Religious information by country
This article gives religious information by country from The Global Religious Landscape report of the Pew Forum, The World Factbook of the CIA, The World Christian Database (WCD) 2010 and International Religious Freedom Report for 2012 of the U.S. Department of State. The article Religions by country has a sortable table from the Pew Forum report.
| Country | Pew Forum[1] | CIA - The World Fact Book[2] | World Christian Database 2010[3] | International Religious Freedom Report for 2012[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Population 31,410,000, Christian 0.1%, Muslim 99.7% | Sunni Muslim 80%, Shia Muslim 19%, other 1% | Christian 0.1%, Muslim 99.7% | Reliable data on religious demography is difficult to obtain because an official nationwide census has not been conducted in decades. U.S. government estimates indicate a population of approximately 30.4 million, with Sunni Muslims comprising 80 percent of the population, Shia Muslims making up about 19 percent, and other religious groups comprising less than 1 percent. The Ismailis, who self identify as a Shia denomination, comprise approximately 5 percent of the total population. Leaders of minority religious communities estimate there are 350 Sikh families and 30 Hindu families. Estimates of the Bahá'í and Christian communities are less clear because neither group practices openly for fear of persecution. Reportedly, the Christian community is between 500 and 8,000 persons and the Bahá'í community is approximately 2,000 persons. In addition, there are small numbers of practitioners of other religions. There is one known Jewish citizen.
There are three active gurdwaras (Sikh places of worship) in Kabul and 10 in other parts of the country; there were 64 gurdwaras throughout the country before the mujahideen era, when many were seized. There are five remaining Hindu mandirs (temples) in three cities: two in Kabul, one of which shares a wall with a mosque, one in Jalalabad, one in Helmand, and one in Kandahar. Afghanistan's last known Jew maintains Kabul's sole synagogue, and there are also three defunct synagogues in Herat, which are no longer in use for lack of a Jewish community. There are no public Christian churches. Afghan Christians worship alone or in small congregations in private homes. Many Afghan Christians converted while living as refugees in third countries. Chapels and churches for noncitizens of various faiths are located on several military bases, Provincial Reconstruction Teams, and at the Italian embassy in Kabul. Buddhist foreigners are free to worship in Hindu temples. Followers of the Bahá'í Faith have practiced in the country for approximately 150 years. The community is predominantly based in Kabul, although some Bahá'ís remain in Kandahar. |
| Albania | Population 3,200,000, Christian 18.0%, Muslim 80.3%, Unaffiliated 1.4%, Other Religion 0.2% | Muslim 56.7%, Roman Catholic 10%, Orthodox 6.8%, atheist 2.5%, Bektashi (a Sufi order) 2.1%, other 5.7%, unspecified 16.2%
note: all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice (2011 est.) |
Bahá'í 0.2%, Christian 31.6%, Muslim 62.7%, Atheist 0.5%, Agnostic 5.0% | According to the 2011 census, the population is 2.8 million. It is difficult to assess the size of religious groups because nearly 20 percent of respondents declined to answer the optional census question about religious affiliation. Several religious leaders challenge the census results. According to the census, Sunni Muslims constitute nearly 57 percent of the population, Roman Catholics 10 percent, Orthodox Christians (the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania) nearly 7 percent, and Bektashi (a form of Shia Sufism) 2 percent. Other groups present include Bahá'ís, Jehovah's Witnesses, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The State Committee on Cults reports more than 230 religious groups, organizations, foundations, and educational institutions operating in the country. |
| Algeria | Population 35,470,000, Christian 0.2%, Muslim 97.9%, Unaffiliated 1.8% | Muslim (official; predominantly Sunni) 99%, other (includes Christian and Jewish) <1% (2012 est.) | Christian 0.2%, Muslim 98.5%, Agnostic 1.2% | The population is 37.1 million according to January estimates from the Office of National Statistics. Over 99 percent is Sunni Muslim. Groups together constituting less than 1 percent of the population include Christians, Jews, and a small community of Ibadi Muslims residing in the province of Ghardaia. Some religious leaders estimate there are only a few hundred Jews. Unofficial estimates of the number of Christians in Algeria vary between 30,000 and 70,000. For security reasons, due mainly to civil conflict, Christians concentrated in the cities of Algiers, Annaba, and Oran in the mid-1990s. According to Christian leaders, evangelical Christians, including Seventh-day Adventists, account for the largest number of Christians. Most evangelicals live in the Kabylie region. Next in size are the Methodists and members of other Protestant denominations, followed by Roman Catholics. A significant proportion of Christian foreign residents, whose numbers are difficult to estimate, are students and illegal immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa seeking to reach Europe. One religious leader estimates there are between 1,000 and 1,500 Egyptian Coptic Christians living in the country. There are no statistics on the number of religious conversions; however, according to the Minister of Religious Affairs, 150 foreigners converted to Islam and 50 citizens converted to Christianity in 2011. Christian leaders estimate that dozens of Algerians have converted to Christianity in the past two years. Officials from the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowments (MRA) report that there are approximately 16,000 mosques and 24,000 imams in Algeria. |
| American Samoa | Population 70,000, Christian 98.3%, Unaffiliated 0.7%, Buddhist 0.3%, Folk Religion 0.4%, Other Religion 0.3% | Christian Congregationalist 50%, Roman Catholic 20%, Protestant and other 30% | Bahá'í 0.3%, Buddhist 0.3%, Chinese Universalist 0.4%, Christian 98.3%, Agnostic 0.7% | |
| Andorra | Population 80,000, Christian 89.5%, Muslim 0.8%, Unaffiliated 8.8%, Hindu 0.5%, Other Religion 0.1%, Jewish 0.3% | Roman Catholic (predominant) | Bahá'í 0.1%, Christian 92.2%, Hindu 0.5%, Jewish 0.3%, Muslim 1.0%, Atheist 0.4%, Agnostic 5.4% | The government estimates the population to be 78,000. There are no official statistics on religious affiliation, but observers estimate that approximately 90 percent of the population is Roman Catholic. Smaller religious groups include Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Anglicans, Seventh-day Adventists, Bahá'ís, and members of the Unification Church. There are also small numbers of members of other Christian groups, including the New Apostolic Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and Jehovah's Witnesses.
The population consists largely of immigrants from Spain, Portugal, and France; citizens constitute 37 percent of inhabitants. Immigrants are generally also Catholic. |
| Angola | Population 19,080,000, Christian 90.5%, Muslim 0.2%, Unaffiliated 5.1%, Folk Religion 4.2% | indigenous beliefs 47%, Roman Catholic 38%, Protestant 15% (1998 est.) | Christian 93.3%, Ethnoreligionist 4.6%, Muslim 1.1%, Atheist 0.2%, Agnostic 0.8% | The government estimates the population to be approximately 20 million. The last official census was in 1970. The majority of the population is Christian. The Roman Catholic Church estimates that 55 percent of the population is Catholic, while the government estimates that 70 percent is. The National Institute for Religious Affairs estimates 25 percent of the population combines Christian and traditional beliefs; 10 percent is Protestant, including Methodists, Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, Congregationalists (United Church of Christ), and Assemblies of God; and 5 percent belongs to Brazilian evangelical churches. A small portion of the rural population practices animism or indigenous religious beliefs. There is a small Muslim community, unofficially estimated at 80,000 to 90,000, most of whom are migrants from West Africa or of Lebanese origin. Some Muslim sources put these figures closer to 500,000, but it is not possible to confirm the estimate.
There are approximately 450 to 500 Jews, primarily Israelis. |
| Anguilla | Population 20,000, Christian 90.6%, Muslim 0.3%, Unaffiliated 4.0%, Hindu 0.4%, Folk Religion 2.9%, Other Religion 1.6%, Jewish 0.1% | Protestant 83.3% (includes Anglican 29%, Methodist 23.9%, Pentecostal 7.7%, Seventh Day Adventist 7.6%, Church of God 7.6%, Baptist 7.3%, Presbyterian .2%), Roman Catholic 5.7%, other Christian 1.5%, other 5.1%, unspecified 0.3%, none 4% (2001 est.) | Bahá'í 1.0%, Christian 91.1%, Hindu 0.4%, Jewish 0.1%, Muslim 0.6%, Spiritist 3.4%, Atheist 0.3%, Agnostic 3.0% | |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Population 90,000, Christian 93.0%, Muslim 0.6%, Unaffiliated 1.7%, Hindu 0.2%, Folk Religion 3.6%, Other Religion 1.0% | 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.) | Bahá'í 1.0%, Christian 93.0%, Hindu 0.2%, Muslim 0.6%, Spiritist 3.6%, Atheist 0.1%, Agnostic 1.6% | According to a U.S. government estimate in July, the population of Antigua and Barbuda is 89,000. According to the 2001 census, 74 percent of the population is Christian. The Anglican Church is the largest religious group, accounting for 26 percent of the population. The Methodist, Moravian, and Roman Catholic churches account for less than 10 percent each. The United Evangelical Association, an organization that includes most independent evangelical churches, claims 25 percent of the population, and Jehovah's Witnesses number more than 1,000 members. Non-Christians include an estimated 1,000 to 1,500 Rastafarians, more than 200 Muslims, nearly 200 Hindus, and approximately 50 members of the Bahá'í Faith. There are also approximately 200 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). |
| Argentina | Population 40,410,000, Christian 85.2%, Muslim 1.0%, Unaffiliated 12.2%, Folk Religion 0.8%, Other Religion 0.3%, Jewish 0.5% | nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4% | Christian 90.9%, Ethnoreligionist 0.2%, Jewish 0.4%, Muslim 1.9%, Spiritist 0.2%, Neoreligionists 0.3%, Atheist 0.9%, Agnostic 5.0% | According to the 2010 census of the National Institute of Statistics and Census, the population is approximately 40.1 million. A 2008 study by the National Council of Scientific and Technical Research and the National Agency for the Promotion of Science and Technology estimates Roman Catholics constitute 76 percent of the population, and Baptists, Jews, Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutherans, Methodists, and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) each total less than 5 percent of the population. Leaders of diverse religious groups note the recent growth of evangelical Protestant communities. While exact numbers are difficult to confirm (and national census data does not track religious affiliation), the Jewish population is approximately 250,000-300,000, generally considered the largest Jewish population in Latin America. Similarly, the Muslim population, an estimated 400,000 to 1 million, is also the largest in Latin America. |
| Armenia | Population 3,090,000, Christian 98.5%, Unaffiliated 1.3%, Other Religion 0.1% | Armenian Apostolic 92.6%, Evangelical 1%, other 2.4%, none 1.1%, unspecified 2.9% (2011 est.) | Christian 93.5%, Muslim 0.2%, Neoreligionists 1.4%, Atheist 1.0%, Agnostic 3.8% | According to preliminary results of the 2011 census, the population is 2.8 million. Approximately 90 percent of citizens belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church. Other religious groups constituting less than 5 percent each of the total population include Roman Catholics, Armenian Uniate (Mekhitarist) Catholics, Orthodox Christians, evangelical Christians, Molokans, Pentecostals, Seventh-day Adventists, Baptists, charismatic Christians, Jehovah's Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Yezidis, Jews, Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims, and pagans.
Yezidis are concentrated primarily in agricultural areas northwest of Yerevan around Mount Aragats, and Armenian Catholics live primarily in the north. Most Jews, Mormons, and Orthodox Christians reside in Yerevan, along with a small community of Muslims, most of whom are Shiites, including Iranians and temporary residents from the Middle East. |
| Aruba | Population 110,000, Christian 91.9%, Muslim 0.2%, Unaffiliated 6.0%, Buddhist 0.1%, Folk Religion 1.3%, Other Religion 0.1%, Jewish 0.4% | Roman Catholic 75.3%, Protestant 4.9% (includes Methodist .9%, Adventist .9%, Anglican .4%, other Protestant 2.7%), Jehovah's Witness 1.7%, other 12%, none 5.5%, unspecified 0.5% (2010 est.) | Buddhist 0.1%, Chinese Universalist 0.2%, Christian 96.4%, Jewish 0.1%, Muslim 0.2%, Spiritist 1.1%, Atheist 0.1%, Agnostic 1.7% | |
| Australia | Population 22,270,000, Christian 67.3%, Muslim 2.4%, Unaffiliated 24.2%, Hindu 1.4%, Buddhist 2.7%, Folk Religion 0.7%, Other Religion 0.8%, Jewish 0.5% | Protestant 30.1% (Anglican 17.1%, Uniting Church 5.0%, Presbyterian and Reformed 2.8%, Baptist, 1.6%, Lutheran 1.2%, Pentecostal 1.1%, other Protestant 1.3%), Catholic 25.3% (Roman Catholic 25.1%, other Catholic .2%), other Christian 2.9%, Orthodox 2.8%, Buddhist 2.5%, Muslim 2.2%, Hindu 1.3%, other 1.3%, none 22.3%, unspecified 9.3% (2011 est.) | Buddhist 2.1%, Chinese Universalist 0.3%, Christian 72.8%, Confucianist 0.2%, Ethnoreligionist 0.3%, Hindu 0.8%, Jewish 0.5%, Muslim 2.0%, Sikh 0.2%, Neoreligionists 0.4%, Atheist 1.9%, Agnostic 18.4% | According to November 2012 data from the Bureau of Statistics, the population is 22.8 million. According to the 2011 census, 61 percent of citizens consider themselves Christian, including 25 percent Roman Catholic and 17 percent Anglican, while 22.3 percent report having no religious affiliation. Buddhists constitute 2.5 percent of the population, Muslims 2.2 percent, Hindus 1.3 percent, and Jews 0.5 percent.
The census indicated that indigenous persons constitute 2.5 percent of the population (approximately 548,370 people) and that 1 percent of indigenous respondents practice traditional indigenous religions. Affiliation with a traditional indigenous religion is higher in very remote areas (6 percent) than in all other areas (less than 1 percent). Around 60 percent of indigenous respondents identify themselves as Christian and around 20 percent report having no religious affiliation. |
| Austria | Population 8,390,000, Christian 80.4%, Muslim 5.4%, Unaffiliated 13.5%, Buddhist 0.2%, Other Religion 0.1%, Jewish 0.2% | Catholic 73.8% (includes Roman Catholic 73.6%, other Catholic .2%), Protestant 4.9%, Muslim 4.2%, Orthodox 2.2%, other 0.8% (includes other Christian), none 12%, unspecified 2% (2001 est.) | Buddhist 0.1%, Christian 77.5%, Muslim 5.1%, Atheist 1.7%, Agnostic 15.2% | The population is approximately 8.4 million, according to a 2011 Statistics Austria report. Religious groups and the Austrian Integration Fund estimate that Roman Catholics constitute 64 percent of the population and Muslims 6 percent. Religious groups constituting less than 5 percent each include the Lutheran Church; the Swiss Reformed Church (Evangelical Church-Augsburg and Helvetic confessions); Eastern Orthodox churches (Russian, Greek, Serbian, Romanian, and Bulgarian); Jehovah's Witnesses; other Christian churches; the Jewish community; and other non-Christian religious groups. |
| Azerbaijan | Population 9,190,000, Christian 3.0%, Muslim 96.9% | Muslim 93.4%, Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox 2.3%, other 1.8% (1995 est.)
note: religious affiliation is still nominal in Azerbaijan; percentages for actual practicing adherents are much lower. |
Christian 3.3%, Jewish 0.3%, Muslim 92.8%, Atheist 0.1%, Agnostic 3.4% | The population as estimated by the State Statistics Committee in 2012 is 9.3 million. According to 2011 data from the SCWRA, 96 percent of the population is Muslim, with the remainder consisting primarily of members of the Russian Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic Churches, other Christians, Jews, and nonbelievers. Approximately 65 percent of the Islamic population is Shia and 35 percent Sunni.
Christians mainly live in Baku and other urban areas. Approximately 20,000 Jews live in Baku, with smaller communities throughout the country. Other small religious groups include Lutherans, Roman Catholics, Baptists, Molokans, Seventh-day Adventists, and Bahá'ís. Since independence in 1991, a number of religious groups considered by the government to be foreign or "nontraditional" have established a presence, including Salafist Muslims, Pentecostal and other evangelical Christians, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Hare Krishnas. There is a significant number of foreign resident Christian communities in Baku. |
| Bahamas, The | Population 340,000, Christian 96.0%, Muslim 0.1%, Unaffiliated 3.1%, Folk Religion 0.3%, Other Religion 0.3% | Protestant 69.9% (includes Baptist 34.9%, Anglican 13.7%, Pentecostal 8.9% Seventh Day Adventist 4.4%, Methodist 3.6%, Church of God 1.9%, Brethren 1.6%), Roman Catholic 12%, other Christian 13% (includes Jehovah's Witness 1.1%), other 0.6%, none 1.9%, unspecified 2.6% (2010 est.) | Bahá'í 0.4%, Christian 93.2%, Jewish 0.1%, Spiritist 1.9%, Atheist 0.2%, Agnostic 4.1% | According to the official census of 2010, the total population is approximately 353,700. The census also reported that more than 90 percent of the population professes a religion. Protestant Christian denominations make up a majority and include Baptists (35 percent), Anglicans/Episcopalians (15 percent), Pentecostals (8 percent), Church of God (5 percent), Seventh-day Adventists (5 percent), and Methodists (4 percent). Fourteen percent of the population is Roman Catholic.
Smaller religious communities are also active and include Greek Orthodox Christians, Jews, Bahá'ís, Jehovah's Witnesses, Rastafarians, Muslims, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). A small number of Bahamians and resident Haitians, particularly those living in the Family Islands, practice Obeah, a version of Voodoo. Some members of the small resident Guyanese and Indian populations practice Hinduism. |
| Bahrain | Population 1,260,000, Christian 14.5%, Muslim 70.3%, Unaffiliated 1.9%, Hindu 9.8%, Buddhist 2.5%, Other Religion 0.2%, Jewish 0.6% | Muslim 70.3%, Christian 14.5%, Hindu 9.8%, Buddhist 2.5%, Jewish 0.6%, unaffiliated 1.9%, other 0.2% (2010 est.) | Bahá'í 0.2%, Buddhist 0.2%, Christian 7.5%, Hindu 6.5%, Muslim 85.1%, Agnostic 0.4% | The 2010 census lists the overall population as 1.2 million, with citizens making up slightly less than half of the population. Citizens are 99 percent Muslim, while Jews, Christians, Hindus, and Bahá'ís constitute the remaining 1 percent. Muslims comprise 70.2 percent of the total population of citizens and noncitizens. The government does not publish statistics regarding the sectarian breakdown between Shia and Sunni citizens; however, Shia are widely believed to represent a majority of the country's citizen population.
There are approximately 350 licensed Sunni mosques, while the number of licensed Shia places of worship includes 863 mosques and 589 matams (religious cultural centers). In newer residential developments such as Hamad Town and Isa Town, which often have mixed Shia and Sunni populations, there tends to be a disproportionate number of Sunni mosques. Foreigners, mostly from South Asia and from other Arab countries, constitute an estimated 54 percent of the population. Approximately half of resident foreigners are non-Muslim, including Hindus, Buddhists, Christians (primarily Roman Catholic, Protestant, Syrian Orthodox, and Mar Thoma from South India), Bahá'ís, and Sikhs. |
| Bangladesh | Population 148,690,000, Christian 0.2%, Muslim 89.8%, Hindu 9.1%, Buddhist 0.5%, Folk Religion 0.4% | Muslim 89.5%, Hindu 9.6%, other 0.9% (includes Buddhist .5%, Christian .3%) (2004 est.) | Buddhist 0.6%, Christian 0.5%, Ethnoreligionist 0.4%, Hindu 9.5%, Muslim 88.8% | According to the 2011 census, Sunni Muslims constitute 90 percent of the population and Hindus make up 9.5 percent of a total population of 152.5 million. The remainder of the population is predominantly Christian (mostly Roman Catholic) and Theravada-Hinayana Buddhist. Ethnic and religious minority groups often overlap and are concentrated in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and northern districts. Buddhists are predominantly found among the indigenous (non-Bengali) populations of the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Bengali and ethnic minority Christians live in communities across the country, concentrating in Barisal City, Gournadi in Barisal District, Baniarchar in Gopalganj, Monipuripara in Dhaka, Christianpara in Mohakhal, Nagori in Gazipur, and Khulna City. There also are small populations of Shia Muslims, Bahá'ís, animists, and Ahmadiyya Muslims. Estimates of their numbers varied from a few thousand to 100,000 adherents per group.
Most noncitizen residents are of Bangladeshi descent and practice Islam. Separately, there are approximately 30,000 registered Rohingya refugees and between 250,000 and 450,000 unregistered Rohingya practicing Islam in the southeast around Cox's Bazar. |
| Barbados | Population 270,000, Christian 95.2%, Muslim 1.0%, Unaffiliated 1.9%, Hindu 0.4%, Other Religion 1.4% | Protestant 66.3% (includes Anglican 23.9%, other Pentecostal 19.5%, Adventist 5.9%, Methodist 4.2%, Wesleyan 3.4%, Nazarene 3.2%, Church of God 2.4%, Baptist 1.8%, Moravian 1.2%, other Protestant .8%), Roman Catholic 3.8%, other Christian 5.4% (includes Jehovah's Witness 2.0%, other 3.4%), Rastafarian 1%, other 1.5%, none 20.6%, unspecified 1.2% (2010 est.) | Bahá'í 1.2%, Christian 95.2%, Hindu 0.4%, Muslim 1.0%, Neoreligionists 0.2%, Atheist 0.2%, Agnostic 1.7% | The population is approximately 287,700, according to a U.S. Government source. According to the 2000 census, more than 95 percent of the population is Christian. The most recent census indicates that the two largest groups are Anglicans (28 percent) and Pentecostals (18 percent), followed by Seventh-day Adventists (5 percent), Methodists (5 percent), and Roman Catholics (4 percent). There are small numbers of Baptists, Moravians, and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
The number of non-Christians is small. There are 4,000 Muslims, most of whom trace their ancestry to the Indian state of Gujarat. A few immigrants from Guyana, Trinidad, South Asia, and the Middle East, as well as approximately 200 native-born persons, constitute the rest of the growing Muslim community. There are three mosques and an Islamic center. Other religious groups include Jews, Rastafarians, Hindus, Buddhists, and Bahá'ís. |
| Belarus | Population 9,600,000, Christian 71.2%, Muslim 0.2%, Unaffiliated 28.6% | Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.) | Christian 73.8%, Jewish 0.3%, Muslim 0.3%, Atheist 3.4%, Agnostic 22.2% | According to the National Statistics Committee, the population is 9.5 million. There are no authoritative figures on religious affiliation. The National Academy of Science reports that 57.3 percent of the population belongs to the BOC, 34.5 percent to the Roman Catholic Church, and 3.1 percent to Protestant groups, based on a poll of those who regularly attend worship services. However, according to a 2011 survey by the Information and Analytical Center of the Presidential Administration, approximately 80 percent of citizens belong to the BOC, 10 percent to the Roman Catholic Church, and 2 percent to other religious groups. Smaller religious groups include Muslims, Jews, Greek Catholics ("Uniates"), and Orthodox groups other than the BOC. Jewish groups state that between 30,000 and 40,000 persons are Jewish. Other registered groups include the Old Believers, Lutherans, Jehovah's Witnesses, Apostolic Christians, Hare Krishnas, Bahá'ís, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Messianic and Reform churches, Presbyterians, Armenian Apostolics, Latin Catholics, and members of Christ's Church and the St. Jogan Church. |
| Belgium | Population 10,710,000, Christian 64.2%, Muslim 5.9%, Unaffiliated 29.0%, Buddhist 0.2%, Folk Religion 0.2%, Jewish 0.3% | Roman Catholic 75%, other (includes Protestant) 25% | Buddhist 0.2%, Christian 71.5%, Jewish 0.3%, Muslim 5.3%, Atheist 2.1%, Agnostic 20.3% | According to Eurostat, the population is 11 million. The government does not collect or publish statistics on religious affiliation.
A 2011 report by the King Baudouin Foundation estimates the religious affiliation of the population to be 50 percent Roman Catholic, 32 percent without affiliation, 9 percent atheist, 6 percent Muslim, 2.5 percent other Christian, 0.4 percent Jewish, and 0.3 percent Buddhist. Other religious groups include Hindus, Sikhs, Hare Krishnas, and Scientologists. |
| Belize | Population 310,000, Christian 87.6%, Muslim 0.1%, Unaffiliated 8.9%, Hindu 0.2%, Buddhist 0.5%, Folk Religion 1.5%, Other Religion 0.1%, Jewish 1.0% | Roman Catholic 40.1%, Protestant 31.5% (includes Pentecostal 8.4%, Seventh Day Adventist 5.4%, Anglican 4.7%, Mennonite 3.7%, Baptist 3.6%, Methodist 2.9%, Nazarene 2.8%), Jehovah's Witness 1.7%, other 10.5% (includes Baha'i, Buddhist, Hindu, Morman, Muslim, Rastafarian), unknown 0.6%, none 15.5% (2010 est.) | Bahá'í 2.5%, Buddhist 0.5%, Christian 91.1%, Ethnoreligionist 0.6%, Hindu 2.0%, Jewish 1.1%, Muslim 0.5%, Spiritist 1.0%, Agnostic 0.7% | The 2012 official labor force survey reports the population is approximately 338,900. According to the 2010 census, the Roman Catholic Church is the largest religious group, accounting for 40 percent of the population. Pentecostals constitute 9 percent of the population, Seventh-day Adventists 6 percent, Anglicans 5 percent, Mennonites 4 percent, Baptists 4 percent, Methodists 3 percent, members of the Church of the Nazarene 3 percent, and Jehovah's Witnesses 2 percent. Smaller religious groups include The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Rastafarians, the Salvation Army, and Bahá'ís. Fifteen percent do not belong to any religious group.
No religious group is a majority in any of the country's six districts. Catholics are found throughout the country. Mennonites and Pentecostals live mostly in the rural areas of the Cayo and Orange Walk districts, and members of other religious groups tend to be concentrated in Belize City. |
| Benin | Population 8,850,000, Christian 53.0%, Muslim 23.8%, Unaffiliated 5.0%, Folk Religion 18.1% | Catholic 27.1%, Muslim 24.4%, Vodoun 17.3%, Protestant 10.4% (Celestial 5%, Methodist 3.2%, other Protestant 2.2%), other Christian 5.3%, other 15.5% (2002 census) | Bahá'í 0.1%, Christian 43.8%, Ethnoreligionist 30.4%, Muslim 25.5%, Agnostic 0.2% | The population is approximately 9.6 million, according to a U.S. government source. According to the 2002 census (the most recent official survey), the population is 27 percent Roman Catholic, 24 percent Muslim, 17 percent Voudon (Voodoo), 6 percent other indigenous religious groups, and 5 percent Celestial Christian. Groups constituting less than 5 percent each include Methodists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Jehovah's Witnesses, Rosicrucians, Bahá'ís, Baptists, Pentecostals, the Unification Church, and Eckankar. Seven percent claim no religious affiliation.
Many individuals who identify themselves as Christian or Muslim also practice Voodoo or other traditional religions. Most Muslims are Sunni and are concentrated in northern areas. The few Shia Muslims are primarily foreign residents and reside in Benin for commercial reasons. Southern areas are more heavily Christian. |
| Bermuda | Population 60,000, Christian 75.0%, Muslim 1.1%, Unaffiliated 19.4%, Buddhist 0.5%, Folk Religion 3.0%, Other Religion 0.8%, Jewish 0.3% | Protestant 46.1% (Anglican 15.8%, African Methodist Episcopal 8.6%, Seventh Day Adventist 6.7, Pentecostal 3.5%, Methodist 2.7%, Presbyterian 2.0%, Church of God 1.6%, Baptist 1.2%, Salvation Army 1.1%, Brethren 1.0%, other Protestant 2.0%), Roman Catholic 14.5%, Jehovah's Witness 1.3%, other Christian 9.1%, Muslim 1%, other 3.9%, none 17.8%, unspecified 6.2% (2010 est.) | Bahá'í 0.6%, Buddhist 0.5%, Chinese Universalist 0.2%, Christian 89.3%, Muslim 0.9%, Spiritist 2.7%, Atheist 0.3%, Agnostic 5.3% | |
| Bhutan | Population 730,000, Christian 0.5%, Muslim 0.2%, Hindu 22.6%, Buddhist 74.7%, Folk Religion 1.9% | Lamaistic Buddhist 75.3%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced Hinduism 22.1%, other 2.6% (2005 est.) | Buddhist 84.0%, Christian 0.9%, Ethnoreligionist 3.4%, Hindu 11.4%, Muslim 0.2% | A 2011 World Bank report indicates the population is approximately 738,000. According to a U.S. government estimate, approximately 75 percent of the population practices Drukpa Kagyu or Nyingmapa Buddhism, both of which are disciplines of Mahayana Buddhism. Most of the Nepali-speaking minority is Hindu, although there are small numbers of Christians and Buddhists. Hindus represent approximately 25 percent of the population. Hindu temples exist in southern areas. Christians are reportedly concentrated in towns and in the south.
According to unconfirmed estimates, there are between 3,000 and 15,000 Christians in the country. There are also reports of a few Muslims. Although priests of the animist Bon tradition often officiate at and include Bon rituals in Buddhist festivals, very few citizens adhere exclusively to this religion. The Sharchops ethnic group, which forms the majority of the population of eastern Bhutan, reportedly practices Tibetan Buddhism combined with elements of the Bon tradition and Hinduism. According to an April estimate by the Ministry of Labor and Resources, just over 55,000 Indian laborers are present in the country, most of whom are Hindu or Muslim. |
| Bolivia | Population 9,930,000, Christian 93.9%, Unaffiliated 4.1%, Folk Religion 0.9%, Other Religion 1.0% | Roman Catholic 76.8%, Evangelical and Pentecostal 8.1%, Protestant 7.9%, other 1.7%, none 5.5% (2012 est.) | Bahá'í 2.2%, Christian 92.5%, Ethnoreligionist 3.1%, Atheist 0.1%, Agnostic 1.9% | According to a 2010 National Statistical Institute estimate, the population is10.4 million. In the 2001 census, the latest to collect information on religion, 78 percent identify themselves as Roman Catholic and 16 percent as Protestant or evangelical. Approximately 3 percent belongs to smaller Christian groups. There are a very small number of Muslims and Jews. According to a 2010 survey, in the four largest cities the population is 81 percent Catholic and 10 percent Protestant or evangelical, suggesting that people in urban areas are more likely to identify as Catholic than are those living in rural communities.
Many indigenous communities, concentrated in rural areas, practice a mix of Catholic and spiritual traditions. |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Population 3,760,000, Christian 52.3%, Muslim 45.2%, Unaffiliated 2.5% | Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Roman Catholic 15%, other 14% | Christian 48.3%, Muslim 47.5%, Atheist 0.8%, Agnostic 3.3% | The population is 3.8 million, according to a June 2011 government statistics agency estimate. The country's territory is divided into two entities, the Federation and the RS, with a separate administrative district for Brcko. According to unofficial estimates from the statistics agency, Muslims constitute 45 percent of the population, Serbian Orthodox Christians 36 percent, Roman Catholics 15 percent, Protestants 1 percent, and other communities, including Jews, 3 percent. There is a strong correlation between ethnicity and religion: Bosniaks are generally associated with Islam, Bosnian Serbs with the Serbian Orthodox Church, and Bosnian Croats with the Roman Catholic Church. The Jewish community has approximately 1,000 members and maintains an historic place in society by virtue of centuries of coexistence with other religious communities and its active role in the Inter-Religious Council, which mediates among the four religious communities regarded as "traditional" (Muslim, Serbian Orthodox, Catholic, and Jewish).
The majority of Serbian Orthodox adherents live in the RS, and the majority of Muslims and Catholics in the Federation. Within the Federation distinct, Muslim and Catholic majority areas remain, with most Catholics in Herzegovina and areas of central Bosnia and most Muslims elsewhere in central Bosnia and Sarajevo. The Jewish community, similar to Protestants and most other small religious communities, has its largest membership in Sarajevo. |
| Botswana | Population 2,010,000, Christian 72.1%, Muslim 0.4%, Unaffiliated 20.6%, Hindu 0.3%, Folk Religion 6.0%, Other Religion 0.6% | Christian 71.6%, Badimo 6%, other 1.4% (includes Baha'i, Hindu, Muslim), unspecified 0.4%, none 20.6% (2001 est.) | Bahá'í 0.8%, Christian 68.7%, Ethnoreligionist 29.8%, Hindu 0.1%, Muslim 0.3%, Agnostic 0.2% | The 2012 census estimates the population at 2,030,000. The U.S. government estimates that approximately 70 percent of citizens are members of Christian groups, 6 percent are adherents of the traditional indigenous religion Badimo, and 1 percent belong to other religious groups. Approximately 20 percent espouse no religion.
Anglicans, Methodists, and members of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa make up the majority of Christians. There are also congregations of Lutherans, Roman Catholics, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Baptists, the Dutch Reformed Church, Mennonites, and other Christian denominations. According to a 2011 study by the Pew Research Center, there are approximately 8,000 Muslims, many of whom are of South Asian origin. There are small numbers of Hindus and Bahá'ís. Immigrants, including foreign workers, are more likely to be members of non-Christian religious groups than are native-born citizens. |
| Brazil | Population 194,950,000, Christian 88.9%, Unaffiliated 7.9%, Buddhist 0.1%, Folk Religion 2.8%, Other Religion 0.2% | Roman Catholic 64.6%, other Catholic 0.4%, Protestant 22.2% (includes Adventist 6.5%, Assembly of God 2.0%, Christian Congregation of Brazil 1.2%, Universal Kingdom of God 1.0%, other Protestant 11.5%), other Christian 0.7%, Spiritist 2.2%, other 1.4%, none 8%, unspecified 0.4% (2010 est.) | Buddhist 0.3%, Christian 91.0%, Ethnoreligionist 0.2%, Spiritist 4.8%, Neoreligionists 0.7%, Atheist 0.4%, Agnostic 2.4% | According to the 2010 census, the population is 190.7 million. An estimated 64.6 percent of the population is Roman Catholic and 22 percent is Protestant. Approximately 60 percent of Protestants belong to Pentecostal churches, 18 percent belong to traditional Protestant churches, and 22 percent to other Protestant groups. Other Christian groups constituting less than 1 percent of the population include Jehovah's Witnesses and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
Other groups constituting less than 1 percent each include African and syncretic religious groups such as Candomble and Umbanda, Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, and Hindus. There is a small number of adherents of indigenous religious beliefs. There are different assessments of the number of Muslims. According to the 2010 census, there are approximately 35,200 Muslims, while the Federation of Muslim Associations of Brazil considers the number to be about 1.5 million. Other observers estimate there are approximately 400,000-500,000 Muslims. There are significant Muslim communities in the cities of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, and Foz do Iguazu, as well as in smaller cities in the states of Parana, Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro. According to the Jewish Confederation of Brazil, there are more than 125,000 Jews, 65,000 of whom reside in São Paulo State and 40,000 in Rio de Janeiro State. Many other cities have smaller Jewish communities. |
| Brunei | Population 400,000, Christian 9.4%, Muslim 75.1%, Unaffiliated 0.4%, Hindu 0.3%, Buddhist 8.6%, Folk Religion 6.2%, Other Religion 0.1% | Muslim (official) 78.8%, Christian 8.7%, Buddhist 7.8%, other (includes indigenous beliefs) 4.7% (2011 est.) | Buddhist 9.7%, Chinese Universalist 5.2%, Christian 13.7%, Confucianist 1.9%, Ethnoreligionist 10.1%, Hindu 0.9%, Muslim 57.0%, Sikh 0.3%, Agnostic 1.1% | According to the Brunei Government's mid-year 2011 statistics, the country has a total population of 422,700, including temporary residents such as foreign workers. Approximately 83 percent of the population is Muslim, 7 percent Buddhist, and less than 4 percent is a combination of other faiths, including Christians (Protestants and Catholics), Hindus, Bahá'ís, Taoists, Sikhs, Nasranis, atheists, and others; 6 percent did not state a religious affiliation. The government categorizes Catholics as distinct from other Christians. There is an indigenous population that adheres to traditional animistic beliefs, although many have converted either to Islam or Christianity. According to the latest information available, there are 110 mosques and Islamic prayer halls, six Christian churches (three Roman Catholic, two Anglican, and one Baptist), three Chinese Buddhist temples, and one Hindu temple, all officially registered in the country. Several Christian congregations operate without registration. |
| Bulgaria | Population 7,490,000, Christian 82.1%, Muslim 13.7%, Unaffiliated 4.2% | 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.) | Christian 82.9%, Muslim 13.1%, Atheist 0.9%, Agnostic 3.0% | The 2011 census reports the population is 7.4 million. According to the census, 76 percent of the population identifies itself as Orthodox Christian. Orthodox Christianity, Hanafi Sunni Islam, Judaism, and Roman Catholicism all hold a historic place in the country's culture. Muslims are the second largest religious group, estimated at 10 percent of the population. Groups together constituting about 2 percent of the population include Catholics, Armenian Christians, Jews, evangelical Protestants, and others. There are 115 registered religious groups in addition to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (BOC).
