Christianity by country |
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Christianity |
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As of the year 2021, Christianity had approximately 2.4 billion adherents and is the largest religion by population respectively. [2] According to a PEW estimation in 2020, Christians made up to 2.38 billion of the worldwide population of about 8 billion people. [lower-alpha 1] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] It represents nearly one-third of the world's population and is the largest religion in the world, with the three largest groups of Christians being the Catholic Church, Protestantism, and the Eastern Orthodox Church. [8] The largest Christian denomination is the Catholic Church, with 1.3 billion baptized members. [9] The second largest Christian branch is either Protestantism (if it is considered a single group), or the Eastern Orthodox Church (if Protestants are considered to be divided into multiple denominations).
Christianity is the predominant religion and faith in Europe, the Americas, the Philippines, East Timor, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Oceania. [10] There are also large Christian communities in other parts of the world, such as Indonesia, Central Asia, the Middle East, and West Africa where Christianity is the second-largest religion after Islam. The United States has the largest Christian population in the world, followed by Brazil, Mexico, Russia, and the Philippines. [11]
Christianity in multiple forms is the state religion of the following 15 nations: Argentina (Catholic Church), [12] Armenia (Armenian Apostolic Church), Tuvalu (Church of Tuvalu), Costa Rica (Catholic Church), [13] Kingdom of Denmark (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark), [14] England (Church of England), [15] Greece (Church of Greece), Georgia (Eastern Orthodox Church), [16] [17] Iceland (Church of Iceland), [18] Liechtenstein (Catholic Church), [19] Malta (Catholic Church), [20] Monaco (Catholic Church), [21] Vatican City (Catholic Church), [22] and Zambia. Christianity used to be the state religion of the former Ethiopian Empire (adopted in 340 A.D. by the Kingdom of Aksum) prior to the government's overthrow. [23]
Note: Population data are compiled using statistical science and are subject to observational error; these numbers should therefore be considered estimates only. The total number of Christians for each country is based on the number of people who are members of a Christian denomination or who identify themselves as Christian, plus their children. The number of people who actually believe in God or who regularly attend church is not addressed.
A list of the top ten countries by largest number of Christians according to Pew Research Center in 2010. [24] [25]
Rank | Country | Christians | % Christian |
---|---|---|---|
1 | United States | 246,790,000 | 79.5% |
2 | Brazil | 175,700,000 | 90.2% |
3 | Mexico | 107,780,000 | 95% |
4 | Russia | 105,220,000 | 73.6% |
5 | Philippines | 86,790,000 | 93.1% |
6 | Nigeria | 80,510,000 | 50.8% |
7 | China | 67,070,000 | 5.0% |
8 | Congo DR | 63,150,000 | 95.7% |
9 | Germany | 58,240,000 | 70.8% |
10 | South Africa | 52,886,000 | 85.3% |
A list of the top ten countries by highest percentage of the population that is Christian according to Pew Research Center in 2010. [25]
