Which is the highest caste in India?
A hierarchical system wherein generally the Brahmins were at the head of the hierarchy, but this hierarchy was disputed in some cases. In various linguistic areas, hundreds of castes had a gradation generally acknowledged by everyone.
Although approximately 80% of the citizens of India are Hindus, the country has a substantial population of Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and adherents of tribal faiths.
India 2023 population is estimated at 1,428,627,663 people at mid year. India population is equivalent to 17.76% of the total world population. India ranks number 1 in the list of countries (and dependencies) by population.
"India's total fertility has reached replacement levels, which means that two children replace two parents," says Poonam Muttreja, executive director of the nonprofit Population Foundation of India. And in fact, she says, having a large young population can be seen as an "advantage."
Jains are the richest religious community, with more than 70% of their population in the top quintile. There isn't much difference between Hindus and Muslims and they are very close to the national distribution of wealth.
1. Devi. Taking the prize as the most common surname in India, Devi is used by over 70 million Indians.
With a population of more than 4.4 million, Indian Americans make up approximately 1.35% of the U.S. population and are the largest group of South Asian Americans and the second-largest group of Asian Americans after Chinese Americans. Indian Americans are the highest-earning ethnic group in the United States.
The caste system divides Hindus into four main categories - Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the Shudras. Many believe that the groups originated from Brahma, the Hindu God of creation.
Rank | Ethnic Group | Share of Indian Population |
---|---|---|
1 | Indo-Aryan | 72% |
2 | Dravidian | 25% |
3 | Mongoloid and Other Minority Groups | 3% |
As a title. The Patel is a title of the Koli caste of Gujarat in India which have most importance in the Politics of Gujarat and Koli Patels of Saurashtra were most benefited under the rule of Indian National Congress party. Koli Patels are recognised as an Other Backward Class caste by Government of Gujarat.
Why were they called untouchables?
Because they are considered impure from birth, Untouchables perform jobs that are traditionally considered "unclean" or exceedingly menial, and for very little pay.
Sandilya gotra is the largest gotra in Maithil Brahmins.

Brahmins percentage in India
As per surveys and records, Brahmins constitute 4.3% of the total population in India. It is around 6.04 crore individuals out of the total 1.30 billion.