Some religious minorities are concentrated geographically. Many Muslims, including ethnic Turks, Roma, and "Pomaks" (descendants of Slavic Bulgarians who converted to Islam under Ottoman rule) live in the Rhodope Mountains along the southern border with Greece. Ethnic Turkish and Roma Muslims also live in large numbers in the northeast and along the Black Sea coast. Nearly 40 percent of Catholics live in and around Plovdiv. The majority of the small Jewish community lives in Sofia and along the Black Sea coast. Protestants are widely dispersed, but are more numerous in areas with large Roma populations. |
| Burkina Faso | Population 16,470,000, Christian 22.5%, Muslim 61.6%, Unaffiliated 0.4%, Folk Religion 15.4% | Muslim 60.5%, Catholic 19%, animist 15.3%, Protestant 4.2%, other 0.6%, none 0.4% (2006 est.) | Christian 22.4%, Ethnoreligionist 23.4%, Muslim 53.7%, Agnostic 0.5% | The government estimates the population at 16.8 million. Approximately 61 percent is Muslim, the majority Sunni. Approximately 19 percent is Roman Catholic, 4 percent belongs to various Protestant groups, and 15 percent maintain exclusively indigenous beliefs. Statistics on religious affiliation are approximate because Muslims and Christians often adhere simultaneously to some aspects of indigenous religious beliefs.
Muslims reside largely in the northern, eastern, and western border regions, and Christians live in the center of the country. Persons practice indigenous religious beliefs throughout the country, especially in rural communities. The capital has a mixed Muslim and Christian population. |
| Burma (Myanmar) | Population 47,960,000, Christian 7.8%, Muslim 4.0%, Unaffiliated 0.5%, Hindu 1.7%, Buddhist 80.1%, Folk Religion 5.8%, Other Religion 0.2% | Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2% | Bahá'í 0.2%, Buddhist 74.7%, Chinese Universalist 0.3%, Christian 7.9%, Confucianist 1.5%, Ethnoreligionist 9.5%, Hindu 1.7%, Muslim 3.8%, Agnostic 0.4% | Although there has not been a census since 1983, a 2012 U.S. government source estimates the population to be 54,584,700. Theravada Buddhism is the dominant religion. The principal minority religious groups include Christians (primarily Baptists, Roman Catholics, and Anglicans, along with several other small Protestant denominations), Muslims (mostly Sunni), Hindus, and practitioners of traditional Chinese and indigenous religions. Some sources suggest that approximately 90 percent of the population practices Buddhism, 4 percent Christianity, and 4 percent Islam. These statistics likely underestimate the non-Buddhist proportion of the population. A very small Jewish community in Rangoon has a synagogue but no resident rabbi.
The country is ethnically diverse, with significant correlation between ethnicity and religion. Theravada Buddhism is the dominant religion among the majority Burman ethnic group and also among the Shan, Rakhine, and Mon ethnic minorities. Christianity is dominant among the Kachin, Chin, and Naga ethnic groups. Christianity also is practiced widely among the Karen and Karenni ethnic groups; although many Karen and Karenni are Buddhist and some Karen are Muslim. Citizens of South Asian origin, who are concentrated in major cities and in the south-central region, are predominantly Hindu or Muslim, although some are Christian. Islam is practiced widely in Rakhine State and in Rangoon, Irrawaddy, Magwe, and Mandalay Divisions, where some Burmese, ethnic Indians, ethnic Bengalis, ethnic Kaman, and Rohingya practice the religion. Chinese ethnic minorities generally practice traditional Chinese religions. Traditional indigenous beliefs are practiced widely among smaller ethnic groups in the highland regions. |
| Burundi | Population 8,380,000, Christian 91.5%, Muslim 2.8%, Folk Religion 5.7% | Catholic 62.1%, Protestant 23.9% (includes Adventist 2.3% and other Protestant 21.6%), Muslim 2.5%, other 3.6%, unspecified 7.9% (2008 est.) | Christian 92.2%, Ethnoreligionist 5.5%, Muslim 2.1% | The population is 10.5 million, according to a U.S. government estimate. Although reliable statistics are not available, religious leaders estimate approximately 60 percent of the population is Roman Catholic, 20 percent belongs to indigenous religious groups, and 15 percent to Protestant groups. Muslims constitute 2 to 5 percent of the population, and live mainly in urban areas. Most Muslims are Sunni, although some belong to Shia groups. |
| Cambodia | Population 14,140,000, Christian 0.4%, Muslim 2.0%, Unaffiliated 0.2%, Buddhist 96.9%, Folk Religion 0.6% | Buddhist (official) 96.9%, Muslim 1.9%, Christian 0.4%, other 0.8% (2008 est.) | Bahá'í 0.1%, Buddhist 84.9%, Chinese Universalist 2.9%, Christian 2.4%, Ethnoreligionist 4.6%, Hindu 0.2%, Muslim 1.9%, Neoreligionists 0.3%, Atheist 0.2%, Agnostic 2.3% | The population is over 14.9 million, according to a July 2012 U.S. government estimate. An estimated 96 percent of the population is Theravada Buddhist. The vast majority of ethnic-Khmer Cambodians are Buddhist, and there is a close association between Buddhism, Khmer cultural traditions, and identity and daily life. According to the Ministry of Cults and Religion, the Mahayana school of Buddhism has approximately 19,550 followers and has 167 temples throughout the country.
Approximately 2.4 percent of the population, predominantly ethnic Chams, is Muslim, typically living in towns and rural fishing villages on the banks of the Tonle Sap Lake and the Mekong River, as well as in Kampot Province. There are four branches of Islam represented in the country: the Malay-influenced Shafi branch, practiced by as much as 90 percent of Muslims; the Saudi-Kuwaiti-influenced Salafi (Wahhabi) branch; the indigenous Iman-San branch; and the Kadiani branch. The remaining 1.6 percent of the population is Bahá'í, Jewish, ethnic Vietnamese Cao Dai, or members of various Christian denominations. |
| Cameroon | Population 19,600,000, Christian 70.3%, Muslim 18.3%, Unaffiliated 5.3%, Folk Religion 3.3%, Other Religion 2.7% | indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20% | Bahá'í 0.3%, Christian 58.1%, Ethnoreligionist 20.9%, Muslim 20.0%, Atheist 0.2%, Agnostic 0.6% | The government estimates the population to be 19.4 million. The 2005 census, the most recent available, indicates that 69.2 percent of the population is Christian, 20.9 percent Muslim, and 5.6 percent animist. Groups constituting less than 5 percent of the population include Jews and Bahá'ís. Census data indicates the Christian population is 38.4 percent Roman Catholic, 26.3 percent Protestant, 4 percent other Christian denominations, including Jehovah's Witnesses, and less than 1 percent Orthodox Christians.
Muslims and Christians live in every region, although Christians are concentrated primarily in the southern and western regions. Large cities have significant populations of both groups. The two Anglophone regions of the country are largely Protestant, and the eight Francophone regions are mostly Catholic. In the northern regions, the dominant Fulani (or Peuhl) ethnic group is mainly Muslim, but the overall population in those regions is fairly evenly divided among Muslims, Christians, and followers of indigenous religions, who are mostly located in rural areas. The Bamoun ethnic group of the West Region is predominantly Muslim. Many Muslims, Christians, and members of other faiths also adhere to some aspects of African animist beliefs. |
| Canada | Population 34,020,000, Christian 69.0%, Muslim 2.1%, Unaffiliated 23.7%, Hindu 1.4%, Buddhist 0.8%, Folk Religion 1.2%, Other Religion 0.9%, Jewish 1.0% | Catholic 40.6% (includes Roman Catholic 38.8%, Orthodox 1.6%, other Catholic .2%), Protestant 20.3% (includes United Church 6.1%, Anglican 5%, Baptist 1.9%, Lutheran 1.5%, Pentecostal 1.5%, Presbyterian 1.4%, other Protestant 2.9%), other Christian 6.3%, Muslim 3.2%, Hindu 1.5%, Sikh 1.4%, Buddhist 1.1%, Jewish 1%, other 0.6%, none 23.9% (2011 est.) | Bahá'í 0.1%, Buddhist 1.5%, Chinese Universalist 2.0%, Christian 69.4%, Ethnoreligionist 0.4%, Hindu 1.1%, Jewish 1.1%, Muslim 2.3%, Sikh 1.0%, Neoreligionists 0.2%, Atheist 2.5%, Agnostic 18.3% | The government statistical agency estimates the population is 35 million. According to the 2001 census, the most recent to ask about religious affiliation, approximately 77 percent of the population is Christian. Roman Catholics (44 percent of the population) constitute the largest group, followed by Protestant denominations (29 percent). The United Church and the Anglican, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist, and Pentecostal churches are the largest Protestant groups. Approximately 2 percent of the population is Muslim and 1 percent is Jewish. Groups constituting 1 percent or less of the population include Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Scientologists, Bahá'ís, and adherents of Shintoism and Taoism.
According to the 2001 census, 0.1 percent of the population identifies itself as followers of "aboriginal spirituality." Approximately 16 percent of the population claims no religious affiliation. Most recent immigrants are of Asian origin and generally adhere to religious beliefs different from the majority of native-born citizens. According to the 2006 census, "visible minorities" constitute 16.2 percent of the overall population, with 96 percent residing in major metropolitan areas across the country. |
| Cape Verde | Population 500,000, Christian 89.1%, Muslim 0.1%, Unaffiliated 9.1%, Folk Religion 1.5%, Other Religion 0.2% | Roman Catholic 77.3%, Protestant 3.7% (includes Church of the Nazarene 1.7%, Adventist 1.5%, Universal Kingdom of God .4%, and God and Love .1%), other Christian 4.3% (includes Christian Rationalism 1.9%, Jehovah's Witness 1%, Assembly of God .9%, and New Apostolic .5%), Muslim 1.8%, other 1.3%, none 10.8%, unspecified 0.7% (2010 est.) | Bahá'í 0.2%, Christian 95.0%, Ethnoreligionist 1.1%, Muslim 2.8%, Agnostic 0.9% | According to the 2010 census, the population is 498,000. Government statistics indicate that 77 percent is Roman Catholic, 10 percent Protestant, 2 percent Muslim, and 11 percent does not identify with any religion. The majority of Christians belong to the Catholic Church; the second largest Christian denomination is the Church of the Nazarene. Other Christian denominations include Seventh-day Adventists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), members of the Assemblies of God, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, and other Pentecostal and evangelical groups. There are small Bahá'í communities and a small but growing Muslim community with approximately 6,000 members. |
| Cayman Islands | Population 60,000, Christian 83.5%, Muslim 0.4%, Unaffiliated 9.4%, Hindu 0.9%, Folk Religion 4.5%, Other Religion 0.6%, Jewish 0.8% | Protestant 67.8% (includes Church of God 22.6%, Seventh Day Adventist 9.4%, Presbyterian/United Church 8.6%, Baptist 8.3%,Pentecostal 7.1%, non-denominational 5.3%, Anglican 4.1%, Wesleyan Holiness 2.4%), Roman Catholic 14.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.1%, other 7%, none 9.3%, unspecified 0.7% (2010 est.) | Bahá'í 0.8%, Christian 81.1%, Hindu 0.3%, Jewish 1.8%, Muslim 0.2%, Spiritist 10.1%, Atheist 0.4%, Agnostic 5.4% | |
| Central African Republic | Population 4,400,000, Christian 89.5%, Muslim 8.5%, Unaffiliated 1.0%, Folk Religion 1.0% | indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15%
note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority. |
Bahá'í 0.2%, Christian 71.3%, Ethnoreligionist 14.0%, Muslim 13.7%, Agnostic 0.7% | The population is 4.5 million, according to a 2011 World Bank estimate. According to the 2003 census, the population is 51 percent Protestant, 29 percent Roman Catholic, and 15 percent Muslim. Others incorporate aspects of indigenous beliefs into Christian and Islamic practice. |
| Chad | Population 11,230,000, Christian 40.6%, Muslim 55.3%, Unaffiliated 2.5%, Folk Religion 1.4%, Other Religion 0.1% | Muslim 53.1%, Catholic 20.1%, Protestant 14.2%, animist 7.3%, other 0.5%, unknown 1.7%, atheist 3.1% (1993 census) | Bahá'í 0.8%, Christian 34.8%, Ethnoreligionist 8.3%, Muslim 55.9% | The World Bank estimates the population at 11.53 million. Over 50 percent is Muslim, approximately 33 percent is Christian, and the remainder adheres to indigenous religious beliefs or has no religion. Most northerners practice Islam, and most southerners practice Christianity or indigenous religions, but population patterns are becoming more complex, especially in urban areas.
The majority of Muslims adheres to the Sufi Tijaniyah tradition. A minority of Muslims (5 to 10 percent) holds beliefs associated with Wahhabism or Salafism, and these numbers are increasing slowly. Approximately 25 percent of Christians are Roman Catholics, according to Catholic Church data. Most Protestants are members of evangelical Christian groups. Small groups of Bahá'ís and Jehovah's Witnesses are also present. |
| Channel Islands | Population 150,000, Christian 85.2%, Unaffiliated 14.2%, Other Religion 0.3% | Guernsey - Protestant (Anglican, Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist), Roman Catholic; Jersey - Protestant (Anglican, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian), Roman Catholic | Bahá'í 0.3%, Christian 85.2%, Atheist 1.1%, Agnostic 13.1% | |
| Chile | Population 17,110,000, Christian 89.4%, Unaffiliated 8.6%, Folk Religion 1.5%, Other Religion 0.2%, Jewish 0.1% | Roman Catholic 66.7%, Evangelical or Protestant 16.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1%, other 3.4%, none 11.5%, unspecified 1.1% (2012 est.) | Bahá'í 0.2%, Christian 88.6%, Ethnoreligionist 0.8%, Jewish 0.1%, Atheist 2.4%, Agnostic 7.7% | According to the 2012 census, the population is 16.6 million. Religious affiliation statistics from the 2012 census were not available at year's end. According to the 2002 census, 70 percent of the population over the age of 14 is Roman Catholic and 15 percent is "evangelical", a term referring to all non-Catholic Christian groups except The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Jehovah's Witnesses, Orthodox (Armenian, Greek, Persian, Serbian, and Ukrainian churches), and Seventh-day Adventist. Approximately 90 percent of "evangelicals" are Pentecostal. Anglican, Baptist, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Reformed Evangelical, and Wesleyan groups constitute the remaining 10 percent. Bahá'ís, Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, and members of the Unification Church collectively constitute less than 5 percent of the population.
According to the 2002 census, 5 percent of the population self-identifies as "indigenous", of whom 65 percent identify as Catholic, 29 percent as Protestant, and 6 percent as "other." |
| China | Population 1,341,340,000, Christian 5.1%, Muslim 1.8%, Unaffiliated 52.2%, Buddhist 18.2%, Folk Religion 21.9%, Other Religion 0.7% | Buddhist 18.2%, Christian 5.1%, Muslim 1.8%, folk religion 21.9%, Hindu < .1%, Jewish < .1%, other 0.7% (includes Daoist (Taoist)), unaffiliated 52.2%
note: officially atheist (2010 est.) |
Buddhist 15.4%, Chinese Universalist 30.4%, Christian 7.9%, Confucianist 0.1%, Ethnoreligionist 4.3%, Muslim 1.6%, Taoist 0.4%, Atheist 7.3%, Agnostic 32.6% | According to Bureau of Statistics information as of 1 November 2010, the population of mainland China is 1,339,725,000. In its report to the United Nations Human Rights Council during its Universal Periodic Review in February 2009, the government stated that there were "more than 100 million followers of different religious faiths and the religious population is steadily increasing." However, accurate estimates of the numbers of religious believers vary widely depending on the source. For example, a 2007 survey conducted by East China Normal University states that 31.4 percent of citizens aged 16 and over, or 300 million people, are religious believers. The same survey estimates that there are 200 million Buddhists, Taoists, or worshippers of folk gods, although accurate estimates are difficult to make because many adherents practice exclusively at home.
According to the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA), there are more than 21 million Muslims in the country; unofficial estimates range as high as 50 million. Hui Muslims are concentrated primarily in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Qinghai, Gansu, and Yunnan provinces. Uighur Muslims live primarily in Xinjiang. According to Xinjiang Statistics Bureau data from 2010, there are approximately 10 million Uighurs in Xinjiang. The 2011 Blue Book of Religions, produced by the Institute of World Religions at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), a research institution directly under the State Council, reports the number of Protestant Christians to be between 23 and 40 million. A June 2010 SARA report estimates there are 16 million Protestants affiliated with the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM). According to 2010 Pew Research Center estimates, there are 67 million Protestant Christians, of whom 23 million are affiliated with the TSPM. According to SARA, more than six million Catholics worship in sites registered by the Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA). The Pew Center estimates that there are nine million Catholics on the mainland, 5.7 million of whom are affiliated with the CPA. In addition to the five nationally recognized religions, local governments have legalized certain religious communities and practices, such as Orthodox Christianity in Xinjiang, Heilongjiang, Zhejiang, and Guangdong provinces. Some ethnic minorities retain traditional religions, such as Dongba among the Naxi people in Yunnan and Buluotuo among the Zhuang in Guangxi. Worship of the folk deity Mazu reportedly has been reclassified as "cultural heritage" rather than religious practice. Prior to the government's 1999 ban on Falun Gong, a self-described spiritual discipline, it was estimated that there were 70 million adherents. |
| China - Tibet | According to official data from China's sixth decennial national census, conducted in November 2010, the TAR's 2,716,400 ethnic Tibetans make up 91 percent of the TAR's total population. Official census data also show ethnic Tibetans constituting 1.8 percent of the total population of Gansu Province, 24.4 percent in Qinghai Province, 2.1 percent in Sichuan Province, and 0.3 percent in Yunnan Province.
Most ethnic Tibetans practice Tibetan Buddhism, although a sizeable minority practices Bon, an indigenous religion, and very small minorities practice Islam, Catholicism, or Protestantism. Some scholars estimate that there are as many as 400,000 Bon followers across the Tibetan Plateau. Scholars also estimate that there are up to 5,000 ethnic Tibetan Muslims and 700 ethnic Tibetan Catholics in the TAR. Many Tibetan government officials and CCP members in Tibet are religious believers, despite government and CCP prohibitions against officials’ holding religious beliefs or participating in religious activities. Other residents of traditionally Tibetan areas include ethnic Han Chinese, many of whom practice Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, or traditional folk religions; Hui Muslims; and non-ethnic Tibetan Catholics and Protestants. Approximately 4,000 to 5,000 Muslims worship at mosques in the TAR. A Catholic church with 560 members is located in the traditionally Catholic community of Yanjing in the eastern TAR. Cizhong (Tsodruk), in Diqing (Dechen) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (TAP), Yunnan Province, is also home to a large Tibetan Catholic congregation. The TAR is home to a small number of Falun Gong adherents, as well as unregistered Christian churches. According to the State Council Information Office's 2011 White Paper "Sixty Years Since Peaceful Liberation of Tibet," the TAR has over 1,700 "venues for religious activities and about 46,000 monks and nuns." While no recent data on the number of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in other Tibetan areas of China are available, according to a 2009 article in the People's Daily (the official newspaper of the CCP), altogether in the TAR and in Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces, there are 3,000 Tibetan Buddhist monasteries with 120,000 Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns. | |||
| Christmas Island | Christian 23.1%, Buddhist 16.8%, Muslim 14.8%, Hindu 0.4%, none 9.2% (2011 est.) | |||
| Cocos (Keeling) Islands | Sunni Muslim 80%, other 20% (2002 est.) | |||
| Colombia | Population 46,290,000, Christian 92.5%, Unaffiliated 6.6%, Folk Religion 0.8% | Roman Catholic 90%, other 10% | Bahá'í 0.2%, Christian 95.7%, Ethnoreligionist 0.7%, Spiritist 1.0%, Atheist 0.2%, Agnostic 2.1% | The population is 47 million, according to a 2011 World Bank estimate. The government does not keep statistics on religious affiliation, and estimates from religious leaders varied. The Roman Catholic Bishops’ Conference estimates that 90 percent of the population is Catholic, while the Colombian Evangelical Council (CEDECOL) states that approximately 15 percent of the population is Protestant. According to a 2007 press report, 80 percent of the population is Catholic, 14 percent is non-Catholic Christian, 2 percent is agnostic, and the remaining 4 percent belongs to other religious groups, including Islam and Judaism. Other observers estimate that the non-Catholic population consists of five million members of Protestant, including evangelical, groups; 261,000 Seventh-day Adventists; 150,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church); 10,000 Muslims, and 5,000 Jews. There is also a small population of adherents to animism and various syncretic beliefs.
Some religious groups are concentrated in certain geographical regions. Most of those who blend Catholicism with elements of African animism are Afro-Colombians and reside on the Pacific coast. Most Jews reside in major cities, most Muslims on the Caribbean coast, and most adherents of indigenous animistic religions in remote rural areas. A small Taoist commune is located in a mountainous region of Santander Department. |
| Comoros | Population 730,000, Christian 0.5%, Muslim 98.3%, Unaffiliated 0.1%, Folk Religion 1.0% | Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2% | Christian 0.5%, Ethnoreligionist 1.0%, Muslim 98.3%, Agnostic 0.1% | The World Bank estimates the population at 735,000. It is 99 percent Sunni Muslim. The several hundred non-Sunni residents include Shia Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Jehovah's Witnesses, Roman Catholics, and Protestants.
The very few non-Sunni places of worship include Shia mosques, a Hindu temple, and one Christian church on each of the three islands. The best known is the Catholic Church in Moroni, for which the surrounding "Quartier du Cathedral" neighborhood is named. Its parishioners are nearly entirely foreign residents, who worship freely. |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of the | Population 65,970,000, Christian 95.8%, Muslim 1.5%, Unaffiliated 1.8%, Folk Religion 0.7%, Other Religion 0.1% | Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other (includes syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs) 10% | Bahá'í 0.4%, Christian 95.0%, Ethnoreligionist 2.5%, Hindu 0.2%, Muslim 1.5%, Agnostic 0.4% | The population is 68.7 million, according to a 2011 UN Population Fund estimate. Approximately 50 percent is Roman Catholic, 35 percent Protestant (including evangelicals), 5 percent Kimbanguist (a Christian-inspired Congolese church), and 5 percent Muslim. Other religious groups with smaller populations include Jehovah's Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Greek Orthodox Christians, and Jews. The remainder generally adheres to indigenous religious beliefs. Approximately 70 percent of the population attends religious services weekly.
Most religious groups are scattered throughout the country and are widely represented in cities and large towns. Muslims mainly reside in the provinces of Maniema, Orientale, Kasai Occidental, Bandundu, and Kinshasa. Although present throughout the country, Kimbanguists are primarily concentrated in Kinshasa and Bas-Congo. |
| Congo, Republic of the | Population 4,040,000, Christian 85.9%, Muslim 1.2%, Unaffiliated 9.0%, Folk Religion 2.8%, Other Religion 1.1% | Roman Catholic 33.1%, Awakening Churches/Christian Revival 22.3%, Protestant 19.9%, Salutiste 2.2%, Muslim 1.6%, Kimbanguiste 1.5%, other 8.1%, none 11.3% (2010 est.) | Bahá'í 0.6%, Christian 89.8%, Ethnoreligionist 4.8%, Muslim 1.4%, Neoreligionists 0.4%, Agnostic 3.0% | The population is four million, according to government estimates. A 2010 government report estimates over 80 percent is Christian, of which an estimated 40 percent is Roman Catholic, 51 percent Protestant, and the remaining Kimbanguist (a Christian-inspired Congolese faith), Salvationist, Jehovah's Witnesses, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Approximately 28 percent of Protestants are evangelical. An estimated 11 percent of the population is atheist, and 2 percent is Muslim. The remainder includes other unspecified religious groups. A significant portion of the population combines traditional beliefs and practices with Christianity and other religious beliefs. There are an estimated 726,000 Muslim foreign migrant workers and 180 mosques, serving both citizens and migrant workers. |
| Cook Islands | Population 20,000, Christian 96.0%, Unaffiliated 3.2%, Other Religion 0.8% | Protestant 62.8% (Cook Islands Christian Church 49.1%, Seventh-Day Adventist 7.9%, Assemblies of God 3.7%, Apostolic Church 2.1%), Roman Catholic 17%, Mormon 4.4%, other 8%, none 5.6%, no response 2.2% (2011 est.) | Bahá'í 0.8%, Christian 96.6%, Agnostic 2.6% | |
| Costa Rica | Population 4,660,000, Christian 90.9%, Unaffiliated 7.9%, Folk Religion 0.8%, Other Religion 0.3% | Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2% | Bahá'í 0.3%, Chinese Universalist 0.5%, Christian 95.8%, Ethnoreligionist 0.2%, Atheist 0.2%, Agnostic 2.8% | The population is 4.6 million, according to a U.S. government source. A 2011 University of Costa Rica survey estimates that 47 percent identify themselves as practicing Roman Catholics, 23 percent as non-practicing Catholics, 16 percent as evangelical Protestants, 6 percent as belonging to other religions, and 8 percent as having no religious affiliation.
Approximately 92 percent of Protestants are Pentecostal and 8 percent are Baptist. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) estimates its membership at 35,000. The Lutheran Church estimates it has 5,500 members. The Jewish Zionist Center estimates that there are 2,800 Jews. Approximately 1,000 Quakers live in the cloud forest town of Monteverde, Puntarenas, and an additional 1,000 persons attend Quaker meetings as nonmembers throughout the country. Although they represent less than one percent of the population, Jehovah's Witnesses have a strong presence on the Caribbean coast. Seventh-day Adventists operate a university that attracts students from throughout the Caribbean Basin. The Unification Church has its headquarters for Latin America in San Jose. Other religious groups include followers of Islam, Taoism, Krishna Consciousness, Scientology, Tenrikyo, and the Bahá'í Faith. Indigenous peoples are more likely than non-indigenous peoples to practice animism. |
| Croatia | Population 4,400,000, Christian 93.4%, Muslim 1.4%, Unaffiliated 5.1% | Roman Catholic 86.3%, Orthodox 4.4%, Muslim 1.5%, other 1.5%, unspecified 2.5%, not religious or atheist 3.8% (2011 est.) | Christian 93.5%, Muslim 1.9%, Atheist 1.5%, Agnostic 3.1% | The population is approximately 4.3 million, according to the 2011 census. Approximately 86 percent is Roman Catholic, 4 percent Serbian Orthodox, and 1.5 percent Muslim. Other groups constituting less than 5 percent of the population include Jews, Protestants, and members of other Christian groups. Nearly 4 percent self-identifies as nonreligious or atheist. Religious affiliation correlates closely with ethnicity. Members of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), predominantly ethnic Serbs, live primarily in cities and areas bordering Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Most members of other minority religious groups reside in urban areas. Most immigrants are Roman Catholic ethnic Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina. |
| Cuba | Population 11,260,000, Christian 59.2%, Unaffiliated 23.0%, Hindu 0.2%, Folk Religion 17.4% | nominally Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jewish, Santeria
note: prior to CASTRO assuming power. |
Chinese Universalist 0.2%, Christian 59.2%, Hindu 0.2%, Spiritist 17.2%, Atheist 5.1%, Agnostic 18.0% | According to the country's National Office of Statistics’ 2012 publication on demographics, the population is approximately 11 million. There is no independent authoritative source on the size or composition of religious groups. The Roman Catholic Church estimates that 60 to 70 percent of the population is Catholic, but only 4 to 5 percent regularly attend mass. Membership in Protestant churches is estimated at 5 percent of the population. Baptists and Pentecostals are likely the largest Protestant denominations. Jehovah's Witnesses report approximately 95,400 members; Methodists estimate 35,000; Seventh-day Adventists 33,000; Anglicans, 22,000; Presbyterians, 15,000; Quakers, 300; and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), 50. The Jewish community estimates 1,500 members, of whom 1,200 reside in Havana. According to the Islamic League, there are 6,000 to 8,000 Muslims residing in the country, although only an estimated 1,000 are Cubans. Other religious groups include Greek and Russian Orthodox, Buddhists, and Bahá'ís.
Many people, particularly in the Afro-Cuban community, consult with practitioners of religions with roots in West Africa and the Congo River basin, known as Santeria. These religious practices are commonly intermingled with Catholicism, and some even require Catholic baptism for full initiation, making it difficult to estimate accurately the total membership of these syncretistic groups. |
| Cyprus | Population 1,100,000, Christian 73.2%, Muslim 25.3%, Unaffiliated 1.2%, Buddhist 0.2% | Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, other (includes Maronite and Armenian Apostolic) 4% | Bahá'í 0.1%, Buddhist 0.6%, Christian 71.8%, Hindu 0.3%, Muslim 21.9%, Sikh 0.9%, Atheist 0.7%, Agnostic 3.6% | According to the October 2011 census, which contains no data on religious affiliation, the population of the government-controlled area is more than 840,000. According to the 2001 census, 95 percent of the permanent population in the government-controlled area belongs to the autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus. Other religious groups include Roman Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Maronite Catholics, Armenian Orthodox, Jews, Jehovah's Witnesses, Bahá'ís, and Buddhists. The religious affiliation of recent immigrants and migrant workers is generally different from that of native-born citizens. Most of the approximately 2,100 Jews are foreign residents. |
| Czech Republic | Population 10,490,000, Christian 23.3%, Unaffiliated 76.4% | Roman Catholic 10.4%, Protestant (includes Czech Brethren and Hussite) 1.1%, other and unspecified 54%, none 34.5% (2011 est.) | Buddhist 0.1%, Christian 55.4%, Atheist 4.9%, Agnostic 39.4% | According to the Statistical Office, the population is 10.5 million. The population is largely homogeneous with a dominant Christian tradition. The 2011 census indicates 2.2 million people hold religious beliefs. Approximately 11 percent of the population is Roman Catholic, 7 percent lists no specific religion, and 3 percent adheres to a variety of religious beliefs, including Protestantism, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism. Eight percent of the population attends religious services regularly. There are approximately 3,500 persons officially registered as members of the Jewish community, although academics estimate there are approximately 10,000 Jews and the Federation of Jewish Communities estimates there are 15,000 to 20,000. Leaders of the local Muslim community estimate there are 10,000 Muslims, most of whom are immigrants. |
| Denmark | Population 5,550,000, Christian 83.5%, Muslim 4.1%, Unaffiliated 11.8%, Hindu 0.4%, Buddhist 0.2% | Evangelical Lutheran (official) 80%, Muslim 4%, other (denominations of less than 1% each, includes Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Serbian Orthodox Christian, Jewish, Baptist, and Buddhist) 16% (2012 est.) | Buddhist 0.4%, Christian 83.7%, Hindu 0.2%, Jewish 0.1%, Muslim 4.1%, Atheist 1.4%, Agnostic 9.9% | According to government statistics, the population is 5.6 million. The government estimates 80 percent of the population belongs to the ELC. Although reportedly fewer than 10 percent of citizens attend services once a month or more, more than 50 percent observe religious holidays or participate at least once annually in religious rituals such as baptisms, confirmations, weddings, and funerals.
As a result of immigration, Muslims constitute approximately 4 percent of the population. Muslim groups are concentrated in the largest cities, particularly Copenhagen, Odense, and Aarhus. Groups constituting less than 1 percent of the population include, in descending order: Roman Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, Serbian Orthodox Christians, Jews, Baptists, Buddhists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Pentecostals, and other non-denominational Christians. Though estimates vary, the Center for Contemporary Religion at Aarhus University places the Jewish population at 2,400. |
| Djibouti | Population 890,000, Christian 2.3%, Muslim 96.9%, Unaffiliated 0.2%, Folk Religion 0.3%, Jewish 0.2% | Muslim 94%, Christian 6% | Christian 1.7%, Muslim 96.9%, Agnostic 1.2% | The 2010 UN World Population Prospects estimates the population at 889,000, of which 94 percent is Sunni Muslim. There are small numbers of Roman Catholics, Protestants, Copts, Ethiopian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Jehovah's Witnesses, Hindus, and Bahá'ís, who are generally foreign-born citizens and expatriates. Citizens are officially considered Muslims if they do not specifically identify with another religious group. |
| Dominica | Population 70,000, Christian 94.4%, Muslim 0.1%, Unaffiliated 0.5%, Buddhist 0.1%, Folk Religion 3.0%, Other Religion 1.7% | Roman Catholic 61.4%, Protestant 20.6% (includes Evangelical 6.7%, Seventh Day Adventist 6.1%, Pentecostal 5.6%, Baptist 4.1%, Methodist 3.7%, Church of God 1.2%, other 1.3%), Rastafarian 1.3%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.2%, other 0.3%, none 6.1%, unspecified 1.1% (2001 est.) | Bahá'í 1.7%, Buddhist 0.1%, Christian 94.4%, Ethnoreligionist 0.3%, Hindu 0.1%, Muslim 0.1%, Spiritist 2.6%, Agnostic 0.5% | The 2011 census estimates the population at 71,300. The 2001 population and housing census indicates approximately 61 percent of the population is Roman Catholic. Seventh-day Adventists and Pentecostals comprise 6 percent each, and Baptists and Methodists 4 percent each. Other small religious groups include Anglicans, Bahá'ís, Christian Brethren, Jehovah's Witnesses, Muslims, Nazarenes, Rastafarians and members of the Church of Christ. Six percent of the population claims no religious affiliation. |
| Dominican Republic | Population 9,930,000, Christian 88.0%, Unaffiliated 10.9%, Folk Religion 0.9%, Other Religion 0.1% | Roman Catholic 95%, other 5% | Christian 95.0%, Spiritist 2.2%, Atheist 0.5%, Agnostic 2.1% | A U.S. government source estimates the population at 10.1 million. The population is approximately 40 percent "practicing" Roman Catholic, 29 percent "nonpracticing" Roman Catholic, 18 percent evangelical Protestant, including Assemblies of God, Church of God, Baptists, and Pentecostals, and 11 percent without religious affiliation, according to a 2006 Gallup survey. There are also small numbers of Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). According to a 2007 Dominican Confederation of Evangelical Unity estimate, evangelicals represent 16 to 20 percent of the population.