Rank | Country | % Christian | Christians |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Vatican City | 100% | 800 |
2 | Romania | 99% | 21,490,000 |
3 | Papua New Guinea | 99% | 6,860,000 |
4 | Tonga | 99% | 100,000 |
5 | Timor-Leste | 99% | 1,120,000 |
6 | Armenia | 98.5% | 3,090,000 |
7 | Namibia | 97.6% | 2,280,000 |
8 | Marshall Islands | 97.5% | 50,000 |
9 | Moldova | 97.5% | 3,570,000 |
10 | Solomon Islands | 97.5% | 520,000 |
This section needs additional citations for verification .(July 2020) |
This section needs to be updated.(July 2020) |
Country or entity | Christians | % Christian | % Catholic | % Protestant/ Orthodox/ Other Christian |
---|---|---|---|---|
Afghanistan (details) | 6,250/8,000 [26] -30,000 [27] | 0.02% [27] | ||
Albania (details) | 580,000 | 17.0% [28] | 10% | 7% |
Algeria (details) | 20,000-200,000 [29] or 71,000 (estimate for 2010) [30] | 0.01% | 0.01% | 1% |
American Samoa (details) | 70,000 | 98.3% | 20% | |
Andorra (details) | 78,000 | 89.5% | 88.2% [31] | 1.3% |
Angola (details) | 17,094,000 | 75% [32] | 50% | 25% |
Anguilla (details) | 15,000 | 90.5% | 3% | 87% |
Antigua and Barbuda (details) | 66,000 | 74.0% | 10% | 64% |
Argentina (details) | 34,940,108 | 77% [33] | 66% [33] | 11% [33] |
Armenia (details) | 2,826,000 [34] | 97.9% [34] | 1% [34] | 96.9% [34] |
Aruba (details) | 98,000 | 88% | 80.8% | 7.8% |
Australia (details) | 11,148,814 | 43.9% [35] | 20.0% | 23.9% |
Austria (details) | 5,185,959 | 58%-62% | 54.9% [36] | 3%-7% [37] [38] |
Azerbaijan (details) | 280,000 [39] | 3.1% | 3.1% | |
Bahamas (details) | 335,975 | 95% [40] | 12.0% | 83.0% |
Bahrain (details) | 185,000 | 15.0% [41] | 9.0% | |
Bangladesh (details) | 495,000 | 0.3% [42] | 0.4% | |
Barbados (details) | 244,000 | 74% [43] | 4.2% | 70% |
Belarus (details) | 5,265,000 | 55.4% [44] | 7.1% | 48.3% |
Belgium (details) | 6,860,000 | 65% [45] | 58% [45] | 7% [45] |
Belize (details) | 247,000 | 76.7% | 40% | 36.7% |
Benin (details) | 5,570,000 | 48.5% [46] | 25.5% | 23.0% |
Bermuda (details) | 44,000 | 64.7% | 15% | 50% |
Bhutan (details) | 7,000 | 1.0% | 0.1% | 0.9% |
Bolivia (details) | 9,730,000 | 89.0% | 76% | 13% |
Bosnia and Herzegovina (details) | 1,622,093 [47] | 45.94% [47] | 15.19% [47] | 30.75% [47] |
Botswana (details) | 1,416,000 | 71.6% | 5% | 66% |
Brazil (details) | 180,770,000 [48] | 90.0% [48] | 64.6% [48] | 22.2% [48] |
British Virgin Islands (details) | 23,000 | 94.0% | 9% | 85% |
Brunei (details) | 29,000 | 7.1% [49] | ||
Bulgaria (details) | 6,364,000 | 64.7% [50] | 0.6% | 64.1% [45] |
Burkina Faso (details) | 5,393,000 | 26.3% [51] | 20.1% | 6.2% |
Burundi (details) | 7,662,000 | 75.0% | 60% | 15% |
Cambodia (details) | 148,000 | 1.0% | 0.15% | 0.85% |
Cameroon (details) | 15,390,000 | 73% [52] | 44.4% | 29.3% |
Canada (details) | 19,300,000 [53] | 53.3% [53] | 29.9% [53] | 23.4% [54] |
Cape Verde (details) | 487,000 | 89.1% [27] | 78.7% | 10.4% |
Cayman Islands (details) | 52,600 | 66.9% [55] | 13.6% | 53.3% |
Central African Republic (details) | 2,302,000 | 80% | 29% | 51% |
Chad (details) | 4,150,000 [27] | 35.0% | 20% | 15% |
Chile (details) | 9,900,000 | 68% [56] | 55% | 13% |
People's Republic of China (details) | 31,220,000 [57] -34,610,000/49,170,000 [58] | 2.5%-3.5% [58] | 0.46%-0.69% [58] | 2%-2.89% [58] |
Colombia (details) | 43,560,000 | 92% [59] | 79% | 13% |
Comoros (details) | 15,000 | 2.1% | ||
Cook Islands (details) | 13,000 | 87.0% [60] | 17.4% | 69.6% |
