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- How many Parsis are there in India today?
- Where do Parsis live in India?
- How many Parsis live in Mumbai and in Gujarat's towns?
- Do most Parsis in India live in cities or villages?
- Are there more Parsi women than men in India?
- Is the Parsi population in India going down?
- Why do different sources give different numbers for Indian Parsis?
- How does India's Parsi population compare with the rest of the world?
- Frequently asked questions
India's latest official count of Parsis is 57,264. That is what the Census of India 2011 recorded under its "Parsi/Zoroastrian" religion entry, and the Ministry of Minority Affairs cites the same total. Nothing newer exists yet, because Census 2027 is still being carried out and the census website's downloadable tables end at 2011. As for where Parsis live, the 2011 tables are clear: Maharashtra had 44,854 and Gujarat 9,727, so those two states held roughly 95 percent of the community between them. Close to 97 percent lived in towns and cities rather than villages.
How many Parsis are there in India today?
The most recent census total is 57,264 Parsis, made up of 28,115 men and 29,149 women. In a written Rajya Sabha reply on 21 March 2022, the Ministry of Minority Affairs gave that same 2011 number.
No official figure has replaced it. Census 2027's first phase, houselisting, was notified to run between 1 April and 30 September 2026, and when we checked the census website on 29 October 2026, population enumeration was still scheduled for the months ahead. The site's census tables cover 2011, 2001 and 1991 only. So any post-2011 number you see for Indian Parsis is an estimate or a projection, not a count.
One figure you may come across is 61,000. That comes from a 2012 world survey compiled by Roshan Rivetna for the FEZANA Journal, where the India entry is labelled a projection by Armaity Desai and S. Siva Raju, made before the 2011 census results were out. The census count released afterwards was lower, at 57,264.
Where do Parsis live in India?
The 2011 census found Parsis in 29 states and union territories. In 19 of those, fewer than 100 were counted. Two states account for almost everyone.
| State or union territory | Parsis (Census 2011) | Share of India's Parsis |
|---|---|---|
| Maharashtra | 44,854 | 78.3% |
| Gujarat | 9,727 | 17.0% |
| Andhra Pradesh (as constituted in 2011) | 609 | 1.1% |
| Karnataka | 443 | 0.8% |
| West Bengal | 291 | 0.5% |
| Madhya Pradesh | 263 | 0.5% |
| NCT of Delhi | 221 | 0.4% |
| Jharkhand | 188 | 0.3% |
| Tamil Nadu | 127 | 0.2% |
| Uttar Pradesh | 104 | 0.2% |
| All other states and UTs combined | 437 | 0.8% |
| India | 57,264 | 100% |
Beyond Maharashtra and Gujarat, the biggest group in 2011 was the 609 Parsis of undivided Andhra Pradesh. Our page on the Hyderabad Parsi population looks at that community on its own.
How many Parsis live in Mumbai and in Gujarat's towns?
The national 2011 appendix breaks Parsi numbers down by state and goes no further, so the most recent district figures we could open are from Census 2001. That year, Mumbai district counted 35,209 Parsis and Mumbai (Suburban) another 11,348, a combined 46,557. By our arithmetic that was about two-thirds of the 69,601 Parsis then living in India and 85 percent of Maharashtra's 54,739.
| District (Census 2001) | State | Parsis |
|---|---|---|
| Mumbai | Maharashtra | 35,209 |
| Mumbai (Suburban) | Maharashtra | 11,348 |
| Pune | Maharashtra | 4,196 |
| Surat | Gujarat | 4,117 |
| Navsari | Gujarat | 3,204 |
| Thane | Maharashtra | 2,339 |
| Ahmedabad (spelt Ahmadabad in the table) | Gujarat | 1,349 |
| Valsad | Gujarat | 1,308 |
| Vadodara | Gujarat | 754 |
| Nagpur | Maharashtra | 540 |
How the city's numbers have shifted over a longer span is covered in our Bombay Parsi census history, and what the change means for neighbourhoods today is in Mumbai's shrinking Parsi community.
Do most Parsis in India live in cities or villages?
Cities, overwhelmingly. Of the 57,264 Parsis counted in 2011, 55,306 were in urban areas and 1,958 in rural ones. That works out to 96.6 percent urban.
Gujarat is where most rural Parsis were found. It had 1,353 of them in 2011, compared with 468 in Maharashtra. Going back to the 2001 district tables, Gujarat's rural Parsis were mostly in Surat district (677), Valsad (505) and Navsari (384).
Are there more Parsi women than men in India?
Yes. The 2011 census recorded 29,149 women and 28,115 men, or roughly 1,037 women per 1,000 men on our calculation. The 2001 figures show the same tilt: 35,652 women and 33,949 men.
