List of religious populations

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This is a list of religious populations by number of adherents and countries.

A map of the world, showing the major religions distributed in the world as of today
More information Religion, Percent ...
2020 estimation of major religious groups[1]
Religion Percent
Christianity
28.8%
Islam
25.6%
Unaffiliated
24.2%
Hinduism
14.9%
Buddhism
4.1%
Other religions
2.4%
Close

Current world estimates

Pew Research Center made its "Population Growth Projections, 2010–2050"[2] based on 2010 baseline estimates. New estimates for 2020 are still work in progress.[3] Their methodology is published as an appendix.[4]

Notes

Largest religion by country

A map showing the prevailing religious population by country based on the Pew Research Center's 2010 baseline estimates.[2]

By proportion

Christians

Countries and territories with the greatest proportion of Christians from Christianity by country, in 2010:

Christian population percentage by country, June 2014.[5]
  1. Vatican City 100% (100% Roman Catholic)
  2. Pitcairn Islands 100% (100% Seventh-day Adventist)[6]
  3. East Timor 99.6%[7] (mostly Roman Catholic)
  4. Samoa ~99.0% (mostly Protestant)[8]
  5. Armenia 98.5% (96% Oriental Orthodox)
  6. American Samoa 98.3% (mostly Protestant; ARDA claim)[9][better source needed]
  7. Malta 98.1%[10] (mostly Roman Catholic)
  8. Venezuela 98.0%[11] (71% Roman Catholic)
  9. Greece 98.0%[12] (95% Eastern Orthodox)
  10. Marshall Islands 97.2% (mostly Protestant)[13]
  11. Tonga 97.2% (mostly Protestant)[14]
  12. San Marino 97.0%[15] (~97% Roman Catholic)
  13. Paraguay 96.9%[16] (mostly Roman Catholic)
  14. El Salvador 96.4% (mostly Roman Catholic; ARDA claim)[17][better source needed]
  15. Kiribati 96.0% (mostly Protestant)[18]
  16. Federated States of Micronesia ~96.0% (mostly Protestant)[19]
  17. Barbados 95.1% (mostly Protestant)[20]
  18. Papua New Guinea 94.8% (mostly Protestant; ARDA claim)[21][better source needed]
  19. Mexico 94.6% (mostly Roman Catholic)
  20. Peru 94.5%[22] (mostly Roman Catholic)
  21. Romania 93.0% (mostly Eastern Orthodox)[23]
  22. Poland 92.9% (mostly Roman Catholic)[24]
  23. Croatia 91.1% (mostly Roman Catholic)[25]
  24. Philippines 90.0% (mostly Roman Catholic)

Muslims

Countries and territories with a considerable proportion of Muslims from Islam by country in 2010, excluding foreign workers in brackets:[26]

Muslim Percentage by country, 2020
  1. Maldives 100%[27]
  2. Mauritania 99.9%[28]
  1. Morocco 99.9%[29]
  2. Yemen 99.8% (65% Sunni, 35% Shia)[26]
  3. Somalia 99.7%[30]
  4. Afghanistan 99.7%[31] (90% Sunni, 10% Shia)[26]
  5. Iran 99.6% (95% Shia, 5% Sunni)[32]
  6. Tunisia 99.5%
  7. Azerbaijan 99.2% (55% Shia, 45% Sunni)[26]
  8. Palestine Gaza Strip 99.0%[33]
  9. Iraq 99.0% (60% Shia, 40% Sunni)[26]
  10. Niger 99.0% (mostly Sunni)[26]
  11. Turkey 98.6% (85% Sunni, 15% Shia)[34]
  12. Comoros 98.3%[35]
  13. Algeria 98.0%
  14. Tajikistan 97.9%[36]
  15. Saudi Arabia 97.2% (90% Sunni, 10% Shia)[26]
  16. Sudan 97.0%[37]
  17. Djibouti 96.9%[26]
  18. Libya 96.6%[38]
  19. Pakistan 96.4% (85% Sunni, 12% Shia, 3% Other)[39]
  20. Uzbekistan 96.3%[26]
  21. Egypt 94.6%[26]
  22. Syria 92.2% (80% Sunni, 20% Shia)[26]

