Religion in Oceania

Last updated July 03, 2024

Christianity is the dominant religion in Oceania with 55 to 65% (2020 estimate).^[1]

History

Prior to contact with Europeans, the different groups of the Pacific lived in systems of theocracy which generally utilised the widespread concept of tabu.^[2] Various Christian missionary organisations arrived in Japan (1549), the Philippines (16th century) and the Aleutians (18th century), but European and American missions converted most of the islands of Oceania to Christianity in the course of the 19th century.^[3]

Religious distribution

Australasia

Country	Population	Christian		Muslim		Irreligion		Hindu		Buddhist		Folk religion		Other religion		Jewish
Country	Population	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Australia	25,422,800	11,148,800	43.90	813,392	3.20	9,887,000	38.90	684,002	2.70	615,800	2.40	325,400	1.30	178,160	0.80	100,350	0.40
New Zealand	4,699,755	1,738,638	37.00	61,455	1.31	2,278,185	48.47	123,504	2.63	52,779	1.12	19,011	0.40	153,873	3.27	5,274	0.11
Total	30,122,555	12,887,438	42.78%	874,487	2.90%	12,165,185	40.39%	807,506	2.68%	668,579	2.22%	344,411	0.59%	479,273	1.59%	109,090	0.36%

Melanesia

Country	Population	Christian		Muslim		Irreligion		Hindu		Buddhist		Folk religion		Other religion		Jewish
Country	Population	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Fiji	860,820	553,840	64.40	58,400	6.40	6,880	0.80	239,941	27.90	0	0.00	0	0.00	4,300	0.50	0	0.00
New Caledonia	250,000	213,000	85.20	7,000	2.80	26,000	10.40	0	0.00	1,500	0.60	500	0.20	2,000	0.80	0	0.00
Papua New Guinea	6,860,000	6,805,120	99.20	2,020	0.003	0	0.00	0	0.00	0	0.00	27,440	0.40	13,720	0.20	0	0.00
Solomon Islands	540,000	525,960	97.40	200	0.10	1,080	0.20	0	0.00	1,620	0.30	7,020	1.30	3,780	0.70	0	0.00
Vanuatu	240,000	223,920	93.30	1,000	0.10	2,880	1.20	0	0.00	0	0.00	9,840	4.10	3,360	1.40	0	0.00
Total	8,750,000	8,321,840	95.11%	61,180	0.70%	36,840	0.42%	239,940	2.74%	3,120	0.04%	44,800	0.51%	27,160	0.31%	0	0.00%

Micronesia

Country	Population	Christian		Muslim		Irreligion		Hindu		Buddhist		Folk religion		Other religion		Jewish
Country	Population	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Guam	180,000	169,560	94.20	300	0.10	3,060	1.60	0	0.00	1,980	1.10	2,700	1.50	2,880	1.60	0	0.00
Kiribati	101,120	97,000	97.00	500	0.20	800	0.80	0	0.00	0	0.00	0	0.00	2,200	2.00	0	0.00
Marshall Islands	50,000	48,750	97.50	180	0.20	750	1.50	0	0.00	0	0.00	100	0.10	400	0.80	0	0.00
Micronesia	110,000	104,830	95.20	208	0.10	990	1.00	0	0.00	440	0.40	2,975	2.60	770	0.70	0	0.00
Nauru	10,000	7,900	79.00	20	0.01	450	4.50	0	0.00	110	1.10	810	8.10	740	7.40	0	0.00
Northern Mariana Islands	60,000	48,780	81.30	420	0.70	600	1.00	0	0.00	6,360	10.60	3,180	5.30	660	1.10	0	0.00
Palau	20,000	17,340	86.80	240	0.10	240	1.20	0	0.00	160	0.80	160	0.80	2,080	10.20	0	0.00
Total	530,000	494,160	93.24%	420	0.08%	6,890	1.30%	0	0.00%	9,050	1.71%	9,970	1.88%	9,730	1.84%	0	0.00%

