It is primarily a form of polytheistic shamanism, but includes elements of animism and ancestor worship. Islam states that the teachings of God, who is known as Allah, were written down in a holy book known as the Qurn, which is the faiths spiritual text. WebThe United Nations Statistics Division collects, compiles and disseminates official demographic and social statistics on a wide range of topics. ), Roman Catholic 42%, Protestant 15%, other 6%, agnostic 3%, atheist 10%, unspecified 24% (2014 est. Eastern-Rite Churches, such as the Maronite Church and the Ukrainian Catholic Church, are in communion with Rome although they preserve their own worship traditions and their immediate hierarchy consists of clergy within their own rite. Britannica Book of the Year]; p. 695. WebThe world's largest religion is Christianity, which is practiced by almost 2.4 billion people. ), Orthodox 48.3%, Catholic 7.1%, other 3.5%, non-believers 41.1% (2011 est. ), Roman Catholic 61.5%, Protestant 25.5% (includes Seventh Day Adventist 10.4%, Pentecostal 8.9%, Baptist 2.2%, Anglican 1.6%, Church of God 1.5%, other Protestant 0.9%), other Christian 3.4% (includes Evangelical 2.3% and Jehovah's Witness 1.1%), Rastafarian 1.9%, other 0.4%, none 5.9%, unspecified 1.4% (2010 est. ), Church of Sweden (Lutheran) 57.6%, other (includes Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist) 8.9%, none or unspecified 33.5% (2019 est. ), Buddhist 64.7%, Christian 1.7%, none 31.4%, other/not stated 2.1% (2015 est. Baha'i - Founded by Mirza Husayn-Ali (known as Baha'u'llah) in Iran in 1852, Baha'i faith emphasizes monotheism and believes in one eternal transcendent God. In shaman-based religions, the shaman is also responsible for leading sacred rites. Its key beliefs center on a transcendent creator God, Ahura Mazda, and the concept of free will. Largest Religions in the World ), Eastern Orthodox 59.4%, Muslim 7.8%, other (including Catholic, Protestant, Armenian Apostolic Orthodox, and Jewish) 1.7%, none 3.7%, unspecified 27.4% (2011 est. )note: total adherents exceeds 100% because many people practice both Shintoism and Buddhism, Protestant (Anglican, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian), Roman Catholic, Muslim 97.1% (official; predominantly Sunni), Christian 2.1% (majority Greek Orthodox, but some Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), Buddhist 0.4%, Hindu 0.1%, Jewish <0.1%, folk <0.1%, other <0.1%, unaffiliated <0.1% (2020 est. Of the worlds major religions, Christianity is the largest Religion In The World, with more than two billion followers. ), Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Protestant, Hindu, Protestant 75% (Pentecostal 27.6%, Anglican 13.9%, Seventh Day Adventist 11.6%, Baptist 8.9%, Methodist 8.7%, Evangelical 3.8%, Salvation Army 0.3%, Presbyterian/Congregational 0.3%), Roman Catholic 6.3%, Rastafarian 1.1%, Jehovah's Witness 0.8%, other 4.7%, none 7.5%, unspecified 4.7% (2012 est. World These teachings have drawn many people to Islam and helped it grow quickly worldwide. Buddhism ascribes to a karmic system of rebirth. Shintoism 27-65 million. Percentage of Global Population in 2020: 0.19%. Of the worlds major religions, Christianity is the largest, with more than two billion followers. ), Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran, Sunni Muslim, Orthodox 16.2%, Lutheran 9.9%, other Christian (including Methodist, Seventh Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal) 2.2%, other 0.9%, none 54.1%, unspecified 16.7% (2011 est. Hinduism is practiced primarily in India (where approximately 80 percent of the population identifies as Hindu), Nepal, and Indonesia. 9. The second most widely practiced religion is Islam, with an estimated 1.8 billion followers worldwide. ), Christian 92.3% (predominantly Roman Catholic), other 1%, unspecified 6.7% (2020 est. In 2050, Christianity will still be the worlds largest religious group, with around a third of the worlds population adhering to its various denominations. Shia Islam represents 10-13% of Muslims worldwide, and its distinguishing feature is its reverence for Ali as an infallible, divinely inspired leader, and as the first Imam of the Muslim community after Muhammad. ), Protestant 70.2% (Methodist 17.6%, Church of God 10.4%, Anglican 9.