America: 2nd leading destination for Hindu migrants

LONDON: The United States of America is the world’s second-leading destination for Hindu migrants, after India, according to a new study by The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. The report, titled ‘The Religious Affi liation of International Migrants,’ points out that Hindu migrants come mostly from India and Bangladesh and a much smaller numbers have come from the Pacifi c region known as Oceania (particularly Fiji) and the Caribbean (particularly Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana). USA has an estimated 1.3 million fi rst-generation (foreign-born) Hindu immigrants, most of who have arrived in recent decades. According to the report, top ten countries of origin for Hindu migrants are India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Fiji, Kenya, and United Kingdom. Top ten destination countries are India, the United States, Bangladesh, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, United Kingdom, Canada, and Sri Lanka. There are about 214 million international migrants, including about 11 million Hindus, it added. India, Mexico and Russia are the leading sources of international migrants. India is also among the top ten destinations for migrants. Besides being the number one source of Hindu migrants, India is also among the top four countries of origin for Muslim migrants, the report adds. Washington DC (USA) headquartered--The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life (Director Luis Lugo), a project of the Pew Research Center (President Andrew Kohut), claims to deliver timely, impartial information on the issues at the intersection of religion and public affairs in the USA and around the world.