Most of the approximately 350 Jews live in Santo Domingo, where there are two synagogues and one rabbi. There is also a small Jewish community and a synagogue in Sosua. There are approximately 800 Muslims, including foreign students. There are a small number of Buddhists and Hindus. Some Catholics combine Catholicism and Afro-Caribbean beliefs (santeria), witchcraft (brujeria), or voodoo (vodou), but they usually conceal such practices. Most Haitian immigrants are Catholic. An unknown number practice voodoo, but typically conceal the practice. |
| Ecuador | Population 14,460,000, Christian 94.1%, Unaffiliated 5.5%, Folk Religion 0.3% | Roman Catholic 74%, Evangelical 10.4%, Jehovah's Witness 1.2%, other 6.4% (includes Mormon Buddhist, Jewish, Spiritualist, Muslim, Hindu, indigenous religions, African American religions, Pentecostal), atheist 7.9%, agnostic 0.1%
note: data represents persons at least 16 years of age from five Ecuadoran cities (2012 est.) |
Bahá'í 0.1%, Buddhist 0.1%, Christian 97.1%, Ethnoreligionist 1.0%, Atheist 0.1%, Agnostic 1.4% | The population is approximately 14.5 million, according to the 2010 census by the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC). A 2012 INEC survey indicates 80 percent is Roman Catholic, 11 percent evangelical Christian, and 6 percent belongs to other religious groups including Islam, Hinduism, and indigenous and African faiths. Other religious groups together constituting less than 5 percent of the population include The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Jehovah's Witnesses, Buddhists, Jews, and spiritualists. Some groups combine indigenous beliefs with Catholicism. Pentecostals draw much of their membership from indigenous people in the highland provinces. Hundreds of evangelical churches exist, many of which are not affiliated with a particular denomination. These groups include the Gospel Missionary Union, now called Avant Ministries, the Christian and Missionary Alliance, and Hoy Cristo Jesus Bendice (Today Jesus Christ Blesses). There are also practitioners of Santeria, primarily resident Cubans.
There are small numbers of other registered religious groups, including Anglicans, Episcopalians, Bahá'ís, Lutherans, members of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Presbyterians, members of the Unification Church, and followers of Inti (the traditional Inca sun god). |
| Egypt | Population 81,120,000, Christian 5.1%, Muslim 94.9% | Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 90%, Christian (majority Coptic Orthodox, other Christians include Armenian Apostolic, Catholic, Maronite, Orthodox, and Anglican) 10% (2012 est.) | Christian 10.1%, Muslim 89.3%, Agnostic 0.5% | According to a July 2012 U.S. government estimate, Egypt's population is 83 million. Approximately 90 percent of the population is Sunni Muslim and about 10 percent is Christian. The majority of Christians belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church. Other Christian communities together constitute less than 2 percent of the population and include the Armenian Apostolic, Catholic (Armenian, Chaldean, Greek, Melkite, Roman, and Syrian), Maronite, Orthodox (Greek and Syrian), and Anglican/Episcopalian churches, which range in size from several thousand to hundreds of thousands. A Protestant community, established in the mid-19th century, includes the following churches: Presbyterian, Baptist, Brethren, Open Brethren, Revival of Holiness (Nahdat al-Qadaasa), Faith (Al-Eyman), Church of God, Christian Model Church (Al-Mithaal Al-Masihi), Apostolic, Grace (An-Ni’ma), Pentecostal, Apostolic Grace, Church of Christ, Gospel Missionary (Al-Kiraaza bil Ingil), and the Message Church of Holland (Ar-Risaala). There are also followers of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Shia Muslims constitute less than 1 percent of the population. There are also small groups of Quranists and Ahmadi Muslims. The country's Jewish community numbers fewer than 70 persons, mostly senior citizens. There are 1,000 to 1,500 Jehovah's Witnesses and 1,500 to 2,000 Bahá'ís; however, the government does not recognize these groups. Christians reside throughout the country, although the percentage of Christians is higher in Upper Egypt (the southern part of the country) and in some sections of Cairo and Alexandria. Many foreign religious groups, including Roman Catholics and Protestants, have been present in the country for more than a century. These groups are engaged in education, social, and development work. Some foreigners are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), a group the government does not recognize but allows to meet in private residences. In a March 2011 report, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics states 108,395 mosques and 2,869 churches exist in the country. |
| El Salvador | Population 6,190,000, Christian 88.2%, Unaffiliated 11.0%, Folk Religion 0.5%, Other Religion 0.3% | Roman Catholic 57.1%, Protestant 21.2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.9%, Mormon 0.7%, other religions 2.3%, none 16.8% (2003 est.) | Bahá'í 0.4%, Christian 96.5%, Ethnoreligionist 0.6%, Atheist 0.1%, Agnostic 2.3% | According to the National Directorate of Census and Statistics of the Ministry of the Economy, the population is approximately 6.2 million. According to a May survey by the Institute of Public Opinion of the University of Central America, 47 percent identifies as Roman Catholic and 33 percent as evangelical. The survey reported 17 percent as having "no religion." There are small numbers of Jehovah's Witnesses, Hare Krishnas, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). A small segment of the population adheres to indigenous religious beliefs. |
| Equatorial Guinea | Population 700,000, Christian 88.7%, Muslim 4.0%, Unaffiliated 5.0%, Folk Religion 1.7%, Other Religion 0.5% | nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan practices | Bahá'í 0.5%, Christian 88.7%, Ethnoreligionist 1.7%, Muslim 4.0%, Atheist 1.8%, Agnostic 3.2% | According to a 2009 UN estimate, the population is 676,000. An estimated 93 percent is Christian, of which 87 percent is Roman Catholic and 6 percent belongs to Protestant and independent denominations. Many Catholics reportedly adhere to some aspects of traditional beliefs as well. Five percent of the population adheres exclusively to indigenous religious beliefs. Muslims, Bahá'ís, and members of other religious groups each constitute less than 1 percent of the population. The number of Muslims is increasing due to the growing number of West African and Middle Eastern immigrants. |
| Eritrea | Population 5,250,000, Christian 62.9%, Muslim 36.6%, Unaffiliated 0.1%, Folk Religion 0.4% | Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant | Christian 47.9%, Ethnoreligionist 0.6%, Muslim 50.1%, Agnostic 1.3% | A 2012 UN study estimates the population at 5.6 million. Other observers report the population is lower due to emigration. There are no reliable statistics on religious affiliation. The government reports that 50 percent of the population is Christian and 50 percent Sunni Muslim. According to a 2010 international nongovernmental organization (NGO) estimate, the population is 63 percent Christian and 36 percent Muslim. The same NGO asserts that Orthodox Christians make up approximately 57 percent of the population, Roman Catholics 4 percent, and Protestants - including the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Baptists, Presbyterians, Jehovah's Witnesses, Pentecostals, and others without international affiliation - 1 percent. It is possible that 2 percent of the population is animist. There is a small Bahá'í community. Numbers of Muslims and Protestants reportedly have increased over the past 10 years.
The population is predominantly Muslim in the eastern and western lowlands and mainly Christian in the central highlands. There are high levels of participation among all religious groups. |
| Estonia | Population 1,340,000, Christian 39.9%, Muslim 0.2%, Unaffiliated 59.6%, Jewish 0.1% | Lutheran 9.9%, Orthodox 16.2%, other Christian (including Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal) 2.2%, other 0.9%, none 54.1%, unspecified 16.7% (2011 est.) | Christian 43.9%, Jewish 0.1%, Muslim 0.3%, Atheist 4.7%, Agnostic 50.9% | According to current government statistics, the population is 1.3 million. Approximately 14 percent of the population is Evangelical Lutheran and 15 percent belongs to one of the two Orthodox Churches: the Estonian Orthodox Church, subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate (EOCMP), and the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church (EAOC). Other Christian groups, including Methodists, Seventh-day Adventists, Roman Catholics, and Pentecostals, constitute 1.4 percent of the population. Members of the Russian Old Believers live primarily along the west bank of Lake Peipsi in the east. There are also small Jewish and Muslim communities. Thirty-four percent of the population is unaffiliated; 32 percent, unspecified or other; and 6 percent do not identify with any religion. Most religious adherents among the Russian-speaking population are Orthodox and reside mainly in the capital or the northeastern part of the country.
According to the government, there are more than 500 registered religious associations. |
| Ethiopia | Population 82,950,000, Christian 62.8%, Muslim 34.6%, Folk Religion 2.6% | Ethiopian Orthodox 43.5%, Muslim 33.9%, Protestant 18.5%, traditional 2.7%, Catholic 0.7%, other 0.6% (2007 est.) | Christian 59.9%, Ethnoreligionist 6.0%, Muslim 33.9% | The population is 85 million, according to a U.S. government estimate. The 2007 census estimates that 44 percent belong to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC), 34 percent is Sunni Muslim, and 19 percent belong to Christian evangelical and Pentecostal groups. The EOC is predominant in the northern regions of Tigray and Amhara and also present in Oromia. Islam is most prevalent in the Afar, Oromia, and Somali regions. Established Protestant churches are strongest in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR), Gambella, and parts of Oromia.
There are small numbers of Eastern Rite and Roman Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and adherents of indigenous religions. |
| European Union | Roman Catholic 48%, Protestant 12%, Orthodox 8%, other Christian 4%, Muslim 2%, other 1% (includes Jewish, Sikh, Buddhist, Hindu), atheist 7%, non-believer/agnostic 16%, unspecified 2% (2012 est.) | |||
| Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) | Population < 10,000, Christian 67.2%, Muslim 0.3%, Unaffiliated 31.5%, Buddhist 0.2%, Other Religion 0.8% | Christian 66%, none 32%, other 2% (2012 est.) | Bahá'í 2.9%, Buddhist 0.2%, Christian 83.0%, Neoreligionists 1.8%, Atheist 1.0%, Agnostic 11.1% | |
| Faroe Islands | Population 50,000, Christian 98.0%, Unaffiliated 1.7%, Other Religion 0.3% | Evangelical Lutheran 83.8%, other and unspecified 16.2% (2006 census) | Bahá'í 0.3%, Christian 98.0%, Agnostic 1.7% | |
| Fiji | Population 860,000, Christian 64.4%, Muslim 6.3%, Unaffiliated 0.8%, Hindu 27.9%, Other Religion 0.5% | Protestant 45% (Methodist 34.6%, Assembly of God 5.7%, Seventh Day Adventist 3.9%, and Anglican 0.8%), Hindu 27.9%, other Christian 10.4%, Roman Catholic 9.1%, Muslim 6.3%, Sikh 0.3%, other 0.3%, none 0.8% (2007 est.) | Bahá'í 0.3%, Chinese Universalist 0.1%, Christian 63.9%, Hindu 27.7%, Jain 0.2%, Muslim 6.2%, Sikh 0.5%, Agnostic 1.0% | The government's official 2007 census estimated the population to be 837,300. Approximately 64 percent of the population is Christian, 28 percent Hindu, and 6 percent Muslim. The largest Christian denomination is the Methodist Church, which claims approximately 290,000 members, more than one-third of the population. Other Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church also have significant followings. The majority of the country's chiefs support the Methodist Church, and it remains influential in the ethnic Fijian community, particularly in rural areas. There are also a small number of active nondenominational Christian groups and small but active communities of Bahá'ís and Sikhs.
Religious affiliation runs largely along ethnic lines. Most indigenous Fijians, who constitute 57 percent of the population, are Christian. Most Indo-Fijians, who account for 37 percent, are Hindu, while roughly 20 percent of the Indo-Fijians are Muslim and 6 percent are Christian. Approximately 60 percent of the small Chinese community is Christian. The very small western community is predominantly Christian. |
| Finland | Population 5,360,000, Christian 81.6%, Muslim 0.8%, Unaffiliated 17.6% | Lutheran 78.4%, Orthodox 1.1%, other Christian 1.1%, other 0.2%, none 19.2% (2010 est.) | Christian 80.8%, Muslim 0.5%, Atheist 2.0%, Agnostic 16.5% | According to Statistics Finland, the population is 5.4 million. Approximately 77 percent belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELC) and 1 percent to the Orthodox Church. Other religious groups, each accounting for less than 1 percent of the population, include Jehovah's Witnesses, Roman Catholics, Muslims, Pentecostals, Seventh-day Adventists, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Jews, and members of the Free Church of Finland.
There are approximately 50,000-60,000 Muslims, more than a 100 percent increase since 1999, primarily due to immigration and high birth rates. An estimated 75 percent are Sunni and 25 percent are Shiite. The largest Muslim group is ethnic Somali; there are also communities of North Africans, Bosnians, Arabs, Tartars, Turks, and Iraqis. The government statistics agency reported in 2011 that the number of persons with no religious affiliation is over one million. An estimated 19 percent of the population either does not belong to any religious group or practices religion "in private," including nonregistered Pentecostal worshippers and Muslims. |
| France | Population 62,790,000, Christian 63.0%, Muslim 7.5%, Unaffiliated 28.0%, Buddhist 0.5%, Folk Religion 0.3%, Other Religion 0.2%, Jewish 0.5% | Christian (overwhelmingly Roman Catholic) 63-66%, Muslim 7-9%, Jewish .5-.75%, Buddhist .5-.75%, other .5-1.0%, none 23-28%
note: France maintains a tradition of secularism and has not officially collected data on religious affiliation since the 1872 national census, which complicates assessments of France's religious composition; an 1872 law prohibiting state authorities from collecting data on individuals' ethnicity or religious beliefs was reaffirmed by a 1978 law emphasizing the prohibition of the collection or exploitation of personal data revealing an individual's race, ethnicity, or political, philosophical, or religious opinions; a 1905 law codified France's separation of Church and State (2015 est.) |
Buddhist 0.8%, Chinese Universalist 0.4%, Christian 65.9%, Ethnoreligionist 0.2%, Jewish 0.8%, Muslim 8.6%, Neoreligionists 0.3%, Atheist 4.2%, Agnostic 18.9% | The population is approximately 64 million, according to the 2010 national census conducted by the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE). The government does not keep statistics on religious affiliation. According to a poll published in Le Parisien in 2011, 36 percent of the population believes in God, 34 percent does not, and 30 percent is uncertain.
The Catholic daily La Croix found that 64 percent of the population identifies itself as Roman Catholic, 6 percent of whom classify themselves as observant. The Interior Ministry estimates that 8 to 10 percent of the population is Muslim, 25 percent of whom attend Friday prayers. The Muslim population primarily consists of immigrants from former French North African and sub-Saharan colonies and their descendants. All other religious groups combined constitute less than 7 percent of the population. Le Parisien estimates that there are 1.6 million Protestants, 500,000 of whom are evangelical. Many evangelical churches are African-style "prosperity" churches composed primarily of African and Antillean immigrants. The Buddhist Union estimates there are one million Buddhist sympathizers and practitioners. The Buddhist population mainly consists of Chinese and Vietnamese immigrants and their descendants. The Jewish community numbers approximately 600,000, of whom 40 percent are highly observant, according to press reports. The Jewish community is approximately 70 percent Sephardic and 30 percent Ashkenazi Jews. The Jehovah's Witnesses estimate they have approximately 120,000 members. Orthodox Christians number between 80,000 and 100,000; most are associated with the Greek or Russian Orthodox churches. The Church of Scientology estimates 50,000 members. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) estimates its membership at 36,000 in metropolitan France and 22,000 in French overseas departments and territories, 30 percent of whom are observant. According to the press, there are between 7,000 and 15,000 Sikhs. |
| French Guiana | Population 230,000, Christian 84.4%, Muslim 0.9%, Unaffiliated 3.4%, Hindu 1.6%, Folk Religion 9.1%, Other Religion 0.5% | Bahá'í 0.4%, Chinese Universalist 3.6%, Christian 84.4%, Ethnoreligionist 2.2%, Hindu 1.6%, Muslim 0.9%, Spiritist 3.3%, Neoreligionists 0.1%, Atheist 0.5%, Agnostic 2.9% | ||
| French Polynesia | Population 270,000, Christian 94.0%, Unaffiliated 4.9%, Folk Religion 0.5%, Other Religion 0.4% | Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 10%, no religion 6% | Bahá'í 0.2%, Chinese Universalist 0.4%, Christian 94.0%, Neoreligionists 0.2%, Atheist 0.5%, Agnostic 4.4% | |
| Gabon | Population 1,510,000, Christian 76.5%, Muslim 11.2%, Unaffiliated 5.6%, Folk Religion 6.0%, Other Religion 0.7% | Christian 55%-75%, animist, Muslim less than 1% | Christian 84.5%, Ethnoreligionist 3.2%, Muslim 10.2%, Neoreligionists 0.6%, Agnostic 1.4% | A 2011 World Bank report estimates the population to be 1.5 million. Approximately 70 percent is Christian. From 10 to 15 percent is Muslim, of whom 80 to 90 percent are foreigners. Ten percent practices animism exclusively and 5 percent does not identify with any religion. Many persons practice a syncretistic religious belief that combines elements of Christianity, traditional religious beliefs, Voudon (Voodoo), or animism. |
| Gambia, The | Population 1,730,000, Christian 4.5%, Muslim 95.1%, Folk Religion 0.1% | Muslim 90%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 2% | Bahá'í 0.8%, Christian 4.3%, Ethnoreligionist 5.5%, Muslim 88.7%, Agnostic 0.6% | The Bureau of Statistics estimates the population to be 1.74 million. Sunni Muslims constitute more than 90 percent of the population. The majority is Malikite Sufi and the main orders represented are Tijaniyah, Qadiriyah, and Muridiyah. Small numbers of immigrants from South Asia are Shafi’i Sunnis. Sufi orders pray together at common mosques. There are also small numbers of non-Sufi Muslims, including members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community.
An estimated 9 percent of the population is Christian. Most Christians are Roman Catholic. There are also Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and a number of evangelical groups. Less than 1 percent of the population is Bahá'í or practices indigenous animist religious beliefs. There is a small community of Hindus among South Asian immigrants and business persons. |
| Georgia | Population 4,350,000, Christian 88.5%, Muslim 10.7%, Unaffiliated 0.7% | Orthodox Christian (official) 83.9%, Muslim 9.9%, Armenian-Gregorian 3.9%, Catholic 0.8%, other 0.8%, none 0.7% (2002 census) | Christian 85.1%, Jewish 0.3%, Muslim 10.5%, Atheist 0.5%, Agnostic 3.6% | The National Statistics Office estimates the population at 4.5 million. According to the 2002 census, Orthodox Christians constitute 84 percent of the population, followed by Muslims at 10 percent and members of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) at 4 percent.
There is a strong correlation among ethnicity, religious affiliation, and region of residence. Most ethnic Georgians are affiliated with the GOC. A small number of mostly ethnic Russians are members of several Orthodox groups not affiliated with the GOC, including the Molokani, Staroveriy (Old Believers), and Dukhoboriy (Spirit Wrestlers). Ethnic Azeris, who are predominantly Muslim, form the majority of the population in the southeastern region of Kvemo-Kartli. Other Muslim groups include ethnic Georgian Muslims in Ajara and Chechen Kists in the northeast. Ethnic Armenians belong primarily to the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) and constitute the majority of the population in the southern Samtskhe-Javakheti region. Roman Catholics, Kurdish Yezidis, Greek Orthodox, and Jews together make up less than 5 percent of the population. "Nontraditional" religious groups such as Baptists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Pentecostals, and Hare Krishnas are growing in number, but together constitute less than 1 percent of the population. |
| Germany | Population 82,300,000, Christian 68.7%, Muslim 5.8%, Unaffiliated 24.7%, Buddhist 0.3%, Other Religion 0.1%, Jewish 0.3% | Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or other 28.3% | Buddhist 0.1%, Christian 70.1%, Hindu 0.1%, Jewish 0.1%, Muslim 4.7%, Atheist 2.5%, Agnostic 22.2% | According to a 2011 Federal Statistics Office estimate, the population is 81.8 million. There are no official statistics on religious groups. Unofficial estimates and figures provided by religious groups indicate the Roman Catholic Church has approximately 25 million members and the Protestant Church (a confederation of the Lutheran, Uniate, and Reformed Protestant denominations) has approximately 24 million members. Together, the two groups account for more than 60 percent of the population. Other Protestant denominations that together account for less than 1 percent of the population include the New Apostolic Church, Baptist communities (Evangelical Christian Baptists, International Baptist Convention, Reformed Baptists, Bible Baptists, and others), and evangelical nondenominational Baptists.
There are approximately 4 million Muslims, including 2.9 million Sunnis, 500,000 Alevis, and 280,000 Shia, together making up 5 percent of the population. Orthodox Christians number approximately 1.4 million. Smaller religious groups include Buddhists, Hindus, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the COS. The Jewish community numbers approximately 200,000. Roughly 28 million persons (33 percent of the population) either have no religious affiliation or are members of unrecorded religious groups. |
| Ghana | Population 24,390,000, Christian 74.9%, Muslim 15.8%, Unaffiliated 4.2%, Folk Religion 4.9%, Other Religion 0.2% | Christian 71.2% (Pentecostal/Charismatic 28.3%, Protestant 18.4%, Catholic 13.1%, other 11.4%), Muslim 17.6%, traditional 5.2%, other 0.8%, none 5.2% (2010 est.) | Christian 64.0%, Ethnoreligionist 15.7%, Muslim 19.9%, Neoreligionists 0.1%, Agnostic 0.3% | The population is 24.6 million, according to the 2010 census. Approximately 71 percent is Christian, 18 percent is Muslim, 5 percent adheres to indigenous religious beliefs, and 6 percent identifies as belonging to other religious groups or has no religious beliefs. Other religious groups include the Bahá'í Faith, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, Shintoism, Eckankar, and Rastafarianism.
Christian denominations include Roman Catholic, Methodist, Anglican, Mennonite, Evangelical Presbyterian, African Methodist Episcopal Zionist, Christian Methodist, Evangelical Lutheran, F’eden, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon), Seventh-day Adventist Church, Pentecostal, Baptist, African independent churches, the Society of Friends (Quaker), and numerous charismatic religious groups. Islamic traditions include Orthodox Sunni, Ahmadi, the Tijani and Qadiriyya orders of Sufism, and a small number of Shia. Many individuals who are nominally Christian or Muslim also adhere to some aspects of traditional beliefs. There are also syncretistic groups combining elements of Christianity and Islam with traditional beliefs. Zetahil, a practice unique to the country, combines elements of Christianity and Islam. There is no significant link between ethnicity and religion, but geography is often associated with religious identity. The majority of Muslims reside in northern areas and in the urban centers of Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi, Tamale, and Wa, while the majority of the followers of traditional religious beliefs resides in rural areas. Christians live throughout the country. |
| Gibraltar | Population 30,000, Christian 88.8%, Muslim 4.0%, Unaffiliated 2.9%, Hindu 1.8%, Other Religion 0.3%, Jewish 2.1% | Roman Catholic 78.1%, Church of England 7%, other Christian 3.2%, Muslim 4%, Jewish 2.1%, Hindu 1.8%, other or unspecified 0.9%, none 2.9% (2001 census) | Bahá'í 0.3%, Christian 88.3%, Hindu 1.8%, Jewish 2.0%, Muslim 4.9%, Atheist 0.3%, Agnostic 2.5% | |
| Greece | Population 11,360,000, Christian 88.1%, Muslim 5.3%, Unaffiliated 6.1%, Hindu 0.1%, Folk Religion 0.1% | Greek Orthodox (official) 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7% | Christian 91.8%, Hindu 0.1%, Muslim 4.2%, Atheist 0.3%, Agnostic 3.2% | The National Statistics Service estimates the population at 9.9 million. The government does not keep statistics on religious groups. The U.S. government estimates that 98 percent of the population self-identifies as Greek Orthodox. The Autocephalous Church of Greece has jurisdiction over central Greece, the Peloponnese, and Ionian and Cycladic islands, while Crete and the Aegean islands are under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Thrace, Macedonia, and Epirus are under the spiritual guidance of the Ecumenical Patriarchate but administratively under the Church of Greece.
The 1923 Treaty of Lausanne created an officially recognized "Muslim minority," estimated at 140,000 to 150,000 (approximately 1.3 percent of the total population) residing in Thrace. Additionally, NGOs estimate that between 500,000 and 700,000 Muslims from Albania, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Syria, and North Africa reside in the region of Attica, which encompasses Athens. Other religious groups include Roman Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Old Calendarist Orthodox, Jehovah's Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Scientologists, Bahá'ís, Hare Krishnas, and members of polytheistic Hellenic religions. |
| Greenland | Population 60,000, Christian 96.1%, Unaffiliated 2.5%, Folk Religion 0.8%, Other Religion 0.6% | Evangelical Lutheran, traditional Inuit spiritual beliefs | Bahá'í 0.6%, Christian 96.1%, Ethnoreligionist 0.8%, Atheist 0.2%, Agnostic 2.3% | |
| Grenada | Population 100,000, Christian 96.6%, Muslim 0.3%, Unaffiliated 1.0%, Hindu 0.7%, Folk Religion 1.3%, Other Religion 0.2% | Roman Catholic 44.6%, Protestant 43.5% (includes Anglican 11.5%, Pentecostal 11.3%, Seventh Day Adventist 10.5%, Baptist 2.9%, Church of God 2.6%, Methodist 1.8%, Evangelical 1.6%, other 1.3%), Jehovah's Witness 1.1%, Rastafarian 1.1%, other 6.2%, none 3.6% | Bahá'í 0.1%, Christian 96.6%, Hindu 0.7%, Muslim 0.3%, Spiritist 1.3%, Agnostic 0.9% | The 2011 census reports the population to be approximately 103,000. According to the 2001 census, the last census for which religious affiliation data is available, 44 percent is Roman Catholic, 12 percent Anglican, 11 percent Pentecostal, and 11 percent Seventh-day Adventist. Religious groups whose adherents number at least 2 percent of the population include Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, and members of the Church of God and evangelical groups. Smaller groups include Jehovah's Witnesses, Brethren, Bahá'ís, Hindus, Moravians, Muslims, Rastafarians, Mennonites, and members of the Salvation Army and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Approximately 4 percent describe themselves as nonbelievers. There are two mosques. There is no organized Jewish community. Saint George's University hosts Christian, Jewish, and Muslim student organizations; the government does not count its 3,700 foreign students in the census data. |
| Guadeloupe | Population 460,000, Christian 95.9%, Muslim 0.4%, Unaffiliated 2.5%, Hindu 0.5%, Folk Religion 0.4%, Other Religion 0.4% | Bahá'í 0.4%, Christian 95.9%, Hindu 0.5%, Muslim 0.4%, Spiritist 0.4%, Atheist 0.6%, Agnostic 1.9% | ||
| Guam | Population 180,000, Christian 94.2%, Unaffiliated 1.7%, Buddhist 1.1%, Folk Religion 1.5%, Other Religion 1.6% | Roman Catholic 85%, other 15% (1999 est.) | Bahá'í 1.2%, Buddhist 1.1%, Chinese Universalist 1.1%, Christian 94.2%, Ethnoreligionist 0.4%, Neoreligionists 0.4%, Agnostic 1.6% | |
| Guatemala | Population 14,390,000, Christian 95.2%, Unaffiliated 4.1%, Folk Religion 0.6% | Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs | Bahá'í 0.1%, Christian 97.4%, Ethnoreligionist 0.8%, Spiritist 0.2%, Atheist 0.4%, Agnostic 0.9% | The population is approximately 14 million, according to a U.S. government source. There is no official census of religious affiliation. The Roman Catholic Episcopal Conference of Guatemala estimates 65 to 70 percent of the population is Catholic. The Evangelical Alliance, the official umbrella organization for Protestant groups, estimates that 43 percent is Protestant. The largest Protestant group is the Full Gospel Church, followed by the Assemblies of God, the Central American Church, and the Prince of Peace Church. There are many independent evangelical groups. Other religious groups include Baptists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Seventh-day Adventists, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon), Russian Orthodox, and Jehovah's Witnesses. Approximately 2,000 Jews and a small Muslim population reside primarily in Guatemala City.
Catholics and Protestants are present throughout the country, and their adherents are found among all major ethnic groups and political parties. According to leaders of Mayan spiritual organizations and Catholic and Protestant missionaries, many indigenous Catholics and some Protestants also practice some form of indigenous spiritual ritual. |
| Guinea | Population 9,980,000, Christian 10.9%, Muslim 84.4%, Unaffiliated 1.8%, Folk Religion 2.7% | Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7% | Christian 3.7%, Ethnoreligionist 11.3%, Muslim 84.8%, Agnostic 0.1% | The population is 10.9 million, according to a U.S. government source. Approximately 85 percent of the population is Muslim, 8 percent is Christian, and 7 percent adheres to indigenous religious beliefs. Much of the population incorporates some indigenous rituals into their religious practices. Muslims are generally Sunni, although the population of Shias is increasing. Christian groups include Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Baptists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventists, and several evangelical groups. There is a small Bahá'í community. There are also small numbers of Hindus, Buddhists, and adherents of traditional Chinese religious beliefs among foreign residents.
Muslims constitute a majority in all four major regions. Christians are most numerous in Conakry, large cities, the south, and the eastern Forest Region. Indigenous religious beliefs are most prevalent in the Forest Region. Participation in formal religious services and rituals is high as a result of the close ties between cultural rituals and religious practices. |
| Guinea-Bissau | Population 1,520,000, Christian 19.7%, Muslim 45.1%, Unaffiliated 4.3%, Folk Religion 30.9% | Muslim 45.1%, Christian 22.1%, animist 14.9%, none 2%, unspecified 15.9% (2008 est.) | Christian 12.2%, Ethnoreligionist 42.0%, Muslim 44.5%, Agnostic 1.2% | The World Bank estimates the population is 1.5 million. Approximately 50 percent follows indigenous religious practices. Forty percent is Muslim, and 10 percent is Christian.
The Fula (Peuhl or Fulani) and Mandinka ethnic groups are the most numerous followers of Islam. Muslims generally live in the north and northeast, and most Muslims are Sunni. Adherents of indigenous religious beliefs generally live in all but the northern parts of the country. The Christian population, including Roman Catholics and Protestants, is concentrated in Bissau and other large towns. |
| Guyana | Population 750,000, Christian 66.0%, Muslim 6.4%, Unaffiliated 2.0%, Hindu 24.9%, Folk Religion 0.2%, Other Religion 0.6% | Protestant 30.5% (Pentecostal 16.9%, Anglican 6.9%, Seventh Day Adventist 5%, Methodist 1.7%), Hindu 28.4%, Roman Catholic 8.1%, Muslim 7.2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1%, other Christian 17.7%, other 1.9%, none 4.3%, unspecified 0.9% (2002 est.) | Bahá'í 1.6%, Buddhist 0.2%, Chinese Universalist 0.3%, Christian 54.8%, Ethnoreligionist 2.4%, Hindu 30.1%, Muslim 7.5%, Spiritist 1.0%, Atheist 0.6%, Agnostic 1.6% | According to the 2002 census, the population is approximately 751,000. An estimated 57 percent is Christian, 28 percent Hindu, 7 percent Muslim (mainly Sunni), and 2 percent adheres to other religious beliefs. Of Christian groups, 17 percent are Pentecostal, 8 percent Roman Catholic, 7 percent Anglican, 5 percent Seventh-day Adventist, and 20 percent are other or unaffiliated groups. There are small numbers of Rastafarians and Bahá'ís. An estimated 4 percent of the population does not profess any religion. Some religious groups assert greater numbers of members than reported in the 2002 census.
The country is ethnically diverse, reflecting East Indian, African, Chinese, and European ancestry, as well as a sizeable indigenous population. The membership of most religious groups includes a cross section of ethnic groups, although most Hindus are Indo-Guyanese and nearly all Rastafarians are Afro-Guyanese. |
| Haiti | Population 9,990,000, Christian 86.9%, Unaffiliated 10.6%, Folk Religion 2.2%, Other Religion 0.3% | Roman Catholic (official) 54.7%, Protestant 28.5% (Baptist 15.4%, Pentecostal 7.9%, Adventist 3%, Methodist 1.5%, other .7%), voodoo (official) 2.1%, other 4.6%, none 10.2%
note: many Haitians practice elements of voodoo in addition to another religion, most often Roman Catholicism; voodoo was recognized as an official religion in 2003. |
Bahá'í 0.2%, Christian 94.3%, Spiritist 2.7%, Agnostic 2.6% | According to a 2012 U.S. government estimate, the population is 9.8 million. Approximately 80 percent is Roman Catholic, 10 percent Baptist, 4 percent Pentecostal, 1 percent Seventh-day Adventist, and 1 percent other Protestant denominations. Other religious groups present in small numbers include Episcopalians, Jehovah's Witnesses, Methodists, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Muslims, Scientologists, and practitioners of Vodou (Voodoo). The leader of a prominent multidenominational group reports half the population practices some form of Vodou, often blended with elements of other religions, usually Catholicism. The press reports a growing number of Muslims since the 2010 earthquake, citing an estimate of 2,000 to 10,000 Muslims. There are fewer than 50 Jews. |
| Honduras | Population 7,600,000, Christian 87.6%, Muslim 0.1%, Unaffiliated 10.5%, Buddhist 0.1%, Folk Religion 1.1%, Other Religion 0.6% | Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant 3% | Bahá'í 0.5%, Christian 95.8%, Ethnoreligionist 0.6%, Muslim 0.1%, Spiritist 0.9%, Atheist 0.2%, Agnostic 1.8% | The population is approximately 8.3 million, according to a U.S. government source. There are no reliable government statistics on religious affiliation. A 2007 survey by a Latin American market research and public opinion company reports 47 percent of respondents identify as Roman Catholic and 36 percent as evangelical Protestant. The principal religious groups are Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mennonite, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and evangelical Protestant. The most prominent evangelical churches include the Abundant Life, Living Love, and Great Commission churches. A growing number of evangelical churches have no denominational affiliation. The Evangelical Confederation of Honduras represents the evangelical leadership. There are approximately 2,000 Muslims and 1,000 Jews. San Pedro Sula has a mosque and a synagogue, and Tegucigalpa has a synagogue. |
| Hong Kong | Population 7,050,000, Christian 14.3%, Muslim 1.8%, Unaffiliated 56.1%, Hindu 0.4%, Buddhist 13.2%, Folk Religion 12.8%, Other Religion 1.5% | eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10% | Buddhist 15.2%, Chinese Universalist 45.9%, Christian 13.6%, Hindu 0.2%, Muslim 1.3%, Neoreligionists 2.6%, Atheist 2.4%, Agnostic 18.7% | According to the Census and Statistics Department, the population is 7 million. Information Services Department data note that approximately 43 percent of the population practice some form of religion. The two most prevalent religions are Buddhism and Taoism, often observed in the same temple. There are approximately 1.5 million Buddhists and Taoists, 480,000 Protestants, 363,000 Roman Catholics, 20,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), 220,000 Muslims, 40,000 Hindus, 10,000 Sikhs, and 5,000-6,000 Jews. Confucianism is also prevalent, although few believers practice Confucianism as a formal religion. There are between 300 and 500 practitioners of Falun Gong, a self-described spiritual discipline.
