| Singapore | 6th | 12,051 | 0.35% | 2020[84] | ||||||
| Thailand | 6th | 11,124 | 0.02% | 2010[127] | ||||||
 Scotland | 5th | 10,988 | 0.20% | 2022[128] | 873 | 0.02% | 2011[129] | |||
 Wales | 5th | 4,048 | 0.13% | 2021[9] | 683 | 0.02% | 2021[130] | |||
| Fiji | 4th | 2,577 | 0.31% | 2007[131] | ||||||
| Ireland | 6th | 2,183 | 0.04% | 2022[132] | ||||||
| Nepal | 7th | 1,496 | 0.01% | 2021[133] | ||||||
 Northern Ireland | 6th | 389 | 0.02% | 2021[134] | 43 | 0% | 2021[135] | |||
 Mauritius | 182 | 0.01% | 2022 [136] | |||||||
| Pakistan | 2023 | |||||||||
 Faroe Islands | 7th | 3 | 0.01% | 2011[137] | ||||||
Note: 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.
| Country | Native Born[138] | % | Foreign Born[139] | % | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 296,673 | 57.0% | 223,419 | 43.0% | 2021 |
| Canada | 236,400 | 30.6% | 535,390 | 69.4% | 2021 |
| Australia | 51,939 | 24.9% | 157,940 | 75.1% | 2021 |
| Singapore | 8,369 | 69.5% | 3,682 | 30.5% | 2020 |
| Wales | 2,431 | 60.1% | 1,617 | 39.9% | 2021 |
Canada has the largest Sikh population outside India, though this is largely due to the foreign born that were born outside Canada numbering 500,000+. Looking at the native born population, England ranks number 1 as having the largest number born in the diaspora.
Largest proportions
Canada 2.12%[8][140]
India 1.72%[145]
Cyprus 1.1%[31][146]
United Kingdom 0.88%[147]
New Zealand 0.88%[148]
Australia 0.83%[149][150]
Oman 0.75%[78]
UAE 0.56%[151]
Italy 0.37%[159]
Singapore 0.35% [62]
Depiction of early Sikh immigration to Canada (Whitehorse, Yukon). Circa 1906.
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Largest populations
- India 23,786,000[163]
- Canada 771,790[8][140]
- United Kingdom 524,000[164]
United States ~280,000[185]- Australia 210,400[149][150]
- Italy 210,000 [193]
Malaysia 100,000[194][195][196]
Thailand 70,000[197]- United Arab Emirates 52,000[198]
Philippines 50,000[199][200]- New Zealand 40,908[201]
- Oman 35,540[78]
Portugal 35,000[202]
France 30,000[203]
Spain 26,000[204]
Germany 25,000[205]
Greece 20,000[206]
Netherlands 15,000 [207]
Kuwait 15,000[208][209]
Hong Kong 15,000[210]- Cyprus 13,280[31][211]
- Singapore 12,051[212]
Indonesia 10,000[213]
Belgium 10,000[214]
Austria 10,000[215]
Subnational divisions
Sub-districts
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.[229] There are however, a number of other neighbourhoods outside India where Sikhs form the largest group (plurality).
| Sub-District (Neighbourhood) | Division | Nation | % Sikh |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newton - Surrey | British Columbia | Canada | 51.5% |
| Blakenhall - Wolverhampton | West Midlands | England | 40.7% |
| Brampton East - Peel | Ontario | Canada | 40.4% |
| Southall Green - Ealing | London | England | 36.8% |
| Heston West - Hounslow | London | England | 31.8% |
| Lady Margaret - Ealing | London | England | 28.2% |
| Pinkwell - Hillingdon | London | England | 26.5% |
| Norwood Green - Ealing | London | England | 26.2% |
Municipalities
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.
| Municipality | Sikh population | Total population | Sikh proportion % | Largest religious group |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi (2011)[231] | 570,581 | 16,787,941 | 3.4% | Hindu (81.68%) |
| Amritsar (2011)[232] | 556,431 | 1,159,227 | 48% | Hindu (49.36%) |
| Ludhiana (2011)[233] | 465,393 | 1,618,879 | 28.75% | Hindu (65.96%) |
| Jalandhar (2011)[234] | 185,869 | 868,929 | 21.39% | Hindu (74.9%) |
| Patiala (2011)[235] | 178,336 | 446,246 | 39.96% | Hindu (57.22%) |
| Brampton (2021)[236] | 163,260 | 650,165 | 25.11% | Christian (35.72%) |
| Surrey (2021)[237] | 154,415 | 562,565 | 27.45% | Christian (30.24%) |
| London (2021)[238] | 144,543 | 8,799,728 | 1.64% | Christian (40.66%) |
| Chandigarh (2011)[239] | 138,329 | 1,055,450 | 13.11% | Hindu (80.78%) |
| Bhatinda (2011)[240] | 100,139 | 446,246 | 35.04% | Hindu (62.61%) |
| Mohali (2011)[241] | 85,983 | 166,864 | 51.53% | Sikh (51.53%) |
| Melbourne (2021)[242] | 85,286 | 4,917,750 | 1.73% | Christian (40.14%) |
| Moga (2011)[243] | 82,456 | 163,397 | 50.46% | Sikh (50.46%) |
Historical Demographics
The Afghan Sikh population declined from between 200,000 and 500,000 (1.8% to 4.6% of the Afghan population) in the 1970s[244][245][246][247][248] to 45 in 2022 following decades of conflict.
| Country | 2021 | 2011 | 2001 | Change (2011-2021) | Change (2001-2011) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | ± | +% | ± | +% | |
| India[249][250][251][143][252] | 20,833,116 | 1.72% | 19,237,391 | 1.87% | 1,595,725 | 8.29% | ||||
| Canada[253][254][8] | 771,790 | 2.12% | 454,965 | 1.38% | 278,410 | 0.94% | 316,825 | 69.64% | 176,555 | 63.42% |
| England[9][255][256] | 520,092 | 0.92% | 420,196 | 0.79% | 327,343 | 0.63% | 99,896 | 23.77% | 92,853 | 28.37% |
| United States[281][282][283][284] | 269,986 | 0.08% | 189,242 | 0.06% | 119,740 | 0.04% | 80,744 | 42.67% | 69,502 | 58.04% |
| Australia[218] | 210,397 | 0.83% | 72,296 | 0.34% | 17,437 | 0.09% | 138,101 | 191.02% | 54,859 | 314.61% |
| New Zealand[285][76] | 40,908[d] | 0.87% | 19,191[e] | 0.45% | 5,199 | 0.14% | 21,717 | 113.16% | 13,992 | 269.13% |
| Norway[286] | 4,208 | 0.08% | 2,975 | 0.06% | ||||||
| Wales[9][255][256] | 4,048 | 0.13% | 2,962 | 0.10% | 2,015 | 0.07% | 1,086 | 947 | ||
| Nepal[74][133] | 1,496 | 0.01% | 609 | 0.00% | 887 | |||||
| Fiji[287] | <500? | <0.1% | 2,540[f] | 0.3% | 3,067[g] | 0.4% | -527 | -17.18% | ||
| Northern Ireland[288][289][290] | 389 | 0.02% | 216 | 0.01% | 219 | 0.01% | 173 | -3 | ||
| Faroe Islands[63] | 3 | 0.01% | ||||||||
[291][292][143][293][294][253][254][8][255][256][281][218][220][295][h][i][j][k][l][m][n][298][299]
See also
General: