Hinduism in the United States of America (USA) has witnessed steady growth since 1965 when the Immigration and Nationality Services (INS) Act of 1965 was passed. Before that the presence of Hinduism in the USA was negligible. According to the 2001 census, about 1.1 million Hindus are residing in America. In a survey in 2010, 2 million people identified themselves as Hindus. According to Hinduism Today, this number can be up to 2.4 million. But in reality, many people have not formally converted to Hinduism but practice it religiously.

History of Hinduism in the United States of America:

Hinduism was introduced on a relatively large scale to Americans by Swami Vivekananda. In the World’s Parliament of Religions, in Chicago, in 1893 He was the first and only person at the conference who addressed the audience as ‘My Brothers and Sisters’ instead of ‘Ladies and Gentlemen.’  He won this conference by his rhetoric and stayed in the USA for about two years and taught the basic principles of Hinduism to many American Citizens.

There were about 1700 Hindus in the USA in the year 1900. The first Hindu temple was built by The Vedanta Society in the U.S. in San Francisco in 1906. In 1902, Swami Ramtirtha and in 1920 Paramhansa Yogananda taught Hindu philosophy to citizens of the USA but still the presence of Hinduism was negligible until 1965 when Immigration and Nationality Services (INS) Act of 1965 was passed. After that, the number of Hindus going to the USA and settling there increased tremendously. In 1987, there were about 387,000 Hindus in the USA. The software boom further added to it and the number of Hindus getting green cards increased significantly. As more and more Hindus settled there, they started building new Hindu temples. Most of the Hindus migrating to India are professionals such as doctors, software engineers, or businessmen. Thousands of students travel to the USA every year for higher education.

The spread of Yoga and meditation further helped to spread Hinduism.

Present scenario of Hinduism in the United States of America:

Hindus are in minority in the USA. Most of the Hindus living in America are Indian Americans. Besides that, there are a few converts also.

According to a 2008 Harris poll, 24 percent of Americans believe in reincarnation. Reincarnation is a major belief in Hinduism.

According to the Cremation Association of North America, about a third of Americans choose cremation. Most of the Hindus cremate the dead bodies.

48% of Hindus have post-graduate degrees. The average is 1 in 10 in the USA.

In terms of Income, Hindus rank the second highest in the U.S. A 43% of Hindus earn a $100,000 plus income.

In terms of marriage, 79 percent of Hindus are married, which is highest for any community in the United States.

The divorce rate amongst Hindus is lowest compared to other communities in the United States. Only 5% have been divorced.

Hindus prefer to leave in peace with the native people in whichever country they go to. Because of the secular culture and tolerant people, Hinduism would surely flourish more in the United States.