There are approximately 600 Taoist and Buddhist temples (including temples affiliated with Tibetan Buddhist schools), 800 Christian churches and chapels, five mosques, seven synagogues, one Hindu temple, and one Sikh temple. There are approximately 1,400 Protestant congregations, representing 50 denominations, including Baptists, Lutherans, Seventh-day Adventists, Anglicans, Christian and Missionary Alliance groups, the Church of Christ in China, Methodists, and Pentecostals. The Hong Kong Catholic Diocese recognizes the Pope. A bishop, priests, monks, and nuns serve Catholics and maintain links to the Vatican. |
| Hungary | Population 9,980,000, Christian 81.0%, Unaffiliated 18.6%, Jewish 0.1% | Roman Catholic 37.2%, Calvinist 11.6%, Lutheran 2.2%, Greek Catholic 1.8%, other 1.9%, none 18.2%, unspecified 27.2% (2011 est.) | Christian 86.7%, Jewish 0.9%, Muslim 0.2%, Atheist 4.4%, Agnostic 7.7% | According to the 2011 national census, the population is approximately 9.9 million. The government does not collect official data on religious affiliation. However, the 2011 national census included an optional question on religious affiliation; responses indicate the population is 37.1 percent Roman Catholic, 11.6 percent Hungarian Reformed Church (Calvinist), 2.2 percent Lutheran, and less than 1 percent Jewish. These four groups are considered the country's "historic" religions. Among the respondents, 16.7 percent indicate no religious affiliation and 1.5 percent indicate atheist; 27.2 percent offer no response. Religious groups constituting less than 5 percent of the population include Greek Catholics, the Faith Congregation (a Pentecostal group), Orthodox Christian groups, other Christian denominations, Buddhists, and Muslims. |
| Iceland | Population 320,000, Christian 95.0%, Muslim 0.2%, Unaffiliated 3.5%, Hindu 0.3%, Buddhist 0.4%, Folk Religion 0.5%, Other Religion 0.2% | Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland (official) 73.8%, Roman Catholic 3.6%, Reykjavik Free Church 2.9%, Hafnarfjorour Free Church 2%, The Independent Congregation 1%, other religions 3.9% (includes Pentecostal and Asatru Association), none 5.6%, other or unspecified 7.2% (2015 est.) | Bahá'í 0.2%, Buddhist 0.2%, Christian 94.7%, Hindu 0.3%, Muslim 0.2%, Spiritist 0.5%, Atheist 0.4%, Agnostic 3.4% | The National Statistical Bureau of Iceland estimates the population is 319,600. Approximately 77 percent of the population belongs to the ELC. By year's end, 1,478 individuals had resigned from the church, while the church registered 322 new individuals other than infants. Many of those who resigned joined one of the organizationally and financially independent Lutheran Free Churches, representing 5.7 percent of the population. Although most citizens observe traditional Lutheran rituals for such events as baptisms, confirmations, weddings, and funerals, most do not regularly attend Sunday services.
Approximately 6.7 percent of the population belongs to 35 small recognized and registered religious groups. The largest is the Roman Catholic Church with10,455 members. Approximately 5.8 percent belongs to other or unspecified religious groups and 4.9 percent does not belong any religious group. Muslim sources estimate there are 1,000 to 1,500 Muslims. There are fewer than 100 Jews. Foreigners constitute an estimated 80 percent of the Roman Catholic population, mostly from other European countries and the Philippines. |
| India | Population 1,224,610,000, Christian 2.5%, Muslim 14.4%, Hindu 79.5%, Buddhist 0.8%, Folk Religion 0.5%, Other Religion 2.3% | Hindu 79.8%, Muslim 14.2%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.7%, other and unspecified 2% (2011 est.) | Bahá'í 0.2%, Buddhist 0.7%, Christian 4.7%, Ethnoreligionist 3.7%, Hindu 73.0%, Jain 0.4%, Muslim 14.2%, Sikh 1.8%, Atheist 0.2%, Agnostic 1.2% | According to the 2011 census, the total population is 1.21 billion. According to the 2001 census, the latest year for which disaggregated figures have been released, Hindus constitute 80.5 percent of the population, Muslims 13.4 percent, Christians 2.3 percent, and Sikhs 1.9 percent. Groups that together constitute less than 1 percent of the population include Buddhists, Jains, Parsis (Zoroastrians), Jews, and Bahá'ís. So-called "tribal" groups, which are indigenous groups historically outside the caste system and generally included among Hindus in government statistics, often practice traditional indigenous religious beliefs (animism).
There are large Muslim populations in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala; Muslims constitute the majority in the states of Jammu and Kashmir. Although Muslims are a minority nationally, the country has the world's third-largest Muslim population based on the 2001 census. Slightly more than 85 percent of Muslims are Sunni; most of the rest are Shia. Christian populations are found across the country but in greater concentrations in the northeast, as well as in the southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Goa. Three small northeastern states (Nagaland, Mizoram, and Meghalaya) have large Christian majorities. Sikhs constitute the majority in the state of Punjab. |
| Indonesia | Population 239,870,000, Christian 9.9%, Muslim 87.2%, Hindu 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Folk Religion 0.3%, Other Religion 0.1% | Muslim 87.2%, Christian 7%, Roman Catholic 2.9%, Hindu 1.7%, other 0.9% (includes Buddhist and Confucian), unspecified 0.4% (2010 est.) | Buddhist 0.8%, Chinese Universalist 0.9%, Christian 12.1%, Ethnoreligionist 2.3%, Hindu 1.6%, Muslim 79.1%, Neoreligionists 1.7%, Atheist 0.1%, Agnostic 1.3% | According to the 2010 government census, the most recent available, the population is approximately 237 million. Approximately 87 percent of the population is Muslim, 7 percent Protestant, 3 percent Roman Catholic, and 1.5 percent Hindu. Other religious groups (Buddhism, followers of traditional indigenous religions, Confucianism, other Christian denominations, and those who did not respond to the census question) comprise approximately 1.25 percent of the population.
The country's Muslim population is overwhelmingly Sunni. Of the more than 207 million Muslims, an estimated one to three million are Shiites. Many smaller Muslim groups exist, including approximately 200,000-400,000 members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. An estimated 20 million people, primarily in Java, Kalimantan, and Papua, practice various traditional belief systems, often referred to collectively as "Aliran Kepercayaan." There are approximately 400 different Aliran Kepercayaan communities throughout the archipelago. Many combine their beliefs with one of the government-recognized religions and register under that recognized religion. The country has a small Sikh population, estimated at between 10,000 and 15,000, residing primarily in Medan and Jakarta. There are small Jewish communities in Jakarta, Manado, and Surabaya. The Bahá'í community reports thousands of members, but no reliable figures are available. Falun Dafa (or Falun Gong), which considers itself a spiritual organization rather than a religion, claims several thousand followers, but specific numbers are unavailable. The number of atheists is also unknown, but the group Indonesian Atheists claims to have more than 500 members. Sunni Islam is the majority religion throughout most of the country. Notable exceptions include the province of Bali, which is predominantly Hindu, and the provinces of Papua, West Papua, East Nusa Tenggara, and North Sulawesi, which are predominantly Protestant Christian. |
| Iran | Population 73,970,000, Christian 0.2%, Muslim 99.5%, Unaffiliated 0.1%, Other Religion 0.2% | Muslim (official) 99.4% (Shia 90-95%, Sunni 5-10%), other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, and Christian) 0.3%, unspecified 0.4% (2011 est.) | Bahá'í 0.3%, Christian 0.4%, Muslim 98.8%, Agnostic 0.3% | According to the Statistical Center of Iran's 2011 National Population and Housing Census, the population is 75.2 million. Muslims constitute 99 percent of the population; 90 percent are Shia and 9 percent are Sunni (mostly Turkmen, Arabs, Baluchs, and Kurds living in the southwest, southeast, and northwest, respectively). There are no official statistics available on the size of the Sufi Muslim population; however, some reports estimate between two and five million people practice Sufism.
Groups together constituting the remaining 1 percent of the population include Bahá'ís, Christians, Jews, Sabean-Mandaeans, and Zoroastrians. The two largest non-Muslim minorities are Bahá'ís and Christians. The Bahá'ís number approximately 300,000, and are heavily concentrated in Tehran and Semnan. According to UN figures, 300,000 Christians live in the country, though some NGOs estimate there may be as many as 370,000. The Statistical Center of Iran reports there are 117,700. The majority of Christians are ethnic Armenians concentrated in Tehran and Isfahan. Unofficial estimates of the Assyrian Christian population range between 10,000 and 20,000. There are also Protestant denominations, including evangelical groups. Christian groups outside the country estimate the size of the Protestant Christian community to be less than 10,000, although many Protestant Christians reportedly practice in secret. There are from 5,000 to 10,000 Sabean-Mandaeans. The Statistical Center of Iran estimates there are 25,271 Zoroastrians, who are primarily ethnic Persians; however, Zoroastrian groups report they have 60,000 members. |
| Iraq | Population 31,670,000, Christian 0.8%, Muslim 99.0%, Unaffiliated 0.1% | Muslim (official) 99% (Shia 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian 0.8%, unaffiliated .1
note: while there has been voluntary relocation of many Christian families to northern Iraq, recent reporting indicates that the overall Christian population may have dropped by as much as 50 percent since the fall of the Saddam HUSSEIN regime in 2003, with many fleeing to Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon (2010 est.) |
Christian 1.5%, Muslim 97.5%, Neoreligionists 0.2%, Atheist 0.2%, Agnostic 0.5% | According to a July 2012 U.S. government estimate, the population is approximately 31.1 million. Religious demography statistics vary due to violence, internal migration, and governmental tracking capability. Numbers are often estimates from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and community leaders, as the government has not yet taken a census.
According to 2010 government statistics, 97 percent of the population is Muslim. Shia Muslims, predominantly Arabs but including Turkmen, Faili (Shia) Kurds, and others, constitute 60 to 65 percent. Arab and Kurdish Sunni Muslims make up 32 to 37 percent of the population. From 18 to 20 percent are Sunni Kurds, 12 to 16 percent are Sunni Arabs, and the remaining 1 to 2 percent are Sunni Turkmen. Approximately 3 percent of the population is composed of Christians, Yezidis, Sabean-Mandaeans, Bahá'ís, Shabaks, Kakais (sometimes referred to as Ahl-e Haqq), and a very small number of Jews. Shia, although predominantly located in the south and east, are the majority in Baghdad and have communities in most parts of the country. Sunnis form the majority in the west, center, and the north of the country. Christian leaders estimate there are between 400,000 and 850,000 Christians. Approximately two-thirds are Chaldeans (an eastern rite of the Catholic Church), nearly one-fifth are Assyrians (Church of the East), and the remainder are Syriacs (Eastern Orthodox), Armenians (Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox), Anglicans, and other Protestants. Evangelical Christians reportedly number approximately 5,000. Yezidi leaders report that most of 500,000 to 700,000 Yezidis reside in the north, with 15 percent in Dahuk Province and the rest in Ninewa Province. Shabak leaders state there are 200,000 to 500,000 Shabaks, who reside mainly near Mosul in Ninewa Province. Estimates of the size of the Sabean-Mandaean community vary widely; according to Sabean-Mandaean leaders, about 4,000 remain in the country, generally along the Tigris and its tributaries. According to a leader in the Sabean-Mandaean community in Basrah, the Sabean-Mandaean population in Basrah has fallen dramatically over the last decade to an estimated 500-750 people. The Bahá'í leadership report fewer than 2,000 members, spread throughout the country in small groups. The Kakai community around Kirkuk is estimated at 24,500 people. Fewer than 10 Jews reportedly reside in Baghdad, and there are unconfirmed reports that very small Jewish communities exist in other parts of the country. UNHCR reports that 82,260 Iraqi refugees and 218,800 internally displaced persons (IDPs) registered returns in 2012. The Ministry of Migration and Displacement (MOMD) reports that 304 of those returns were minorities. A majority of these refugees originally fled Iraq and sought asylum in Syria and Jordan due to sectarian violence triggered by the 2006 bombing of the Samara shrine. According to UNHCR's 2012 monitoring report, the majority of the Iraqi refugees who sought asylum in Iran were Shia families who had fled Iraq before 2003; those who returned in 2012 mostly settled in Najaf and Karbala. In addition to Iraqi refugees, an estimated 1.1 million people of diverse religious backgrounds remain internally displaced due to sectarian violence between 2006 and 2008. The number of religious minorities internally displaced by violence remains uncertain because many stay with relatives and friends. An international NGO reports that 6,156 Christian families remain internally displaced in the country's northern governorates. The NGO largely attributes the high number to Iraqi Christians fleeing Syria where they had previously found refuge. The NGO attributes the decision of families to resettle in northern Iraq due to the area's relative security compared with elsewhere in the country. Humanitarian organizations working with displaced Christian families note that this vulnerable population is often unable to sell their homes at a reasonable price if they choose to migrate. They also face increasing rental costs in their area of displacement. |
| Ireland | Population 4,470,000, Christian 92.0%, Muslim 1.1%, Unaffiliated 6.2%, Hindu 0.2%, Buddhist 0.2%, Folk Religion 0.2% | Roman Catholic 84.7%, Church of Ireland 2.7%, other Christian 2.7%, Muslim 1.1%, other 1.7%, unspecified 1.5%, none 5.7% (2011 est.) | Chinese Universalist 0.1%, Christian 94.1%, Hindu 0.1%, Muslim 0.7%, Atheist 0.3%, Agnostic 4.5% | According to the 2011 census, the population is 4.6 million. The census indicates the population is approximately 84 percent Catholic (the lowest percentage ever reported), 3 percent Church of Ireland, 1 percent Muslim (a sharp rise over the previous five years), 1 percent Orthodox Christian, 1 percent unspecified Christian, and 6 percent not stating a religious affiliation. There are small numbers of Presbyterians and Jews. Groups of Christians and Muslims from Africa, Muslims from North Africa and the Middle East, Muslims and Hindus from South Asia, and Orthodox Christians continue to grow, especially in larger urban areas. |
| Isle of Man | Population 80,000, Christian 84.1%, Muslim 0.2%, Unaffiliated 15.4%, Hindu 0.2% | Protestant (Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends), Roman Catholic | Christian 84.1%, Hindu 0.2%, Muslim 0.2%, Atheist 2.2%, Agnostic 13.2% | |
| Israel | Population 7,420,000, Christian 2.0%, Muslim 18.6%, Unaffiliated 3.1%, Buddhist 0.3%, Folk Religion 0.2%, Other Religion 0.1%, Jewish 75.6% | Jewish 75%, Muslim 17.5%, Christian 2%, Druze 1.6%, other 3.9% (2013 est.) | Bahá'í 0.2%, Buddhist 0.4%, Chinese Universalist 0.4%, Christian 2.4%, Jewish 72.5%, Muslim 19.3%, Atheist 0.5%, Agnostic 4.3% | According to the 2011 report of the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), the population is 7.9 million (including settlers living in the Occupied Territories), of which approximately 76 percent are Jews, 19 percent are Muslims, 2 percent are Christians, and 1.6 percent are Druze. The remaining 1.4 percent consists of relatively small communities of Bahá'ís, Samaritans, Karaites, Jehovah's Witnesses, and those classified as "other"—mostly persons who identify themselves as Jewish but do not satisfy the Orthodox Jewish definition of "Jewish" the government uses for civil procedures. The majority of non-Jewish citizens are of Arab origin.
According to the CBS report, 9 percent of the Jewish population identifies as Haredi (also known as "ultra-Orthodox"), 10 percent identifies as Orthodox, 15 percent describe themselves as "traditional, religious," 23 percent call themselves "traditional, not so religious," and 43 percent describe themselves as "nonreligious/secular" Jews, most of whom observe some Jewish traditions. Although not differentiated in official statistics, a 2012 Guttman Institute poll shows that approximately 500,000 traditional and secular Jews associate themselves with the beliefs of the Conservative or Reform streams of Judaism. There is also a community of approximately 20,000 Messianic Jews. Religious communities often are concentrated in geographical areas according to religious beliefs. The country continues to undergo demographic changes due to the higher birth rate of the Haredi and Muslim communities. There are approximately 95,000 foreigners permitted to work in the country and an additional 120,000 illegal foreign workers. Foreign workers were members of many different religious groups, including: Protestant, Roman Catholic, Orthodox Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim. |
| Italy | Population 60,550,000, Christian 83.3%, Muslim 3.7%, Unaffiliated 12.4%, Hindu 0.1%, Buddhist 0.2%, Folk Religion 0.1% | Christian 80% (overwhelmingly Roman Catholic with very small groups of Jehovah's Witnesses and Protestants), Muslim (about 800,000 to 1 million), Atheist and Agnostic 20% | Christian 80.7%, Hindu 0.1%, Muslim 2.5%, Atheist 3.6%, Agnostic 12.9% | According to a 2011 national statistics institute estimate, the population is 60.63 million. A 2009 report estimates 87 percent of native-born citizens are Roman Catholic, but a 2010 report by the independent research institute Eurispes estimates that only 24 percent regularly participate in Catholic worship services. Religious groups accounting for less than 5 percent of the population include non-Catholic Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Bahá'ís, and Buddhists. Non-Catholic Christian groups include Orthodox, Jehovah's Witnesses, Assemblies of God, the Confederation of Methodist and Waldensian Churches, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and a number of small Protestant groups.
The number of Muslims continues to grow with immigration from North Africa, South Asia, Albania, and the Middle East. Most Muslims live in the northern part of the country. According to the research branch of the Caritas nongovernmental organization (NGO), of an estimated five million resident foreigners, 1.6 million are Muslim, 1.5 million Orthodox, one million Catholic, and 0.2 million Protestant. The Jewish community is estimated to be 30,000. |
| Ivory Coast | Population 19,740,000, Christian 44.1%, Muslim 37.5%, Unaffiliated 8.0%, Folk Religion 10.2%, Other Religion 0.2% | Muslim 38.6%, Christian 32.8%, indigenous 11.9%, none 16.7% (2008 est.)
note: the majority of foreigners (migratory workers) are Muslim (70%) and Christian (20%). |
Bahá'í 0.2%, Christian 34.3%, Ethnoreligionist 24.5%, Muslim 40.6%, Agnostic 0.4% | According to the World Bank's 2011 country data report, the population is 20.2 million. Approximately 35 to 40 percent is Muslim, a roughly equal percentage is Christian, and an estimated 25 percent adheres to indigenous religious beliefs. Many Christians and Muslims also adhere to some aspects of indigenous religious beliefs.
Traditionally, the north is associated with Islam and the south with Christianity, although practitioners of both religions live throughout the country. In general, political and religious affiliations tend to follow ethnic lines. Christian groups include Roman Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Harrists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Southern Baptists, Copts, and members of the Assemblies of God. Other religious groups include Buddhists, Bahá'ís, adherents of the Celestial Church of Christ, followers of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, and Bossonists, who follow traditions of the Akan ethnic group. |
| Jamaica | Population 2,740,000, Christian 77.2%, Unaffiliated 17.2%, Folk Religion 4.5%, Other Religion 1.0% | Protestant 64.8% (includes Seventh Day Adventist 12.0%, Pentecostal 11.0%, Other Church of God 9.2%, New Testament Church of God 7.2%, Baptist 6.7%, Church of God in Jamaica 4.8%, Church of God of Prophecy 4.5%, Anglican 2.8%, United Church 2.1%, Methodist 1.6%, Revived 1.4%, Brethren .9%, and Moravian .7%), Roman Catholic 2.2%, Jehovah's Witness 1.9%, Rastafarian 1.1%, other 6.5%, none 21.3%, unspecified 2.3% (2011 est.) | Bahá'í 0.2%, Chinese Universalist 0.1%, Christian 84.5%, Hindu 0.6%, Spiritist 10.1%, Neoreligionists 0.1%, Agnostic 4.1% | The population is approximately 2.7 million, according to the Statistical Institute's 2011 census. An estimated 26 percent belongs to the Church of God, 12 percent is Seventh-day Adventist, 11 percent Pentecostal, 7 percent Baptist, 3 percent Anglican, 2 percent Roman Catholic, 2 percent United Church, 2 percent Methodist, 2 percent Jehovah's Witnesses, 1 percent Moravian, 1 percent Brethren, 2 percent does not report a religious affiliation, and 8 percent belongs to other groups. The latter includes approximately 29,000 Rastafarians, 1,500 Muslims (although Muslim groups estimate their numbers at 5,000), 1,800 Hindus, 500 Jews, and 270 Bahá'ís. The census reports that 21 percent has no religious affiliation. |
| Japan | Population 126,540,000, Christian 1.6%, Muslim 0.2%, Unaffiliated 57.0%, Buddhist 36.2%, Folk Religion 0.4%, Other Religion 4.7% | Shintoism 79.2%, Buddhism 66.8%, Christianity 1.5%, other 7.1%
note: total adherents exceeds 100% because many people practice both Shintoism and Buddhism (2012 est.) |
Buddhist 56.4%, Chinese Universalist 0.2%, Christian 2.1%, Muslim 0.2%, Shintoist 2.1%, Neoreligionists 25.9%, Atheist 2.9%, Agnostic 10.2% | The Statistics Bureau estimates the population to be 127.5 million as of October. Because the government does not require religious groups to report their membership, it is difficult to determine the number of members of different groups. A 2009 report by the Agency for Cultural Affairs (ACA) indicates that membership claims by religious groups totaled 207 million. This number, substantially more than the country's population, reflects many citizens’ affiliation with multiple religions. For example, it is common to practice both Buddhist and Shinto rites.
According to the ACA's 2009 statistics, 106 million persons identified themselves as Shinto, 90 million as Buddhist, and 2.1 million as Christian, while nine million followed "other" religions. The category of "other" includes Islam, the Bahá'í Faith, Hinduism, Judaism, or no religion. The government does not compile statistics on the number of Muslims in the country specifically, but a 2005 report by academic sources estimates the Muslim population at 63,000. There is no significant correlation between religious affiliation and ethnicity, politics, or socio-economic status; the society is relatively ethnically and religiously homogeneous. The indigenous Ainu people, who practice an animist faith, are concentrated mainly in Japan's northern island, Hokkaido. Some immigrants and foreign workers practice religions other than Shintoism, the indigenous religion, or Buddhism. |
| Jordan | Population 6,190,000, Christian 2.2%, Muslim 97.2%, Hindu 0.1%, Buddhist 0.4% | Muslim 97.2% (official; predominantly Sunni), Christian 2.2% (majority Greek Orthodox, but some Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), Buddhist 0.4%, Hindu 0.1% (2010 est.) | Bahá'í 0.3%, Christian 2.8%, Muslim 93.9%, Atheist 0.5%, Agnostic 2.5% | According to government estimates, the population is over 6.9 million, 98 percent of which is Sunni Muslim. Estimates of the number of Christian citizens vary from 1 to 2 percent of the population. Shia Muslims, Bahá'ís, and Druze constitute less than 1 percent of the population.
Officially recognized Christian denominations include the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic (Melkite), Armenian Orthodox, Maronite Catholic, Assyrian, Coptic, Anglican, Lutheran, Seventh-day Adventist, and Presbyterian churches. Christian churches that are not officially recognized but registered as "societies" include the Free Evangelical Church, Nazarene Church, Assemblies of God, Christian and Missionary Alliance, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Unrecognized Christian denominations not registered as "societies" include the United Pentecostal Church and Jehovah's Witnesses. The government refers to Chaldean and Syriac Christians among the Iraqi refugee population as "guests." The Baptist Church is registered as a "denomination," but does not enjoy the full privileges of other registered religious groups in the country. The government does not recognize the Bahá'í Faith as a religion. |
| Kazakhstan | Population 16,030,000, Christian 24.8%, Muslim 70.4%, Unaffiliated 4.2%, Buddhist 0.2%, Folk Religion 0.3%, Other Religion 0.1% | Muslim 70.2%, Christian 26.2% (mainly Russian Orthodox), other 0.2%, atheist 2.8%, unspecified 0.5% (2009 est.) | Buddhist 0.1%, Christian 26.5%, Ethnoreligionist 0.2%, Muslim 67.9%, Atheist 1.1%, Agnostic 4.1% | According to Agency of Statistics 2012 data, the population is 16.9 million. There are approximately 3,088 registered religious organizations in the country, representing 17 different confessions.
Approximately 65 percent of the population is Muslim; the majority is Sunni of the Hanafi school. Other Islamic groups that account for less than 1 percent of the population include Shafi’i Sunni, Shia, Sufi, and Ahmadi. The highest concentration of self-identified practicing Muslims is in the southern region bordering Uzbekistan. Orthodox Christians constitute approximately 24.6 percent of the population. Other groups constituting less than 5 percent of the population include Roman Catholics, Greek Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Seventh-day Adventists, Methodists, Mennonites, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Jews, Buddhists, Hare Krishnas, Bahá'ís, Christian Scientists, Scientologists, and members of Grace Church, New Life Church, and the Unification Church. |
| Kenya | Population 40,510,000, Christian 84.8%, Muslim 9.7%, Unaffiliated 2.5%, Hindu 0.1%, Folk Religion 1.7%, Other Religion 1.2% | Christian 82.5% (Protestant 47.4%, Catholic 23.3%, other 11.8%), Muslim 11.1%, Traditionalists 1.6%, other 1.7%, none 2.4%, unspecified 0.7% (2009 census) | Bahá'í 1.0%, Christian 81.3%, Ethnoreligionist 8.9%, Hindu 0.5%, Jain 0.2%, Muslim 7.9% | The population is 43 million, according to a U.S. government estimate. Approximately 80 percent of the population is Christian and 10 percent is Muslim. Groups constituting less than 1 percent of the population include Hindus, Sikhs, and Bahá'ís. Most of the remaining population adheres to various traditional religious beliefs. Of the Christian population, 58 percent is Protestant and 42 percent is Roman Catholic. Most of the Muslim population lives in North Eastern and Coast provinces, where religion and ethnicity are often inextricably linked. There are approximately 500,000 people in the Dadaab refugee camp, most of whom are Muslims. |
| Kiribati | Population 100,000, Christian 97.0%, Unaffiliated 0.8%, Other Religion 2.2% | Roman Catholic 55.8%, Kempsville Presbyterian Church 33.5%, Mormon 4.7%, Baha'i 2.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 2%, other 1.5%, none 0.2%, unspecified 0.05% (2010 est.) | Bahá'í 2.5%, Christian 96.9%, Agnostic 0.6% | According to preliminary figures from the 2010 census, Kiribati's population was approximately 103,100. The 2005 census showed that the major religious groups include the Roman Catholic Church (55 percent of the population); the Kiribati Protestant Church (36 percent); The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) (3 percent); the Bahá'í Faith (2 percent); and the Seventh-day Adventist Church (2 percent). The LDS Church claims to have a higher number of adherents, totaling 15,364 members or 15 percent of the estimated population. Persons with no religious affiliation account for less than 1 percent of the population. Members of the Catholic Church are concentrated in the northern islands, while Protestants constitute the majority in the southern islands. |
| Korea, North | Population 24,350,000, Christian 2.0%, Unaffiliated 71.3%, Buddhist 1.5%, Folk Religion 12.3%, Other Religion 12.9% | traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way)
note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom. |
Buddhist 1.5%, Christian 0.8%, Ethnoreligionist 12.3%, Neoreligionists 12.9%, Atheist 15.6%, Agnostic 56.8% | According to U.S. government sources, the population is estimated at 24.6 million. In a 2002 report to the UN Human Rights Commission, the country's government reports there are 12,000 Protestants, 10,000 Buddhists, and 800 Roman Catholics. The report also notes that the Cheondogyo Young Friends Party, a government-approved group based on a traditional religious movement, has approximately 15,000 members. South Korean and other foreign religious groups estimate there is a considerably higher number of religious practitioners in the country.
In Pyongyang there are four state-controlled Christian churches: two Protestant churches (Bongsu and Chilgol Churches), the Changchun Roman Catholic Church, and the Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church. The Chilgol Church is dedicated to the memory of former leader Kim Il-Sung's mother, Kang Pan-sok, who was a Presbyterian deaconess. The number of regular worshippers at these churches is unknown. Defectors from outside of Pyongyang have no knowledge of these churches. As part of its 2009 Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the government reports the existence of religious organizations such as the Korea Christian Federation, Korea Buddhists’ Federation, Korea Roman Catholic Association, Korea Chondoist Society, and Korea Religionists’ Society. The government-established Korean Catholic Association (KCA) provides for basic services at the Changchun Church, but has no ties with the Vatican. There are no Catholic priests residing in the country. Visiting priests occasionally provide Mass at the Changchun Church. According to religious leaders who have traveled to the country, there are Protestant pastors at the Bongsu and Chilgol Churches, although it is not known whether they are resident or visiting pastors. In its July 2002 report to the UN Human Rights Committee, the government reports the existence of 500 "family worship centers." However, according to the 2012 Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU) White Paper, defectors were unaware of any such centers. Observers stated that "family worship centers" may be part of the state-controlled Korean Christian Federation, while an unknown number of "underground churches" operate apart from the federation and are not recognized by the government. The 2012 KINU White Paper and the 2007 U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom report, "A Prison Without Bars," include defector testimonies referencing the existence of underground churches, but conclude that their existence was hard to verify. In July 2009 the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper reported an estimated 30,000 Christians, while some NGOs and academics estimate there may be up to several hundred thousand "underground" Christians. Others question the existence of a large-scale underground church or conclude that it is impossible to estimate accurately the number of underground religious believers. Individual underground congregations are reportedly very small and typically confined to private homes. According to the 2012 KINU White Paper, there are an estimated 60 Buddhist temples. Most are regarded as cultural relics, but religious activity is permitted in some. Monks serve as caretakers in many of these temples and foreign visitors find these monks to be knowledgeable about Buddhism. Based on defector testimony, the 2012 KINU White Paper reports that most residents of the country have not heard about Buddhist scriptures and have never seen a Buddhist monk. State-controlled press reported on several occasions that Buddhist ceremonies took place in various locations. The Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church opened in Pyongyang in 2006. |
| Korea, South | Population 48,180,000, Christian 29.4%, Muslim 0.2%, Unaffiliated 46.4%, Buddhist 22.9%, Folk Religion 0.8%, Other Religion 0.2% | Christian 31.6% (Protestant 24%, Roman Catholic 7.6%), Buddhist 24.2%, other or unknown 0.9%, none 43.3% (2010 survey) | Buddhist 24.8%, Christian 33.4%, Confucianist 10.9%, Ethnoreligionist 14.7%, Muslim 0.1%, Neoreligionists 14.2%, Atheist 0.1%, Agnostic 1.5% | As of July, the National Statistics Office estimates the population is approximately 50 million. According to the most recent census (2005), approximately 23 percent is Buddhist, 18 percent is Protestant, 11 percent is Roman Catholic, and 47 percent professes no religious belief. Groups together constituting less than 5 percent of the population include: Won Buddhism, Confucianism, Jeongsando, Cheondogyo, Daejonggyo, Jehovah's Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Seventh-day Adventist Church, Daesun Jinrihoe, Unification Church, and Islam. There is also a small Jewish population consisting almost entirely of expatriates. |
| Kosovo | Population 2,080,000, Christian 11.4%, Muslim 87.0%, Unaffiliated 1.6% | Muslim 95.6%, Orthodox 1.5%, Roman Catholic 2.2%, other 0.07%, none 0.07%, unspecified 0.6% (2011 est.) | Christian 5.9%, Muslim 93.1%, Atheist 0.2%, Agnostic 0.9% | According to official government census data released in October, the population is 1.74 million. Census data shows 95.6 percent of the population identifies as Muslim, 2.2 percent as Roman Catholic, and 1.4 percent as Serbian Orthodox. Census categories for "Other," "None," or "No Response" each constitute less than 1 percent. The largest Catholic communities live in Gjakove/Djakovica, Kline/Klina, Prizren, Janjevo, and Pristina. Most members of the SOC reside in ethnically Serb towns and enclaves. Small populations of Protestants live in most cities, with the largest concentration located in Pristina. The largest Jewish community resides in Prizren. The Kosovo Islamic Community is the officially recognized Islamic umbrella group and is known by its Albanian-language acronym BIK; it is responsible for training Muslim clergy and appointing them to mosques throughout the country.
Religion and ethnicity are closely linked; Serbs generally belong to the SOC, while the majority of religiously active citizens of Albanian descent identify themselves as Muslim. Critics of the census note it does not include residents in the northern region of Mitrovice/Mitrovica and thus significantly under-represents Serbs who belong to the SOC. Anecdotal information also suggests census takers at times automatically assigned Islam to persons without soliciting explicit answers or over their verbal objections. |
| Kuwait | Population 2,740,000, Christian 14.3%, Muslim 74.1%, Hindu 8.5%, Buddhist 2.8%, Other Religion 0.3% | Muslim (official) 76.7%, Christian 17.3%, other and unspecified 5.9%
note: represents the total population; about 69% of the population consists of immigrants (2013 est.) |
Bahá'í 0.3%, Christian 8.8%, Hindu 3.6%, Muslim 86.2%, Sikh 0.4%, Agnostic 0.7% | According to the Public Authority for Civil Information, there are 1.2 million citizens and 2.6 million non-citizens. The national census does not distinguish between Shia and Sunni Muslims. Estimates derived from voting records and personal status documents indicate that approximately 70 percent of citizens, including the ruling family, adhere to the Sunni branch of Islam. Most of the remaining 30 percent of citizens are Shia Muslims. There are approximately 150-200 Christian citizens and a small number of Bahá'í citizens. An estimated 150,000 noncitizen residents are Shia. While some areas have relatively high concentrations of either Sunnis or Shia, most areas are religiously well integrated.
There are an estimated 600,000 non-citizen Hindus. The largely non-citizen Christian population is estimated to be more than 450,000. The government-recognized Christian churches include the Roman Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the National Evangelical (Protestant) Church, the Armenian Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church (referred to in Arabic as the Roman Orthodox Church), the Greek Catholic (Melkite) Church, and the Anglican Church. There are also many unrecognized Christian religious groups with smaller populations. There are an estimated 100,000 Buddhists, 10,000 Sikhs, and 400 Bahá'ís, the majority of whom are non-citizens. |
| Kyrgyzstan | Population 5,330,000, Christian 11.4%, Muslim 88.0%, Unaffiliated 0.4%, Folk Religion 0.1% | Muslim 75%, Russian Orthodox 20%, other 5% | Buddhist 0.5%, Christian 7.7%, Ethnoreligionist 0.4%, Muslim 81.5%, Atheist 1.7%, Agnostic 8.1% | According to 2011 World Bank figures, the population is 5.5 million. Sunni Islam accounts for 83 percent of the population and there are also approximately 1,000 members of Shia groups. Approximately 15 percent of the population is Christian, half of which identifies itself as Russian Orthodox.
