Religious demographics and Religions by country.
Four largest religions
The table above is compiled from the relevant Wikipedia pages listing Religions by Country. Please note that although figures are an approximation there are many sources. Please see individual pages (Linked in Table) for details.
The numbers of adherents to organised religions in the world is difficult to accurately ascertain. Therefore figures and estimates are included from multiple sources to show the reader the problem in compiling such statistics.
Adherents.com Estimates
Adherents.com says "Sizes shown are approximate estimates, and are here mainly for the purpose of ordering the groups, not providing a definitive number."
Notes
-Note that these figures may incorporate populations of secular/nominal adherents as well as syncretist worshipers, although the concept of syncretism is disputed by some.
-Note that for Eastern religions such as Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shinto or animism, etc...people often have religions which are a mix of belief systems. This leads to the unusually large uncertainty in the calculations for Buddhism. The lower number of approximately 400 million represents traditional Buddhists (have taken refuge in the Three Jewels, those following all of the precepts of Buddhisim laid down by the Buddha,) whereas the larger number of 1.5 billion includes "natural Buddhists" (as well as secular/nominal Buddhists), lacking specific ceremony, as long as they do not profess belief in another religion. Main article: Buddhism by country.[1][2]
By proportion
Christians
Countries with the greatest proportion of Christians from Christianity by country (as 2007):
Vatican City 100% (Roman Catholic 100%)
San Marino 99% (Roman Catholic 99%)
Romania 99% (Eastern Orthodox 86.8%, Roman Catholic 4.7%, Protestant 7.5%)[3]
Armenia 98.7% (mostly Orthodox)
Greece 98.3% (Orthodox 97.0%, Roman Catholic 1.0%, Muslim 1.3%, Protestant and Pentecostal 0.3%)
Moldova 98.2% (mostly Eastern Orthodox)
Malta 98% (Roman Catholic)[4]
Venezuela 98% (Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%)
Bolivia 97% (Roman Catholic 78%, Protestant 16%, other Christian 3%)
Paraguay 96.9% (Roman Catholic 89.6%, Protestant 6.2%, other Christian 1.1%)
Bahamas 96.3% (Baptist 35.4%, Anglican 15.1%, Roman Catholic 13.5%, Pentecostal 8.1%, Church of God 4.8%, Methodist 4.2%, other 15.2%)
Ukraine 96.1% (mostly Ukrainian Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant)
Belarus 96% (mostly Russian Orthodox, Roman Catholic)
Ecuador 95% (mostly Roman Catholic)
Seychelles 94.7% (mostly Roman Catholic)
Colombia 94.5% (mostly Roman Catholic 90%)
Grenada 94% (Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2% )
Costa Rica 94% (mostly Roman Catholic)
Argentina 94% (mostly Roman Catholic 92%, Protestant 2%,)
Rwanda 93.6% (Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 26%, Adventist 11.1%)
Muslims
Countries with the greatest proportion of Muslims from Islam by country (as of 2007):
Mauritania 99.9% (mostly Sunni)
Somalia 99.9% (mostly Sunni)
Western Sahara 99.8% (mostly Sunni)
Maldives 99.41% (mostly Sunni)
Afghanistan 99% (80% Sunni, 19% Shi'a)
Algeria 99% (mostly Sunni)
Turkey 99% (85% Sunni, 15% Shi'a)
Yemen 99% (65-70% Sunni, 30-35% Shi'a)
Morocco 98.7% (mostly Sunni)
Iran 98% (mostly Shi'a)
Tunisia 98% (mostly Sunni)
Comoros 98% (mostly Sunni)
Libya 97% (mostly Sunni)
Iraq 97% (60-65% Shi'a, 32-37% Sunni)
Pakistan 96% (75-80% Sunni, 20-25% Shi'a)
Jordan 95% (mostly Sunni)
Senegal 94% (mostly Sunni)
Djibouti 94% (mostly Sunni)
Azerbaijan 93.4% (75% Shi'a, 18% Sunni)
Oman 92.66% (mostly Ibadi)
Remarks: Although Islam is the state religion of all Middle Eastern countries and legal citizens must be Muslim. This list is excluded Saudi Arabia where 100% of national citizens must be Muslims[5] but because there is large number of non-Muslim populations (mostly Hindu and Christian). So it thus making the total Muslim population in Saudi Arabia is around 25 million (20 million native Saudi citizens with 1.5 million Bangladeshis, 1 million Pakistanis, 1 million Egyptians, 600,000 Indonesians, 250,000 Palestinians, 100,000 Eritreans and significant Muslim numbers among 1.6 million Indians, 150,000 Lebanese) or around 90% of the total population[6]. As well as some such other Gulf countries as Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and United Arab Emirates are also excluded due to large number of non-Muslim foreign immigrants.