Irreligious and atheists

Countries with the greatest proportion of people without religion, including agnostics and atheists, from Irreligion by country in 2020:[40]

Nonreligious population by country in 2010.[41]
  1. Czech Republic 78.4%
  2. North Korea 71.3%
  3. Estonia 60.2%
  4. Japan 60.0%
  5. Hong Kong 54.7%
  6. China 51.8%
  7. South Korea 46.6%
  8. Latvia 45.3%
  9. Netherlands 44.3%
  10. Uruguay 41.5%
  11. New Zealand 39.6%
  12. Mongolia 36.5%
  13. France 31.9%
  14. United Kingdom 31.2%
  15. Belgium 31.0%
  16. Vietnam 29.9%
  17. Sweden 29.0%
  18. Australia 28.6%
  19. Belarus 28.6%
  20. United States 28.0%[42]
  21. Luxembourg 26.7%
  22. Germany 26.3%
  23. Canada 24.5%
  24. Cuba 23.2%
  25.  Switzerland 22.8%
  26. Spain 21.0%
  27. Finland 20.8%
  28. Hungary 20.3%
  29. Bermuda 19.4%
  30. Slovenia 18.8%

Data is ranked by mean estimate in parentheses. Irreligious includes agnostic, atheist, secular people, and those having no formal religious adherence. It does not necessarily mean that those of this group don't belong to any religion. Some religions have harmonized with local cultures and can be seen as a cultural background rather than a formal religion. The practice of officially associating a family or household with a religion, while not formally practicing the affiliated religion, is common in many countries. Thus, over half of this group is theistic and/or influenced by religious principles, but nonreligious/non-practicing and not true atheists or agnostics. See Spiritual but not religious.

Hindus

Countries with the greatest proportion of Hindus from Hinduism by country in 2010:

Hindu population by country in 2010
  1.   Nepal 81.3%[43]
  2. India 79.8%[44]
  3. Mauritius 48.54%[45]
  4. Fiji 27.9%[46]
  5. Bhutan 25.0%[47]
  6. Guyana 24.8%[48]
  7. Suriname 22.3%[49]
  8. Trinidad and Tobago 18.2%[50]
  9. United Arab Emirates 15.0%[51]
  10. Sri Lanka 12.6%[52]
  11. Kuwait 12.0%[53]
  12. Bangladesh 9.6%[54]
  13. Bahrain 8.1%[55]
  14. Réunion 6.7%[56]
  15. Malaysia 6.3%[57]
  16. Singapore 5.1%
  17. Oman 3.0%
  18. New Zealand 2.6%[58]
  19. Pakistan 2.2%[59]
  20. Seychelles 2.1%[60]
  21. Indonesia 1.7%[61]
  22. United Kingdom 1.7%[62]
  23. Canada 1.5%[63]
  24. Australia 1.4%[64]
  25. South Africa 1.2%[65]
  26. United States 0.7%[66]

Buddhists

Countries with the greatest proportion of Buddhists from Buddhism by country in 2010:[67][68]

Buddhist population by country in 2010
  1. Cambodia 96.9%
  2. Thailand 93.2%
  3. Myanmar 80.1%
  4. Bhutan 74.7%
  5. Sri Lanka 69.3%
  6. Laos 66.0%
  7. Mongolia 55.1%
  8. Japan 36.2% - 66.7%[71]
  9. Taiwan 35.1%
  10. Singapore 33.2%
  11. South Korea 22.9%
  12. Malaysia 19.8%
  13. China 18.2%
  14. Macau 17.3%
  15. Vietnam 16.4%
  16. Hong Kong 13.2%
  17. Northern Mariana Islands 10.6%
  18.   Nepal 10.3%
  19. Brunei 8.6%
  20. Qatar 3.1%
  21. Kuwait 2.8%
  22. Australia 2.7%
  23. Bahrain 2.5%
  24. United Arab Emirates 2.0%
  25. New Zealand 1.6%
  26. North Korea 1.5%
  27. United States 1.2%
  28. Nauru 1.1%

Chinese traditional religionists

As a spiritual practice, Taoism has made fewer inroads in the West than Buddhism and Hinduism. Despite the popularity of its great classics the I Ching and the Tao Te Ching, the practice of Taoism has not been promulgated in America with much success.[72] These religions are not ubiquitous worldwide in the way that adherents of bigger world religions are, and they remain primarily an ethnic religion. Nonetheless, Taoist ideas and symbols such as taijitu have become popular throughout the world through tai chi, qigong, and various martial arts.[73]