Of the remaining population, Protestant Christians number 11,000. Protestant denominations include 48 registered Baptist groups, 21 Lutheran, 49 Pentecostal, 35 Presbyterian, 43 "Charismatic," and 30 Seventh-day Adventist communities. Jehovah's Witnesses number approximately 4,800. There are three Roman Catholic churches, with an estimated 1,200 adherents nationwide. The Jewish community, with about 1,500 members, has one synagogue. The Buddhist community includes approximately 1,000 members and has one temple. There are 12 registered Bahá'í houses of worship that serve approximately 300 members. Islam is the predominant religion in both urban and rural areas. Members of Russian Orthodox and other non-Muslim religious groups live mainly in major cities. Ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks are primarily Muslim, while ethnic Russians most often belong to the Russian Orthodox Church or one of the several Protestant denominations. |
| Laos | Population 6,200,000, Christian 1.5%, Unaffiliated 0.9%, Buddhist 66.0%, Folk Religion 30.7%, Other Religion 0.7% | Buddhist 66.8%, Christian 1.5%, other 31%, unspecified 0.7% (2005 est.) | Bahá'í 0.2%, Buddhist 52.2%, Chinese Universalist 0.4%, Christian 2.9%, Ethnoreligionist 42.8%, Muslim 0.1%, Neoreligionists 0.2%, Atheist 0.3%, Agnostic 0.9% | Theravada Buddhism is the religion of nearly all ethnic or "lowland" Lao, who constitute 40 to 50 percent of the overall population, estimated in July by the U.S. government to be approximately 6.5 million. The remainder of the population belongs to at least 48 distinct ethnic minority groups, most of which practice animism and ancestor worship. Animism is predominant among Sino-Thai groups, such as the Thai Dam and Thai Daeng, as well as among Mon-Khmer and Burmo-Tibetan groups. Even among lowland Lao, many pre-Buddhist animist beliefs are incorporated into Theravada Buddhist practice, particularly in rural areas. Roman Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Bahá'ís, Mahayana Buddhists, and followers of Confucianism constitute less than 3 percent of the population. |
| Latvia | Population 2,250,000, Christian 55.8%, Muslim 0.1%, Unaffiliated 43.8%, Other Religion 0.2% | Lutheran 19.6%, Orthodox 15.3%, other Christian 1%, other 0.4%, unspecified 63.7% (2006) | Christian 68.9%, Jewish 0.4%, Muslim 0.3%, Atheist 5.4%, Agnostic 25.0% | According to the 2011 census, the population is 2.1 million. The Justice Ministry reports the largest religious groups are Roman Catholics (22.7 percent), Lutherans (19.7 percent), and Orthodox Christians (16.8 percent). Sizeable religious minorities include Baptists, Pentecostals, and other evangelical Protestant groups. The census estimates that approximately 6,400 persons (less than 1 percent) self-identify as Jews, while the Council of Jewish Communities estimates there are 10,000 Jews. Other small religious groups include Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, Methodists, Hare Krishnas, and Buddhists.
Many Orthodox Christians are Russian-speaking noncitizen permanent residents and live mainly in major cities. Many Catholics live in the east. |
| Lebanon | Population 4,230,000, Christian 38.3%, Muslim 61.3%, Unaffiliated 0.3%, Buddhist 0.2% | Muslim 54% (27% Sunni, 27% Shia), Christian 40.5% (includes 21% Maronite Catholic, 8% Greek Orthodox, 5% Greek Catholic, 6.5% other Christian), Druze 5.6%, very small numbers of Jews, Baha'is, Buddhists, Hindus, and Mormons
note: 18 religious sects recognized (2012 est.) |
Buddhist 2.1%, Christian 35.6%, Hindu 0.2%, Muslim 57.9%, Atheist 0.8%, Agnostic 3.3% | According to the Beirut-based research firm Statistics Lebanon, the population is approximately 4.3 million. An estimated 27 percent is Sunni Muslim, 27 percent Shia Muslim, 21 percent Maronite Christian, 8 percent Greek Orthodox, 5.6 percent Druze, and 5 percent Greek Catholic, with the remaining 6.5 percent belonging to smaller Christian groups. There are also very small numbers of Jews, Bahá'ís, Buddhists, Hindus, and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
The 18 officially recognized religious groups include four Muslim groups, 12 Christian groups, the Druze, and Judaism. The main branches of Islam practiced are Shia and Sunni. The Alawites and the Ismaili ("Sevener") Shia order are the smallest Muslim communities. The Maronite community, the largest Christian group, maintains its centuries-long affiliation with the Roman Catholic Church but has its own patriarch, liturgy, and ecclesiastical customs. The second-largest Christian sect is Greek Orthodox. Other Christians are divided among Greek Catholics, Armenian Orthodox (Gregorians), Armenian Catholics, Syriac Orthodox (Jacobites), Syriac Catholics, Assyrians (Nestorians), Chaldeans, Copts, evangelicals (including Baptists and Seventh-day Adventists), and Latins (Roman Catholic). The Druze, who refer to themselves as al-Muwahhideen, or "believers in one God," are concentrated in the rural, mountainous areas east and south of Beirut. Many persons fleeing religious mistreatment and discrimination in neighboring states are immigrants in the country, including Kurds, Shia, and Chaldeans from Iraq, as well as Coptic Christians from Egypt and Sudan. According to the secretary-general of the Syriac League, approximately 10,000 Iraqi Christians and 3,000 to 4,000 Coptic Christians reside in the country. |
| Lesotho | Population 2,170,000, Christian 96.8%, Unaffiliated 3.1%, Folk Religion 0.1% | Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20% | Bahá'í 0.9%, Christian 91.7%, Ethnoreligionist 7.0%, Agnostic 0.2% | According to the 2006 census, the population is 1.88 million. Approximately 90 percent of the population is Christian. There are an estimated 4,000 Muslim families, 150 Hindu families, and 800 Bahá'ís, which combine to make up approximately 1 percent of the population. The remaining 9 percent of the population belongs to indigenous religious groups, although exact figures are difficult to determine. Many Christians practice traditional rituals in conjunction with Christianity. Muslim and Hindu numbers are declining due to emigration to South Africa. Although there are a small number of Jews, there is no synagogue for worship; services are held across the border in South Africa. Muslims live primarily in the northern area of the country.
Immigrants from other parts of Africa, South Asia, and China constitute less than 1 percent of the population. No statistics are available on their religious affiliation. |
| Liberia | Population 3,990,000, Christian 85.9%, Muslim 12.0%, Unaffiliated 1.4%, Folk Religion 0.5%, Other Religion 0.1% | Christian 85.6%, Muslim 12.2%, Traditional 0.6%, other 0.2%, none 1.4% (2008 Census) | Bahá'í 0.3%, Christian 40.5%, Ethnoreligionist 41.6%, Muslim 16.0%, Agnostic 1.5% | A U.S. government source estimates the population is 3.9 million. According to the 2008 National Population and Housing Census, the population is 85.6 percent Christian, 12.2 percent Muslim, 0.6 percent adherents of indigenous religious beliefs, 1.5 percent persons who claim no religion, and less than 1 percent members of other religious groups, including Bahá'ís, Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists. The estimated percentage of the Muslim population is a source of contention. Unofficial reports and surveys estimate Muslims constitute between 10 and 20 percent of the population. Many members of religious groups incorporate elements of indigenous beliefs into their religious practices. Christian groups include Lutherans, Baptists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and members of the United Methodist, African Methodist Episcopal (AME), AME Zion, and a variety of Pentecostal churches.
Christians reside throughout the country. Muslims belong mainly to the Mandingo ethnic group, which resides throughout the country, and the Vai ethnic group, which lives predominantly in the west. There is also a predominantly Muslim Fula community throughout the country. The Fula people are referred to as a community not by location, but as a tribal segment of society. Ethnic groups in most regions participate in the indigenous religious practices of secret societies. |
| Libya | Population 6,360,000, Christian 2.7%, Muslim 96.6%, Unaffiliated 0.2%, Buddhist 0.3% | Muslim (official; virtually all Sunni) 96.6%, Christian 2.7%, Buddhist 0.3%, unaffiliated 0.2%
note: non-Sunni Muslims include native Ibadhi Muslims (<1% of the population) and foreign Muslims (2010 est.) |
Buddhist 0.3%, Christian 2.7%, Muslim 96.6%, Agnostic 0.2% | According to U.S. government estimates, the population is 5.6 million. Ninety-seven percent is Sunni Muslim and the remaining 3 percent of the population includes Christians, Hindus, Bahá'ís, Ahmadi Muslims, Buddhists, and Jews. Many members of the Amazigh ethnic minority are Ibadi Muslims; nearly all other non-Sunni Muslims are foreign residents. Small Christian communities consist almost exclusively of sub-Saharan African and Egyptian migrants and a small number of U.S. and European workers. Bishops in Tripoli, Misrata, and Benghazi lead an estimated 50,000 Coptic Christians who are mostly Egyptian foreign residents. Roman Catholic clergy are present in larger cities, working primarily in hospitals, orphanages, and with the elderly or physically impaired. A priest in Tripoli and a bishop resident in Tunis lead the Anglican community. A Greek Orthodox archbishop in Tripoli and priests in Tripoli and Benghazi serve approximately 80 regular Orthodox churchgoers. The Ukrainian embassy in Tripoli also maintains a small Orthodox church for Tripoli's Russian-speaking population. There are nondenominational, evangelical Unity churches in Tripoli and Benghazi, as well as small Unity congregations located throughout the country. Nondenominational churches in Tripoli serve primarily African and Filipino migrant workers. The overwhelming majority of Libya's Jewish population, estimated at 40,000, fled the country between 1948 and 1967. David Gerbi, a Libyan Jew active in the exiled Jewish community in Italy, estimates that there are around 200,000 Libyan Jews and their descendants living outside of the country. While there are reports of some Jews remaining, there are no known estimates of the current population. Representatives from the Jewish diaspora are unable to return to reopen the synagogue in Tripoli due to security concerns.
There are no known places of worship for members of other non-Muslim religious groups, although adherents are allowed to practice their religion in their homes. |
| Liechtenstein | Population 40,000, Christian 91.9%, Muslim 5.0%, Unaffiliated 2.9%, Jewish 0.1% | Roman Catholic (official) 75.9%, Protestant Reformed 6.5%, Muslim 5.4%, Lutheran 1.3%, other 2.9%, none 5.4%, unspecified 2.6% (2010 est.) | Christian 89.4%, Jewish 0.1%, Muslim 6.3%, Agnostic 4.1% | According to the National Office of Statistics, the country's population is 36,500 and religious group membership by percentage is as follows: Roman Catholic (76 percent); Protestant (7.6); Muslim (5.4); no formal religious group (2.8); Christian Orthodox (1.1); other religious groups (1.7); and no religious affiliation (5.4).
The great majority of Muslims are Sunnis, predominantly from Turkey and Bosnia-Herzegovina. |
| Lithuania | Population 3,320,000, Christian 89.8%, Unaffiliated 10.0% | Roman Catholic 77.2%, Russian Orthodox 4.1%, Old Believer 0.8%, Evangelical Lutheran 0.6%, Evangelical Reformist 0.2%, other (including Sunni Muslim, Jewish, Greek Catholic, and Karaite) 0.8%, none 6.1%, unspecified 10.1% (2011 est.) | Christian 88.8%, Jewish 0.1%, Muslim 0.2%, Atheist 0.7%, Agnostic 10.1% | According to the 2011 census, the population is 3.43 million. The census reports 77.3 percent is Roman Catholic and 6.1 percent does not identify with any religious group. Religious groups constituting less than 5 percent of the population include Russian Orthodox, Old Believers, Lutherans, Reformed Evangelicals, Jews, Sunni Muslims, Greek Catholics, and the Karaites. The Karaites traditionally live in Trakai and in the greater Vilnius region. The majority of the Sunni Muslims live in Vilnius and Kaunas. The Jewish population is mainly concentrated in the larger cities.
Less than 0.5 percent belongs to religious groups the government designates "nontraditional." The most numerous are Jehovah's Witnesses, Full Gospel Word of Faith Movement, Pentecostals/Charismatics, Old Baltic faith communities, Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, Methodists, members of the New Apostolic Church, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). |
| Luxembourg | Population 510,000, Christian 70.4%, Muslim 2.3%, Unaffiliated 26.8%, Other Religion 0.3%, Jewish 0.1% | Roman Catholic 87%, other (includes Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 13% (2000) | Bahá'í 0.3%, Christian 82.4%, Jewish 0.2%, Muslim 1.9%, Atheist 1.5%, Agnostic 13.8% | According to the National Statistics Office, the population is 510,000. A 2011 study by the Center for Studies of Population, Poverty, and Socio-Economic Policy estimates that more than 70 percent of the population is Roman Catholic. According to that study and local religious groups, approximately 2 percent of the population is Protestant (Lutheran, Calvinist, and Anglican), 2 percent Muslim, 1 percent Christian Orthodox (Greek, Serbian, Russian, and Romanian), and 0.3 percent Jewish. There are small numbers of Bahá'ís, Jehovah's Witnesses, and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and the Universal Church. |
| Macau | Population 540,000, Christian 7.2%, Muslim 0.2%, Unaffiliated 15.4%, Buddhist 17.3%, Folk Religion 58.9%, Other Religion 1.0% | Buddhist 50%, Roman Catholic 15%, none or other 35% (1997 est.) | Buddhist 17.3%, Chinese Universalist 58.9%, Christian 7.2%, Muslim 0.2%, Neoreligionists 0.9%, Atheist 2.8%, Agnostic 12.5% | According to the Government Statistics and Census Service, the population is 568,700. The Government Information Bureau reports that nearly 80 percent of the population practices Buddhism. There are approximately 30,000 Roman Catholics (of whom over half are foreign domestic workers and expatriates residing in Macau) and more than 8,000 Protestants. Smaller religious groups include Bahá'ís (estimated at 2,500 persons); Muslims (estimated at 400 persons); and a small number of Falun Gong practitioners (estimated at 50 persons).
There are approximately 40 Buddhist temples, as well as dozens of village temples and houses dedicated to Buddhist deities; 30 Taoist temples; three Catholic cathedrals, 18 Catholic churches and 56 Catholic chapels within diocesan buildings; approximately 70 Protestant churches; four Bahá'í centers; and one mosque. Protestant denominations include Baptist, Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Pentecostal churches. There are also evangelical groups and independent local churches. An estimated 70 Protestant churches with 4,000 members conduct services in Chinese; approximately 4,000 worshippers attend every Sunday. An estimated 500 Protestants attend services conducted in foreign languages. |
| Madagascar | Population 20,710,000, Christian 85.3%, Muslim 3.0%, Unaffiliated 6.9%, Folk Religion 4.5% | indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian 41%, Muslim 7% | Christian 56.9%, Ethnoreligionist 40.4%, Muslim 2.1%, Agnostic 0.3% | The population is 22 million, according to a U.S. government source. Although neither precise nor official figures were available, religious groups report that approximately half of the population is Christian.
The Council of Christian Churches in Madagascar (FFKM) represents the four principal Christian groups: Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, and members of the Reformed Protestant Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar (FJKM). Smaller groups include The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Jehovah's Witnesses, and Seventh-day Adventists. Local sources report that the most numerous non-Christian group includes adherents of indigenous religions, although the number is unknown. A local academic estimates Muslims constitute 10-15 percent of the population. According to religious leaders, Muslim populations are largely concentrated in the north, northwest, and southeast. Citizens of ethnic Indian and Pakistani origin, and Comoran immigrants represent the majority of Muslims. There are also small numbers of Hindus and Jews. |
| Malawi | Population 14,900,000, Christian 82.7%, Muslim 13.0%, Unaffiliated 2.5%, Folk Religion 1.7% | Christian 82.6%, Muslim 13%, other 1.9%, none 2.5% (2008 est.) | Bahá'í 0.2%, Christian 79.8%, Ethnoreligionist 6.3%, Hindu 0.2%, Muslim 13.2%, Agnostic 0.3% | The government estimates the population to be 14.8 million. Approximately 80 percent of the population is Christian. Most Christians belong to the Roman Catholic Church or the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian. There are also small numbers of Anglicans, Baptists, evangelicals, and Seventh-day Adventists. Muslims constitute approximately 20 percent of the population, and the vast majority of Muslims are Sunni. The largest concentration of Muslims is along the southern shores of Lake Malawi. There are also Hindus and Bahá'ís, as well as small numbers of Rastafarians and Jews. |
| Malaysia | Population 28,400,000, Christian 9.4%, Muslim 63.7%, Unaffiliated 0.7%, Hindu 6.0%, Buddhist 17.7%, Folk Religion 2.3%, Other Religion 0.2% | 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.) | Bahá'í 0.2%, Buddhist 5.3%, Chinese Universalist 18.4%, Christian 8.9%, Ethnoreligionist 3.5%, Hindu 6.3%, Muslim 56.5%, Sikh 0.3%, Neoreligionists 0.2%, Atheist 0.1%, Agnostic 0.4% | The population is approximately 29.6 million, according to 2010 census data from the Malaysian Department of Statistics. Census figures indicate that 61.3 percent of the population practices Islam; 19.8 percent Buddhism; 9.2 percent Christianity; 6.3 percent Hinduism; and 1.3 percent Confucianism, Taoism, and other traditional Chinese philosophies and religions. Other minority religious groups include animists, Sikhs, and Bahá'ís. Ethnic Malay Muslims account for approximately 55 percent of the population. Several of the most prominent political parties are organized along ethnic and/or religious lines. The majority of Christians reside in the eastern states of Sabah and Sarawak. |
| Maldives | Population 320,000, Christian 0.4%, Muslim 98.4%, Hindu 0.3%, Buddhist 0.6% | Sunni Muslim (official) | Buddhist 0.6%, Christian 0.4%, Hindu 0.3%, Muslim 98.4% | According to government statistics, the population is 350,800. All citizens are required to be Muslim and the majority of the population practices Sunni Islam. Non-Muslim foreigners, including an estimated 800,000 tourists who visit annually and 100,000 foreign workers (mainly Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans, Indians, and Pakistanis), may practice their religions only in private. Most Muslim tourists and Muslim foreign workers practice Islam in private or at mosques located at the resorts where they work and live. |
| Mali | Population 15,370,000, Christian 3.2%, Muslim 92.4%, Unaffiliated 2.7%, Folk Religion 1.6% | Muslim 94.8%, Christian 2.4%, Animist 2%, none 0.5%, unspecified 0.3% (2009 Census) | Christian 3.2%, Ethnoreligionist 9.5%, Muslim 87.1%, Agnostic 0.1% | The population is approximately 15.8 million, according to a 2011 World Bank report. Muslims constitute an estimated 90 percent of the population. Nearly all Muslims are Sunni and most are Sufi. The population is 4 percent Christian, of whom approximately two-thirds are Roman Catholic and one-third Protestant. The remaining 6 percent adheres to indigenous religious beliefs or professes no religious affiliation. Groups adhering to indigenous religious beliefs reside throughout the country, but are most active in rural areas. Many Muslims and Christians also adhere to some aspects of indigenous beliefs.
There are several mosques associated with the group Dawa al Tabligh, a fundamentalist Muslim group that does not seek to impose its practices outside of its own group. The group has fewer than a thousand members in Bamako. |
| Malta | Population 420,000, Christian 97.0%, Muslim 0.2%, Unaffiliated 2.5%, Hindu 0.2% | Roman Catholic (official) more than 90% (2011 est.) | Christian 98.0%, Muslim 0.2%, Atheist 0.2%, Agnostic 1.5% | According to a 2011 report from the National Statistics Office, the population is 416,000. The office's 2006 report indicates 91 percent is Roman Catholic. Other religious groups constituting less than 5 percent of the population include Coptic Christians, Greek Orthodox, Baptists, evangelicals, Jehovah's Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Seventh-day Adventists, Jews, members of the Unification Church, Zen Buddhists, Bahá'ís, Muslims, and adherents of indigenous African forms of worship. There are an estimated 6,000 Muslims, most of whom are foreign citizens, and an estimated 100 Jews. |
| Marshall Islands | Population 50,000, Christian 97.5%, Unaffiliated 1.5%, Folk Religion 0.3%, Other Religion 0.8% | Protestant 54.8%, Assembly of God 25.8%, Roman Catholic 8.4%, Bukot nan Jesus 2.8%, Mormon 2.1%, other Christian 3.6%, other 1%, none 1.5% (1999 census) | Bahá'í 2.7%, Christian 95.5%, Ethnoreligionist 0.4%, Agnostic 1.4% | The population is 53,158, according to the 2011 census. Major religious groups include the United Church of Christ (formerly Congregational), with 52 percent of the population; the Assemblies of God, 24 percent; the Roman Catholic Church, 9 percent; and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), 8 percent. Groups together constituting less than 7 percent include Bukot Non Jesus (also known as Assembly of God Part Two), Full Gospel, Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, Bahá'ís, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Ahmadi Muslims. |
| Martinique | Population 410,000, Christian 96.5%, Muslim 0.2%, Unaffiliated 2.3%, Hindu 0.2%, Folk Religion 0.2%, Other Religion 0.6% | Bahá'í 0.5%, Christian 96.5%, Hindu 0.2%, Muslim 0.2%, Spiritist 0.1%, Atheist 0.4%, Agnostic 1.9% | ||
| Mauritania | Population 3,460,000, Christian 0.3%, Muslim 99.1%, Unaffiliated 0.1%, Folk Religion 0.5% | Muslim (official) 100% | Christian 0.3%, Ethnoreligionist 0.5%, Muslim 99.1% | A 2011 National Statistics Office report estimates the population to be 3.3 million. Most are Sunni Muslims. There are very small numbers of non-Muslims, almost exclusively foreigners. There are Roman Catholic and other Christian churches in Nouakchott, Atar, Zouerate, Nouadhibou, and Rosso. Although there are no synagogues, a very small number of foreign residents are Jews. |
| Mauritius | Population 1,300,000, Christian 25.3%, Muslim 16.7%, Unaffiliated 0.6%, Hindu 56.4%, Folk Religion 0.7%, Other Religion 0.3% | Hindu 48.5%, Roman Catholic 26.3%, Muslim 17.3%, other Christian 6.4%, other 0.6%, none 0.7%, unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.) | Bahá'í 1.8%, Buddhist 0.2%, Chinese Universalist 1.3%, Christian 33.2%, Ethnoreligionist 0.2%, Hindu 44.2%, Muslim 16.8%, Sikh 0.2%, Atheist 0.1%, Agnostic 1.8% | According to the 2011 census, the population is 1,236,000. Approximately 48 percent is Hindu, 26 percent Roman Catholic, 17 percent Muslim, and 6 percent other Christian, including Seventh-day Adventists, Anglicans, Pentecostals, Presbyterians, evangelicals, Jehovah's Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and members of the Assemblies of God. The remaining 3 percent includes Buddhists, animists, and others. More than 95 percent of Muslims are Sunnis.
On the main island, the population of the city of Port Louis is primarily Muslim and Roman Catholic, while the majority of the rest of the island's population is Hindu. The island of Rodrigues is 90 percent Roman Catholic. There is a strong correlation between religious affiliation and ethnicity. Citizens of Indian ethnicity are primarily Hindu or Muslim. Those of Chinese ancestry generally practice either Buddhism or Catholicism. Creoles and citizens of European descent are primarily Catholic. |
| Mayotte | Population 200,000, Christian 0.7%, Muslim 98.6%, Unaffiliated 0.2%, Folk Religion 0.5% | Christian 0.7%, Ethnoreligionist 0.5%, Muslim 98.6%, Agnostic 0.2% | ||
| Mexico | Population 113,420,000, Christian 95.1%, Unaffiliated 4.7% | Roman Catholic 82.7%, Pentecostal 1.6%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.4%, other Evangelical Churches 5%, other 1.9%, none 4.7%, unspecified 2.7% (2010 est.) | Christian 95.9%, Ethnoreligionist 1.1%, Jewish 0.1%, Atheist 0.1%, Agnostic 2.6% | The population is approximately 112.3 million, according to the 2010 census. Approximately 83 percent identify themselves as Roman Catholic (down from 89 percent in the 2000 census). Approximately 8 percent are affiliated with evangelical or other Protestant churches, 2 percent identify themselves as members of other Bible-based religions, and less than 1 percent identify as Jewish. More than 5 percent report not practicing any religion.
Official statistics occasionally differ from membership figures religious groups provide. Approximately 314,900 individuals identify themselves as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in the 2010 census; however, LDS Church in Mexico officials assert their membership is approximately 1.3 million. There are large Protestant communities in the southern states of Chiapas and Tabasco. In Chiapas, Protestant evangelical leaders state nearly half of the state's 2.4 million inhabitants are members of evangelical groups, but less than 5 percent of 2010 census respondents in Chiapas self-identify as evangelical. According to the 2010 census, the Jewish community numbers approximately 67,500, some 42,000 of whom live in Mexico City and the state of Mexico; there are also small numbers of Jews in Morelos, Oaxaca, Puebla, and Veracruz. Nearly half of the country's approximately 4,000 Muslims are concentrated in Mexico City and the state of Mexico. A community of approximately 50,000 Mennonites is concentrated mostly in Chihuahua. Some indigenous persons in the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Yucatán adhere to a syncretic religion combining Catholic and pre-Hispanic Mayan beliefs. In some communities, particularly in the south, there is a correlation between politics and religious affiliation. A small number of local leaders reportedly manipulated religious tensions in their communities for their own political or economic benefit, particularly in Chiapas. |
| Micronesia, Federated States of | Population 110,000, Christian 95.3%, Unaffiliated 0.9%, Buddhist 0.4%, Folk Religion 2.7%, Other Religion 0.7% | Roman Catholic 54.7%, Protestant 41.1% (includes Congregational 38.5%, Baptist 1.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 0.8%, Assembly of God .7%), Mormon 1.5%, other 1.9%, none 0.7%, unspecified 0.1% (2010 est.) | Bahá'í 0.5%, Buddhist 0.4%, Chinese Universalist 0.3%, Christian 94.8%, Ethnoreligionist 2.8%, Neoreligionists 0.4%, Agnostic 0.7% | The 2010 government census estimates the population to be 102,000, including 11,000 in Yap, 49,000 in Chuuk, 36,000 in Pohnpei, and 6,000 in Kosrae. Because of high emigration rates, the current population is likely to be less than the 2010 figure.
Although there is linguistic and cultural diversity within each of the country's four states, its religious character is overwhelmingly Christian. Several Protestant denominations, as well as the Roman Catholic Church, are present in every state. The United Church of Christ is the main Protestant denomination. In Kosrae, 95 percent of the population is Protestant. In Pohnpei, the population is evenly divided between Protestants and Catholics. In Chuuk, an estimated 60 percent is Catholic and 40 percent Protestant. In Yap, an estimated 80 percent of the population is Catholic and the remainder Protestant. In addition to the United Church of Christ, Protestant denominations include Baptist, Assemblies of God, Salvation Army, and Seventh-day Adventists. Smaller groups include Jehovah's Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and Bahá'ís. There are increasing numbers of Mormons; in Pohnpei, about 5 percent of the population considers itself Mormon. Attendance at religious services is generally high. Churches are well supported by their congregations and play a significant role in civil society. The majority of foreign workers are Filipino Catholics who have joined local Catholic churches. The Filipino Iglesia ni Cristo has a church in Pohnpei. Historic interdenominational rivalry and the conversion of clan leaders in Pohnpei resulted in religious divisions along clan lines that continue today, although intermarriage has blurred the lines considerably. More Protestants live on the western side of the island, while more Catholics live on the eastern side. |
| Moldova | Population 3,570,000, Christian 97.4%, Muslim 0.6%, Unaffiliated 1.4%, Jewish 0.6% | Orthodox 93.3%, Baptist 1%, other Christian 1.2%, other 0.9%, atheist 0.4%, none 1%, unspecified 2.2% (2004 est.) | Christian 95.9%, Jewish 0.8%, Muslim 0.5%, Atheist 0.5%, Agnostic 2.4% | According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the population is 3.6 million. The predominant religion is Orthodox Christianity. According to a 2011 Gallup poll, 97 percent of the population belongs to one of the two Orthodox groups: the MOC with 86 percent and the Bessarabian Orthodox Church (BOC) with 11 percent. Weekly church attendance in rural communities averages about 5 percent of the total village population. A poll conducted during the year by the Human Rights Information Center estimates active membership in non-Orthodox religious groups at 150,000. The largest non-Orthodox religious groups, accounting for 15,000 to 30,000 adherents each, are Roman Catholics, Pentecostals, Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Baptists, Jews, and evangelical Christians.
Smaller religious groups include Muslims, Bahá'ís, Molokans, Messianic Jews, Lutherans, Presbyterians, other Christians, members of the Unification Church, and Krishna Consciousness followers. In the separatist Transnistria region, the largest religious group is the MOC. The Tiraspol-Dubasari diocese is part of both the MOC and the Russian Orthodox Church, and an estimated 80 percent of the Transnistrian population belongs to the MOC. Other religious groups in the region include Roman Catholics, followers of Old Rite Orthodoxy, Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, evangelical and charismatic Christians, Jews, Lutherans, and Jehovah's Witnesses. |
| Monaco | Population 40,000, Christian 86.0%, Muslim 0.4%, Unaffiliated 11.7%, Other Religion 0.2%, Jewish 1.7% | Roman Catholic 90% (official), other 10% | Bahá'í 0.2%, Christian 86.0%, Jewish 1.7%, Muslim 0.4%, Atheist 2.1%, Agnostic 9.5% | According to government estimates, the population is 36,700. Roman Catholicism is the state religion, and 90 percent of the approximately 7,600 citizens are Catholic. Protestants are the second largest religious group. Most of the estimated 28,300 noncitizen residents are either Catholic or Protestant. There are an estimated 1,000 Jewish noncitizen residents and a smaller number of noncitizens who are Muslims or adhere to other religious beliefs. There are five Catholic churches and one cathedral, one Greek Orthodox Church, two Protestant churches, one synagogue, and no mosques. |
| Mongolia | Population 2,760,000, Christian 2.3%, Muslim 3.2%, Unaffiliated 35.9%, Buddhist 55.1%, Folk Religion 3.5% | Buddhist 53%, Muslim 3%, Christian 2.2%, Shamanist 2.9%, other 0.4%, none 38.6% (2010 est.) | Buddhist 54.2%, Chinese Universalist 0.6%, Christian 1.7%, Ethnoreligionist 18.6%, Muslim 5.0%, Atheist 2.8%, Agnostic 17.2% | According to the 2011 Mongolian Statistical Yearbook, the population is slightly more than 2.8 million. Buddhism remains closely linked with the country's cultural traditions, with 53 percent of citizens self-identifying as Buddhist according to government statistics. Local scholars estimate that more than 90 percent of the population subscribes to Buddhism, although practice varies widely. Lamaist Buddhism of the Tibetan variety is the traditional and dominant religion.
Muslims constitute approximately 5 percent of the population nationwide and 80 percent of the population of the primarily ethnic Kazakh western province of Bayan-Olgiy. According to the Mongolian Muslim Association, in addition to approximately 120,000 Kazakh Muslims (mostly in Bayan-Olgiy), there are 30,000 Khoton Muslims residing primarily in the province of Uvs. There are more than 40 mosques and ten Islamic student centers, where an estimated 3,000 students study Islam. There is a small but growing population of Christians. According to the 2010 National Census, approximately 2 percent of the population is Christian. A 2011 government nationwide study indicates that 4.7 percent of the 2,500 individuals surveyed are Christian. According to estimates by various Christian groups, approximately 90 percent of Christians are Protestant, while 9 percent belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Roman Catholics and members of the Russian Orthodox Church together account for the remaining 1 percent. Some citizens practice shamanism, often in tandem with another religion. The 2010 National Census estimates that 2.9 percent of the population practices shamanism, widely viewed as a traditional form of healing. According to the 2011 government survey of 2,500 people, 6 percent of those surveyed self-identified as shamanists and 8.6 percent responded that they practiced shamanism alongside Buddhism. According to 2011 records from the State General Registration Office, which are the most recent records available, there are 630 registered places of worship, of which 272 are Buddhist, 293 Christian, and 65 belonging to various other religious groups. According to estimates by the Evangelical Alliance, a confederation of evangelical Christian churches throughout the country, there are 400 to 600 evangelical churches, approximately 250 to 300 of which are registered. |
| Montenegro | Population 630,000, Christian 78.1%, Muslim 18.7%, Unaffiliated 3.2% | Orthodox 72.1%, Muslim 19.1%, Catholic 3.4%, atheist 1.2%, other 1.5%, unspecified 2.6% (2011 est.) | Christian 77.3%, Muslim 17.2%, Atheist 0.8%, Agnostic 4.6% | The population is 620,000 according to a 2011 National Statistics Office (NSO) estimate. Approximately 72 percent of the population identified itself as Orthodox (either SPC or CPC), 16 percent as "Islamic," 3 percent as Muslim, and 3.4 percent as Roman Catholic. The SPC is larger than the CPC. Without official explanation, the NSO created separate categories for Muslims and followers of Islam, but later combined the categories after the Islamic community objected. Other religious groups include Seventh-day Adventists, Buddhists, Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Jews. |
| Montserrat | Population < 10,000, Christian 93.5%, Unaffiliated 4.8%, Hindu 0.1%, Folk Religion 0.2%, Other Religion 1.5% | Protestant 67.1% (includes Anglican 21.8%, Methodist 17%, Pentecostal 14.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 10.5%, and Church of God 3.7%), Roman Catholic 11.6%, Rastafarian 1.4%, other 6.5%, none 2.6%, unspecified 10.8% (2001 est.) | Bahá'í 1.4%, Christian 93.5%, Hindu 0.1%, Spiritist 0.2%, Atheist 0.5%, Agnostic 4.3% | |
| Morocco | Population 31,950,000, Muslim 99.9% | Muslim 99% (official; virtually all Sunni), other 1% (includes Christian, Jewish, and Baha'i), Jewish about 6,000 (2010 est.) | Bahá'í 0.1%, Muslim 99.7%, Agnostic 0.1% | The country's population is 32.3 million, according to U.S. government estimates. More than 99 percent is Sunni Muslim. Groups together constituting less than 1 percent of the population include Christians, Jews, Shia Muslims, and Bahá'ís. According to Jewish community leaders, there are an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 Jews, approximately 2,500 of whom reside in Casablanca and are the remnants of a much larger community that has mostly emigrated. The Rabat and Marrakesh Jewish communities each have about 100 members. The remainder of the Jewish population is dispersed throughout the country. That population is mostly elderly.
The predominantly Roman Catholic and Protestant foreign resident Christian community consists of approximately 5,000 practicing members, although some Protestant and Catholic clergy estimate the number to be as high as 25,000. Most foreign resident Christians live in the Casablanca, Tangier, and Rabat urban areas. Various local Christian leaders estimate that there are 4,000 citizen Christians (mostly ethnic Amazigh) who regularly attend "house" churches and live predominantly in the south. Some Christian leaders estimate that there may be as many as 8,000 Christian citizens throughout the country, but many reportedly do not meet regularly due to fear of government surveillance and social persecution. The Catholic and French Protestant (referred to as l’Eglise evangelique du Maroc, or EEM) churches have buildings throughout many cities in the country. There are two Anglican churches located in Casablanca and Tangier. The Russian Orthodox Church holds services in a building in Rabat. The Greek Orthodox Church owns a building in Casablanca where it holds services. The Association Marocaine des Eglises Protestantes (AMEP) churches, a network of autonomous foreign resident Protestant church communities, generally rent or share buildings. There are an estimated 3,000 to 8,000 Shia Muslims, most of them foreign residents from Lebanon or Iraq but including a few citizens. Followers of several Sufi Muslim orders across the Maghreb and West Africa undertake joint annual pilgrimages to the country. There are 350-400 Bahá'ís, located in urban areas. |
| Mozambique | Population 23,390,000, Christian 56.7%, Muslim 18.0%, Unaffiliated 17.9%, Folk Religion 7.4% | Roman Catholic 28.4%, Muslim 17.9%, Zionist Christian 15.5%, Protestant 12.2% (includes Pentecostal 10.9% and Anglican 1.3%), other 6.7%, none 18.7%, unspecified 0.7% (2007 est.) | Christian 52.5%, Ethnoreligionist 29.4%, Hindu 0.2%, Muslim 17.5%, Agnostic 0.4% | The population is approximately 23.9 million, according to a 2011 World Bank report. The 2007 census estimates that 28 percent of the population is Roman Catholic, 27 percent is Protestant, 18 percent is Muslim, 9 percent is divided among many small groups, and approximately 18 percent does not profess a religion or belief. Religious leaders speculate that a significant portion of the population adheres to syncretic indigenous religious beliefs, a category not included in the 2007 census. Muslim leaders state that their community accounts for closer to 25-30 percent of the population, a statistic frequently reported in the press. There are small numbers of Jews, Hindus, and Bahá'ís.
