Hinduism has been the fastest growing religion in Australia in the span of 25 years, according to information released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The Hindu population was at 0.3 percent as per the 1991 census. But the 2016 census has revealed that Hindus make up 1.9 percent of the population, numbering at 440,300.
The ABS release sourced from 2016 census and dated June 27 said that "No Religion" is now the largest group in Australia at 30.1 percent of the population, followed by Catholics at 22.6 percent and Anglicans at 13.3 percent. Young adults, aged 18-34 years, were more likely to say that they did not have any religion. Men were more likely than women to report of not having any religion.
The resident population of Australia was projected to be at 24,570,122 at 7 pm on June 27. The country sees an overall total population increase of one person every 1.23 minutes.
In a statement in US' Nevada, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed congratulated the Hindu community in Australia for continuing with the traditional values of hard work, higher morals, stress on education, sanctity of marriage, etc, amid so many distractions.
Zed, who is the president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, advised Hindus to stay focused on inner search, stay pure, explore the vast wisdom of scriptures, make spirituality more attractive to youth and children, stay away from greed, and always keep God in your life.
Hinduism is the oldest and the third largest religion in the world after Christianity and Islam. Moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal.
ABS is the national statistical agency of Australia with its headquarters in Canberra. It was established as a Statutory Authority in the Australian Bureau of Statistics Act 1975. Its vision is "Unleashing the power of statistics for a better Australia". It is headed by the Australian Statistician David W Kalisch.
