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The Religions in Karachi includes Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism and others. According to a 1998 census of Pakistan, the religious breakdown of the city is as follows: Muslim (96.45%), Christian (2.42%), Hindu (0.86%), Ahmadis (0.17%) and other (0.10%). Other religious groups include Parsis, Sikhs, Bahai, Jews and Buddhists. Of the Muslims, approximately 65% are Sunnis and 35% are Shi'ites. The Sunnis follow Hanafi fiqh while Shi'ites are predominantly Ithnā‘Ashariyyah fiqh, with significant minority groups who follow Ismaili Fiqh, which is composed of Nizari (Aga Khanis), Mustaali, Dawoodi Bohra and Sulaymani fiqhs. Karachi was a small fishing village of Muslim Sindhi and Balochi people when Hindu merchants established a trading port in early 18th century. The British seized control of the offshore and strategically located island of Manora in 1839, Karachi had about 10,000 inhabitants predominantly Muslim. Thereafter, authorities of the British Raj embarked on a large-scale modernisation of the city in the 19th century with the intention of establishing a major and modern port which could serve as a gateway to Punjab, the western parts of British India, and Afghanistan. Britain's competition with imperial Russia during the Great Game also heightened the need for a modern port near Central Asia, and so Karachi prospered as a major centre of commerce and industry during the Raj, attracting communities of: Africans, Arabs, Armenians, Catholics from Goa, Jewish, Lebanese, Malays, Konkani people from Maharashtra, Kuchhi from Kuchh, Gujarat in India, and Zoroastrians (also known as Parsees) - in addition to the large number of British businessmen and colonial administrators who established the city's poshest locales, such as Clifton. This mass migration changed the religious and cultural mosaic of Karachi.
The 104-year of British rule changed the demographic profile of Karachi from a Muslim town to a multicultural city. At the time of independence, nearly half the population of Karachi was non-Muslim. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947 saw the influx of Muslim refugees from India fleeing from anti-Muslim pograms. Majority of the Urdu speaking and other non-Punjabi Muslim refugees that fled from various states of India settled in Karachi giving Culture of Karachi a blend of South Asia and a predominantly Muslim city. Nearly all Hindus and Sikhs of Karachi migrated to India after 1947. The largest religious minority in Karachi are the Christians. The two major Christians ethnic groups are Goan Catholics and Punjabi Christians. The Punjabi Christians are converts from the Hindu Churas and Mazhabi Sikh caste to Christianity during the British raj.
The state Religion in Pakistan is Islam, which is practiced by about 96-98% of the 195,343,000 people of the nation. The remaining 2-4% practice Hinduism, Christianity, Ahmadiyya in Pakistan, Sikhism in Pakistan, Buddhism in Pakistan, Bahá'í Faith in Pakistan and other religions. Muslims are divided into two major sects: the majority of them practice Sunni Islam, while the Shias an estimated 30%. Nearly all Pakistani Sunni Muslims belong to the Hanafi Fiqh Islamic law school. The majority of Pakistani Shia Muslims belong to the Ithnā‘Ashariyyah Islamic law school, with significant minority groups who practice Ismailism, which is composed of Nizari (Aga Khanis), Mustaali, Dawoodi Bohra, Sulaymani, and others.