Buddhists
Countries with the greatest proportion of Buddhists from Buddhism by country (as of 2007):
Laos 98% (mostly Theravada with traditional animist)
Bhutan 97% (mostly Lamaistic, Hindu 2%, other 1%)
Japan 96% (mostly Mahayana with Shinto, Japanese 3%, Christian 0.8%, Muslim 0.1%)
Cambodia 95% (mostly Theravada, Muslim 3%, Christian and other 2%)
Thailand 95% (Theravada, Muslim 4%, Christian 0.7%, other 0.3%)
Mongolia 94% (mostly Tibetan, Muslim 5%, Christian and other 1%)
Republic of China 93% (mostly "Triple religion", Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%)
Hong Kong 90% (mostly "Triple religion", Christian and others 10%)
Myanmar 90% (Theravada with traditional animist, Christian 4%, Muslim 4%, other)
Vietnam 85% ("Triple religion", Christian 8%, Cao Dai 3%, Atheist and other 3.5%)
Macau 85% ("Triple religion", Christian 8%, Atheist or other 7%)
People's Republic of China 80% ("Triple religion", Atheist 12.5%, Christian 4%, Muslim 1.5%)
Sri Lanka 70% (Theravada, Hindu 15%, Christian 7.9%, Muslim 7.1%)
North Korea 64.5% (Mahayana with Confucianist, Atheist 33.5%, other 2%)
Singapore 61% ("Triple religion", Muslim 14.9%, Christian 14.6%, Hindu 4%, other)
South Korea 50% (Mahayana with Confucianist, Christian 30%, other 1%)
Malaysia 22% (Muslim 60.3%, "Triple religion", Christian 9%, Hindu 6.3%, other 2.4%)
Brunei 14% (Muslim 67%, "Triple religion", Christian 10%, other 9%)
Nepal 11% (Hindu 81%, Tibetian Buddhist, Muslim 4%, other 4%)
French Polynesia 7.5% (mostly Chinese Buddhism)
Remarks: "Triple religion" (or "Chinese-Mahayana Buddhism" or "Far East Asian Buddhism") is the mixture of Mahayana Buddhism, with Taoism and Confucianism. Because officially atheist Communist governments still rule a number of traditionally Buddhist countries, and because Buddhists often practice other traditional East Asian religions, the figures could be much higher in these regions. Mahayana Buddhism in Far East Asian countries has a very wide meaning. That is why in such countries as China, Japan, Vietnam, North and South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, the three religions of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism are often all considered at once. This is referred to as a "Triple religion", with Gautama Buddha in the center, Laozi in the left, and Confucius in the right. In some regions, such as Japan, belief systems vary with differing emphasis on Shintoism, as well as Ancestor Worship. As such, the Buddhist population is difficult to gauge exactly, but is often nominal. See Buddhism by country and Irreligion for more.
Hindus
Countries with the greatest proportion of Hindus from Hinduism by country (as of 2007):
Nepal 81%
India 80.5%
Mauritius 50%
Fiji 33%
Guyana 33%
Suriname 27.4%
Trinidad and Tobago 22.5%
Sri Lanka 15%
United Arab Emirates 15%[7]
Kuwait 12%
Bangladesh 10.5%
Qatar 7.2%
Réunion 6.7%
Malaysia 6.3%
Bahrain 6.25%
Singapore 4%
Oman 3%
Belize 2.3%
Pakistan 2.02%
Indonesia 2%;
Bhutan 2%;
Seychelles 2%
Remarks: Mostly Hindu proportion in the Middle East due to large numbers of foreign workers from the Indian sub-continent. Although Islam is the state religion of all Middle Eastern countries and legal citizens must be Muslim. Mostly governments of these countries prohibit the public practice of non-Muslim religions but recognize the right of non-Muslims to worship in private.
Jews
Countries with the greatest proportion of Jews (as of 2007):
Israel 76.2% (Muslim 16.1%, Christian 2.1%)
Palestine 11.09% (Muslim 83.54%, Christian 4.73%)
Monaco 3% (Christian 90%)
United States 2.5% (Christian 78%, Buddhist 2%, Muslim 1%)
Gibraltar 2.1% (Christian 88.3%, Muslim 4%, Hindu 1.8%)
Cayman Islands 1.71% (Christian 77.95%)
Netherlands Antilles 1.3% (Christian 92.3%)
Canada 1.1% (Christian 77.1%, Muslim 2%, Buddhist 1.1%)
France 1% (Christian 83.3%, Muslim 10%, Buddhist 1.2%)
Belarus 1% (Christian 96%)
Argentina 0.8% (Christian 79%, Muslim 1.5%)
Hungary 0.8% (Christian 75%)
Uruguay 0.75% (Christian 65% - 68%, Atheist 30% - 34%)
Russia 0.5% (Christian 78%, Muslim 10 - 14%, Buddhist 1.1% - 1.45%)
United Kingdom 0.5% (Christian 71.6%, Muslim 2.7%, Buddhist 1.2%, Hindu 1%)
Australia 0.45% (Christian 63.9%, Buddhist 2.1%, Muslim 1.7%, others)
Netherlands 0.3% (Christian 29% - 51%, Atheist 41% - 50%, Muslim 5.5% - 5.8%)
Germany 0.25% (Christian 68%, Non-Religious 25.5%, Muslim 3.9%, Buddhist 1%)
Georgia 0.22% (Christian 88.6%, Muslim 9.9%, Atheist 0.7%)
Bahá'ís
Countries with the greatest proportion of Bahá'ís (as of 2000):
Nauru 9.22%
Tonga 6.09%
Tuvalu 5.86%
Kiribati 4.70%
Tokelau 4.33%
Cocos (Keeling) Islands 3.72%
Bolivia 3.25%
Falkland Islands 2.98%
Vanuatu 2.78%
Belize 2.73%
Samoa 2.37%
Guyana 2.09%
United Arab Emirates 1.95%
São Tomé and Príncipe 1.88%
Mauritius 1.84%
Zambia 1.70%
Dominica 1.61%
Micronesia 1.61%
Niue 1.53%
Marshall Islands 1.50%
Sources: Year 2000 Estimated Baha'i statistics from: David Barrett, World Christian Encyclopedia, 2000; Total population statistics, mid-2000 from Population Reference Bureau [2] and The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2004.