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 9.0%, Pentecostal 8.2%, Baptist 7.4%, New Testament Church of God 6.9%, other Protestant 1.2%), Roman Catholic 8.9%, Jehovah's Witness 2.5%, Hindu 1.9%, other 6.2%, none 7.9%, unspecified 2.4% (2010 est. ), Roman Catholic 57.1%, Protestant 2.3%, other Christian, 2.8%, Muslim 6.8%, other 1.7%, atheist 9.1%, nonbeliever/agnostic 20.2% (2018 est. 10. One of the youngest religions on this list, Sikhism began in the late 15th century and has become a major world religion. ), Shintoism 70.5%, Buddhism 67.2%, Christianity 1.5%, other 5.9% (2019 est. Islam is catching up quickly, though: Muslims make up the only major religious group projected to increase faster than the worlds population as a whole. )note: data represent only the citizen population; roughly 0.3% of the population are non-citizens, consisting of Christian 52% (predominantly Roman Catholic), other 10.7% , none 37.3%, Roman Catholic 89.6%, Protestant 6.2%, other Christian 1.1%, other or unspecified 1.9%, none 1.1% (2002 est. world Many protestant theologies emphasize the primary role of scripture in their faith, advocating individual interpretation of Christian texts without the mediation of a final religious authority such as the Roman Pope. Formulated in the 1860s, it holds that God lives in all of us and strives to convert society into a paradise on earth, populated by believers transformed into intelligent moral beings with a high social conscience. Religions )note: religion estimate is based on the 2014 national census, including an estimate for the non-enumerated population of Rakhine State, which is assumed to mainly affiliate with the Islamic faith; as of December 2019, Muslims probably make up less than 3% of Burma's total population due to the large outmigration of the Rohingya population since 2017, Roman Catholic 58.6%, Protestant 35.3% (includes Adventist 2.7% and other Protestant 32.6%), Muslim 3.4%, other 1.3%, none 1.3% (2016-17 est. The Book of Mormon maintains there was an appearance of Jesus in the New World following the Christian account of his resurrection, and that the Americas are uniquely blessed continents. ), Protestant 74.8% (includes Apostolic 37.5%, Pentecostal 21.8%, other 15.5%), Roman Catholic 7.3%, other Christian 5.3%, traditional 1.5%, Muslim 0.5%, other 0.1%, none 10.5% (2015 est. ", Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, "Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs in the New Religious Landscape of England", "Census 2001: Religion (administrative geographies)", "Table KS07c: Religion (full list with 10 or more persons)", "ADP05ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES", "S0201 SELECTED POPULATION PROFILE IN THE UNITED STATES Bangladeshi alone", "S0201 SELECTED POPULATION PROFILE IN THE UNITED STATES Asian Indian alone", "S0201 SELECTED POPULATION PROFILE IN THE UNITED STATES Nepalese alone", "S0201 SELECTED POPULATION PROFILE IN THE UNITED STATES Pakistani alone", "S0201 SELECTED POPULATION PROFILE IN THE UNITED STATES Sri Lankanalone", "Social Realities of Indian Americans: Results From the 2020 Indian American Attitudes Survey", Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Canada", "Main language (detailed) in England and Wales", "Perspective | The Sikh American tradition of resilience", "The Continuing Struggle for Religious Freedom by Italy's Sikh Community", "How the recent Punjabi migration to Spain & Italy is a departure for the diaspora", "How Sikhs saved the Italian cheese industry", "Punjabi community involved in money lending in Philippines braces for 'crackdown' by new President", "Khalsa Diwan Sikh Temple - Gurdwara Philippines", "Masculinity in the Sikh Community in Italy and Spain: Expectations and Challenges", "Hong Kong stories: Getting to know the city's Sikh community", "The Evolution of the Sikh Identity in Singapore", "Jain festival Paryushana uses prayer, fasting and meditation to ask for forgiveness", Asian-Nation: Religious Affiliation among Asian Americans, International Religious Freedom Report 2007 of U.S. Department of State, Background