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Religion in Karnataka

The Census of India records religion as declared by the respondent, with no verification against any document. These are the published 2011 figures for Karnataka, ordered from largest group to smallest. People who chose not to answer are counted under not stated.

Religion wise population of Karnataka, Census of India 2011
Religion Population Share
Hindu 51,317,472 84.00%
Muslim 7,893,065 12.92%
Christian 1,142,647 1.87%
Jain 440,280 0.72%
Not stated 166,087 0.27%
Buddhist 95,710 0.16%
Sikh 28,773 0.05%
Other religions 11,263 0.02%

Largest group by district

Largest religious group in each district of Karnataka
District Largest group Share
Bagalkot Hindu 86.48%
Bangalore Hindu 80.29%
Bangalore Rural Hindu 89.86%
Belgaum Hindu 84.49%
Bellary Hindu 85.77%
Bidar Hindu 75.72%
Bijapur Hindu 82.07%
Chamarajanagar Hindu 92.29%
Chikkaballapura Hindu 87.65%
Chikmagalur Hindu 88.28%
Chitradurga Hindu 91.63%
Dakshina Kannada Hindu 67.18%
Davanagere Hindu 85.25%
Dharwad Hindu 75.26%
Gadag Hindu 85.27%
Gulbarga Hindu 78.36%
Hassan Hindu 91.80%
Haveri Hindu 80.23%
Kodagu Hindu 80.97%
Kolar Hindu 84.97%
Koppal Hindu 87.63%
Mandya Hindu 94.85%
Mysore Hindu 87.70%
Raichur Hindu 84.72%
Ramanagara Hindu 88.60%
Shimoga Hindu 84.41%
Tumkur Hindu 90.10%
Udupi Hindu 85.72%
Uttara Kannada Hindu 82.61%
Yadgir Hindu 84.99%

Questions about religion data in Karnataka

Hindu, at 84.00 per cent of the population as recorded in the Census of India 2011, which is 51,317,472 people.

Muslim, at 12.92 per cent.

Religion is self declared. Enumerators record whatever the respondent states, and answers are not verified against any document. People who decline to answer are counted under not stated.

Each figure is rounded independently, and a small share of respondents do not state a religion. The published totals therefore come very close to 100 without always landing on it.

Not at this level of detail. The 2011 census remains the most recent completed count, and religion tables from it were published in 2015.

Source: Census of India 2011 religion tables. See about the data, or open all districts in Karnataka.