Polynesia

Country	Population	Christian		Muslim		Irreligion		Hindu		Buddhist		Folk religion		Other religion		Jewish
Country	Population	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
American Samoa	70,920	68,860	98.30	50	0.10	490	0.70	0	0.00	210	0.30	280	0.40	210	0.30	0	0.00
Cook Islands	20,000	19,200	96.00	0	0.00	640	3.20	0	0.00	0	0.00	0	0.00	160	0.80	0	0.00
French Polynesia	270,000	253,800	94.00	688	0.10	13,230	4.80	0	0.00	0	0.00	1,350	0.50	1,080	0.40	0	0.00
Niue	2,000	1,928	96.40	50	0.10	66	3.20	0	0.00	0	0.00	0	0.00	4	0.20	0	0.00
Samoa	180,000	174,240	96.80	300	0.10	4,500	2.50	0	0.00	0	0.00	0	0.00	720	0.30	0	0.00
Tokelau	1,414	1,397	99.80	0	0.00	0	0.00	0	0.00	0	0.00	0	0.00	3	0.20	0	0.00
Tonga	100,000	99,000	99.00	120	0.10	0	0.00	100	0.10	0	0.00	0	0.00	900	0.80	0	0.00
Tuvalu	11,000	10,800	99.80	200	0.20	0	0.00	0	0.00	0	0.00	0	0.00	0	0.00	0	0.00
Wallis and Futuna	13,000	12,662	97.40	0	0.00	78	0.60	0	0.00	0	0.00	156	1.20	104	0.80	0	0.00
Total	667,400	641,574	96.13%	1400	0.20%	19,147	2.87%	100	0.01%	210	0.03%	1,786	0.27%	3,390	0.51%	0	0.00%

Hyponyms

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Samoa</span>

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References

↑ Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life (December 2012), The Global Religious Landscape: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Major Religious Groups as of 2010 (PDF), Pew Research Center, retrieved 29 May 2020
↑ Marett, Robert Ranulph (1922). "Tabu". In Hastings, James; Selbie, John Alexander; Gray, Louis Herbert (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics. Vol. 12: Suffering-Zwingli. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 182. ISBN 9780567065094 . Retrieved 10 June 2024. [...] king, chiefs, priests, and the gods themselves, formed one undivided theocracy, whereof tabu constituted he chief instrument, at once spiritual and temporal in its nature and effects. [...] Primary connexion of Oceanic tabu with a theocratic system [...] Secondary developments of tabu in Oceania [...] whereas the essence ot tabu in its local signification consists [...] in a theocratic form of government, which in its turn may have developed by way of an apotheosis of landlordism, the ramifications of the notion are endless and cover the whole religion of Oceania [...]. The theocracy could consecrate a site, or devote a victim, or appropriate a house or canoe, or betroth a woman, or proclaim a rest-day for men or a close-time for game [...].
↑ Storch, Tanya, ed. (2006). Religions and Missionaries Around the Pacific, 1500-1900. The Pacific World Series, No. 17: Lands, Peoples and History of the Pacific, 1500-1900. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 9780754606673 . Retrieved 10 June 2024.

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[1] Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life (December 2012), The Global Religious Landscape: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Major Religious Groups as of 2010 (PDF), Pew Research Center, retrieved 29 May 2020

[2] Marett, Robert Ranulph (1922). "Tabu". In Hastings, James; Selbie, John Alexander; Gray, Louis Herbert (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics. Vol. 12: Suffering-Zwingli. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 182. ISBN 9780567065094 . Retrieved 10 June 2024. [...] king, chiefs, priests, and the gods themselves, formed one undivided theocracy, whereof tabu constituted he chief instrument, at once spiritual and temporal in its nature and effects. [...] Primary connexion of Oceanic tabu with a theocratic system [...] Secondary developments of tabu in Oceania [...] whereas the essence ot tabu in its local signification consists [...] in a theocratic form of government, which in its turn may have developed by way of an apotheosis of landlordism, the ramifications of the notion are endless and cover the whole religion of Oceania [...]. The theocracy could consecrate a site, or devote a victim, or appropriate a house or canoe, or betroth a woman, or proclaim a rest-day for men or a close-time for game [...].

[3] Storch, Tanya, ed. (2006). Religions and Missionaries Around the Pacific, 1500-1900. The Pacific World Series, No. 17: Lands, Peoples and History of the Pacific, 1500-1900. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 9780754606673 . Retrieved 10 June 2024.

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v t e Religion in Oceania
Sovereign states	Australia Federated States of Micronesia Fiji Kiribati Marshall Islands Nauru New Zealand Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu
Associated states of New Zealand	Cook Islands Niue
Dependencies and other territories	American Samoa Christmas Island Clipperton Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Easter Island French Polynesia Guam Hawaii New Caledonia Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Pitcairn Islands Tokelau Wallis and Futuna