Notes of U.S. Department of State, BBC News Muslims in Europe: Country guide, Vipassana Foundation Buddhists around the world, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_religious_populations&oldid=1152554603, Articles with dead external links from June 2013, All articles with bare URLs for citations, Articles with bare URLs for citations from April 2023, Articles with PDF format bare URLs for citations, Articles with dead external links from February 2020, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2023, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2010, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2020, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 1999, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2017, Articles needing additional references from August 2014, All articles needing additional references, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2011, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2020, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2005, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 30 April 2023, at 23:10. Largest Jewish populations (as of 2017[update]): Largest Bah populations (as of 2010[update]) in countries with a national population 200,000:[193]. Adherents of folk religions, Jews and members of other religions make up smaller shares of the worlds people. Largest ), Macedonian Orthodox 46.1%, Muslim 32.2%, other Christian 13.8%, other and non-believers 0.5%, unspecified 0.2%, persons for whom data were taken from administrative sources and no religious affiliation data was available 7.2% (2021 est. ), Muslim 65.2%, Christian 13.7%, Hindu 15.9%, Buddhist 3.8%, folk religion <0.1%, Jewish <0.1%, other <1%, unaffiliated <1% (2020 est. Additionally, the practice of officially associating a family or household with a religion, while not formally practicing the affiliated religion, is common in many countries. ), Roman Catholic 60%, Evangelical 18%, atheist or agnostic 4%, none 17% (2018 est. ), Muslim 99% (official; virtually all Sunni, <0.1% Shia), other 1% (includes Christian, Jewish, and Baha'i); note - Jewish about 3,000-3,500 (2020 est. Judaism 14 million. religious ), Roman Catholic 38.3%, Protestant 25.5%, other Christian 6.9%, Muslim 24.4%, animist 2.2%, other 0.5%, none 2.2% (2018 est. WebWorldwide percentage of adherents by religion, 2020 [1] Christianity (31.1%) Islam (24.9%) Irreligion (15.6%) Hinduism (15.2%) Buddhism (6.6%) Folk religions (5.6%) Other religions (1%) The world 's principal religions and spiritual traditions may be classified into a small number of major groups, though this is not a uniform practice. Santeria: practiced in Cuba, the merging of the Yoruba religion of Nigeria with Roman Catholicism and native Indian traditions. Top 10 Largest Religions In The World Local communities have their own religious leadership. Jainism - Originating in India, Jain spiritual philosophy believes in an eternal human soul, the eternal universe, and a principle of "the own nature of things." Holy Mass in the Church Our Lady of Queen in Poland. Islam is catching up quickly, though: Muslims make up the only major religious group projected to increase faster than the worlds population as a whole. Countries and territories with the greatest proportion of Christians from Christianity by country, as of 2010[update]: Countries with a considerable proportion of Muslims from Islam by country as of 2010[update], excluding foreign workers in brackets: Data is based on the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life[30], Countries with the greatest proportion of people without religion, including agnostics and atheists, from Irreligion by country (as of 2020[update]):[46]. Prior to the end of World War II, Shinto was the state religion of Japan, and bolstered the cult of the Japanese emperor. [78], The Chinese traditional religion has 184,000 believers in Latin America, 250,000 believers in Europe, and 839,000 believers in North America as of 1999[update].