Is the Parsi population in India going down?
Yes. Between Census 2001 and Census 2011 the national count dropped from 69,601 to 57,264. That's 12,337 fewer people, a fall of 17.7 percent in one decade. Both of the main states shrank.
| Area | Census 2001 | Census 2011 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 69,601 | 57,264 | −12,337 (−17.7%) |
| Maharashtra | 54,739 | 44,854 | −9,885 (−18.1%) |
| Gujarat | 11,594 | 9,727 | −1,867 (−16.1%) |
For earlier decades, see our Parsi population trend article. The full set of 2011 results is in Parsi Census 2011 figures.
The Government of India treats the fall as something to act on. Zoroastrians (Parsis) are one of six communities notified as minorities under Section 2(c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992. The Ministry of Minority Affairs launched the Jiyo Parsi scheme in 2013-14, and its 2022 statement says the scheme is meant "to contain the population decline of Parsis in India". Our guide to the Jiyo Parsi scheme explains how it works.
Why the numbers keep falling is a separate question with its own pages. Start with the overview of Parsi population decline, then read about the Parsi birth rate and the purity vs survival debate. Community responses are covered in plans to grow Parsi numbers and Parsi fertility clinics. What a smaller community means in daily life is the subject of fading Parsi traditions and elderly Parsis care.
Why do different sources give different numbers for Indian Parsis?
Mostly for two reasons, plus a quirk of the census itself.
First, census counts get mixed up with estimates. The FEZANA Journal's 2012 compilation describes itself as a "magazine survey" rather than an official census, and its 61,000 for India was a projection made before the 2011 religion data appeared. The census figure is 57,264.
Second, numbers get reprinted wrongly. A Lok Sabha written answer of 6 May 2015 lists the Census 2001 population of Zoroastrians (Parsis) as 69,001. The 2001 census table and the Ministry's 2022 release both say 69,601, and that is the figure we use.
Third, the census has one combined religion entry, "Parsi/Zoroastrian" (spelt "Parsi/Zorastrian" in the 2011 file), and doesn't divide it further.
How does India's Parsi population compare with the rest of the world?
In the FEZANA Journal's 2012 world table, India's entry of 61,000 is the largest of any country listed. Country-by-country figures are in our article on Zoroastrian population by country, and the story of communities abroad is under Zoroastrian diaspora.
Frequently asked questions
How many Parsis are there in India?
The latest official count is 57,264 Parsis, from the Census of India 2011, made up of 28,115 men and 29,149 women. No newer religion count has been published. Census 2027 is still in progress, with its houselisting phase notified for April to September 2026, so 57,264 remains the official figure for now.
Which state has the highest Parsi population in India?
Maharashtra. The 2011 census counted 44,854 Parsis there, about 78 percent of the national total of 57,264. Gujarat came second with 9,727, or about 17 percent. Undivided Andhra Pradesh was a distant third with 609. Together, Maharashtra and Gujarat held roughly 95 percent of India's Parsis.
How many Parsis live in Mumbai?
The latest district-level census figure we could verify is from 2001, when Mumbai and Mumbai (Suburban) districts together counted 46,557 Parsis, about two-thirds of India's 69,601. The national 2011 appendix only gives state totals, and Maharashtra as a whole had 44,854 Parsis that year.
Has the Parsi population of India been counted since 2011?
Not officially. When we checked on 29 October 2026, the Census of India website offered census tables for 2011, 2001 and 1991 only. Census 2027 houselisting was notified for 1 April to 30 September 2026, with population enumeration still to come. Any later number for Indian Parsis is an estimate or projection.
Is the Parsi population in India increasing or decreasing?
Decreasing. The census counted 69,601 Parsis in 2001 and 57,264 in 2011, which is 12,337 fewer people, or a 17.7 percent fall in ten years. Maharashtra went from 54,739 to 44,854, and Gujarat from 11,594 to 9,727, so both main states lost numbers over the decade.
Do most Parsis live in cities?
Yes. The 2011 census put 55,306 of India's 57,264 Parsis in urban areas, about 96.6 percent, and just 1,958 in rural areas. Gujarat had the largest rural group at 1,353, against 468 in Maharashtra. In 2001, Gujarat's rural Parsis were concentrated in Surat, Valsad and Navsari districts.
Are Parsis a notified minority community in India?
Yes. Lok Sabha answers from 2015 and 2023 list Zoroastrians (Parsis) among the six communities notified as minorities under Section 2(c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992. The Ministry of Minority Affairs also runs the Jiyo Parsi scheme, launched in 2013-14, to address the falling population.
Cover image: Photo by Lara Jameson on Pexels.
