Estimates place Ayyavazhi’s following at somewhere between six and ten million believers today, with the heartland tucked into India’s southernmost districts. The Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi areas of Tamil Nadu host the densest concentrations—where Swamithope pathi still serves as the spiritual epicenter and where Ayya Vaikunda Avataram draws tens of thousands each year. Just over the state border in Kerala’s Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts, smaller but steady communities keep traditions alive in local Nizhal Thangals.

Beyond India’s shores, the faith has spread in modest waves. Sri Lanka’s Tamil regions feature a handful of gatherings, often in homes or community halls rather than grand temples. In recent years, the Malaysian and Singaporean Tamil diasporas have set up their own meeting points, especially in Penang and Johor Bahru. The United Kingdom and parts of Europe—Germany and Switzerland, for instance—see Ayyavazhi groups organize monthly satsangs and cultural events. North America isn’t left out either: pockets of Tamil-speaking families from Chennai and Kerala keep the flame flickering in cities like Toronto, New York and San Francisco suburbs.

Social media has helped knit these far-flung communities closer, with Facebook groups sharing daily prayers and virtual readings of Akilattirattu Ammanai. Although no official global census exists, this blend of concentrated regions and scattered diasporas paints a picture of a religion that’s small by world-religion standards but deeply rooted where it matters most. The numbers may not compete with mega-faiths, yet Ayyavazhi’s enduring presence—especially at festivals and pilgrimages—speaks volumes about its quiet but confident place on the spiritual map.