[86][87]. They believe that a Kingdom of God, the Theocracy, will emerge following Armageddon and usher in a new earthly society. Hinduism, with an estimated 1.1 billion followers, is the worlds third largest religion and also one of the oldest, with beliefs and practices that date back at least as far as the 1500s BCE. It is supranational, and recognizes a hierarchical structure with the Pope, or Bishop of Rome, as its head, located at the Vatican. ), Muslim 70.2%, Christian 26.2% (mainly Russian Orthodox), other 0.2%, atheist 2.8%, unspecified 0.5% (2009 est. Pew Research Center made its "Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050"[3] based on 2010 baseline estimates. Islam: The world's fastest growing religion Play 00:57 Islam: The world's fastest growing religion Islam is the world's second-largest religion, after Christianity. )note: many people also carry on at least some Confucian traditions and practices, Muslim 95.6%, Roman Catholic 2.2%, Orthodox 1.5%, other 0.1%, none 0.1%, unspecified 0.6% (2011 est. In 2050, Christianity will still be the worlds largest religious group, with around a third of the worlds population adhering to its various denominations. It is a modern Pagan religion with no central authority figure. Christianity. What percent of the world is atheist 2022? Sunni has four schools of Islamic doctrine and law - Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali - which uniquely interpret the Hadith, or recorded oral traditions of Muhammad. Islam. Half of this group is theistic but nonreligious. ), Muslim 63.2%, Roman Catholic 24.6%, Protestant 6.9%, traditional/animist 4.2%, none 0.7%, unspecified 0.4% (2017-18 est. 9. ), Muslim 98% (Sunni 95%, Shia 3%) other 2% (2014 est. Don Vaughan is a freelance writer based in Raleigh, North Carolina. WebThe next most widely practiced religions, based on number of followers, are: Shint (104 million followers). ), Roman Catholic (official) more than 90% (2006 est. The Church has a centralized doctrine and leadership structure, but has volunteer, lay clergy who oversee local congregations in 176 countries and territories. The Catholic Church has a comprehensive theological and moral doctrine specified for believers in its catechism, which makes it unique among most forms of Christianity. Kimbanguism: a puritan form of the Baptist denomination founded by Simon Kimbangu in the 1920s in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Approximate Total Members in 2020: 15 million. The Three Jewels of the Tao - compassion, simplicity, and humility - serve as the basis for Taoist ethics. ), Christian (predominantly Roman Catholic) 70.6%, Muslim 2.3%, other (includes Buddhist, folk religions, Hindu, Jewish) 0.4%, unaffiliated 26.7% (2020 est. The worlds primary religions fall into two categories: Abrahamic religions, such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam; and Indian religions, which include Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and others. Religions ), Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar/Malagasy Lutheran Church/Anglican Church 34%, Roman Catholic 32.3%, other Christian 8.1%, traditional/Animist 1.7%, Muslim 1.4%, other 0.6%, none 21.9% (2021 est. Largest Religious Organizations In The World WebThe world's largest religion is Christianity, which is practiced by almost 2.4 billion people. ), Buddhist (official) 70.2%, Hindu 12.6%, Muslim 9.7%, Roman Catholic 6.1%, other Christian 1.3%, other 0.05% (2012 est. ), Christian 90% (Zionist - a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship - 40%, Roman Catholic 20%, other 30% - includes Anglican, Methodist, Church of Jesus Christ, Jehovah's Witness), Muslim 2%, other 8% (includes Baha'i, Buddhist, Hindu, indigenous, Jewish) (2015 est. Christianity. It moved to England by the mid-17th century. In 2050, Christianity will still be the worlds largest religious group, with around a third of the worlds population adhering to its various denominations. Of the worlds major religions, Christianity is the largest Religion In The World, with more than two billion followers. Judaism 14 million. ), Protestant 68.3% (Anglican 17.6%, Seventh Day Adventist 12.4%, Pentecostal 12.2%, Moravian 8.3%, Methodist 5.6%, Wesleyan Holiness 4.5%, Church of God 4.1%, Baptist 3.6%), Roman Catholic 8.2%, other 12.2%, unspecified 5.5%, none 5.9% (2011 est. Orthodox