Religion and economics: India
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The economics of religion in India
2011-21
Bhavika Jain, Nov 20, 2023: The Times of India
From: Bhavika Jain, Nov 20, 2023: The Times of India
Studies show that travelling to religious places has become a major priority for Indians in the last few years. No surprise why number of religious sites outweigh the number of schools, hospitals and police stations in India
Religious tourism in India is thriving. It is no surprise why UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath has predicted that Ayodhya will see 10 times more tourists once the Ram Temple opens in January 2024. Numbers don’t lie either. A year after it was renovated, 7.3 crore people visited Kashi Vishwanath Dham in 2021, over nearly 80 lakh the year before. Not only did it record a higher footfall, temple donation too went up by 500% , to ₹100 crore, in 2022. As per the latest data from the Ministry of Tourism, places of worship in India made ₹1.34 lakh crore in 2022, up from ₹65,070 lakh in 2021. Also, a total of 1,433 million domestic tourists visited these sacred sites, along with 6.64 million foreign tourists. Although the revenue earned has not hit pre-Covid levels yet, the recovery has been strong, say experts.
A nation of worshippers
As per the 2011 Census, places of worship appear to top the priority of Indians among most things. Between 2001 and 2011, India also saw places of worship mushroom at a faster rate (26%) than hospitals (13%) and factories (13%).
Census data also reveals that India has around 330 million building structures, out of which 216 million are residential. In contrast, India has around 3.01 million places of worship, which is way more than its number of schools and colleges (2.1 million). This means, there is a place of worship for every 40 people in the country, a ratio much higher than other social indicators like schools, police stations, and hospitals. Among the states, Uttar Pradesh leads with 3.54 lakh religious places, the highest in the country. It is followed by Maharashtra with 2.78 lakh and West Bengal with 2.57 lakh.
The business of religious tourism
For god’s blessings, Indians will travel no matter the distance. No wonder, India's travel economy linked to places of religion is worth ₹3.02 lakh crore, which is nearly 2.32% of India's GDP, as per the ‘Key Indicators of Domestic Tourism in India’ report published in 2017 by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO). In reality, however, it may be even larger as religious tourism is supported by a large unorganised market, which thrives on the sidelines, as a host of religious items and services go unaccounted. Moreover, it is also driven by informal, unprotected labour.
The NSSO report also reveals that the share of religious travel, among all overnight travel undertaken by Indians between July 2014-June 2015, was almost four times the share of business travel, and over 7.5 times the share of travel for education purposes. For the study, 25.5 lakh households were surveyed across the country, capturing data of overnight trips of over 1.1 crore people in the span of a month. Of the total 5.84 crore overnight journeys that respondents undertook, an overwhelming bulk — nearly 86% — of overnight trips were made for reasons that were identified as “social”. 8.29% were for pilgrimages, or religious purposes. The report also shows that over 30 lakh travellers to religious places were from rural India, almost double the number of their urban counterparts.After social and religious reasons, the third biggest reason for travel was business. Some 12.6 lakh (about 2.16%) travelled for work; 6.39 lakh trips (1.09%) were made for purposes of education or training; and 14.6 lakh (2.50%) for “other” reasons.
God’s bounty
According to a 2021 Pew Research Centre report, the boom in religious travel has only just begun. Their findings are based on a face-to-face survey of 29,999 Indian adults they conducted between late 2019 and early 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. It also offers a closer look at how Indians perceive religion, nationalism and tolerance.
The report indicates that nearly all Indians say they believe in God (97%); and roughly 80% in most religious groups are absolutely certain that God exists. The major exception is Buddhists; one-third of whom say they do not believe in God. (Belief in god is not central to Buddhist teachings.)Moreover, studies conducted by Lokniti at the Delhi-based Centre for Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) show that nearly one in two Indians plan to undertake a journey linked to their religion in the next two years. “Most religious places today are getting developed and adding modern facilities with the influx of devotees,” says Shailesh Kher, a travel planner from Mumbai. “Also, access to these religious places is being improved with wider roads and frequent train services. All these developments are fuelling the religious tourism boom.” The same study also shows that more than 25% Indians reported having become more religious in the past four-five years. The trend holds true across religions. The survey also busts a popular perception that religious tourism is driven largely by older people. In Hindus, it is popular among all age groups; Muslims, especially those aged 56 and above, are much more likely to go on a pilgrimage. While there is no gender-based difference among Hindu pilgrims, Muslim men are more likely to undertake pilgrimages than women.
Religious donations in India on the rise
Not only are religious trips on the rise, household donations to religious organisations too are spiking. The “How India Gives” report by the Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy notes a 14% increase in household donations between 2021-22. The total quantum of donations made by Indian households during the period is estimated to be ₹27,000 crore, an increase from ₹23,700 crore in 2020-21. Of the five recipient groups covered in the study (classified as religious organisations, non-religious organisations, household staff, extended family and friends, and persons engaged in beggary), “religious organisations” and “persons engaged in beggary” were the preferred choice of household giving. The report, which surveyed 81,000 households, mentions that “religious beliefs” continues to be the most important motivation for giving. Others include festivals, family traditions, the desire to support someone in financial distress, and to perform “service” (seva). Tax incentives, however, did not appear to be a major motivator for giving.