By population
Christians
Largest Christian populations (as of 2007):
United States 234,889,159
Brazil 169,109,476
Mexico 103,265,846
Russia 98,964,426
Philippines 84,246,490
France 56,709,186
Germany 56,032,677
Nigeria 54,012,466
People's Republic of China 52,874,076
Italy 50,588,528
Ethiopia 47,131,322
Congo DR 46,026,058
United Kingdom 43,515,786
Ukraine 42,572,167
Colombia 41,938,720
Spain 38,021,300
Argentina 37,883,811
Poland 36,977,511
South Africa 35,066,269
Kenya 28,792,702
Muslims
Largest Muslim populations (as of 2007):
Indonesia 207,000,105
Pakistan 159,799,666
India 151,402,065
Bangladesh 132,446,365
Egypt 72,301,532
Turkey 70,047,060
Nigeria 67,515,582
Iran 64,089,571
Morocco 33,723,418
Algeria 32,999,884
Afghanistan 31,571,023
Sudan 27,565,551
Iraq 26,674,649
Ethiopia 25,095,899
Saudi Arabia 24,564,924
Uzbekistan 24,446,452
Yemen 22,008,225
China 19,827,778
Russia 19,792,885
Syria 17,383,272
Buddhists
Largest Buddhist populations (as of 2007):
People's Republic of China 1,057,481,510
Japan 122,336,154
Vietnam 72,473,003
Thailand 61,814,742
Myanmar 42,636,562
South Korea 24,522,395
Republic of China 21,258,751
India 16,947,992
North Korea 15,029,613
Sri Lanka 14,648,421
Cambodia 13,296,109
Laos 6,391,558
Hong Kong 6,282,371
United States 6,022,799
Malaysia 5,460,683
Nepal 3,179,197
Singapore 2,781,888
Mongolia 2,774,679
Indonesia 2,346,940
Philippines 2,276,932
Hindus
Largest Hindu populations (as of 2007):
India 909,542,254
Nepal 23,410,450
Bangladesh 15,797,076
Indonesia 4,693,880
Pakistan 3,327,787
Sri Lanka 3,138,947
Malaysia 1,563,741
United States 1,204,560
United Arab Emirates 944,352
Mauritius 625,441
United Kingdom 607,762
South Africa 549,973
Kenya 369,137
Tanzania 354,458
Canada 333,901
Fiji 303,163
Kuwait 300,667
Guyana 253,801
Trinidad and Tobago 237,737
Singapore 262,120
Jews
Largest Jewish populations (as of 2007):
United States 6,214,247
Israel 5,278,274
Russia 753,382
France 636,303
Canada 414,283
United Kingdom 306,876
Germany 210,977
Argentina 202,538
Ukraine 149,602
Australia 94,978
Brazil 93,290
South Africa 88,994
Belarus 67,823
Hungary 60,180
Mexico 54,350
Spain 54,073
Belgium 52,285
Netherlands 32,780
Italy 30,728
Uruguay 30,060
Bahá'í
Largest Bahá'í populations (as of 2005):
India 1,716,148
United States 753,423
Iran 463,151
Vietnam 356,133
Kenya 308,292
Bolivia 269,246
South Africa 255,775
Philippines 229,522
Congo DR 224,596
Zambia 162,443
Thailand 144,243
Venezuela 141,072
Tanzania 140,593
Malaysia 97,078
Chad 80,683
Myanmar 79,044
Pakistan 78,658
Uganda 66,546
Colombia 64,758
Cameroon 64,286
Source: Year 2000 Estimated Baha'i statistics from: David Barrett, World Christian Encyclopedia, 2000; Total population statistics, mid-2000 from Population Reference Bureau [3]
Lists by country
See also
References
Sources
External links
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