Christianity: The oldest established eastern form of Christianity, the Holy Orthodox Church, has a ceremonial head in the Bishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), also known as a Patriarch, but its various regional forms (e.g., Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox, Ukrainian Orthodox) are autocephalous (independent of Constantinople's authority, and have their own Patriarchs). Projection for 2020 (Pew Research Center, based on 2010 baseline estimates), These figures may incorporate populations of. The 10 Largest Religions in the World. ), Muslim (official) 95-98% (Shia 61-64%, Sunni 29-34%), Christian 1% (includes Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Assyrian Church of the East), other 1-4% (2015 est. world's largest religious gatherings is moving ahead If current trends continue Christians will remain the largest religious group by 2060 (32 percent of the world's population), but Islam will experience the fastest growth, with an expected increase from 24 percent to 31 percent of ), Protestant 64.3% (Evangelical Lutheran 18.4%, Seventh Day Adventist 12.9%, Pentecostal 10.4%, United Church 10.3%, Evangelical Alliance 5.9%, Anglican 3.2%, Baptist 2.8%, Salvation Army 0.4%), Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 5.3%, non-Christian 1.4%, unspecified 3.1% (2011 est. ), Roman Catholic 62.9%, Evangelical 15.3% (Pentecostal 13%, other Evangelical 2.3%), Jehovah's Witness and Church of Jesus Christ 1.4%, other 1.2% (includes Muslim, Jewish), none 18.9% (includes agnostic and atheist), unspecified 0.3% (2019 est. )note: 50-80% of Haitians incorporate some elements of Vodou culture or practice in addition to another religion, most often Roman Catholicism; Vodou was recognized as an official religion in 2003, Evangelical/Protestant 48%, Roman Catholic 34%, other 1%, none 17% (2020 est. There is no focus on a supreme god or deity. Sudan conflict: why is there fighting and what is at stake in the )note: all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice, Muslim (official; predominantly Sunni) 99%, other (includes Christian, Jewish, Ahmadi Muslim, Shia Muslim, Ibadi Muslim) <1% (2012 est. What is the Largest Religion In The World 2021 world's largest religious gatherings is moving ahead One of the worlds oldest religions, this faith is closely associated with traditional Korean culture and history and is also known as Korean Shamanism. ), Muslim (official) 61.3%, Buddhist 19.8%, Christian 9.2%, Hindu 6.3%, Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions 1.3%, other 0.4%, none 0.8%, unspecified 1% (2010 est. What is the Largest Religion In The World 2021. ), Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha, Center for the Study of Intelligence (CSI). ), Roman Catholic 55.8%, Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession 5.3%, Greek Catholic 4%, Reformed Christian 1.6%, other 3%, none 23.8%, unspecified 6.5% (2021 est. The goal of religious life is to learn to act so as to finally achieve liberation (moksha) of one's soul, escaping the rebirth cycle. Major religious groups Christianity is based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and is approximately 2,000 years old. Christianity is based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and is approximately 2,000 years old. Most Widely Practiced Religion in the World )note: estimates are of practicing worshipers; Russia has large populations of non-practicing believers and non-believers, a legacy of over seven decades of official atheism under Soviet rule; Russia officially recognizes Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism as the country's traditional religions, Protestant 57.7% (includes Adventist 12.6%), Roman Catholic 38.2%, Muslim 2.1%, other 1% (includes traditional, Jehovah's Witness), none 1.1% (2019-20 est. WebThe next most widely practiced religions, based on number of followers, are: Shint (104 million followers). ), Christian (Roman Catholic majority, although traditional beliefs and taboos may still be found), Church of Norway (Evangelical Lutheran - official) 67.5%, Muslim 3.1%, Roman Catholic 3.1%, other Christian 3.8%, other 2.6%, unspecified 19.9% (2021 est.