“Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” — the world is one family. Today, that family is truly global: 25–30 million Hindus live and worship outside India, sustaining Sanatana Dharma on every continent.

Hindu Dharma Worldwide — the diaspora story

Over the last fifty years, the Hindu diaspora has grown into one of the most distributed religious communities on earth. From the BAPS Akshardham in New Jersey to Neasden in London, Helensburgh in Sydney, the new BAPS Mandir in Abu Dhabi and Sri Kamadchi Ampal in Hamm — Hindus are now spiritually rooted in every major Western nation. This hub guide collects everything an NRI family needs in one place: temples, festival timing, mantras, adapted rituals and country-by-country FAQs.

The six major Hindu diaspora regions

Universal diaspora practices — Sanatana Dharma anywhere

  • Daily sadhana: Gayatri Mantra at sunrise, evening sandhya, weekly Hanuman Chalisa, a Thursday Vishnu darshan + Saturday Hanuman temple visit.

  • Home altar: a small east-facing shelf with murtis or pictures of your kuladevata, a brass diya, tulsi mala, fresh flowers daily, and a panchamrita kalash for major occasions.

  • Festival calendar: subscribe to our festival calendar — every major festival with timing notes for each diaspora region.

  • Sanskrit & devotional language for children: Bal Vihar (Chinmaya), Pathshala (Hindu Heritage), BAPS Bal/Balika Mandal — most cities have weekend classes in person and online.

  • Pitru-paksha and shraddha: every major diaspora temple now offers community shraddha programmes during Mahalaya Paksha — pre-book.

Three universal NRI mantras

Frequently asked questions — Hindu diaspora worldwide

How many Hindus live outside India?

There are approximately 25–30 million Hindus living outside India worldwide. The largest diaspora populations are in Nepal (~28 million), Bangladesh (~14 million), Indonesia (~4 million, especially Bali), the USA (~4.5 million), the UK (~1 million), Canada (~830,000), Australia (~680,000), Malaysia (~2 million), Sri Lanka (~3 million) and the UAE (~3.5 million Indians, majority Hindu).

Which country outside India has the largest Hindu temple?

The BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham Mahamandir in Robbinsville, New Jersey (USA) — opened in October 2023 — is the largest traditional Hindu temple outside India, with over 12,500 hand-carved murtis and the world’s second-largest elliptical dome.

When is Diwali 2026 worldwide?

Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday, 8 November. Lakshmi Puja is performed on the evening of 8 November in each diaspora region’s local time zone (EST, GMT, IST, GST, CET, AEDT, etc.).

How do NRI families maintain Hindu traditions abroad?

Through a combination of regular temple visits, daily home altars, online satsang and Vedanta classes, ISKCON / BAPS / Chinmaya Mission community programmes, festival celebrations with local Hindu communities, Sanskrit/devotional language classes for children and digital darshan via temple livestreams.

Which Hindu festival has the largest NRI participation?

Diwali has the largest pan-NRI participation, with city-sponsored celebrations from Leicester (UK) to Times Square (USA) to Sydney Olympic Park (Australia). Janmashtami at ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor (UK) draws the largest single-event diaspora gathering — over 100,000 devotees in one night.

Jai Sanatana Dharma. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam — the whole world is one family.