The South Asian immigrant population is predominantly Muslim, and there are some differences between their practices and the traditional, Sufi-inspired Swahili Islam of Muslims of African origin. An increasing number of African Muslim clerics travel to Egypt, Kuwait, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia for training, and some return with a more conservative approach to Islam. |
| Namibia | Population 2,280,000, Christian 97.5%, Muslim 0.3%, Unaffiliated 1.9%, Folk Religion 0.2% | Christian 80% to 90% (at least 50% Lutheran), indigenous beliefs 10% to 20% | Bahá'í 0.5%, Christian 91.2%, Ethnoreligionist 5.9%, Jewish 0.1%, Muslim 0.3%, Agnostic 1.9% | The 2011 census estimates the population at 2.1 million. Although there are no official statistics on religious affiliation, more than 90 percent of the population reportedly identifies as Christian. The three largest Christian groups are the Lutheran, Roman Catholic, and Anglican churches. Other denominations are the Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, and evangelical and charismatic churches, as well as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and the Dutch Reformed Church of Namibia. The number of Pentecostal churches is growing, often with Nigerian, Zimbabwean, and other African pastors preaching in urban areas and in the north. A number of Zionist churches combine Christianity and traditional African beliefs. There are also small numbers of Muslims, Bahá'ís, Jews, and Buddhists, primarily in urban areas.
Members of the Dutch Reformed Church are predominantly ethnic Afrikaners. Members of the Himba and San ethnic groups often combine indigenous religious beliefs with Christianity. The few Muslims are mostly Sunni and are predominantly immigrants from elsewhere in Africa or recent converts. |
| Nauru | Population 10,000, Christian 79.0%, Unaffiliated 4.5%, Buddhist 1.1%, Folk Religion 8.1%, Other Religion 7.4% | Protestant 60.4% (includes Nauru Congregational 35.7%, Assembly of God 13%, Nauru Independent Church 9.5%, Baptist 1.5%, and Seventh Day Adventist .7%), Roman Catholic 33%, other 3.7%, none 1.8%, unspecified 1.1% (2011 est.) | Bahá'í 9.6%, Buddhist 1.4%, Chinese Universalist 10.5%, Christian 75.0%, Agnostic 3.5% | According to the 2011 census, the total population of Nauru is 9,937. Christianity is the primary religion. Approximately two-thirds of Christians are Protestant and the remaining one-third is Catholic. Ethnic Chinese residents, estimated to constitute 5 percent of the population, are Confucian, Buddhist, Taoist, Christian, or nonreligious. Jehovah's Witnesses and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) have small numbers of followers. The Australian government houses about 400 asylum seekers in Nauru of various religious groups from Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and Iraq. |
| Nepal | Population 29,960,000, Christian 0.5%, Muslim 4.6%, Unaffiliated 0.3%, Hindu 80.7%, Buddhist 10.3%, Folk Religion 3.7% | Hindu 81.3%, Buddhist 9%, Muslim 4.4%, Kirant 3.1%, Christian 1.4%, other 0.5%, unspecified 0.2% (2011 est.) | Buddhist 11.5%, Christian 3.0%, Ethnoreligionist 13.1%, Hindu 67.7%, Muslim 4.2%, Agnostic 0.3% | According to the 2011 census, the population is 26.5 million. Hindus constitute 81.3 percent, Buddhists 9 percent, and Muslims (the majority of whom are Sunni) 4.4 percent. Groups constituting less than 5 percent of the population include Kirats (an indigenous religion with Hindu influence) and Christians. Members of minority religious groups have asserted that their numbers were significantly undercounted. Many Nepalis adhere to a syncretic faith that encompasses elements of Hinduism, Buddhism, and traditional folk practices and is not easily captured by the census data. The National Churches Fellowship of Nepal reported that more than 1,000 Christian churches operate in the country. Christian groups state that the number of Christians increased significantly over the past several years, as borne out by the community's nearly three-fold increase over the past decade, from 0.5 to 1.4 percent of the total population. According to a Jamia Masjid (mosque) official, there are at least 3,600 madrassahs, most of which are associated with a mosque. |
| Netherlands | Population 16,610,000, Christian 50.6%, Muslim 6.0%, Unaffiliated 42.1%, Hindu 0.5%, Buddhist 0.2%, Folk Religion 0.2%, Other Religion 0.2%, Jewish 0.2% | Roman Catholic 28%, Protestant 19% (includes Dutch Reformed 9%, Protestant Church of The Netherlands, 7%, Calvinist 3%), other 11% (includes about 5% Muslim and lesser numbers of Hindu, Buddhist, Jehovah's Witness, and Orthodox), none 42% (2009 est.) | Buddhist 1.2%, Christian 63.3%, Hindu 0.6%, Jewish 0.2%, Muslim 6.2%, Spiritist 0.1%, Atheist 1.7%, Agnostic 26.4% | The population is 16.7 million, according to the 2012 yearbook of Statistics Netherlands (CBS). In a 2008 survey, 42 percent of the population declares no church affiliation, 29 percent self-identifies as Roman Catholic, 19 percent as Protestant, 5.7 percent as Muslim, and 2.3 percent as "other," including Hindu, Jewish, and Buddhist.
A 2009 CBS report estimates the number of Muslims to be 850,000 (5.2 percent of the population). Most Muslims live in urban areas and are of Turkish, Moroccan, or Surinamese background. The Muslim population also includes large numbers of asylum seekers from Iran, Iraq, Somalia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the Jewish Social Work organization, there are approximately 45,000 Jews. The Stephen Roth Institute and the Council of Europe estimate the number to be closer to 30,000. According to the Scientific Council for Government Policy in 2008, there are between 100,000 and 215,000 Hindus, of whom approximately 85 percent are Surinamese and 10 percent Indian. The Buddhist community has approximately 17,000 members, according to the Netherlands Institute for Social Research in 2007. |
| Netherlands Antilles | Population 200,000, Christian 93.9%, Muslim 0.2%, Unaffiliated 3.3%, Hindu 0.2%, Buddhist 0.5%, Folk Religion 1.2%, Other Religion 0.3%, Jewish 0.3% | Curaçao - Roman Catholic 72.8%, Pentecostal 6.6%, Protestant 3.2%, Adventist 3%, Jehovah's Witness 2%, Evangelical 1.9%, other 3.8%, none 6%, unspecified 0.6% (2011 est.); Sint Maarten - Roman Catholic 39%, Protestant 44.8% (Pentecostal 11.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6.2%, other Protestant 27%), none 6.7%, other 5.4%, Jewish 3.4%, not reported 0.7% (2001 census) | ||
| New Caledonia | Population 250,000, Christian 85.2%, Muslim 2.8%, Unaffiliated 10.4%, Buddhist 0.6%, Folk Religion 0.2%, Other Religion 0.8% | Roman Catholic 60%, Protestant 30%, other 10% | Bahá'í 0.4%, Buddhist 0.6%, Christian 85.2%, Ethnoreligionist 0.2%, Muslim 2.8%, Neoreligionists 0.4%, Atheist 1.1%, Agnostic 9.3% | |
| New Zealand | Population 4,370,000, Christian 57.0%, Muslim 1.2%, Unaffiliated 36.6%, Hindu 2.1%, Buddhist 1.6%, Folk Religion 0.5%, Other Religion 0.7%, Jewish 0.2% | Christian 44.3% (Catholic 11.6%, Anglican 10.8%, Presbyterian and Congregational 7.8%, Methodist, 2.4%, Pentecostal 1.8%, other 9.9%), Hindu 2.1%, Buddhist 1.4%, Maori Christian 1.3%, Islam 1.1%, other religion 1.4% (includes Judaism, Spiritualism and New Age religions, Baha'i, Asian religions other than Buddhism), no religion 38.5%, not stated or unidentified 8.2%, objected to answering 4.1%
note: based on the 2013 census of the usually resident population; percentages add up to more than 100% because people were able to identify more than one religion (2013 est.) |
Bahá'í 0.2%, Buddhist 2.2%, Chinese Universalist 0.3%, Christian 61.0%, Ethnoreligionist 0.9%, Hindu 2.0%, Jewish 0.1%, Muslim 1.0%, Sikh 0.2%, Atheist 1.3%, Agnostic 30.6% | The government estimates the population is 4.5 million. According to 2006 census data, 14.8 percent of the population is Anglican; 13.6 percent is Roman Catholic; 10.7 percent is Presbyterian; 3.3 percent is Methodist; 8.2 percent belongs to other Protestant denominations; 5 percent is Christian with no affiliation specified; 5 percent is Buddhist; and 1 percent is Muslim. More than 90 additional religious groups together constitute less than 1 percent of the population. In addition, 39 percent states no religious affiliation.
Of the indigenous Maori, who make up approximately 15 percent of the population, 13 percent is Anglican, 12 percent Catholic, and 10 percent belongs to syncretic Maori Christian groups such as Ratana and Ringatu. Thirty-four percent states no religious affiliation. |
| Nicaragua | Population 5,790,000, Christian 85.8%, Unaffiliated 12.5%, Folk Religion 1.4%, Other Religion 0.1% | Roman Catholic 58.5%, Protestant 23.2% (Evangelical 21.6%, Moravian 1.6%), Jehovah's Witnesses 0.9%, other 1.6%, none 15.7% (2005 est.) | Bahá'í 0.2%, Buddhist 0.1%, Christian 95.2%, Ethnoreligionist 0.5%, Spiritist 1.5%, Agnostic 2.4% | The National Institute of Development Information, the government's statistics and research agency, estimates the population is 6 million. A 2005 census conducted by the Nicaraguan Institute of Statistics and Census identifies Roman Catholics and evangelical Christians as the two largest religious groups. According to the census, 58.5 percent of the population identifies itself as Catholic and 21.6 percent as evangelical, which includes Pentecostals, Mennonites, Moravian Lutherans, and Baptists. A 2010 public opinion survey estimates Catholics at 56.2 percent of the population and evangelicals at 24.9 percent. Evangelical leaders discount these figures, claiming larger percentages of the population.
The Assemblies of God, Nicaragua's largest evangelical Pentecostal church, estimates its membership at 640,000. Evangelical leaders estimate evangelicals currently represent 43-46 percent of the population; they include Moravian Lutherans, Baptists, and other Protestants in that number. Catholic Church leaders estimate a decrease in their membership, but offer no statistics. Evangelical leaders estimate Catholics represent up to 56 percent of the population. Groups constituting less than 5 percent of the population include Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and Muslims. The Moravian Lutheran Church, with approximately 88,000 members, is largely concentrated in the country's North and South Autonomous Regions. A large percentage of its members are Amerindians and people of Afro-Caribbean descent. In the two regions, nearly 50 percent of the population self-identifies as Moravian Lutheran. Moravian leaders estimate that 5 percent of their members have transferred to the Assemblies of God church. |
| Niger | Population 15,510,000, Christian 0.8%, Muslim 98.4%, Unaffiliated 0.7% | Muslim 80%, other (includes indigenous beliefs and Christian) 20% | Christian 0.4%, Ethnoreligionist 4.1%, Muslim 95.4% | The UN World Population Prospects estimates the population to be 16.6 million. Over 98 percent considers itself Muslim. Approximately 95 percent of Muslims are Sunni and 5 percent are Shia. There are also small groups of Christians and Bahá'ís. Roman Catholic and Protestant groups account for less than 2 percent of the population. The few thousand Bahá'ís reside primarily in Niamey and in communities on the west side of the Niger River. A very small percentage of the population reportedly adheres primarily to indigenous religious beliefs. |
| Nigeria | Population 158,420,000, Christian 49.3%, Muslim 48.8%, Unaffiliated 0.4%, Folk Religion 1.4% | Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10% | Christian 46.5%, Ethnoreligionist 7.7%, Muslim 45.5%, Agnostic 0.3% | The population is approximately 170 million, according to a U.S. government source. Most observers estimate it is 50 percent Muslim, 40 percent Christian, and 10 percent adherents of indigenous religious beliefs. The predominant Islamic group is Sunni, including Tijaniyah, Qadiriyyah, and Sufi. Growing Shia and Izala (Salafist) minorities exist. Christian groups include Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, evangelicals and Pentecostals, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
The Hausa-Fulani and Kanuri ethnic groups dominate the predominantly Muslim northern states. Significant numbers of Christians also reside in the north, and Christians and Muslims reside in about equal numbers in the Middle Belt, the Federal Capital Territory, and the southwestern states, where the Yoruba ethnic group predominates. While most Yorubas are either Christian or Muslim, some primarily adhere to traditional Yoruba religious beliefs. In the southeastern states, where the Igbo ethnic group is dominant, Catholics, Anglicans, and Methodists constitute the majority, although many Igbos combine traditional practices with Christianity. In the Niger Delta region, where the Ogoni and Ijaw ethnic groups predominate, Christians form the majority while an estimated 1 percent of the population is Muslim. Pentecostal groups are growing rapidly in the Middle Belt and southern regions. Ahmadi Muslims maintain a small presence in the cities of Lagos and Abuja. |
| Niue | Population < 10,000, Christian 96.4%, Unaffiliated 3.3%, Other Religion 0.2% | Ekalesia Niue (Congregational Christian Church of Niue - a Protestant church founded by missionaries from the London Missionary Society) 67%, other Protestant 3% (includes Seventh Day Adventist 1%, Presbyterian 1%, and Methodist 1%), Mormon 10%, Roman Catholic 10%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 6%, none 2% (2011 est.) | Bahá'í 0.6%, Chinese Universalist 0.2%, Christian 97.7%, Agnostic 1.6% | |
| Norfolk Island | Protestant 49.6% (Anglican 31.8%, Uniting Church in Australia 10.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.2%), Roman Catholic 11.7%, other 8.6%, none 23.5%, unspecified 6.6% (2011 est.) | |||
| North Macedonia | Population 2,060,000, Christian 59.3%, Muslim 39.3%, Unaffiliated 1.4% | Macedonian Orthodox 64.8%, Muslim 33.3%, other Christian 0.4%, other and unspecified 1.5% (2002 est.) | Christian 63.6%, Muslim 32.7%, Atheist 0.5%, Agnostic 3.1% | According to a 2011 estimate by the State Statistical Office, the population is 2.06 million. The 2002 census estimates that 65 percent of the population is Orthodox and 33 percent is Muslim. Other religious groups include Roman Catholics, various Protestant denominations, Sufis, and Jews. There is a correlation between ethnicity and religious affiliation; the majority of Orthodox Christians are ethnic Macedonian and most Muslims are ethnic Albanian. |
| Northern Mariana Islands | Population 60,000, Christian 81.3%, Muslim 0.7%, Unaffiliated 1.0%, Buddhist 10.6%, Folk Religion 5.3%, Other Religion 1.1% | Christian (Roman Catholic majority, although traditional beliefs and taboos may still be found) | Bahá'í 0.5%, Buddhist 10.6%, Chinese Universalist 4.9%, Christian 81.3%, Confucianist 0.1%, Ethnoreligionist 0.3%, Muslim 0.7%, Neoreligionists 0.6%, Agnostic 1.0% | |
| Norway | Population 4,880,000, Christian 84.7%, Muslim 3.7%, Unaffiliated 10.1%, Hindu 0.5%, Buddhist 0.6%, Other Religion 0.2% | Church of Norway (Evangelical Lutheran - official) 82.1%, other Christian 3.9%, Muslim 2.3%, Roman Catholic 1.8%, other 2.4%, unspecified 7.5% (2011 est.) | Buddhist 0.7%, Christian 89.7%, Muslim 2.9%, Sikh 0.1%, Neoreligionists 0.1%, Atheist 0.6%, Agnostic 5.6% | According to Statistics Norway, the population is 5.02 million. An estimated 79 percent of the population belongs to the ELC; however, actual church attendance is low.
Various Christian denominations (289,000 registered members) make up 57 percent of all registered members of religious groups outside of the ELC. Of these, the Roman Catholic Church is the largest and, because of recent immigration, has increased to an estimated 100,000 registered members (from 57,000 in 2010), while the Pentecostal Church has approximately 39,100 registered members. Membership in Muslim congregations is 112, 000 and comprises 22 percent of all members of religious groups outside of the ELC in the country. Mosques are located throughout the country, but the Muslim population is most concentrated in the Oslo region. Membership in Jewish congregations decreased to 819 from 850 in 2009. There are two official Jewish congregations, one in Oslo and one in Trondheim. Buddhists, Orthodox Christians, Sikhs, and Hindus together constitute less than 5 percent of the population. |
| Oman | Population 2,780,000, Christian 6.5%, Muslim 85.9%, Unaffiliated 0.2%, Hindu 5.5%, Buddhist 0.8%, Other Religion 1.0% | Muslim (official; majority are Ibadhi, lesser numbers of Sunni and Shia)) 85.9%, Christian 6.5%, Hindu 5.5%, Buddhist 0.8%, other 1%, unaffiliated 0.2%
note: approximately 75% of Omani citizens, who compose almost 70% of the country's total population, are Ibadhi Muslims; the Omani government does not keep statistics on religious affiliation (2013) (2010 est.) |
Bahá'í 0.4%, Buddhist 0.8%, Christian 4.3%, Hindu 5.5%, Muslim 88.1%, Sikh 0.7%, Agnostic 0.2% | A U.S. government source estimates the population at 3.1 million, 67 percent of whom are citizens. An estimated 75 percent of citizens, including Sultan Qaboos, are Ibadhi Muslims. Ibadhism is a form of Islam distinct from Shiism and the "orthodox" schools of Sunnism, and is the historically dominant religious group. Shia Muslims comprise less than 5 percent of citizens, and live mainly in the capital area and along the northern coast. The remainder of the citizen population is Sunni Muslim.
The majority of non-Muslims are foreign workers from South Asia, although there are small communities of naturalized ethnic Indians who are mainly Hindu or Christian. Non-Ibadhi religious groups constitute approximately 18 percent of the population and include Sunni and Shia Muslims and groups of Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Bahá'ís, and Christians. Christian groups are centered in the major urban areas of Muscat, Sohar, and Salalah and include Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant congregations. These groups tend to organize along linguistic and ethnic lines. There are more than 60 different Christian groups, fellowships, and assemblies active in the Muscat metropolitan area. There are also three officially recognized Hindu temples and two Sikh temples in Muscat, as well as additional temples located in foreign laborer camps. |
| Pakistan | Population 173,590,000, Christian 1.6%, Muslim 96.4%, Hindu 1.9% | Muslim (official) 96.4% (Sunni 85-90%, Shia 10-15%), other (includes Christian and Hindu) 3.6% (2010 est.) | Christian 2.2%, Ethnoreligionist 0.1%, Hindu 1.3%, Muslim 96.2% | According to 2012 U.S. government data, the total population is approximately 190.3 million. According to the most recent census, conducted in 1998, 95 percent of the population is Muslim (75 percent of the Muslim population is Sunni and 25 percent Shia). Groups constituting 5 percent of the population or less include Hindus, Christians, Parsis/Zoroastrians, Bahá'ís, Sikhs, Buddhists, and others. While Ahmadi Muslims consider themselves Muslim, the law prohibits them from identifying as such. Other religious groups include Kalasha, Kihals, and Jains. Less than 0.5 percent of the population is silent on religious affiliation or claims not to adhere to a particular religious group. Social pressure is such that few persons claim no religious affiliation. |
| Palau | Population 20,000, Christian 86.7%, Unaffiliated 1.2%, Buddhist 0.8%, Folk Religion 0.8%, Other Religion 10.4% | Roman Catholic 49.4%, Protestant 30.9% (includes Protestant (general) 23.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 5.3%, and other Protestant 2.5%), Modekngei 8.7% (indigenous to Palau), Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1%, other 8.8%, none or unspecified 1.1% (2005 est.) | Bahá'í 0.7%, Buddhist 0.8%, Chinese Universalist 0.2%, Christian 92.7%, Ethnoreligionist 0.6%, Hindu 0.1%, Muslim 2.4%, Agnostic 2.4% | The World Bank estimates the population to be 21,000. Approximately 65 percent is Roman Catholic. Estimates of other religious groups include the Evangelical Church with 2,000 members; Seventh-day Adventists, 1,000; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), 300; and Jehovah's Witnesses, 90. Modekngei, which embraces both animist and Christian beliefs, and is unique to the country, has approximately 1,800 adherents. Within the foreign community of more than 6,000 people, the majority is Filipino Catholic. There are also small groups of Chinese Uighurs and Bangladeshi Muslims. |
| Palestinian territories | Population 4,040,000, Christian 2.4%, Muslim 97.6% | West Bank - Muslim 80.0 - 85.0% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 12.0 - 14.0%, Christian 1.0 - 2.5% (mainly Greek Orthodox), other, unaffiliated, unspecified <1.0%
note: the proportion of Christians continues to fall mainly as a result of the growth of the Muslim population but also because of the migration and the declining birth rate of the Christian population (2012 est.); Gaza Strip - Muslim 98.0 - 99.0% (predominantly Sunni), Christian <1.0%, other, unaffiliated, unspecified <1.0% note: dismantlement of Israeli settlements was completed in September 2005; Gaza has had no Jewish population since then (2012 est.) |
Christian 1.9%, Jewish 11.8%, Muslim 80.6%, Atheist 0.1%, Agnostic 5.6% | According to 2011 World Bank statistics, approximately 4 million Palestinians live in the Occupied Territories. Roughly 98 percent of Palestinian residents are Sunni Muslims. According to the 2010 Statistical Yearbook of the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, 491,800 Jews live in Jerusalem, amounting to roughly 62 percent of the city's population. The Israeli Ministry of Interior reports that 350,150 Jews reside in the West Bank. Although there is no official count, there are about 52,000 Christians in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem, according to a 2008 survey conducted by the Lutheran ecumenical institution, Diyar Consortium. A majority of Christians are Greek Orthodox; the remainder consists of Roman Catholics, Greek Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Armenian Orthodox, Copts, Maronites, Ethiopian Orthodox, and member of several other Protestant denominations. Christians are concentrated primarily in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Nablus, but smaller communities exist elsewhere. Approximately 400 Samaritans reside in the West Bank, as well as a small number of evangelical Christians and Jehovah's Witnesses.
According to local Christian leaders, Palestinian Christian emigration has accelerated since 2001. Lower birth rates among Palestinian Christians also contribute to their shrinking numbers. |
| Panama | Population 3,520,000, Christian 93.0%, Muslim 0.7%, Unaffiliated 4.8%, Buddhist 0.2%, Folk Religion 0.4%, Other Religion 0.4%, Jewish 0.4% | Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15% | Bahá'í 1.2%, Buddhist 0.8%, Chinese Universalist 0.1%, Christian 90.5%, Ethnoreligionist 1.1%, Jewish 0.1%, Muslim 0.7%, Spiritist 0.5%, Neoreligionists 0.6%, Atheist 0.6%, Agnostic 3.8% | The population is 3.4 million, according to the 2010 census. The government does not collect statistics on religious affiliation, but various sources estimate that 75 to 85 percent of the population is Roman Catholic and 15 to 25 percent is evangelical Christian. Smaller religious groups are found primarily in Panama City or larger urban areas. These include Seventh-day Adventists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Jehovah's Witnesses, Hindus, Buddhists, and Rastafarians. There are also active groups of evangelicals and Mormons in small towns. Baptists, Methodists, and Lutherans derive their membership in large part from the Afro-Antillean and expatriate communities.
The Jewish and Muslim communities have approximately 12,000 members each. The Jewish community is centered largely in Panama City. Muslims live primarily in Panama City and Colon. One of the world's seven Bahá'í houses of worship is in Panama City. Indigenous religions include Ibeorgun (among Kuna), Mamatata and Mamachi (among Ngobe Bugle), and Embera (among Embera), found in their respective indigenous communities throughout the country. |
| Papua New Guinea | Population 6,860,000, Christian 99.2%, Folk Religion 0.4%, Other Religion 0.2% | Roman Catholic 27%, Protestant 69.4% (Evangelical Lutheran 19.5%, United Church 11.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10%, Pentecostal 8.6%, Evangelical Alliance 5.2%, Anglican 3.2%, Baptist 2.5%, other Protestant 8.9%), Bahá'í 0.3%, indigenous beliefs and other 3.3% (2000 census) | Bahá'í 0.9%, Buddhist 0.2%, Christian 94.8%, Ethnoreligionist 3.4%, Agnostic 0.6% | The most recent population estimate by the National Statistics Office in 2011 is 7,059,700. According to the 2000 census (the most recent available), 96 percent of citizens identified themselves as Christian. Churches with the most members are Roman Catholic, 27 percent; Evangelical Lutheran, 20 percent; United Church, 12 percent; Seventh-day Adventist, 10 percent; Pentecostal, 9 percent; Evangelical Alliance, 5 percent; Anglican, 3 percent; and Baptist, 3 percent. Other Christian groups, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Salvation Army together constitute 9 percent. Bahá'ís make up less than 1 percent of the population, and the remaining 3 percent hold indigenous or other beliefs. Many citizens integrate Christian faith with some indigenous beliefs and practices.
Nontraditional Christian and non-Christian religious groups have become increasingly active in recent years. Muslim and Confucian organizations largely serve the expatriate population. The Muslim community has about 3,000 members with a mosque in Port Moresby and 12 Islamic centers across the country. Pentecostal and charismatic Christian groups have found converts within congregations of the more established churches. |
| Paraguay | Population 6,450,000, Christian 96.9%, Unaffiliated 1.1%, Folk Religion 1.7%, Other Religion 0.2% | Roman Catholic 89.6%, Protestant 6.2%, other Christian 1.1%, other or unspecified 1.9%, none 1.1% (2002 census) | Bahá'í 0.2%, Buddhist 0.2%, Christian 95.4%, Ethnoreligionist 2.0%, Atheist 0.2%, Agnostic 1.8% | The General Directorate of Statistics, Surveys, and Census estimates the population to be 6.7 million. According to the 2002 national census, 90 percent of the population is Roman Catholic and 6 percent is evangelical Protestant. Groups together constituting less than 5 percent of the population include Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Muslims, Buddhists, Bahá'ís, Mennonites, members of the Unification Church, and adherents of indigenous tribal religions.
Mennonites comprise a majority of the population in remote areas of the Central Chaco and Eastern Paraguay. |
| Peru | Population 29,080,000, Christian 95.5%, Unaffiliated 3.0%, Buddhist 0.2%, Folk Religion 1.0%, Other Religion 0.3% | Roman Catholic 81.3%, Evangelical 12.5%, other 3.3%, none 2.9% (2007 est.) | Bahá'í 0.1%, Buddhist 0.2%, Christian 96.5%, Ethnoreligionist 1.4%, Neoreligionists 0.3%, Atheist 0.2%, Agnostic 1.2% | The population is 29.5 million, according to a 2010 National Statistical Institute (NSI) estimate. The 2007 NSI census reports 81 percent of the population is Roman Catholic, 13 percent is Protestant (mainly evangelical), and 3 percent belongs to other religious groups, including Seventh-day Adventists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Jehovah's Witnesses, Israelites of the New Universal Pact Baptists, Assemblies of God, Jews, Bahá'ís, Hare Krishnas, and Muslims. The Israel Information Center for Latin America estimates there are 3,000 Jews, residing primarily in Lima and Cuzco. There are small Muslim communities in Lima and Tacna. Some inhabitants of the remote eastern jungles adhere to traditional indigenous beliefs. There are also indigenous communities adhering to a combination of Christian and pre-Columbian beliefs, including some Catholics in the Andean highlands. |
| Philippines | Population 93,260,000, Christian 92.6%, Muslim 5.5%, Unaffiliated 0.1%, Folk Religion 1.5%, Other Religion 0.1% | Catholic 82.9% (Roman Catholic 80.9%, Aglipayan 2%), Muslim 5%, Evangelical 2.8%, Iglesia ni Cristo 2.3%, other Christian 4.5%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.6%, none 0.1% (2000 census) | Bahá'í 0.3%, Buddhist 0.1%, Christian 90.9%, Ethnoreligionist 2.3%, Muslim 5.3%, Atheist 0.2%, Agnostic 0.7% | The Philippine Statistics Authority's 2010 Census of Population and Housing Report released on 4 April 2012, states the population is 92.3 million.
According to a survey from 2000 by the Philippine Statistics Authority, approximately 93 percent of the population is Christian. A large majority of Christians are Roman Catholics, constituting 80 to 85 percent of the total population. The 2000 survey states that Islam is the largest minority religion, constituting approximately 5 percent of the population. A more recent estimate by the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) in 2011 states that there are 10.3 million Muslims, or about 11 percent of the total population. Most Filipino Muslims are members of various ethnic minority groups. Nearly 60 percent of Muslims reside in Mindanao and nearby islands. Although most belong to the Sunni branch of Islam, a small number of Shia Muslims live in the provinces of Lanao del Sur and Zamboanga del Sur in Mindanao. An increasing number of Filipino Muslims are migrating to the urban centers of Manila and Cebu. Religious groups that together constitute less than 5 percent of the population include the following international denominations: Seventh-day Adventists, United Church of Christ, United Methodists, the Episcopal Church in the Philippines, Assemblies of God, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and Philippine (Southern) Baptists; and the following domestically established churches: Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ), Philippine Independent Church (Aglipayan), Members Church of God International, and The Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the Name Above Every Name. |
| Pitcairn Islands | Seventh-Day Adventist 100% | |||
| Poland | Population 38,280,000, Christian 94.3%, Unaffiliated 5.6% | Catholic 87.2% (includes Roman Catholic 86.9% and Greek Catholic, Armenian Catholic, and Byzantine-Slavic Catholic .3%), Orthodox 1.3% (almost all are Polish Autocephalous Orthodox), Protestant 0.4% (mainly Augsburg Evangelical and Pentecostal), other 0.4% (includes Jehovah's Witness, Buddhist, Hare Krishna, Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Muslim, Jewish, Mormon), unspecified 10.8% (2012 est.) | Christian 95.4%, Muslim 0.1%, Atheist 0.3%, Agnostic 4.2% | According to the government's Small Statistical Yearbook, the population is 38.2 million. Almost 89 percent of the population is Roman Catholic. Groups together constituting less than 5 percent of the population include Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutherans, Greek Catholics, Pentecostals, and members of the Polish Orthodox Church. There are 2,908 registered members of Jewish groups and 1,251 registered members of Muslim groups. Official data may understate the numbers of Jews and Muslims, because it does not include those who have not formally joined a religious group. Jewish and Muslim groups estimate their actual numbers to be 20,000 and 25,000, respectively. |
| Portugal | Population 10,680,000, Christian 93.8%, Muslim 0.6%, Unaffiliated 4.4%, Hindu 0.1%, Buddhist 0.6%, Folk Religion 0.5% | Roman Catholic 81%, other Christian 3.3%, other (includes Jewish, Muslim, other) 0.6%, none 6.8%, unspecified 8.3%
notes: represents population 15 years of age and older (2011 est.) |
Buddhist 0.6%, Chinese Universalist 0.2%, Christian 91.1%, Hindu 0.2%, Muslim 0.4%, Atheist 1.4%, Agnostic 5.9% | According to the 2011 census, the population is 10.6 million. More than 80 percent of the population above the age of 12 identifies with the Roman Catholic Church; however, a large percentage does not actively participate in church activities. Other religious groups constituting less than 5 percent of the population include various Protestant denominations, Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, Taoists, and Zoroastrians. The Protestant population includes 250,000 members of evangelical churches. Many of the estimated 200,000 immigrants from Eastern Europe, primarily from Ukraine, are Eastern Orthodox. |
| Puerto Rico | Population 3,750,000, Christian 96.7%, Unaffiliated 1.9%, Buddhist 0.3%, Folk Religion 0.8%, Other Religion 0.1% | Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant and other 15% | Christian 95.8%, Spiritist 0.7%, Atheist 0.4%, Agnostic 2.8% | |
| Qatar | Population 1,760,000, Christian 13.8%, Muslim 67.7%, Unaffiliated 0.9%, Hindu 13.8%, Buddhist 3.1%, Other Religion 0.7% | Muslim 77.5%, Christian 8.5%, other (includes mainly Hindu and other Indian religions) 14% (2004 est.) | Bahá'í 0.2%, Buddhist 1.9%, Christian 9.6%, Hindu 2.5%, Muslim 83.5%, Agnostic 2.3% | According to the Qatar Statistic Authority, the population is 1.8 million. Citizens make up approximately 14 percent of the population. Sunni Muslims constitute the majority of citizens; Shia Muslims number between 5 and 15 percent.
Most noncitizens are Sunni or Shia Muslims, Hindus, Christians, or Buddhists. While the government does not release figures regarding religious affiliation, some estimates for noncitizens are available from Christian groups and local embassies. The Hindu community, almost exclusively from India and Nepal, comprises more than 30 percent of noncitizens. Roman Catholics are approximately 20 percent of the noncitizen population, while Buddhists, largely from South, Southeast, and East Asia, are estimated at 7 percent of noncitizens. Groups constituting less than 5 percent of the population include Anglicans, Egyptian Copts, Bahá'ís of Iranian or Lebanese origin, and members of the Greek and other Eastern Orthodox Churches. |
| Réunion | Population 850,000, Christian 87.6%, Muslim 4.2%, Unaffiliated 2.0%, Hindu 4.5%, Buddhist 0.2%, Folk Religion 0.4%, Other Religion 1.1% | Bahá'í 0.9%, Buddhist 0.2%, Christian 87.6%, Ethnoreligionist 0.4%, Hindu 4.5%, Jain 0.1%, Muslim 4.2%, Atheist 0.1%, Agnostic 1.9% | ||
| Romania | Population 21,490,000, Christian 99.5%, Muslim 0.3%, Unaffiliated 0.1% | Eastern Orthodox (including all sub-denominations) 81.9%, Protestant (various denominations including Reformed and Pentecostal) 6.4%, Roman Catholic 4.3%, other (includes Muslim) 0.9%, none or atheist 0.2%, unspecified 6.3% (2011 est.) | Christian 98.5%, Muslim 0.4%, Atheist 0.2%, Agnostic 0.9% | According to the 2011 census, the population is 19 million. Orthodox adherents constitute 86 percent of the population, Roman Catholics 4 to 6 percent, and Greek Catholics less than 1 percent. According to the Greek Catholic Church and media reports, irregularities by census takers artificially increased the number of Orthodox believers to the detriment of other religious groups. Other religious groups include Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, Bahá'ís, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Zen Buddhists, and members of the Family (God's Children), the Unification Church, and the Society for Krishna Consciousness.