  1. Taiwan 33.0–80.0%[74]
  2. China 30.0%[75]
  3. Hong Kong 28.0%[76]
  4. Macau 13.9%[77]
  5. Singapore 8.5%[78]
  6. Malaysia 2.6%[79]
  7. South Korea 0.2–1.0%[80]
  8. Philippines 0.01–0.05%
  9. Indonesia 0.05%

In 1999, the Chinese traditional religion had 184,000 believers in Latin America, 250,000 believers in Europe, and 839,000 believers in North America.[81][82]

Ethnic and indigenous religionists

Indigenous statistics come from the 2009 U.S. Department of State's International Religious Freedom Act,[83] based on the highest estimate of people identified as indigenous or followers of indigenous religions that have been well-defined. Due to the syncretic nature of these religions, the numbers may not reflect the actual number of practitioners.

  1. Togo 35.6%[84]
  2. South Sudan 32.9%[85]
  3. Guinea-Bissau 30.9%[86]
  4. North Korea 29.5%[87]
  5. Côte d'Ivoire 25.0%
  6. Sudan 25.0%[88]
  7. Burundi 20.0%
  8. Burkina Faso 15.0%
  9. South Africa 15.0%[89]
  10. Democratic Republic of the Congo 12.0%
  11. Benin 10.5%[90]
  12. Central African Republic 10.0%
  13. Gabon 10.0%
  14. Lesotho 10.0%
  15. Nigeria 10.0%
  16. Sierra Leone 10.0%[91]
  17. Kenya 9.0%
  18. Palau 9.0%[92]
  19. Ghana 8.5%
  20. Guinea 5.0%

Sikhs

Countries with the greatest proportion of Sikhs:

Sikhism by country
  1. Canada 2.12%[93][94]
  2. India 1.72%[99]
  3. Cyprus 1.10%[100]
  4. United Kingdom 0.88%[101]
  5. New Zealand 0.88%[102]
  6. Australia 0.83%[103][104]
  7. Oman 0.75%[105]
  8. UAE 0.56%[106]
  9. Italy 0.37%[119]
  10. Singapore 0.35%[120]

The Sikh homeland is the Punjab state, in India, where Sikhs make up approximately 58% of the population. This is the only place where Sikhs are in the majority. Sikhs have emigrated to countries all over the world – especially to English-speaking and East Asian nations. In doing so they have retained, to an unusually high degree, their distinctive cultural and religious identity.[121]

Sikhs are not ubiquitous worldwide in the way that adherents of larger world religions are, and they remain primarily an ethnic religion. They can be found in many international cities and have become an especially strong religious presence in the United Kingdom and Canada.[122] Sikhism is the fastest growing religion in New Zealand and Australia.[123][124]

Spiritists

The data come from ARDA[125][better source needed] if no other specific source is provided.

  1. Cuba 10.3%
  2. Jamaica 10.2%
  3. Suriname 3.6%
  4. Haiti 2.7%
  5. Dominican Republic 2.2%
  6. The Bahamas 1.9%
  7. Brazil 1.8%[126]
  8. Nicaragua 1.5%
  9. Trinidad and Tobago 1.4%
  10. Guyana 1.3%
  11. Venezuela 1.1%
  12. Colombia 1.0%
  13. Belize 1.0%
  14. Honduras 0.9%
  15. Puerto Rico 0.7%
  16. Panama 0.5%
  17. Iceland 0.5%
  18. Guadeloupe 0.4%
  19. Argentina 0.2%
  20. Guatemala 0.2%

Jews

Countries with the greatest proportion of Jews in 2017:[127]

