Arrange the following religious communities from lowest to highest in terms of their population size as per 2011 census of India.

A. Buddhists
B. Christians
C. Hindus
D. Sikhs
E. Muslims

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

A, D, B, E, C

The correct answer is Option (4) → A, D, B, E, C

The Muslims are by far the largest religious minority in India – they numbered 172 millions and were 14.2% of the population in 2011. 

Christians constitute around 2.3% of the population (27.8 million) and are scattered all over, with sizeable pockets in the north eastern and southern states. The three Christian-majority states are all in the North East – Nagaland (88%), Mizoram (87%) and Meghalaya (74%). Sizeable proportions of Christians are also found in Goa (25%) and Kerala (18.4%).

The Sikhs constitute 1.7% of the population (21 million) and although they are found scattered across the country, they are concentrated in Punjab where they are in a majority (58%).

Buddhists (8 million, 0.7%): The highest proportion of Buddhists is found in Sikkim (27%) and Arunachal Pradesh (12%), while among the larger states Maharashtra has the highest share of Buddhists at 6%. 

Jains (4.5 million, 0.4%): The highest concentrations of Jains are found in Maharashtra (1.3%), Delhi and Gujarat nearly 1 per cent each.

‘Other Religions and Persuasions’ (under 8 million, 0.7%).