Congo, Republic of (details) | 3,409,000 | 90.7% | 50% | 40% |
Congo, Democratic Republic of (details) | 63,150,000 | 92% | 50% | 42% |
Costa Rica (details) | 4,000,000 | 82% | 57% | 25% |
Côte d'Ivoire (details) | 11,697,000 | 39.8% [61] | ||
Croatia (details) | 4,107,000 | 87.4% [62] | 79.0% | 8.4% |
Cuba (details) | 6,670,000 [27] | 65% [63] | 52.7% | 7.5% |
Cyprus (details) | 863,000 | 79% [64] [65] | 1% | 78% |
Czech Republic (details) | 1,241,000 | 11.7% [66] | 9.3% | 2.4% |
Denmark (details) | 4,400,754 [67] | 79% | 1% | 77.8% [68] |
Djibouti (details) | 53,000 | 6.0% | 1% | 5% |
Dominica (details) | 59,000 | 88.7% | 61% | 27% |
Dominican Republic (details) | 9,734,000 | 83% | 65% | 18% |
Ecuador (details) | 14,099,000 | 94.0% | 74% | 20% |
Egypt (details) | 9,029,000 | 10.0% [69] | ||
El Salvador (details) | 5,073,000 | 81.9% | 52.6% | 29.3% |
Equatorial Guinea (details) | 683,000 | 88.7% [27] | 80.7% | 8.0% |
Eritrea (details) | 3,577,000 | 67% [70] | 4% | 54% |
Estonia (details) | 298,410 | 26.8% [71] | 0.8% | 26.0% |
Eswatini (details) | 994,000 | 82.7% | 25% | 57.7% |
Ethiopia (details) | 77,477,000 | 75% | 0.7% | 63.4% |
Falkland Islands (details) | 3,000 | 94.3% | 94% | |
Faroe Islands (details) | 33,000 | 95.4% [72] | 94% | |
Fiji (details) | 540,000 | 64.4% | 8.9% | 55.5% |
Finland (details) | 3,736,000 [73] | 67.1% [73] | 0.3% | 66.9% |
France (details) | 41,000,000-46,000,000 | 51.1% [74] -58% [45] /63-66% [75] | 50-63% [76] /54% [45] | 4% [45] |
Gabon (details) | 1,081,000 | 88.0% [77] | 41.9% | 46.1% |
Gambia (details) | 79,000 | 4.2% [78] | ||
Georgia (details) | 3,241,000 | 88.1% [79] | 0.5% | 87.6% |
Germany (details) | 44,861,000 | 53.9% [80] | 26.7% [80] | 27.2% [80] |
Ghana (details) | 21,955,000 | 71.3% [81] | 10.0% | 61.3% |
Greece (details) | 10,000,000 | 93% [82] | <1% [82] | 97.3% |
Greenland (details) | 55,000 | 96.6% | 96.6% | |
Grenada (details) | 101,000 | 97.3% | 53% | 45% |
Guatemala (details) | 14,018,000 | 87% | 47% | 40% |
Guinea (details) | 1,032,000 | 8.9% [83] | 5% | 5% |
Guinea-Bissau (details) | 165,000 | 10.0% | 10.0% | |
Guyana (details) | 468,000 | 62.7% [84] | 7.1% | 55.6% |
Haiti (details) | 9,597,000 | 96.0% | 80.0% | 16.0% |
Honduras (details) | 6,660,000 | 88% [85] | 47% | 41% |
Hong Kong (details) | 1,357,000 | 18.4% [86] | 5.0% | 6.8% |
Hungary (details) | 5,254,179 [87] - 6,501,000 [45] | 52.87% [87] -65.0% [45] | 38.96% [87] -58.0% [45] | 13.91% [87] |
Iceland (details) | 272,200 [88] | 72.3% [88] | 3.9% [88] | 68.4% [88] |
India (details) | 30,000,000 | 2.3% [34] | 1.3% | 1.0% |
Indonesia (details) | 29,149,241 [89] | 10.49% [90] | 3.06% | 7.43% |
Iran (details) | 380,000-1,500,000 [91] | 0.4%-1.5% | 0.4%-1.5% | |
Iraq (details) | 500,000 | 1.2% | 1.2% | |
Ireland (details) | 3,992,000 (2016) [92] | 83.8% (2016) [92] | 78.2% (2016) [92] | 5.6% (2016) [92] |
Israel (details) | 266,000 | 3.5% | 3.5% | |
Italy (details) | 53,230,000 [93] | 83% | 81.2% | 2% |
Jamaica (details) | 1,859,000 | 68.9% | 2.2% | 66.7% |
Japan (details) | 1,915,294 | 1.1% [94] | 0.5% | 0.6% |
Jordan (details) | 388,000 | 6.0% [95] | ||
Kazakhstan (details) | 3,300,000 | 17.2% [96] | ||
Kenya (details) | 40,668,000 | 85.5% [97] | 20.6% | 64.9% |
Korea, North (details) | 406,000 | 1.7% | ||
Korea, South (details) | 13,566,000 | 27.6% [98] | 7.9% | 19.7% |
Kuwait (details) | 458,000 | 15.0% | 3.2% | 12.8% |
