Explore the Data

These charts use numbers that appear, with their sources, in the chapters. Hover over a bar, or tap it on a phone, to see the exact figure. Every chart has a table view and a source line, so you can check the numbers yourself.

How many people live in each country?

About 1.99 billion people lived in the eight countries of South Asia in 2025, roughly one in four people on Earth. Learn more in Chapter 1.

Which faiths do people follow?

South Asia is home to large Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist communities, and to Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Zoroastrians and others. The mix is very different from one country to the next. Learn more in Chapter 5.

South Asian Americans

Millions of people in the United States trace their roots to South Asia. These are the six largest groups Pew Research Center reports on. Learn more in Chapter 21.

Reading charts carefully

A chart shows how big groups are compared with each other. It doesn't tell you what any one person believes or does. Census and survey numbers also depend on how the questions were asked and who answered, which is why every chart here names its source and year.