Some religious groups are concentrated in particular regions. Old Rite Russian Christians are mainly located in Moldavia and Dobrogea. Most Muslims live in the southeast around Constanta. Most Greek Catholics reside in Transylvania. Protestants and Roman Catholics reside primarily in Transylvania. Orthodox and Greek Catholic ethnic Ukrainians live mostly in the north. Orthodox ethnic Serbs are primarily in Banat. Members of the Armenian Church are concentrated in Moldavia and the south. Virtually all members of the Protestant Reformed, Roman Catholic, Unitarian, and Lutheran churches from Transylvania are ethnic Hungarians. Approximately half of the Jewish population is in Bucharest. According to an April survey conducted by the Romanian Institute for Evaluation and Strategy, 14 percent of respondents attend church services several times a week, 48 percent several times a month, 16 percent several times a year, and 17 percent only on important religious feasts. |
| Russia | Population 142,960,000, Christian 73.3%, Muslim 10.0%, Unaffiliated 16.2%, Buddhist 0.1%, Folk Religion 0.2%, Jewish 0.2% | Russian Orthodox 15-20%, Muslim 10-15%, other Christian 2% (2006 est.)
note: estimates are of practicing worshipers; Russia has large populations of non-practicing believers and non-believers, a legacy of over seven decades of Soviet rule. |
Buddhist 0.4%, Christian 81.2%, Ethnoreligionist 0.7%, Jewish 0.1%, Muslim 10.4%, Atheist 1.1%, Agnostic 6.1% | According to the Government Statistics Agency, the population is 143.2 million. The Atlas of Religions of Russia reports that 41 percent of the population is Orthodox Christian and 6.5 percent Muslim. In contrast, a 2012 Levada Center poll reports that 74 percent of Russians consider themselves Orthodox while 7 percent self-identify as Muslim. Religious groups constituting less than five percent each include Buddhists, Protestants, Roman Catholics, Jews, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Jehovah's Witnesses, Hindus, members of other Orthodox groups not affiliated with the Moscow patriarchate such of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church and Old Believers, Bahá'ís, Hare Krishnas, pagans, Tengrists, and Falun Gong adherents. The 2010 census estimates the number of Jews at 150,000; however, according to the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia, there may be 750,000 Jews, most of whom live in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Immigrants and migrant workers from Central Asia are mostly Muslim. The majority of Muslims live in the Volga Ural region and the North Caucasus. Moscow, St. Petersburg, and parts of Siberia also have sizable Muslim populations. |
| Rwanda | Population 10,620,000, Christian 93.4%, Muslim 1.8%, Unaffiliated 3.6%, Folk Religion 1.0%, Other Religion 0.2% | Roman Catholic 49.5%, Protestant 39.4% (includes Adventist 12.2% and other Protestant 27.2%), other Christian 4.5%, Muslim 1.8%, animist 0.1%, other 0.6%, none 3.6% (2001), unspecified 0.5% (2002 est.) | Bahá'í 0.2%, Christian 91.5%, Ethnoreligionist 3.3%, Muslim 4.8%, Agnostic 0.2% | The population is approximately 10.5 million, based on preliminary results of the August census. According to the 2002 census, Roman Catholics constitute 57 percent of the population, Protestant denominations 26 percent, Seventh-day Adventists 11 percent, and Muslims 5 percent. There are growing numbers of Jehovah's Witnesses, evangelical Protestants, and smaller Christian religious groups, each of which the government estimates constitute less than 1 percent of the population. Other groups constituting less than 1 percent of the population include practitioners of indigenous and traditional religions, Bahá'ís, and a very small Jewish community consisting entirely of foreigners. |
| Samoa | Population 180,000, Christian 96.8%, Unaffiliated 2.5%, Other Religion 0.4% | Protestant 57.4% (Congregationalist 31.8%, Methodist 13.7%, Assembly of God 8%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.9%), Roman Catholic 19.4%, Mormon 15.2%, Worship Centre 1.7%, other Christian 5.5%, other 0.7%, none 0.1%, unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.) | Bahá'í 0.5%, Christian 98.8%, Agnostic 0.6% | According to the 2011 census (the most recent available), the population is approximately 188,000. The major religious groups in the country are Congregational Christian, 32 percent; Roman Catholic, 19 percent; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), 15 percent; Methodist, 14 percent; Assemblies of God, 8 percent; and Seventh-day Adventist, 4 percent. Groups together constituting less than 5 percent of the population include Jehovah's Witnesses, Congregational Church of Jesus, Nazarene, nondenominational Protestant, Baptist, Worship Centre, Peace Chapel, Samoa Evangelism, Elim Church, and Anglican. A comparison of the 2006 and 2011 censuses shows a slight decline in the membership of major denominations and an increase in participation in nontraditional and evangelical groups. Although there is no official estimate, there are reportedly small numbers of Hindus, Buddhists, and Jews, primarily in Apia. The country has one of the world's seven Bahá'í Houses of Worship. There is a small Muslim community and one mosque. |
| San Marino | Population 30,000, Christian 91.6%, Unaffiliated 7.2%, Other Religion 0.9%, Jewish 0.3% | Roman Catholic | Bahá'í 0.9%, Christian 91.9%, Atheist 1.8%, Agnostic 5.4% | According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the population is approximately 32,500. The government does not provide statistics on the size of religious groups and there is no census data on religious group membership. However, government officials estimate approximately 97 percent of the population is Roman Catholic. Other religious groups include small numbers of Jehovah's Witnesses, Bahá'ís, Muslims, Jews, Orthodox Christians, and members of the Waldensian Church. In recent years, the number of Orthodox Church members has increased significantly due to immigration from Eastern Europe. There are almost 5,000 foreign residents. About 87 percent of the foreign residents are Italian nationals, most of whom are Roman Catholic. Over 5,000 additional foreign workers residing in Italy cross the border daily to work. |
| Sao Tome and Principe | Population 170,000, Christian 82.2%, Unaffiliated 12.6%, Folk Religion 2.9%, Other Religion 2.4% | Catholic 55.7%, Adventist 4.1%, Assembly of God 3.4%, New Apostolic 2.9%, Mana 2.3%, Universal Kingdom of God 2%, Jehovah's Witness 1.2%, other 6.2%, none 21.2%, unspecified 1% (2012 est.) | Bahá'í 2.4%, Christian 96.1%, Ethnoreligionist 0.2%, Agnostic 1.2% | The most recent government census estimates the population to be 185,000. The Roman Catholic bishop's office estimates that 85 percent of the population is Roman Catholic, 12 percent Protestant, and less than 2 percent Muslim. Protestant groups include Seventh-Day Adventists, Methodists, and evangelical groups, such as the Evangelic Assembly of Christ, the Universal Church of Christ, and the Thokoist Church. The number of Muslims has increased over the past ten years due to an influx of migrants from Nigeria and Cameroon. Some Christians and Muslims also adhere to aspects of indigenous beliefs. |
| Saudi Arabia | Population 27,450,000, Christian 4.4%, Muslim 93.0%, Unaffiliated 0.7%, Hindu 1.1%, Buddhist 0.3%, Folk Religion 0.3%, Other Religion 0.3% | Muslim (official; citizens are 85-90% Sunni and 10-15% Shia), other (includes Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh) (2012 est.)
note: despite having a large expatriate community of various faiths (more than 30% of the population), most forms of public religious expression inconsistent with the government-sanctioned interpretation of Sunni Islam are restricted; non-Muslims are not allowed to have Saudi citizenship and non-Muslim places of worship are not permitted (2013) (2012 est.) |
Buddhist 0.3%, Christian 4.4%, Ethnoreligionist 0.2%, Hindu 2.0%, Muslim 92.1%, Sikh 0.2%, Agnostic 0.6% | As of July 2012, the population is approximately 26.5 million, according to U.S. government estimates. Approximately 85 to 90 percent of citizens are Sunni Muslims who predominantly adhere to the Hanbali School of Islamic jurisprudence. Shia constitute 10 to 15 percent of the population. Approximately 80 percent of Shia are "Twelvers" (followers of Muhammad ibn Hasan al-Mahdi, whom they recognize as the Twelfth Imam) and are primarily located in the Eastern Province. Twelver Shia adhere to the Jafari school of jurisprudence. Most of the remaining Shia population is Sulaimaniya Ismailis, also known as "Seveners" (those who branched off from the Twelvers to follow Isma’il ibn Jafar as the Seventh Imam). Seveners reside primarily in Najran Province, where they represent the majority of the province's more than one million inhabitants. Nakhawala, or "Medina Shia," reside in small numbers in the western Hejaz region. Estimates place their numbers around 1,000. Pockets of Zaydis, another offshoot of Shiism, number approximately 20,000 and exist primarily in the provinces of Jizan and Najran along the border with Yemen.
Foreign embassies indicate that the foreign population in the country, including many undocumented migrants, may exceed 12 million. Comprehensive statistics for the religious denominations of foreigners are not available, but they include Muslims from the various branches and schools of Islam, Christians (including Eastern Orthodox, Protestants, and Roman Catholics), Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, and others. |
| Senegal | Population 12,430,000, Christian 3.6%, Muslim 96.4% | Muslim 94% (most adhere to one of the four main Sufi brotherhoods), Christian 5% (mostly Roman Catholic), indigenous beliefs 1% | Bahá'í 0.2%, Christian 5.5%, Ethnoreligionist 3.5%, Muslim 90.6%, Agnostic 0.1% | The World Bank estimates the 2011 population to be 12.77 million. Approximately 94 percent of the population is Muslim. Most Muslims belong to one of several Sufi brotherhoods, each of which incorporates unique practices that reflect Islam's thousand-year history in the country. Some Muslims affiliate with Sunni or Shia reform movements. Approximately 4 percent of the population is Christian. Christian groups include Roman Catholics, Protestants, and groups combining Christian and indigenous beliefs. The remaining 2 percent exclusively adheres to indigenous religions or profess no religion.
The country is ethnically and religiously diverse. Although there is significant integration of all groups, Muslims are generally concentrated in the north while Christians largely reside in the west and south. Members of indigenous religious groups mainly live in the east and south. |
| Serbia | Population 7,770,000, Christian 92.5%, Muslim 4.2%, Unaffiliated 3.3% | Serbian Orthodox 84.6%, Catholic 5%, Muslim 3.1%, Protestant 1%, atheist 1.1%, other 0.8%, undeclared or unknown 4.5% (2011 est.) | Christian 89.2%, Muslim 7.0%, Atheist 0.6%, Agnostic 3.1% | According to the 2011 census, the population is 7.2 million. Approximately 85 percent of the population is Serbian Orthodox, 5 percent Roman Catholic, 3 percent Muslim, and 1 percent Protestant. The remaining 6 percent includes 578 Jews, members of Eastern religions, agnostics, atheists, "others," and individuals without a declared religious affiliation. Roman Catholics are predominantly ethnic Hungarians and Croats in Vojvodina. Muslims include Bosniaks (Slavic Muslims) in Sandzak, ethnic Albanians in the south, and Roma located throughout the country. Approximately 94 percent of the population belongs to seven religious groups defined as "traditional" by the government: the Serbian Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church, Slovak Evangelical Church, Reformed Christian Church, Evangelical Christian Church, Islamic community, and Jewish community.
The Islamic community operates under two separate authorities: the Islamic Community of Serbia, with its seat in Belgrade, and the Islamic Community in Serbia, with its seat in Novi Pazar. |
| Seychelles | Population 90,000, Christian 94.0%, Muslim 1.1%, Unaffiliated 2.1%, Hindu 2.1%, Other Religion 0.6% | Roman Catholic 76.2%, Protestant 10.6% (Anglican 6.1%, Pentecoastal Assembly 1.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.2%, other Protestant 1.6), other Christian 2.4%, Hindu 2.4%, Muslim 1.6%, other non-Christian 1.1%, unspecified 4.8%, none 0.9% (2010 est.) | Bahá'í 0.4%, Christian 94.8%, Hindu 1.5%, Jain 0.1%, Muslim 0.9%, Atheist 0.1%, Agnostic 2.1% | According to the 2010 census, the population is 90,900. Approximately 76 percent of the population is Roman Catholic and 6 percent is Anglican. Other Christian groups include Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, Assemblies of God, the Pentecostal Church, the Pentecostal Assembly, Nazarites, and Jehovah's Witnesses. Hindus, Muslims, and Bahá'ís are present in small numbers. |
| Sierra Leone | Population 5,870,000, Christian 20.9%, Muslim 78.0%, Unaffiliated 0.1%, Folk Religion 0.8% | Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30% | Bahá'í 0.2%, Christian 13.3%, Ethnoreligionist 20.6%, Muslim 64.6%, Agnostic 1.2% | The World Bank estimates the population is 6 million. The Inter-Religious Council (IRC), which is composed of Christian and Muslim leaders, estimates that 77 percent of the population is Muslim and 21 percent Christian. Christian groups include Protestants, Roman Catholics, and unaffiliated groups. Groups constituting less than 2 percent include Bahá'ís, Hindus, Jews, and adherents of indigenous and other religious beliefs. Most Muslims are Sunni. Evangelical Christians are a growing minority, drawing primarily from members of other Christian groups. Many persons combine Islam or Christianity with indigenous religious beliefs. |
| Singapore | Population 5,090,000, Christian 18.2%, Muslim 14.3%, Unaffiliated 16.4%, Hindu 5.2%, Buddhist 33.9%, Folk Religion 2.3%, Other Religion 9.7% | Buddhist 33.9%, Muslim 14.3%, Taoist 11.3%, Catholic 7.1%, Hindu 5.2%, other Christian 11%, other 0.7%, none 16.4% (2010 est.) | Bahá'í 0.2%, Buddhist 14.8%, Chinese Universalist 39.1%, Christian 19.0%, Hindu 5.2%, Muslim 15.0%, Sikh 0.4%, Neoreligionists 1.5%, Atheist 0.1%, Agnostic 4.6% | According to the Department of Statistics, the population is 5.31 million. This includes 3.29 million citizens, 0.53 million permanent residents, and 1.48 million non-residents. Eighty-three percent of citizens and permanent residents profess a religious belief. Approximately 33 percent of the population is Buddhist, 15 percent Muslim, 18 percent Christian, 11 percent Taoist, and 5 percent Hindu. Groups together constituting less than 5 percent of the population include Sikhs, Zoroastrians, Jains, and Jews. There are no membership estimates for Jehovah's Witnesses or members of the Unification Church, the two religious groups the government has banned.
According to June 2012 Department of Statistics data, 74.1 percent of the population is ethnic Chinese, 13.4 percent ethnic Malay, 9.2 percent ethnic Indian, and 3.3 percent other, including Eurasians. Nearly all ethnic Malays are Muslim. Among ethnic Indians, 55 percent are Hindu, 25 percent are Muslim, and 12 percent are Christian. The ethnic Chinese population includes mainly Buddhists (54 percent), Taoists (11 percent), and Christians (16.5 percent). |
| Slovakia | Population 5,460,000, Christian 85.3%, Muslim 0.2%, Unaffiliated 14.3% | Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 8.2%, Greek Catholic 3.8%, other or unspecified 12.5%, none 13.4% (2011 est.) | Christian 85.6%, Atheist 3.2%, Agnostic 11.1% | According to the 2011 census, the population is 5.4 million. Roman Catholics constitute 62 percent of the population; Augsburg Lutherans, 5.9 percent; and Greek Catholics, 3.8 percent; 13.4 percent do not state a religious affiliation. Other groups present in small numbers include the Reformed Christian Church, other Protestant groups, Jehovah's Witnesses, Orthodox Christians, Jews, and Bahá'ís.
There is some correlation between religion and ethnicity. Greek Catholics are generally ethnic Slovaks and Ruthenians (of Ukrainian origin), although some Ruthenians belong to the Orthodox Church. Most Orthodox Christians live in the eastern part of the country. The Reformed Christian Church is found primarily in the south, near the border with Hungary, where many ethnic Hungarians live. Other religious groups tend to be spread evenly throughout the country. |
| Slovenia | Population 2,030,000, Christian 78.4%, Muslim 3.6%, Unaffiliated 18.0% | Catholic 57.8%, Muslim 2.4%, Orthodox 2.3%, other Christian 0.9%, unaffiliated 3.5%, other or unspecified 23%, none 10.1% (2002 census) | Christian 87.7%, Muslim 2.4%, Atheist 2.5%, Agnostic 7.4% | The population is approximately 1.9 million, according to a U.S. government source. According to the 2002 census, 58 percent of the population is Roman Catholic, 23 percent is "other or unspecified" religion, 2 percent is Muslim, 2 percent is Orthodox Christian, and 1 percent is "other Christian." Three percent of the population is classified as "unaffiliated," and 10 percent state no religion. The Orthodox and Muslim populations generally correspond to the immigrant Serb and Bosniak populations, respectively. |
| Solomon Islands | Population 540,000, Christian 97.4%, Unaffiliated 0.2%, Buddhist 0.3%, Folk Religion 1.3%, Other Religion 0.7% | Protestant 73.4% (Church of Melanesia 31.9%, South Sea Evangelical 17.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 11.7%, United Church 10.1%, Christian Fellowship Church 2.5%), Roman Catholic 19.6%, other Christian 2.9%, other 4%, none 0.03%, unspecified 0.1% (2009 est.) | Bahá'í 0.6%, Buddhist 0.3%, Christian 95.3%, Ethnoreligionist 3.2%, Muslim 0.3%, Agnostic 0.3% | The 2009 National Census estimates the population to be 515,900. Approximately 90 percent of the population is affiliated with one of the following Christian churches: Anglican Church of Melanesia, 33 percent; Roman Catholic, 19 percent; South Seas Evangelical, 17 percent; Seventh-day Adventist, 11 percent; and United Methodist, 10 percent. These five groups make up the SICA, an ecumenical nongovernmental organization that plays a leading role in the civic life of the country. An estimated 5 percent of the population, consisting primarily of the Kwaio community on the island of Malaita, adheres to indigenous animistic religions. Groups together constituting less than 5 percent of the population include Muslims, Bahá'ís, Jehovah's Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), members of the Unification Church, and members of indigenous churches that have broken away from the major Christian denominations. |
| Somalia | Population 9,330,000, Muslim 99.8% | Sunni Muslim (Islam) (official, according to the Transitional Federal Charter) | Muslim 99.8% | The last census took place in 1975, and ongoing instability makes precise data collection impossible. The population is approximately 10 million, according to a U.S. government source. A large majority of citizens are Sunni Muslims of a Sufi tradition. Conservative Salafist groups with politically prominent leaders are prevalent. There is thought to be a small, low profile Christian community and small numbers of members of other religious groups. |
| South Africa | Population 50,130,000, Christian 81.2%, Muslim 1.7%, Unaffiliated 14.9%, Hindu 1.1%, Buddhist 0.2%, Folk Religion 0.4%, Other Religion 0.3%, Jewish 0.1% | Protestant 36.6% (Zionist Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%), Catholic 7.1%, Muslim 1.5%, other Christian 36%, other 2.3%, unspecified 1.4%, none 15.1% (2001 census) | Bahá'í 0.5%, Buddhist 0.3%, Christian 82.0%, Ethnoreligionist 7.1%, Hindu 2.4%, Jewish 0.2%, Muslim 1.7%, Atheist 0.3%, Agnostic 5.4% | The 2011 census estimates the population to be 51.8 million. The census did not include statistics on religious demography. According to 2001 census figures, 80 percent of the population is Christian. Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, and adherents of traditional African beliefs together constitute slightly less than 5 percent of the population. Approximately 15 percent of the population adheres to no particular religion or declines to indicate an affiliation; some of these individuals probably adhere to unaffiliated indigenous religions. Many combine Christian and indigenous religious practices. The Church of Scientology has a small following.
The African Independent Churches constitute the largest group of Christian churches, including the Zion Christian Church (approximately 11 percent of the population), the Apostolic Church (approximately 10 percent), and a number of Pentecostal and charismatic groups. Other Christian groups include Methodists, Anglicans, Baptists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, Seventh-day Adventists, and members of the Greek Orthodox, Dutch Reformed, and Congregational churches. Ethnic Indian/Asian South Africans account for 2.5 percent of the total population. Roughly half of the ethnic Indian population is Hindu, and the majority resides in KwaZulu-Natal. The small Muslim community includes Cape Malays of Malayan-Indonesian descent, individuals of Indian or Pakistani origin, and several thousand Somali and Ethiopian immigrants. The small Jewish community is concentrated in Johannesburg and Cape Town. |
| South Sudan | Population 9,950,000, Christian 60.5%, Muslim 6.2%, Unaffiliated 0.5%, Folk Religion 32.9% | animist, Christian | According to the 2008 census, the population is approximately 8 million. The majority is Christian. There are no reliable statistics on the Muslim or animist minorities. Studies from the 1980s and the early 2000s estimated that Muslims constituted between 18 and 35 percent of the population, but the number of Muslims has probably declined through migration to Sudan after South Sudanese independence in 2011. The acting general secretary of the Sudan Council of Churches, which continues to include churches in both Sudan and South Sudan, notes that the seven principal Christian groups are Roman Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian, Sudan Pentecostal, Sudan Interior, Presbyterian Evangelical, and the Inland African Church. A substantial part of the population in isolated parts of the country probably adheres to indigenous religious beliefs or combines Christian and indigenous practices. | |
| Spain | Population 46,080,000, Christian 78.6%, Muslim 2.1%, Unaffiliated 19.0%, Jewish 0.1% | Roman Catholic 94%, other 6% | Christian 88.3%, Jewish 0.1%, Muslim 2.3%, Atheist 1.5%, Agnostic 7.6% | The National Statistics Institute estimates the population to be 47 million. The government does not collect data on religious affiliation. According to a survey conducted in October by the Spanish Center for Sociological Investigation, approximately 71 percent of respondents identified themselves as Catholic and nearly 3 percent as followers of another religion. In addition, 16 percent described themselves as "non-believers," and 9 percent as atheists.
The Episcopal Conference of Spain estimates there are 34.5 million Catholics. The Federation of Evangelical Religious Entities estimates there are 1.2 million evangelical Christians and other Protestants, 800,000 of whom are immigrants. The Union of Islamic Communities of Spain estimates there are 1.67 million Muslims, while other Islamic groups estimate a population of up to two million. The Federation of Jewish Communities estimates there are 40,000 Jews. Other religious groups include The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Buddhists, Orthodox Christians, Bahá'ís, Scientologists, Hindus, Christian Scientists and other Christian groups. |
| Sri Lanka | Population 20,860,000, Christian 7.3%, Muslim 9.8%, Hindu 13.6%, Buddhist 69.3% | Buddhist (official) 70.2%, Hindu 12.6%, Muslim 9.7%, Roman Catholic 6.1%, other Christian 1.3%, other 0.05% (2012 est.) | Buddhist 68.9%, Christian 8.8%, Hindu 13.0%, Muslim 8.5%, Agnostic 0.5% | According to a U.S. government estimate, the population is 21.5 million. Approximately 70 percent is Buddhist, 15 percent Hindu, 8 percent Christian, and 7 percent Muslim. Christians tend to be concentrated in the west, Muslims populate the east, and the north is predominantly Hindu.
Most members of the majority Sinhalese community are Theravada Buddhists. Most Tamils, the largest ethnic minority, are Hindus. Most Muslims are Sunnis; there is a small minority of Shia, including members of the Bohra community. Almost 80 percent of Christians are Roman Catholic; other Christian groups include Anglicans, Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Methodists, Baptists, Pentecostals, members of the Dutch Reformed Church, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Although membership remains small, Evangelical Christian groups have grown in recent years. |
| St. Barthelemy | Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jehovah's Witnesses | |||
| St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | Population < 10,000, Christian 96.5%, Unaffiliated 3.3%, Other Religion 0.2% | Protestant (Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist), Roman Catholic | Bahá'í 0.8%, Christian 95.8%, Agnostic 3.3% | |
| St. Kitts and Nevis | Population 50,000, Christian 94.6%, Muslim 0.3%, Unaffiliated 1.6%, Hindu 1.5%, Folk Religion 1.3%, Other Religion 0.8% | Anglican, other Protestant, Roman Catholic | Bahá'í 0.5%, Christian 94.6%, Hindu 1.5%, Muslim 0.2%, Spiritist 1.3%, Neoreligionists 0.3%, Agnostic 1.6% | According to a U.S. government estimate, the population is 50,700. Christianity is the dominant religion. An estimated 50 percent of the population is Anglican and 25 percent is Roman Catholic. The remainder includes Methodists, Moravians, Pentecostals, Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Rastafarians, Muslims, Hindus, and Bahá'ís. Evangelical Christian groups are growing in number.
Members of the St. Kitts Christian Council include the Anglican Church, the Methodist Church, the Moravian Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Salvation Army. Members of the Evangelical Association include the Baptist Church, the Pentecostal Church, the Wesleyan Church, and the Church of God in Christ. Seventh-day Adventists do not belong to either religious umbrella group. |
| St. Lucia | Population 170,000, Christian 91.1%, Muslim 0.1%, Unaffiliated 6.0%, Hindu 0.3%, Folk Religion 0.5%, Other Religion 2.0% | 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 .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.) | Bahá'í 0.2%, Christian 95.9%, Hindu 0.9%, Muslim 0.5%, Spiritist 1.7%, Neoreligionists 0.4%, Agnostic 0.4% | According to a 2011 World Bank estimate, the population is approximately 176,000. The 2010 Population and Housing Census reports Roman Catholics account for approximately 61.1 percent of the population; Seventh-day Adventists, 10.4 percent; Pentecostals, 8.8 percent; evangelicals, 2.2 percent; Baptists, 2.1 percent; and Rastafarians, 2 percent. Other groups together constituting less than 5 percent of the population include Anglicans, members of the Church of God, Jehovah's Witnesses, Methodists, Muslims, and Bahá'ís. Nearly 6 percent of the population claims no religious affiliation. |
| St. Martin | Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witnesses, Protestant, Hindu | |||
| St. Pierre and Miquelon | Population < 10,000, Christian 94.7%, Muslim 0.2%, Unaffiliated 3.8%, Other Religion 1.3% | Roman Catholic 99%, other 1% | Bahá'í 1.3%, Christian 94.7%, Muslim 0.1%, Agnostic 3.8% | |
| St. Vincent and the Grenadines | Population 110,000, Christian 88.7%, Muslim 1.5%, Unaffiliated 2.5%, Hindu 3.4%, Folk Religion 2.0%, Other Religion 2.0% | Protestant 75% (Anglican 47%, Methodist 28%), Roman Catholic 13%, other (includes Hindu, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Protestant) 12% | Bahá'í 1.5%, Christian 88.7%, Ethnoreligionist 0.2%, Hindu 3.4%, Muslim 1.5%, Spiritist 1.8%, Neoreligionists 0.5%, Agnostic 2.4% | A 2011 World Bank report estimates the population at 109,000. According to the 2001 census, the Anglican Church (18 percent) and Pentecostals (18 percent) are the largest religious groups, followed by Methodists (11 percent), Seventh-day Adventists (10 percent), Baptists (10 percent), and Roman Catholics (7 percent). Other religious groups include Bahá'ís, Rastafarians, Jehovah's Witnesses, members of the Church of God, and other evangelical groups. |
| Sudan | Population 33,600,000, Christian 5.4%, Muslim 90.7%, Unaffiliated 1.0%, Folk Religion 2.8% | Sunni Muslim, small Christian minority | Christian 19.0%, Ethnoreligionist 10.3%, Muslim 69.8%, Atheist 0.1%, Agnostic 0.8% | The population is approximately 26 million, according to the 2008 census. The Culture and Information Ministry estimates that 97 percent of the population is Muslim. Almost all Muslims are Sunni, although there are significant distinctions between followers of different Sunni traditions, particularly among Sufi orders. In addition, there are small Muslim minorities, including Shia and the Republican Brothers, based predominantly in Khartoum, and a growing, yet still small, percentage of Salafists.
The Culture and Information Ministry estimates that Christians make up 3 percent of the population. Christians primarily reside in Khartoum, the north, and the Nuba Mountains. It is unclear whether these numbers include residents of Southern Sudanese origin whose citizenship status remains under review. Khartoum's significant Christian population decreased with the migration of many Christians of southern heritage to South Sudan. There are very small but long-established groups of Orthodox Christians in Khartoum and other cities, including Coptic Orthodox and Greek Orthodox. There are also Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox communities, largely made up of refugees and migrants, in Khartoum and the east. Other smaller Christian groups include the Africa Inland Church, Armenian (Apostolic) Church, Sudan Church of Christ, Sudan Interior Church, Sudan Pentecostal Church, Sudan Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian Church of the Sudan, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Roman Catholic Church, Anglicans, and Jehovah's Witnesses. The Culture and Information Ministry indicates that less than 1 percent of the population adheres to African traditional religious beliefs. Some Christians and Muslims also adhere to some aspects of traditional beliefs. |
| Suriname | Population 520,000, Christian 51.6%, Muslim 15.2%, Unaffiliated 5.4%, Hindu 19.8%, Buddhist 0.6%, Folk Religion 5.3%, Other Religion 1.8%, Jewish 0.2% | Hindu 27.4%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian), Roman Catholic 22.8%, Muslim 19.6%, indigenous beliefs 5% | Bahá'í 0.7%, Buddhist 0.6%, Chinese Universalist 0.3%, Christian 51.0%, Ethnoreligionist 2.1%, Hindu 20.4%, Jain 0.3%, Jewish 0.2%, Muslim 15.9%, Spiritist 3.0%, Neoreligionists 0.8%, Atheist 0.1%, Agnostic 4.7% | According to a 2011 World Bank estimate, the population is 530,000. Approximately 41 percent of the population is Christian, of which half are Roman Catholics, according to the 2004 census. A wide range of other groups, including Moravian, Lutheran, Dutch Reformed, evangelical Protestant, Baptist, Methodist, Seventh-day Adventist, Jehovah's Witnesses, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), make up the remaining Christian population. Twenty percent of the population is Hindu, including the Sanathan Dharma and the Arya Dewaker. Muslims, including Sunni, Ahmadiyya, and the World Islamic Call Society, make up 13.5 percent. Approximately 3 percent adhere to indigenous religions. Bahá'ís, Jews, Buddhists, Brahma Kumaris, and Hare Krishnas are also present in small numbers. There are three Rastafarian organizations: Aya Bingi Order, 12th Tribe, and Bobo Shanti.
Some Amerindian and Maroon populations adhere to indigenous religions. Some Amerindians, concentrated principally in the interior and to a lesser extent in coastal areas, practice shamanism through a medicine man (piaiman). Many Maroons, who inhabit the interior, worship nature through a practice that has no special name. Other Maroons, as well as some Creoles in urban areas, worship their ancestors through a rite called wintie. Citizens of Amerindian and Maroon origin who identify as Christian often combine Christian practices with indigenous religious customs with the tacit approval of Christian leaders. There is a correlation between ethnicity and religion. Many political parties have strong ethnic ties, and members tend to belong to the same religious group. With the exception of those following indigenous practices, religious groups are not concentrated in any particular region. |
| Swaziland | Population 1,190,000, Christian 88.1%, Muslim 0.2%, Unaffiliated 10.1%, Hindu 0.1%, Folk Religion 1.0%, Other Religion 0.4% | Zionist 40% (a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship), Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 10%, other 30% (includes Anglican, Baha'i, Methodist, Mormon, Jewish) | Bahá'í 0.5%, Christian 87.6%, Ethnoreligionist 9.9%, Hindu 0.2%, Muslim 0.7%, Agnostic 1.2% | The government estimates the population is 1.1 million. Religious leaders estimate 90 percent of the population is Christian, about 2 percent Muslim, and under 10 percent belongs to other religious groups. Most Christians are either Roman Catholics or Zionists, who practice a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship. There are also Anglicans, Methodists, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and small numbers of Jews and Bahá'ís. Zionism is widely practiced in rural areas. |
| Sweden | Population 9,380,000, Christian 67.2%, Muslim 4.6%, Unaffiliated 27.0%, Hindu 0.2%, Buddhist 0.4%, Folk Religion 0.2%, Other Religion 0.2%, Jewish 0.1% | Lutheran 87%, other (includes Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist) 13% | Buddhist 0.4%, Christian 63.6%, Ethnoreligionist 0.1%, Hindu 0.1%, Jewish 0.2%, Muslim 3.6%, Neoreligionists 0.2%, Atheist 11.7%, Agnostic 19.9% | Statistics Sweden reports the population is 9.5 million. Religious membership or affiliation is concentrated in a few major religious groups. According to the Church of Sweden (Lutheran), approximately 68 percent of citizens are members; other Christian groups, including the Roman Catholic Church, the Pentecostal movement, the Missionary (or Missions) Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) total less than 5 percent of the population. Membership in the Church of Sweden has decreased steadily since it separated from the state in 2000. Researchers estimate that approximately 6 percent of the population is Muslim.
According to the Official Council of Swedish Jewish Communities, the number of Jews is approximately 20,000. The Swedish Commission for Government Support to Faith Communities estimates there are 9,000 practicing Jews in the country. Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform synagogues are found mostly in large cities. Smaller religious communities are concentrated in larger cities and include Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Zoroastrians, Hare Krishnas, and members of the Church of Scientology, Word of Faith, and Unification Church. |
| Switzerland | Population 7,660,000, Christian 81.3%, Muslim 5.5%, Unaffiliated 11.9%, Hindu 0.4%, Buddhist 0.4%, Other Religion 0.1%, Jewish 0.3% | Roman Catholic 38.2%, Protestant 26.9%, Muslim 4.9%, other Christian 5.7%, other 1.6%, none 21.4%, unspecified 1.3% (2012 est.) | Buddhist 0.3%, Christian 82.4%, Hindu 0.3%, Jewish 0.2%, Muslim 4.5%, Atheist 1.3%, Agnostic 10.8% | According to the Federal Office of Statistics, the population is 8.01 million. The June update of the 2010 census estimates religious group membership as 38.6 percent Roman Catholic, 28 percent Protestant, 4.5 percent Muslim, and 1.8 percent Christian Orthodox. Over 20 percent self-identifies as atheist. Religious groups constituting less than 1 percent of the population include Old Catholics, other Christian denominations, Buddhists, Hindus, and Jews. Although actual church attendance rates are much lower, 80 percent report being religious, including 22 percent being very religious, in a 2007 Religion Monitor survey sponsored by the Bertelsmann Foundation.
Most immigrants are members of religious groups different from native-born citizens. Over 90 percent of Muslims are of foreign origin, with nearly 100 nationalities represented. Most come from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Albania, Turkey, and North Africa. The majority of the Muslim community is Sunni, interspersed with some Shia and Alawites. Most of the Muslim population lives in urban areas. Over 75 percent of Jewish households are located in Zurich, Geneva, Basel, and Bern. |
| Syria | Population 20,410,000, Christian 5.2%, Muslim 92.8%, Unaffiliated 2.0% | Muslim 87% (official; includes Sunni 74% and Alawi, Ismaili, and Shia 13%), Christian (includes Orthodox, Uniate, and Nestorian) 10% (includes Orthodox, Uniate, and Nestorian), Druze 3%, Jewish (few remaining in Damascus and Aleppo) | Christian 5.2%, Muslim 92.8%, Atheist 0.1%, Agnostic 1.9% | According to a U.S. government source, the population is approximately 22.5 million, although emigration increased throughout the year due to ongoing violence, unrest, and economic hardship. Sunni Muslims constitute 74 percent of the population and are present throughout the country. The Sunni population includes Arabs, Kurds, Circassians, Chechens, and some Turkomans. Other Muslim groups, including Alawis, Ismailis, and Shia, together constitute 13 percent. Druze account for 3 percent of the population. Various Christian groups constitute the remaining 10 percent, although the Christian population may be closer to 8 percent due to emigration as Christians flee the country. There is also a small Jewish population in major urban areas.