Kyrgyzstan (details) | 610,000 [27] -944,000 | 11.4% [27] -17.0% [99] | ||
Laos (details) | 145,000 | 2.2% | 1% | 1% |
Latvia (details) | 1,570,000 | 70% [45] -80% [100] | 24.1% [45] -25.1% [100] [101] | 46.8% [45] -54.9% [100] |
Lebanon (details) | 1,600,000-1,800,000 [102] [103] | 38.0%-41.0% | 26% | 15% |
Lesotho (details) | 1,876,000 | 90.0% | 45% | 45% |
Liberia (details) | 1,391,000 | 85.5% [104] | 85.5% | |
Libya (details) | 170,000 [27] | 2.7% [27] | 0.5% | 1.5% |
Liechtenstein (details) | 30,000 | 84.4% [105] | 75.9% | 8.5% |
Lithuania (details) | 2,232,000 | 79.4% [106] | 74.2% | 5.2% |
Luxembourg (details) | 360,000 | 72.4% [107] | 68.7% | 3.7% |
Madagascar (details) | 22,322,966 | 85.0% [108] | ||
Malawi (details) | 13,582,000 | 77.3% [109] | 17.2% | 60.1% |
Malaysia (details) | 2,271,000 | 9.0% [110] | 41.3% | 35.5% |
Maldives (details) | 300 | 0.08% | ||
Mali (details) | 348,000 | 2.4% [111] | ||
Malta (details) | 400,000 | 91.6% [112] | 88.6% | 3.0% |
Mauritania (details) | 5,000 | 0.14% | ||
Mauritius (details) | 418,000 | 32.2% | ||
Mexico (details) | 111,959,525 | 88.9% [113] | 77.7% | 11.2% |
Micronesia, Federated States of (details) | 106,000 | 95.4% | ||
Moldova (details) | 2,752,000 | 91.8% [114] | 0.1% | 91.7% |
Monaco (details) | 30,000 | 82.6% [115] | 77.0 [115] | |
Mongolia (details) | 42,859 | 1.3% [116] | ||
Montenegro (details) | 500,000 | 78.8% [117] | 3.4% | 72.4% |
Morocco (details) | 336,000 | 1% [118] | ||
Mozambique (details) | 13,121,000 | 56.1% | 28.4% | 27.7% |
Myanmar (details) | 3,790,000 | 6.2% | 1% | 5.2% |
Namibia (details) | 1,991,000 | 90.0% | 13.7% | 76.3% |
Nepal (details) | 376,000 | 1.4% [119] | ||
Netherlands (details) | 5,750,000– 7,900,000 [ citation needed ] | 37% (2018) [120] - 43.8% [121] | 22% (registered, 2018) [120] - 23.7% | 15% (2018) [120] - 20.1% [121] |
New Zealand (details) | 1,738,638 (2018) [122] | 37.0% (2018) [122] | 10.0% (2018) [122] | 27.0% (2018) [122] |
Nicaragua (details) | 5,217,000 | 84.6% | 58.8% | 25.8% |
Niger (details) | 85,000 | 0.5% | 5% | |
Nigeria (details) | 74,400,000– 107,000,000 | 45.9% [123] | 10.6% | 35.3% |
North Macedonia (details) | 1,110,000 | 60.4% [124] [125] | 0.4% | 60.0% |
Norway (details) | 3,844,000 [126] | 76.7% (2018) [127] [128] | 2.4% [129] | 73.8% (2018) [127] [128] |
Oman (details) | 180,000 [27] | 6.5% [27] | ||
Pakistan (details) | 3,300,000 | 1.6% [130] | 0.8% | 0.8% |
Palau (details) | 16,000 | 77.9% | 65% | 12.9% |
Panama (details) | 3,057,000 | 92.0% | 80% | 12% |
Papua New Guinea (details) | 6,800,000 | 97% | 27% | 70% |
Paraguay (details) | 6,260,000 | 96% [85] | 88% | 8% |
Peru (details) | 29,519,000 | 94.5% [131] | 76.0% | 18.5% |
Philippines (details) | 92,746,021 [132] | 85.3% | 78.8% | 6.5% |
Pitcairn Islands (details) | 50 | 100.0% | 100% | |
Poland (details) | 36,090,000 | 94.3% | 86.3% | 8% |
Portugal (details) | 7,445,000 | 84.8% [133] | 80.2% | 4.6% |
Puerto Rico (details) | 3,878,000 | 89% [134] [135] | 56% | 33% |
Qatar (details) | 263,000 | 13.8% | ||
Romania (details) | 18,067,000 | 98.0% [45] | 11.0% [45] | 87.0% [45] |
Russia (details) | 66,000,000– 99,775,000 [136] [137] | 46.6% [138] -77.0% [139] [140] | <0.1% | 46.6%-77.0% |
Rwanda (details) | 9,619,000 | 93.6% | 56.9% | 26% |
San Marino (details) | 31,000 | 91.6% [27] | 90.5% | 1.1% |
Saudi Arabia (details) | 1,500,000 | 5% [141] | ||
