Hindus Across the Oceans · USA · Canada · Australia

North America and Australia — The New Hindu Diaspora उत्तरी अमेरिका और ऑस्ट्रेलिया

From 1893 Mostly post-1965 migration

Hindu ideas reached North America with Swami Vivekananda, who founded the Vedanta Society of New York in 1894. Large-scale Hindu migration began only after the United States (1965), Canada (1967) and Australia (from the 1970s) removed race-based immigration rules. Engineers, doctors and students from India, and later Hindus from the Caribbean, Fiji and East Africa, built thriving communities.

History

  1. 1893–94Vivekananda at the Parliament of Religions; the Vedanta Society of New York is founded.
  2. 1965The US Immigration and Nationality Act opens migration from Asia.
  3. 1977The Ganesha temple of the Hindu Temple Society of North America opens in Flushing, New York.
  4. 2021Censuses record about 2.3% of Canadians and 2.7% of Australians as Hindu; in Australia it is among the fastest-growing religions.

Hindu life today

Hindu Americans, Canadians and Australians are among the most highly educated communities in their countries. Large temples in New Jersey, Toronto, Sydney and elsewhere, Diwali celebrations in public life, and Hindu student and youth organisations reflect a confident new diaspora.

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Frequently asked questions

When did Hindu migration to the USA begin on a large scale?

After the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 removed national-origin quotas.

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Sources & copyright status

  • Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census 2021 — census data
  • Pew Research Center, religious composition of the United States — survey data
  • Historical facts: not subject to copyright.
  • Commentary and translations on this page: original to The Hindu Book. © The Hindu Book, all rights reserved.

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