Jewish population by country in 2020
  1. Israel 73.60%
  2. Gibraltar 2.00%
  3. United States 1.76%
  4. Canada 1.07%
  5. France 0.70%
  6. Hungary 0.485%
  7. Uruguay 0.483%
  8. Australia 0.47%
  9. United Kingdom 0.44%
  10. Argentina 0.41%
  11. U.S. Virgin Islands 0.36%
  12. Belgium 0.259%
  13. Panama 0.25%
  14. Latvia 0.24%
  15.  Switzerland 0.22%
  16. Netherlands 0.17%
  17. Estonia 0.154%
  18. Bermuda 0.154%
  19. Sweden 0.152%
  20. Germany 0.14%
  21. South Africa 0.124%
  22. Ukraine 0.124%
  23. Russia 0.122%
  24. Denmark 0.112%
  25. New Zealand 0.11%[58]

By population

Christians

Largest Christian populations in 2011:

  1. United States 229,157,250[128] (details)
  2. Brazil 169,213,130[129]
  3. Russia 114,198,444[130]
  4. Mexico 106,204,560[131]
  5. Nigeria 80,510,000[132]
  6. Philippines 78,790,000[133]
  7. China 67,070,000[132]
  8. Democratic Republic of the Congo 63,150,000[132]
  9. Italy 55,832,000
  10. Ethiopia 51,477,950
  11. Germany 50,752,580[134]
  12. Colombia 44,502,000
  13. Ukraine 41,973,000
  14. South Africa 40,243,000
  15. France 39,560,000[132]
  16. Spain 38,568,000
  17. Poland 36,526,000
  18. Kenya 33,625,790
  19. Argentina 33,497,100
  20. United Kingdom 33,200,417
  21. Uganda 29,943,000
  22. Indonesia 29,579,316[135]
  23. India 28,436,000
  24. Venezuela 28,340,790
  25. Peru 27,365,100

Muslims

Largest Muslim populations in 2017:

  1. Indonesia 238,990,000[136] (details)
  2. Pakistan 215,000,000[137]
  3. India 209,000,000[138]
  4. Bangladesh 153,000,000[citation needed]
  5. Nigeria 117,000,000[139]
  6. Egypt 87,500,000[citation needed]
  7. Iran 82,000,000[140]
  8. Turkey 79,850,000[citation needed]
  9. Ethiopia 48,000,000[141]
  10. Sudan 44,000,000[citation needed]
  11. Iraq 41,000,000[142]
  12. Algeria 39,000,000[143]
  13. Morocco 38,000,000[29]
  14. Afghanistan 37,000,000[144]
  15. Saudi Arabia 33,000,000[citation needed]
  16. Uzbekistan 33,648,090[145]
  17. Yemen 30,000,000[146]
  18. China 28,000,000[citation needed]
  19. Russia 25,000,000[147]
  20. Tanzania 22,000,000[citation needed]
  21. Niger 22,000,000[citation needed]

Irreligious and atheists

Largest religiously unaffiliated populations in 2020:[64]

  1. China 1,278,120,000
  2. United States 100,910,000
  3. Japan 72,570,000
  4. Vietnam 66,370,000
  5. Germany 30,230,000
  6. Russia 29,560,000
  7. Brazil 28,110,000
  8. France 28,110,000
  9. United Kingdom 27,090,000
  10. South Korea 25,030,000
  11. North Korea 19,040,000
  12. Mexico 13,480,000
  13. Canada 13,220,000
  14. Spain 12,570,000
  15. Australia 10,900,000
  16. Netherlands 9,540,000
  17. Italy 7,950,000
  18. Czech Republic 7,680,000
  19. Ukraine 6,770,000
  20. Madagascar 6,460,000
  21. Chile 5,860,000

Hindus

Largest Hindu populations in 2020:[148]

  1. India 1,120,000,000
  2.   Nepal 28,600,000
  3. Bangladesh 14,274,430
  4. Indonesia 4,640,000
  5. Pakistan 4,400,000
  6. Sri Lanka 3,090,000
  7. United States 2,510,000
  8. Malaysia 1,940,000
  9. United Arab Emirates 1,239,610
  10. United Kingdom 1,030,000
  11. Myanmar 890,000[149]
  12. South Africa 682,302
  13. Mauritius 665,820
  14. Canada 610,000
  15. Saudi Arabia 440,000
  16. Australia 410,000
  17. Tanzania 403,570
  18. Singapore 380,000
  19. Qatar 360,000
  20. Kuwait 330,000
  21. Trinidad and Tobago 310,000[50]
  22. Fiji 270,000[citation needed]
  23. Guyana 200,000[150]
  24. Yemen 200,000[151]
  25. Bhutan 190,000
  26. Suriname 120,785[152]
  27. Germany 120,000