Senegal (details) | 570,000 | 4.2% [142] | ||
Serbia (details) | 7,260,000 | 91.0% [143] | 5.0% | 86.0% |
Seychelles (details) | 80,000 | 94.7% | 82% | 15.2% |
Sierra Leone (details) | 619,000-1,294,000 | 10% [144] -20.9% [145] | ||
Singapore (details) | 1,075,000 | 18.9% [146] [147] [148] | 7.0% | 11.9% |
Slovakia (details) | 3,748,000 | 68.8% [149] | 59.8% | 9.0% |
Slovenia (details) | 1,610,000 | 68.0% [45] | 64.0% [45] | 4.0% [45] |
Somalia (details) | 1,000 [150] | 0.01% | 0.0002% | 0.01% |
South Africa (details) | 52,886,000 | 85.3% [151] | 5% | 75% |
South Sudan (details) | 6,010,000 [152] | 60.5% [153] | 30% | 30% |
Spain (details) | 28,000,000 | 59.2% [154] | 58.2% [154] | 1% [154] |
Sri Lanka (details) | 1,531,000 | 7.4% | 6.1% | 1.3% |
Sudan (details) | 525,000 | 1.5% [155] | ||
Suriname (details) | 262,000 | 48.4% - 51.6% [156] [157] | 21.6% | 26.8% |
Sweden (details) | 6,577,478 | 64.3% [158] | 1.2% | 63.1% |
Switzerland (details) | 5,700,000 | 66.9% [159] -69.1% [160] | 36.5% [159] -37.9% [160] | 30.4% [159] -31.2% [160] |
Syria (details) | 1,800,000 [161] | 10.0% [27] | 2% | 8% |
Tajikistan (details) | 110,000 [27] | 1.4% | 0.1% | 1.3% |
Tanzania (details) | 31,342,000 | 61.4% [162] | ||
Thailand (details) | 768,000 | 1.1% [163] | ||
Timor-Leste (details) | 1,338,500 [164] | 99.6% [165] | 97.6% | 2% |
Togo (details) | 1,966,000 | 29.0% | ||
Tonga (details) | 84,000 | 81.0% | 16% | 65% |
Trinidad and Tobago (details) | 774,000 | 57.6% [166] | 21.5% | 33.4% |
Tunisia (details) | 30,000 [167] [lower-alpha 2] | |||
Turkey (details) | 120,000 [168] – 310,000 [169] | 0.2% | ||
Turkmenistan (details) | 466,000 | 9.0% [170] | 9% | |
Uganda (details) | 29,266,000 | 84.5% [171] | 39.3% | 45.2% |
Ukraine (details) | 34,830,000 [172] | 81.9% [172] | 7.5% | 74.4% |
United Arab Emirates (details) | 940,000 | 9.0% [173] | 7% | 2% |
United Kingdom (details) | 25,585,000 [174] - 31,889,000 | 38% [175] - 47.7% [176] [177] [178] | 7% [179] | 31% [179] |
United States (details) | 213,000,000 [180] | 65% (2019) [180] -73% [181] | 20% [180] -22.7% [181] | 45% [180] -48.5% [181] |
Uruguay (details) | 1,941,000 | 58.1% [56] | 47% | 11% |
Uzbekistan (details) | 710,000 [27] | 2.6% [27] | 2.6% [27] | |
Venezuela (details) | 28,340,000 | 88.0% [182] | 71% | 17% |
Vietnam (details) | 6,831,000 | 7.1% [183] | 6.1% | 1.0% |
Yemen (details) | 25,000 [184] -41,000 [185] | 0.01% | 0.01% | |
Zambia (details) | 12,939,000 | 95.5% [186] | 20.2% | 72.3% |
Zimbabwe (details) | 12,500,000 | 87.0% [187] | 17% | 63% |
Europe | 565,560,000 [7] | 76.2% [7] | 35.0% [188] | 41.2% [7] |
Latin America and the Caribbean | 531,280,000 [7] | 90.0% [7] | 70% [189] | 20% [190] |
Africa | 526,016,926 [7] | 62.7% [7] | 21.0% [188] | 41.7% [7] |
Asia | 285,120,000 [7] -375,905,000 [191] | 7.0% [7] -12.0% [191] | 3.0% [188] -5.1% [191] | 4.0% [7] -6.8% [191] |
North America | 266,630,000 [7] | 77.4% [7] | 22.0% [188] | 55.4% |
Oceania | 25,754,000 [192] | 73.3% [192] | 38.9% [192] | 34.4% [192] |
Middle East-North Africa | 12,000,000–16,000,000 [193] | 3.8% [7] -5.0% [194] | 2.0% [188] -2.6% | 1.8% [7] -2.3% |
Total | 2,431,209,718 [191] | 33.4% [191] | 16.9% [191] | 16.5% [191] |
note: One is a generally recognized sovereign state, while the other is a state with substantial, but limited, recognition
Country | Christians | % Christian | overall % |
---|---|---|---|
Palestine (details) | 173,000 | 6.0% [195] | 6% |
