CHENNAI: Nearly half of the country's Christian population lives in south India, shows the Census 2011 data released on Tuesday. The five southern states — Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana — account for 1.28 crore (46%) of India's 2.78 crore-strong Christian community.

With seven northeastern states accounting for 28.1% of the Christian population and Goa for another 1.3%, the rest of the country is home to less than 25% of the total Christians in the country. The proportion of Christians in the total population has, however, dipped slightly from 2.34% in 2001 to 2.29% in 2011. Kerala alone is home to 22.07% of the total Christians in the country, followed by Tamil Nadu with 15.88%. Hindus are the overwhelming majority in the country, making up 79.8% of the population, but the south accounts for just 21.47% of the community in the country. The southern states also account for just 16.87% of the total number of Indian Muslims. Other communities like Buddhist, Jains and Sikhs constitute only a minuscule portion of the population of the five states.

Analysts say there are many reasons why the Christian population is concentrated in the south. "The first apostle, St Thomas, arrived in Kerala and travelled to Tamil Nadu. Christians have always considered the southern states as their own and they are one with the culture of these states," said analyst Bernard Samy . A Christian in Tamil Nadu speaks the local language and has adopted the local culture, thereby living in harmony with all other religions, he said.

Education also plays a major role in Christians making south their home, he said. "There are several educational institutions managed by the church and individuals from the community. These institutions employ many from the community and they form part of the state's population," Samy said.

International population expert P Arokiasamy said there are historical reasons for high number of Christians in the south. "The presence of centuries-old Christian institutions in education and health sectors is a big factor. All the southern states have their share of centuries-old Christian institutions," said Arokiasamy. Migration from other states is another reason, he said. Christians from other states come down to south for jobs and marriage, and then settled down.

The fall in proportion of Christians in the total population is attributed to fall in fertility rate. "The fertility rate of Christians started falling much earlier than other religions and thus the population growth is minimal or has declined in some parts of the country," Arokiasamy said. The main reason is delayed marriage, he said.

Except for Kerala, the Hindu population is above 80% in the other southern states. While in Tamil Nadu, 87.58% of the population consists of Hindus, it is 88.82% in Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana) and 83.99% in Karnataka. In Kerala, Hindus constitute only 54.72% of the population and the next dominant community is Muslims, who make up 26.56% of the population.

Nearly 7.74% of the Muslim population of the country lives in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. This is followed by Tamil Nadu, which is home to 6.53% of the Muslims in the country.