Buddhists

Largest Buddhist populations in 2020.[153]

  1. Thailand 67,620,000
  2. China 53,380,000
  3. Myanmar 47,210,000
  4. Japan 46,990,000
  5. Vietnam 22,580,000
  6. Cambodia 16,240,000
  7. Sri Lanka 15,700,000
  8. South Korea 9,850,000
  9. India 9,550,000
  10. Malaysia 6,400,000
  11. United States 3,800,023
  12. Indonesia 2,062,000
  13. Bangladesh 1,001,974
  14. Australia 670,000
  15. Canada 660,000
  16. Hong Kong 630,000
  17. Bhutan 580,000
  18. Russia 520,000
  19. France 470,000
  20. North Korea 400,000

Sikhs

Largest Sikh population in 2023

  1. India 23,786,000[154][a][155][156]
  2. Canada 771,790[157][158]
  3. United Kingdom 524,000[159]
  4. United States ~280,000[180]
  5. Australia 210,400[181][182]
  6. Italy 210,000[191]
  7. Malaysia 100,000[192][193][194]
  8. Thailand 70,000[195]
  9. United Arab Emirates 52,000[106]
  10. Philippines 50,000[196][197]
  11. New Zealand 40,908[198]
  12. Oman 35,540[199]
  13. Portugal 35,000[200]
  14. France 30,000[201]
  15. Spain 26,000[202]
  16. Germany 25,000[203]
  17. Bangladesh 23,000[204]
  18. Greece 20,000[205]
  19. Kuwait 15,000[206][207]
  20. Hong Kong 15,000[208]
  21. Netherlands 15,000[209]

Jews

Largest Jewish populations in 2017:[127]

  1. Israel 6,451,000
  2. United States 5,700,000
  3. France 456,000
  4. Canada 390,000
  5. United Kingdom 289,500
  6. Argentina 180,500
  7. Russia 176,000
  8. Germany 116,500
  9. Australia 113,200
  10. Brazil 93,800
  11. South Africa 69,300
  12. Ukraine 53,000
  13. Hungary 47,500
  14. Mexico 40,000
  15. Netherlands 29,800
  16. Belgium 29,300
  17. Italy 27,300
  18.  Switzerland 18,700
  19. Chile 18,300
  20. Uruguay 16,900
  21. Turkey 15,300
  22. Sweden 15,000
  23. Spain 11,800
  24. Belarus 10,000
  25. Panama 10,000

Baháʼís

Largest Baháʼí populations in 2010 in countries with a national population ≥200,000:[210][better source needed]

  1. India 1,897,651
  2. United States 512,864
  3. Kenya 422,782
  4. Vietnam 388,802
  5. Bangladesh 300,000[211]
  6. Congo, Democratic Republic of the 282,916
  7. Philippines 275,069
  8. Iran 251,127
  9. Zambia 241,112
  10. South Africa 238,532
  11. Bolivia 215,359
  12. Tanzania 190,419
  13. Venezuela 169,811
  14. Uganda 95,098
  15. Chad 94,499
  16. Pakistan 87,259
  17. Myanmar 78,915
  18. Colombia 70,504
  19. Malaysia 67,549
  20. Thailand 65,096
  21. Papua New Guinea 59,898

Jains

In 2005, per ARDA:[212][better source needed]

  1. India 5,146,697
  2. United States 79,459
  3. Kenya 68,848
  4. United Kingdom 35,000
  5. Canada 12,101
  6. Tanzania 9,002
  7.   Nepal 6,800
  8. Uganda 2,663
  9. Myanmar 2,398
  10. Malaysia 2,052
  11. South Africa 1,918
  12. Fiji 1,573
  13. Japan 1,535
  14. Belgium 1,500
  15. Australia 1,449
  16. Suriname 1,217
  17. Ireland 1,000
  18. Bangladesh 1,000
  19. Réunion 981
  20. Hong Kong 500 families[213]
  21. Yemen 229

See also

Notes

  1. Sikhs comprise 1.7% (23,786,052) of India's total population of 1,399,179,585 per 2023 estimate by the World Factbook.[154]

References

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