Vatican City (details) | 836 | 100.0% | 100% |
Note: Includes non-United Nations members or observers with substantial, but limited recognition
Country | Christians | % Christian |
---|---|---|
Kosovo (details) | 150,000 | 8.3% |
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (details) | 200 | 0.03% |
Taiwan (details) | 902,000 | 3.9% |
Country | Christians | % Christian |
---|---|---|
Abkhazia (details) | 130,000 | 68.0% |
Artsakh (details) | 143,000 | 98.8% [196] |
South Ossetia (details) | 69,000 | 96.4% |
Transnistria (details) | 510,000 | 95.0% |
According to a 2012 Pew Research Center study, of the then 232 countries and territories, 157 had Christian majorities. 126 countries had a Christian majority, while 71 countries had a Christian minority. [197]
Percent (%) Christians | Number of countries | Population |
---|---|---|
100 | 2 | 850 |
90–99 | 49 | 739,568,000 |
80–89 | 28 | 312,790,200 |
70–79 | 20 | 599,319,000 |
60–69 | 11 | 177,608,000 |
50–59 | 16 | 132,349,929 |
40–49 | 3 | 13,594,000 |
30–39 | 6 | 15,497,000 |
20–29 | 5 | 23,657,000 |
10–19 | 10 | 43,409,000 |
1–9 | 34 | 124,755,000 |
0–1 | 13 | 1,823,750 |
Countries by highest percentage of the population that is Christian with at least 10 million Christians: [197]
Rank | Country | % Christian | Christians |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Romania | 98.0% | 21,300,000 |
2 | Zambia | 97.5% | 12,800,000 |
3 | Congo DR | 95.7% | 63,200,000 |
4 | Peru | 95.6% | 27,800,000 |
5 | Mexico | 95.0% | 107,000,000 |
6 | Poland | 94.3% | 36,100,000 |
7 | Ecuador | 94.1% | 13,600,000 |
8 | Greece | 93.0% | 10,000,000 |
9 | Colombia | 92.5% | 42,800,000 |
10 | Bolivia | 92.3% | 10,400,000 |
According to World Population Review, there were 2.38 billion Christians around the world in 2021. [198] According to a 2012 Pew Research Center survey, if current trends continue, Christianity will remain the world's largest religion by year 2050. According to a 2015 Pew Research Center study, Christianity is estimated to reach 3 billion adherents out of a projected population of 9.3 billion people in 2050, achieving parity with Muslim populations for the first time in history, which are predicted to be about 2.8 billion in 2050. [199]
Tradition | Followers | % of the Christian population | % of the world population | Follower dynamics | Dynamics in- and outside Christianity |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Catholicism | 1,200,000,000 | 52.4 | 15.9 | Growing | Stable |
Protestantism | 800,640,000 | 34.9 | 11.6 | Growing | Growing |
Orthodoxy | 260,380,000 | 11.4 | 3.8 | Growing | Growing |
Other Christianity | 28,430,000 | 1.3 | 0.4 | Growing | Growing |
Christianity | 2,289,450,000 | 100 | 31.7 | Growing | Stable |
Other religions:
General:
Muslims are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraham as it was revealed to Muhammad, the main Islamic prophet. Alongside the Quran, Muslims also believe in previous revelations, such as the Tawrat (Torah), the Zabur (Psalms), and the Injeel (Gospel). These earlier revelations are associated with Judaism and Christianity, which are regarded by Muslims as earlier versions of Islam. The majority of Muslims also follow the teachings and practices attributed to Muhammad (sunnah) as recorded in traditional accounts (hadith).
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. This theory began in the 18th century with the goal of recognizing the relative levels of civility in different societies, but this practice has since fallen into disrepute in many contemporary cultures.
Religion in Africa is multifaceted and has been a major influence on art, culture and philosophy. Today, the continent's various populations and individuals are mostly adherents of Christianity, Islam, and to a lesser extent several traditional African religions. In Christian or Islamic communities, religious beliefs are also sometimes characterized with syncretism with the beliefs and practices of traditional religions.
The Catholic Church is "the Catholic Communion of Churches, both Roman and Eastern, or Oriental, that are in full communion with the Bishop of Rome ." The church is also known by members as the People of God, the Body of Christ, the "Temple of the Holy Spirit", among other names. According to Vatican II's Gaudium et spes, the "church has but one sole purpose–that the kingdom of God may come and the salvation of the human race may be accomplished."
Hinduism has approximately 1.2 billion adherents worldwide. Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world behind Christianity (31.5%) and Islam (23.3%).
There are between 800 million and 1 billion Protestants worldwide, among approximately 2.5 billion Christians. In 2010, a total of more than 800 million included 300 million in Sub-Saharan Africa, 260 million in the Americas, 140 million in Asia-Pacific region, 100 million in Europe and 2 million in Middle East-North Africa. Protestants account for nearly forty percent of Christians worldwide and more than one tenth of the total human population. Various estimates put the percentage of Protestants in relation to the total number of the world's Christians at 33%, 36%, 36.7%, and 40%, while in relation to the world's population at 11.6% and 13%.
Religion has been a major influence on the societies, cultures, traditions, philosophies, artistic expressions and laws within present-day Europe. The largest religion in Europe is Christianity. However, irreligion and practical secularisation are also prominent in some countries. In Southeastern Europe, three countries have Muslim majorities, with Christianity being the second-largest religion in those countries. Ancient European religions included veneration for deities such as Zeus. Modern revival movements of these religions include Heathenism, Rodnovery, Romuva, Druidry, Wicca, and others. Smaller religions include Indian religions, Judaism, and some East Asian religions, which are found in their largest groups in Britain, France, and Kalmykia.
Christianity in Africa first arrived in Egypt in approximately 50 AD. By the end of the 2nd century it had reached the region around Carthage. In the 4th century, the Aksumite empire in modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea became one of the first regions in the world to adopt Christianity as its official religion. The Nubian kingdoms of Nobatia, Makuria and Alodia followed two centuries later. From the late fifth and early sixth century, the region included several Christian Berber kingdoms. Important Africans who influenced the early development of Christianity and shaped the doctrines of Christianity include Tertullian, Perpetua, Felicity, Clement of Alexandria, Origen of Alexandria, Cyprian, Athanasius and Augustine of Hippo.
Growth of religion involves the spread of individual religions and the increase in the numbers of religious adherents around the world. In sociology, desecularization is the proliferation or growth of religion, most commonly after a period of previous secularization. Statistics commonly measure the absolute number of adherents, the percentage of the absolute growth per-year, and the growth of converts in the world.
Islam in Asia began in the 7th century during the lifetime of Muhammad. In 2020, the total number of Muslims in Asia was about 1.3 billion, it is the largest religion in Asia. Asia constitutes in absolute terms the world's largest Muslim population. and about 62% of the world's Muslims live in Asia, with Indonesia, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh having the largest Muslim populations in the world. Asia is home to the largest Muslim population, with West Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia being particularly important regions. A number of adherents of Islam have lived in Asia especially in West Asia and South Asia since the beginning of Islamic history.
This is an overview of religion by country or territory in 2010 according to a 2012 Pew Research Center report. The article Religious information by country gives information from The World Factbook of the CIA and the U.S. Department of State.
Christianity is the largest religion in Tanzania, with a substantial Muslim minority. Smaller populations of Animists, practitioners of other faiths, and religiously unaffiliated people are also present.
Christianity is the predominant religion in Eswatini, with Protestantism being its largest denomination.
Christianity is the most widely professed religion in Tanzania, but in the island of Zanzibar most of the population is Muslim.
The main religion in Morocco is Sunni Islam, which is also the state religion of the country. Officially, 99% of the population are Muslim, and virtually all of those are Sunni. The second-largest religion in the country is Christianity, but most Christians in Morocco are foreigners. There is a community of the Baháʼí Faith. Only a fraction of the former number of Maghrebi Jews have remained in the country, many having moved to Israel.
Based on the numbers of adherents, the Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest Christian communion in the world, after the Roman Catholic Church, with the most common estimates of baptised members being approximately 220 million. The numerous Protestant groups in the world, if taken all together, substantially outnumber the Eastern Orthodox, but they differ theologically and do not form a single communion.
Adherents of Islam constitute the world's second largest religious group. A projection by the PEW suggests that Muslims numbered approximately 1.9 billion followers in 2020. Studies in the 21st century suggest that, in terms of percentage and worldwide spread, Islam is the fastest-growing major religion in the world, mostly because Muslims have more children than other major religious groups. Most Muslims are either of two denominations: Sunni or Shia. Islam is the majority religion in several subregions: Central Asia, Western Asia, North Africa, West Africa, the Sahel, and the Middle East. The diverse Asia-Pacific region contains the highest number of Muslims in the world, surpassing the combined Middle East and North Africa.
The decline of Christianity in the Western world is the decreasing Christian affiliation in the Western world. While most countries in the Western world were historically almost exclusively Christian, the post-World War II era has seen developed countries with modern, secular educational facilities shifting towards post-Christian, secular, globalized, multicultural and multifaith societies.
Oriental Orthodox Churches are the churches descended from those that rejected the Council of Chalcedon in 451. Despite the similar name, they are therefore a different branch of Christianity from the Eastern Orthodox. Oriental Orthodoxy consists of several autocephalous and autonomous jurisdictions holding a single set of beliefs and united in full communion. However, they each have their own separate rites, and there are significant differences between their respective practices. Thus, there is more internal diversity of practice among the Oriental Orthodox than among the Eastern Orthodox.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Algeria 2010 Christian: ≈0.2% of 35,470,000 population (≈70,940)
Muslim 231.069.932 (86.7), Christian 20.246.267 (7.6), Catholic 8.325.339 (3.12), Hindu 4.646.357 (1.74), Buddhist 2.062.150 (0.77), Confucianism 71.999 (0.03), Others/Traditional faiths 112.792 (0.04), Total 266.534.836
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: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)Religion: Approximately 1.6 percent of the population is Hindu, 1.6 percent is Christian, and 0.3 percent belongs to other religions, such as Bahaism and Sikhism.