Most Christians belong to the autonomous Orthodox churches, the Uniate churches (which recognize the Roman Catholic Pope), or the independent Nestorian Church. There is a Yezidi population of approximately 80,000, but the government does not recognize the Yezidi as belonging to a group distinct from Islam. Many of the approximately 100 Jews in the country at the beginning of the year have reportedly emigrated due to the ongoing conflict. Most Christians live in and around Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Hama, and Latakia, or in the Hasaka governorate in the northeast section of the country. Iraqi Christians frequently migrated to Syria in past years, but very few entered during the year due to ongoing unrest and violence. The majority of the Iraqi Christian population in the country either moved to neighboring states or returned to Iraq. The majority of Alawis live in the mountainous areas of the coastal Latakia governorate, but they also have significant presence in the cities of Latakia, Tartous, Homs, and Damascus. Many Druze live in the rugged Jabal al-Arab region in the southern governorate of Suweida, where they constitute the vast majority of the local population. The few remaining Jews are concentrated in Damascus and Aleppo. Yezidis are found primarily in the northeast and Aleppo. The Kurdish population is located in the northern and eastern border areas with Turkey and Iraq, largely in Hassakeh, Raqqah, and Halab. |
| Taiwan | Population 23,220,000, Christian 5.5%, Unaffiliated 12.7%, Buddhist 21.3%, Folk Religion 44.2%, Other Religion 16.2% | mixture of Buddhist and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5% | Buddhist 26.5%, Chinese Universalist 43.1%, Christian 6.0%, Ethnoreligionist 0.3%, Muslim 0.4%, Taoist 12.6%, Neoreligionists 6.7%, Atheist 0.2%, Agnostic 4.2% | According to Ministry of Interior figures from October, the population is 23,293,600. Based on a comprehensive study conducted in 2005, the Religious Affairs Section of the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) estimates that 35 percent of the population considers itself to be Buddhist and 33 percent Taoist. Although MOI has not tracked data on religious adherence since the 2005 study, it states this estimate might still reflect the situation. MOI does not include religious adherence as a census question, as doing so would constitute an invasion of privacy according to the Personal Data Protection Law. While the overwhelming majority of religious adherents categorize themselves as either Buddhist or Taoist, many adherents consider themselves to be both Buddhist and Taoist.
In addition to organized religious groups, many persons also practice traditional Chinese folk religions, which include some aspects of shamanism, ancestor worship, and animism. Researchers and academics estimate that as much as 80 percent of the population believes in some form of traditional folk religion. Such folk religions may overlap with an individual's belief in Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, or other traditional Chinese religions. There also may be an overlap between practitioners of Buddhism, Taoism, and other traditional Chinese religions, and Falun Gong practitioners. Falun Gong is a self-described spiritual discipline that combines qigong (a traditional Chinese exercise discipline) with the teachings of founder Li Hongzhi. Falun Gong is registered as a civic rather than a religious organization. According to an academic source, Falun Gong membership exceeds one million and continues to grow. Groups that constitute less than 5 percent of the population include I Kuan Tao, Tien Ti Chiao (Heaven Emperor Religion), Tien Te Chiao (Heaven Virtue Religion), Li-ism, Hsuan Yuan Chiao (Yellow Emperor Religion), Tian Li Chiao (Tenrikyo), Universe Maitreya Emperor Religion, Hai Tze Tao, Zhonghua Sheng Chiao (Chinese Holy Religion), Da Yi Chiao (Great Changes Religion), Pre-cosmic Salvationism, Huang Chung Chiao (Yellow Middle Religion), Roman Catholicism, Islam, the Church of Scientology, the Bahá'í Faith, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Mahikari Religion, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and the Unification Church, all of which are registered. Unregistered denominations include the Presbyterian, True Jesus, Baptist, Lutheran, Seventh-day Adventist, and Episcopal churches. The majority of the indigenous population of 507,000 aborigines is Protestant or Roman Catholic. Jews number approximately 130 persons, although they are predominantly foreign residents. Some 400,000 migrant workers, primarily from Southeast Asia, differ in religious adherence from the general population. The largest single group of migrant workers is from Indonesia, with a population of more than 200,000 persons who are largely Muslim. Migrant workers from the Philippines are predominantly Christian. |
| Tajikistan | Population 6,880,000, Christian 1.6%, Muslim 96.7%, Unaffiliated 1.5% | Sunni Muslim 85%, Shia Muslim 5%, other 10% (2003 est.) | Christian 1.4%, Muslim 95.6%, Atheist 0.5%, Agnostic 2.2% | The population is 7.7 million, according to a State Statistics Agency estimate from October 2011. According to local academics, the population is more than 90 percent Muslim. Active observance of Islam appears to be increasing steadily, especially among youth. The majority adhere to the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam as traditionally practiced in Central Asia. Approximately 4 percent of Muslims are Ismaili Shia, the majority of whom reside in the remote eastern Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region. The country has approximately 3,452 "five-time" prayer mosques and 357 "Friday prayer" mosques (larger facilities built for weekly prayers).
There are 75 registered non-Muslim religious groups. There are approximately 150,000 Christians. The largest Christian group is Russian Orthodox; there are also Baptists, Roman Catholics, Seventh-day Adventists, Lutherans, and Korean Protestants. There are a small number of Bahá'ís, fewer than 300 Jews and approximately 700 Jehovah's Witnesses. |
| Tanzania | Population 44,840,000, Christian 61.4%, Muslim 35.2%, Unaffiliated 1.4%, Hindu 0.1%, Folk Religion 1.8% | mainland - Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 35%; Zanzibar - more than 99% Muslim | Bahá'í 0.4%, Christian 54.8%, Ethnoreligionist 11.8%, Hindu 0.9%, Muslim 31.6%, Agnostic 0.3% | The National Bureau of Statistics estimates the population is nearly 45 million. The government does not collect data on religious identification. The Interfaith Council (also known as the Inter-Religious Council for Peace Tanzania, a nongovernmental organization bringing together Christian, Muslim, Bahá'í, Hindu, and Buddhist leaders to foster peace and strengthen relationships) does not keep statistics on religious identity. Many religious groups are reluctant to estimate religious demographics, but most religious leaders estimate that the population is 50 percent Christian and 50 percent Muslim. A 2010 Pew Forum survey estimates that approximately 60 percent of the population is Christian, 36 percent Muslim, and 4 percent members of other religious groups.
On the mainland, large Muslim communities are concentrated in coastal areas, with some large Muslim minorities also located inland in urban areas. Zanzibar is approximately 98 percent Muslim. Between 80 and 90 percent of the Muslim population is Sunni. The remainder consists of several Shia subgroups, mostly of Asian descent. Christian groups include Roman Catholics, Protestants (including Pentecostals), Seventh-day Adventists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and Jehovah's Witnesses. Other religious groups include Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, and Bahá'ís. The country's three largest political parties are secular, but include the opposition Civic United Front (CUF) party, often associated with Zanzibar's Muslim community, and the opposition Chama cha Mapinduzi na Maendeleo (Chadema) party, often associated with the Christian majority on the mainland. |
| Thailand | Population 69,120,000, Christian 0.9%, Muslim 5.5%, Unaffiliated 0.3%, Hindu 0.1%, Buddhist 93.2% | Buddhist (official) 93.6%, Muslim 4.9%, Christian 1.2%, other 0.2%, none 0.1% (2010 est.) | Buddhist 87.2%, Chinese Universalist 0.9%, Christian 1.2%, Confucianist 0.4%, Ethnoreligionist 2.3%, Muslim 5.9%, Agnostic 1.8% | According to the 2010 census, the population of 66 million is 93 percent Buddhist and 5 percent Muslim. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), academics, and religious groups claim that 85 to 95 percent of the population is Theravada Buddhist and 5 to 10 percent is Muslim. Groups that constitute less than 5 percent of the population include animist, Christian, Confucian, Hindu, Jewish, Sikh, and Taoist populations.
Theravada Buddhism, the dominant religion, is not an exclusive belief system and most Buddhists also incorporate Brahmin-Hindu and animist practices. The Buddhist clergy (Sangha) consists of two main schools: Mahanikaya and Dhammayuttika. The former is older and more prevalent within the monastic community than the latter. The same ecclesiastical hierarchy governs both groups. Islam is the dominant religion in four of the five southernmost provinces. The majority of Muslims in those provinces are ethnic Malay, but the Muslim population nationally also includes descendants of immigrants from South Asia, China, Cambodia, Indonesia, and those who consider themselves ethnic Thai. The Ministry of Interior's Islamic Affairs Section reported that, as of October, 3,744 mosques are registered in 68 of the country's 77 provinces, of which 3,179 are located in the 14 southern provinces. According to the Religious Affairs Department (RAD) of the Ministry of Culture, 99 percent of these mosques are associated with the Sunni branch of Islam. Shia mosques make up 1 percent and are in Bangkok and the provinces of Nakhon Sithammarat, Krabi, and Phatthalung. There are 39 Provincial Islamic Committees nationwide. The majority of ethnic Chinese and Vietnamese practice Mahayana or Theravada Buddhism. Many ethnic Chinese, as well as members of the Mien hill tribe, practice forms of Taoism. |
| Timor-Leste | Population 1,120,000, Christian 99.6%, Muslim 0.1%, Folk Religion 0.1% | Roman Catholic 96.9%, Protestant / Evangelical 2.2%, Muslim 0.3%, other 0.6% (2005) | Buddhist 0.2%, Chinese Universalist 0.2%, Christian 85.5%, Ethnoreligionist 10.1%, Muslim 3.6%, Agnostic 0.4% | According to the 2010 census, the population is 1,066,400, of which 96.8 percent are Roman Catholic, 2.2 percent Protestant, and less than 1 percent Muslim, Buddhist, or Hindu. Protestant denominations include the Assemblies of God, Seventh-day Adventists, Pentecostals, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Christian Vision Church. There are also several small nondenominational Protestant congregations. Many citizens also retain animistic beliefs and practices, which they do not see as incompatible with their formal religious affiliation. |
| Togo | Population 6,030,000, Christian 43.7%, Muslim 14.0%, Unaffiliated 6.2%, Folk Religion 35.6%, Other Religion 0.6% | Christian 29%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 51% | Bahá'í 0.5%, Christian 47.0%, Ethnoreligionist 33.9%, Muslim 18.4%, Agnostic 0.2% | According to the 2010 census, the population is 6.2 million. In 2004, the University of Lome estimated the population is 33 percent traditional animist, 28 percent Roman Catholic, 14 percent Sunni Muslim, 10 percent Protestant, and 10 percent other Christian denominations. The remaining 5 percent includes persons not affiliated with any religious group. Many Christians and Muslims continue to perform indigenous religious practices. Reliable figures are difficult to obtain because of migration and because the government does not collect religious and ethnic data.
Most Muslims live in the central and northern regions. Christians live mainly in the southern part of the country. The Muslim Union of Togo reports a large surge in immigrants from Muslim countries, but the government does not collect the statistics needed to confirm or deny that claim. |
| Tokelau | Population < 10,000, Christian 99.8%, Other Religion 0.2% | Congregational Christian Church 58.2%, Roman Catholic 36.6%, Presbyterian 1.8%, other Christian 2.8%, Spiritualism and New Age 0.1%, unspecified 0.5% (2011 est.) | Bahá'í 4.4%, Christian 94.7%, Agnostic 1.0% | |
| Tonga | Population 100,000, Christian 98.9%, Hindu 0.1%, Other Religion 0.9% | Protestant 64.9% (includes Free Wesleyan Church 37.3%, Free Church of Tonga 11.4%, Church of Tonga 7.2%, Tokaikolo Christian Church 2.6%, Assembly of God 2.3% Seventh Day Adventist 2.2%, Constitutional Church of Tonga .9%, Anglican .8% and Full Gospel Church .2%), Mormon 16.8%, Roman Catholic 15.6%, other 1.1%, none 0.03%, unspecified 1.7% (2006 est.) | Bahá'í 3.5%, Buddhist 0.1%, Christian 95.8%, Agnostic 0.4% | According to the preliminary 2011 census, the total population is 103,036. According to more detailed 2006 census data, membership by percentage of population of major religious groups is as follows: Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga, 37 percent; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), 17 percent; Free Church of Tonga, 16 percent; and the Roman Catholic Church, 11 percent. Other Christian denominations, including the Tokaikolo Church (a local offshoot of the Methodist Church), Seventh-day Adventists, Assemblies of God, Anglicans, and Jehovah's Witnesses, in total account for approximately 14 percent. Bahá'ís, Muslims, Hindus, observers of Chinese traditional festivals, and Buddhists together constitute approximately 4 percent of the population; the remaining 1 percent declined to state a religious affiliation. |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Population 1,340,000, Christian 65.9%, Muslim 5.9%, Unaffiliated 1.9%, Hindu 22.7%, Buddhist 0.3%, Folk Religion 1.9%, Other Religion 1.4% | Protestant 32.1% (Pentecostal/Evangelical/Full Gospel 12%, Baptist 6.9%, Anglican 5.7%, Seventh-Day Adventist 4.1%, Presbyterian/Congretational 2.5, other Protestant .9), Roman Catholic 21.6%, Hindu 18.2%, Muslim 5%, Jehovah's Witness 1.5%, other 8.4%, none 2.2%, unspecified 11.1% (2011 est.) | Bahá'í 1.2%, Buddhist 0.3%, Chinese Universalist 0.4%, Christian 63.4%, Hindu 24.3%, Muslim 6.4%, Spiritist 1.4%, Neoreligionists 0.1%, Agnostic 2.2% | The population is 1.3 million, according to the government's 2011 Population and Housing Preliminary Count. According to a 2011 estimate by the Central Statistical Office, 21.6 percent of the population is Roman Catholic, 26.2 percent Protestant (including 5.7 percent Anglican, 12 percent Pentecostal or evangelical, 4.1 percent Seventh-day Adventist, 2.5 percent Presbyterian or Congregational, 1.2 percent Baptist, and 0.7 percent Methodist), 1.5 percent Jehovah's Witnesses, 18.2 percent Hindu, and 5 percent Muslim. Traditional Caribbean religious groups with African roots include the Spiritual Baptists (sometimes called Shouter Baptists) representing 5.7 percent of the population and the Orisha at 0.9 percent. The remainder of the population is listed as "none," "not stated," or "other," which includes a number of small Christian groups, as well as Bahá'ís, Rastafarians, Buddhists, and Jews.
Afro-Trinidadians are predominantly Christian, with a small Muslim community, and are concentrated in and around Port of Spain and the east–west corridor of northern Trinidad. The population of Trinidad's sister island, Tobago, is overwhelmingly of African descent and predominantly Christian. Indo-Trinidadians are primarily concentrated in central and southern Trinidad and are mostly Hindu, but there are also Muslims, Presbyterians, and Catholics. |
| Tunisia | Population 10,480,000, Christian 0.2%, Muslim 99.5%, Unaffiliated 0.2% | Muslim (official; Sunni) 99.1%, other (includes Christian, Jewish, Shia Muslim, and Baha'i) 1% | Christian 0.2%, Muslim 99.5%, Agnostic 0.2% | According to the U.S. government, the population is approximately 10,733,900, of which 99 percent is Sunni Muslim. Groups that together constitute the remaining 1 percent of the population include Christians, Jews, Shia Muslims, and Bahá'ís. Christianity is the second largest religion, with Roman Catholics comprising 88 percent of Christians. Roman Catholic officials estimate that they have fewer than 5,000 members, widely dispersed. The remaining Christian population is composed of Protestants, Russian Orthodox, French Reformists, Anglicans, Seventh-day Adventists, Greek Orthodox, and Jehovah's Witnesses. Judaism is the country's third largest religion with approximately 1,500 members. One-third of the Jewish population lives in and around the capital and the remainder lives on the island of Djerba and the neighboring town of Zarzis. A Jewish community has resided in the country for more than 2,500 years. |
| Turkey | Population 72,750,000, Christian 0.4%, Muslim 98.0%, Unaffiliated 1.2%, Other Religion 0.2% | Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews) | Christian 0.3%, Muslim 98.3%, Neoreligionists 0.2%, Agnostic 1.0% | The Turkish Statistics Institution's 2011 population estimate is 74.7 million. The government estimates 99 percent of the population is Muslim, the majority of which is Hanafi Sunni. Representatives of religious groups state the actual percentage of Muslims is slightly lower.
Academics estimate there are between 15 million and 20 million Alevis, followers of a belief system that incorporates aspects of both Shia and Sunni Islam and draws on the traditions of other religious groups indigenous to the region. Alevi foundation leaders state the number at between 20 million and 25 million. Other religious groups, mostly concentrated in Istanbul and other large cities, together constitute less than 1 percent of the population. While exact figures are not available, these groups include approximately 500,000 Shiite Jaferi Muslims; 90,000 Armenian Orthodox Christians (of which an estimated 60,000 are citizens and an estimated 30,000 are undocumented immigrants from Armenia); 25,000 Roman Catholics (mostly recent immigrants from Africa and the Philippines); 22,000 Jews; 20,000 Syrian Orthodox (Syriac) Christians; 15,000 Russian Orthodox Christians (mostly recent immigrants from Russia who hold residence permits); 10,000 Bahá'ís; 5,000 Yezidis; 5,000 Jehovah's Witnesses; 7,000 members of other Protestant denominations; 3,000 Iraqi Chaldean Christians; and up to 2,500 Greek Orthodox Christians. There also are small, undetermined numbers of Bulgarian Orthodox, Nestorian, Georgian Orthodox, Syriac Catholic, and Maronite Christians. |
| Turkmenistan | Population 5,040,000, Christian 6.4%, Muslim 93.0%, Unaffiliated 0.5% | Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2% | Christian 1.5%, Muslim 94.7%, Atheist 0.7%, Agnostic 3.0% | According to 2006 government estimates, the population is 6.7 million. Statistics regarding religious affiliation are not available. However, according to the government, there are 121 religious organizations and seven registered religious groups. Of these, 104 are Muslim, including 99 Sunni and five Shia organizations; 13 are Russian Orthodox; and 11 represent other religious groups, including Roman Catholics, Bahá'ís, Hare Krishnas, and Protestants (who have several small churches). There also are small communities of the following unregistered religious groups: Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, Shia Muslims, and evangelical Christians, including Baptists and Pentecostals.
The 1995 census indicates that ethnic Russians make up almost 7 percent of the population; however, subsequent emigration to Russia and elsewhere continues to reduce this proportion. Most ethnic Russians and Armenians are Christian and are generally members of the Russian Orthodox Church. Ethnic Russians and Armenians also make up a significant percentage of unregistered religious congregations; however, ethnic Turkmen are increasingly represented among these unregistered groups. There are small pockets of Shia Muslims, many of whom are ethnic Iranians, Azeris, or Kurds living along the border with Iran and in the western city of Turkmenbashi. An estimated 300 Jews live in the country. Local Jews consider Judaism an ethnic rather than a religious identity. There are no synagogues or rabbis, and Jews do not gather for religious observances. |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | Population 40,000, Christian 92.1%, Unaffiliated 4.6%, Folk Religion 2.7%, Other Religion 0.6% | Protestant 72.8% (Baptist 35.8%, Church of God 11.7%, Anglican 10%, Methodist 9.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%), Roman Catholic 11.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.8%, other 14% | Bahá'í 0.6%, Christian 92.1%, Spiritist 2.7%, Agnostic 4.6% | |
| Tuvalu | Population < 10,000, Christian 96.7%, Muslim 0.1%, Unaffiliated 1.3%, Other Religion 1.9% | Protestant 98.4% (Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%), Bahá'í 1%, other 0.6% | Bahá'í 2.0%, Buddhist 0.1%, Christian 94.4%, Muslim 0.1%, Atheist 0.4%, Agnostic 2.9% | The government estimates the population to be 11,200. The Church of Tuvalu, with historic ties to the Congregational Church and other churches in Samoa, has the largest number of followers. According to the government, approximately 91 percent of the population belongs to the Church of Tuvalu; 3 percent to the Seventh-day Adventist Church; 3 percent to the Bahá'í Faith; 2 percent to the Jehovah's Witnesses; and 1 percent to the Roman Catholic Church. There are small populations of Muslims, Baptists, and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The Tuvalu Brethren Church, a Protestant group, states it has approximately 500 members.
The nine island groups have traditional chiefs, all of whom are members of the Church of Tuvalu. Most members of other religious groups are found in Funafuti, the capital, although a relatively large number of Bahá'ís live on Nanumea Island. |
| Uganda | Population 33,420,000, Christian 86.7%, Muslim 11.5%, Unaffiliated 0.5%, Hindu 0.3%, Folk Religion 0.9%, Other Religion 0.1% | Roman Catholic 41.9%, Protestant 42% (Anglican 35.9%, Pentecostal 4.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.5%), Muslim 12.1%, other 3.1%, none 0.9% (2002 census) | Bahá'í 0.3%, Christian 84.4%, Ethnoreligionist 2.3%, Hindu 0.8%, Muslim 11.7%, Agnostic 0.4% | The government estimates the population to be 35.9 million. According to government data, 85 percent are Christians, 12 percent Muslims, and 3 percent Hindus, Jews, Bahá'ís, or adherents of indigenous beliefs. Among Christians, 42 percent are Roman Catholics, 36 percent Anglicans, 15 percent are Pentecostal or Orthodox Christians, and 7 percent are members of evangelical groups. The Muslim population is primarily Sunni. Indigenous religious groups practice in rural areas. Indian nationals are the most significant non-African ethnic population and are primarily Shia Muslim or Hindu. There is a small indigenous Jewish community near the eastern town of Mbale. |
| Ukraine | Population 45,450,000, Christian 83.8%, Muslim 1.2%, Unaffiliated 14.7%, Jewish 0.1% | Orthodox (includes Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox (UAOC), Ukrainian Orthodox - Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP), Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), Ukrainian Greek Catholic, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Jewish
note: Ukraine's population is overwhelmingly Christian; the vast majority - up to two-thirds - identify themselves as Orthodox, but many do not specify a particular branch; the UOC-KP and the UOC-MP each represent less than a quarter of the country's population, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church accounts for 8-10%, and the UAOC accounts for 1-2%; Muslim and Jewish adherents each compose less than 1% of the total population (2013 est.) |
Christian 83.6%, Jewish 0.2%, Muslim 1.6%, Atheist 3.1%, Agnostic 11.5% | According to government estimates, the population is 45.6 million. In a 2010 national survey by the Razumkov Center, an independent public policy think tank, 68 percent of respondents self-identify as Christian Orthodox, 7.6 percent as Greek-Catholics, 1.9 percent as Protestants, 0.9 percent as Muslims, and 0.4 percent as Roman Catholics. Another 7.2 percent identify as "simply a Christian," and 13.2 percent do not belong to any religious group.
The 2011 Democratic Initiatives Foundation and the Ukraine Sociology Service opinion poll indicates that approximately 31 percent of the population identifies with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP), 26 percent with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), and 2 percent with the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UOAC). The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) is the largest non-Orthodox church. The UGCC estimates its membership at four million, approximately 93 percent of whom reside in the western portion of the country. The Roman Catholic Church estimates it has one million members spread throughout the western and central parts of the country. Government agencies and independent think tanks estimate the Muslim population at 500,000, although some Muslim leaders put the number at two million. According to government figures, the majority are Crimean Tatars, numbering an estimated 300,000 and constituting the third-largest ethnic group in Crimea. The Evangelical Baptist Union of Ukraine is the largest Protestant community. Other Protestant groups include Pentecostals, Seventh-day Adventists, Lutherans, Anglicans, Calvinists, Methodists, and Presbyterians. According to the most recent government census data from 2001, there are an estimated 103,600 Jews in the country; however, some local Jewish leaders estimate the number of persons of Jewish heritage to be as high as 370,000. There are also Jehovah's Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Buddhists, practitioners of Falun Gong, and adherents of Krishna Consciousness. |
| United Arab Emirates | Population 7,510,000, Christian 12.6%, Muslim 76.9%, Unaffiliated 1.1%, Hindu 6.6%, Buddhist 2.0%, Other Religion 0.8% | Muslim (Islam; official) 76%, Christian 9%, other (primarily Hindu and Buddhist, less than 5% of the population consists of Parsi, Baha'i, Druze, Sikh, Ahmadi, Ismaili, Dawoodi Bohra Muslim, and Jewish) 15%
note: represents the total population; about 85% of the population consists of noncitizens (2005 est.) |
Bahá'í 0.5%, Buddhist 2.0%, Christian 12.6%, Hindu 6.6%, Muslim 76.5%, Sikh 0.7%, Atheist 0.2%, Agnostic 1.0% | The population is approximately 8.2 million, according to a 2010 estimate by the National Bureau of Statistics. An estimated 89 percent of residents are noncitizens. Of the citizens, more than 85 percent are Sunni Muslims and an estimated 15 percent or fewer are Shia Muslims. Shia Muslims are concentrated in the emirates of Dubai and Sharjah.
Noncitizen residents predominantly come from South and Southeast Asia, although there are substantial numbers from the Middle East, Europe, Central Asia, and North America. According to a 2005 Ministry of Economy census, 76 percent of the total population is Muslim, 9 percent is Christian, and 15 percent belongs to other religious groups, primarily Hindu or Buddhist. Groups together constituting less than 5 percent of the population include Parsis, Bahá'ís, Druze, Sikhs, Ahmadis, Ismailis, Dawoodi Bohra Muslims, and Jews. These estimates differ from census figures because census figures do not take into account the many "temporary" visitors and workers, and count Bahá'ís and Druze as Muslim. |
| United Kingdom | Population 62,040,000, Christian 71.1%, Muslim 4.4%, Unaffiliated 21.3%, Hindu 1.3%, Buddhist 0.4%, Folk Religion 0.3%, Other Religion 0.8%, Jewish 0.5% | Christian (includes Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 59.5%, Muslim 4.4%, Hindu 1.3%, other 2%, unspecified 7.2%, none 25.7% (2011 est.) | Buddhist 0.3%, Christian 72.6%, Hindu 1.1%, Jewish 0.5%, Muslim 3.4%, Sikh 0.7%, Spiritist 0.1%, Atheist 1.4%, Agnostic 19.6% | According to the Office of National Statistics, the population of the United Kingdom is 62.3 million. Census figures from 2011 indicate that 59.3 percent of the population is Christian, comprising the Church of England (Anglican), the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian), the Roman Catholic Church, Protestant churches, and unaffiliated Christian groups. Roughly 25 percent of the population consists of nonbelievers.
The Muslim community, comprising 4.8 percent of the population, is predominantly of South Asian origin, but also includes individuals from the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Africa, and Southeast Asia, as well as a growing number of local converts. Other religious groups, which each make up less than 2 percent of the population, include Hindus, Sikhs, Jews, and Buddhists. Individuals from these religious groups are concentrated in London and other large urban areas, primarily in England. Census figures from Northern Ireland in 2011 indicate that 41 percent of the population is Catholic, 41.5 percent Protestant, and less than 1 percent various non-Christian religious groups. Approximately 17 percent of respondents did not indicate a religious affiliation. In Bermuda, Anglicans are 16 percent of the population, while Roman Catholics and African Methodist Episcopalians are 15 and 9 percent, respectively. Muslims represent up to 1.5 percent of the population. Nearly 20 religious groups are present. |
| United States | Population 310,380,000, Christian 78.3%, Muslim 0.9%, Unaffiliated 16.4%, Hindu 0.6%, Buddhist 1.2%, Folk Religion 0.2%, Other Religion 0.6%, Jewish 1.8% | Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4% (2007 est.) | Bahá'í 0.2%, Buddhist 1.3%, Christian 80.1%, Ethnoreligionist 0.3%, Hindu 0.5%, Jewish 1.7%, Muslim 1.3%, Neoreligionists 0.5%, Atheist 0.4%, Agnostic 13.5% | |
| Uruguay | Population 3,370,000, Christian 57.9%, Unaffiliated 40.7%, Folk Religion 0.8%, Other Religion 0.3%, Jewish 0.3% | Roman Catholic 47.1%, non-Catholic Christians 11.1%, nondenominational 23.2%, Jewish 0.3%, atheist or agnostic 17.2%, other 1.1% (2006) | Bahá'í 0.2%, Christian 63.9%, Jewish 1.2%, Spiritist 0.1%, Atheist 6.5%, Agnostic 28.0% | The population is approximately 3.3 million, according to a 2011 National Institute of Statistics (NIS) census. The most recent (2008) NIS statistics on religious preference indicate approximately 45 percent of the population self-identifies as Roman Catholic and approximately 10 percent as non-Catholic Christian. Groups together constituting less than 5 percent of the population include Jehovah's Witnesses, Bahá'ís, The Church of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Afro-Umbandists, Jews, Buddhists, members of the Unification Church, and Muslims (300-400 members). Approximately 28 percent of the population indicates a belief in God but no specific religious affiliation. There is no correlation between religious affiliation and ethnicity, politics, or socio-economic status. |
| Uzbekistan | Population 27,440,000, Christian 2.3%, Muslim 96.7%, Unaffiliated 0.8% | Muslim 88% (mostly Sunni), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3% | Buddhist 0.1%, Christian 1.3%, Ethnoreligionist 0.2%, Jewish 0.2%, Muslim 93.9%, Atheist 0.9%, Agnostic 3.4% | According to government estimates released in August, the population is 29.7 million. The government reports that approximately 93 percent is nominally Muslim. Most are Sunni of the Hanafi school; approximately 1 percent is Shia, concentrated in the provinces of Bukhara and Samarkand. Approximately 4 percent of the population is Russian Orthodox, a number that is declining as ethnic Russians and other Slavs continue to emigrate. The remaining 3 percent includes small communities of Roman Catholics, Korean Christians, Baptists, Lutherans, Seventh-day Adventists, evangelicals, Pentecostals, Jehovah's Witnesses, Buddhists, Bahá'ís, Hare Krishnas, and atheists. An estimated 10,500 to 11,500 Ashkenazi and Bukharan Jews remain concentrated in Tashkent, Bukhara, Samarkand, and the Fergana Valley.
There are 2,225 registered religious groups representing 16 denominations. There are 2,051 Muslim groups (including mosques, educational institutions, and Islamic centers). Among the Muslim groups are several Shia congregations. Registered minority religious groups include 52 Korean Christian, 38 Russian Orthodox, 23 Baptist, 21 Pentecostal ("Full Gospel"), 10 Seventh-day Adventist, eight Jewish, five Catholic, six Bahá'í, two Lutheran, four "New Apostolic," two Armenian Apostolic, one Jehovah's Witnesses, one Krishna Consciousness, one Temple of Buddha, one Christian "Voice of God" Church, and one interconfessional Bible Society. |
| Vanuatu | Population 240,000, Christian 93.3%, Unaffiliated 1.2%, Folk Religion 4.1%, Other Religion 1.4% | Protestant 70% (includes Presbyterian 27.9%, Anglican 15.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 12.5%, Assemblies of God 4.7%, Church of Christ 4.5%, Neil Thomas Ministry 3.1%, and Apostolic 2.2%), Roman Catholic 12.4%, customary beliefs 3.7% (including Jon Frum cargo cult), other 12.6%, none 1.1%, unspecified 0.2% (2009 est.) | Bahá'í 1.4%, Buddhist 0.2%, Christian 93.5%, Ethnoreligionist 4.5%, Agnostic 0.4% | The 2009 National Census estimates the population to be 234,000. Approximately 83 percent is Christian, of which an estimated 30 percent is Presbyterian, 12 percent Roman Catholic, 15 percent Anglican, and 13 percent Seventh-day Adventist. Other groups together constituting 15 percent of Christians include the Church of Christ, the Apostolic Church, the Assemblies of God, and other Protestant denominations. Six percent of the population is Jewish. The John Frum Movement, an indigenous religious group with its own political party, is centered on the island of Tanna and constitutes less than 1 percent of the population. Other religious groups present include Bahá'ís, Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). There are believed to be members of other religious groups within the foreign community. These groups are free to practice their religion but are not known to hold public religious ceremonies. |
| Vatican City | Population < 10,000, Christian >99.0 % | Roman Catholic | Christian 100.0% | |
| Venezuela | Population 28,980,000, Christian 89.3%, Muslim 0.3%, Unaffiliated 10.0%, Folk Religion 0.2% | nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%, other 2% | Bahá'í 0.6%, Buddhist 0.1%, Christian 92.6%, Ethnoreligionist 0.7%, Jewish 0.2%, Muslim 0.3%, Spiritist 1.1%, Atheist 0.2%, Agnostic 4.2% | According to the 2011 census, the population is approximately 28.9 million. According to government estimates, 92 percent of the population is at least nominally Roman Catholic. Government estimates also show that groups that constitute less than 5 percent of the population include evangelical Protestants, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and Jehovah's Witnesses. However, the Venezuelan Evangelical Council estimates that evangelical Protestants constitute approximately 15 percent of the population.
There are small but influential Muslim and Jewish communities. The Muslim community of more than 100,000 consists primarily of persons of Lebanese and Syrian descent living in Nueva Esparta State and the Caracas area. The Jewish community numbers approximately 9,000 and is centered in Caracas. |
| Vietnam | Population 87,850,000, Christian 8.2%, Muslim 0.2%, Unaffiliated 29.6%, Buddhist 16.4%, Folk Religion 45.3%, Other Religion 0.4% | Buddhist 9.3%, Catholic 6.7%, Hoa Hao 1.5%, Cao Dai 1.1%, Protestant 0.5%, Muslim 0.1%, none 80.8% (1999 census) | Bahá'í 0.4%, Buddhist 49.2%, Chinese Universalist 1.0%, Christian 8.5%, Ethnoreligionist 10.4%, Muslim 0.2%, Neoreligionists 11.0%, Atheist 6.6%, Agnostic 12.6% | According to 2011 information from the General Statistics Office, the population is approximately 87.8 million. More than half of the population is at least nominally Buddhist, with 10 percent actively practicing Mahayana Buddhism (most of whom are of the majority ethnic group Kinh or Viet) and 1.2 percent actively practicing Theravada Buddhism (approximately one million members of the Khmer minority in the south). Roman Catholics constitute 7 percent of the population. Catholicism is growing, with over 6 million adherents worshiping in 26 dioceses across the country. Cao Dai, a religion combining elements of many religions, is practiced by 2.5 to 4 percent of the population. Hoa Hao followers constitute 1.5 to 3 percent of the population. Estimates of the number of Protestants range from 1 to 2 percent of the population. Some Protestant denominations are officially recognized at the national level; others are registered locally, but have not attained national recognition. Muslims number 70,000 to 80,000, or less than 0.1 percent of the population; approximately 40 percent of Muslims are Sunnis; the remaining 60 percent practice Bani Islam.
Smaller religious groups that together comprise less than 0.1 percent of the population include 50,000 ethnic Cham who mostly practice a devotional form of Hinduism in the south-central coastal area, an estimated 8,000 members of the Bahá'í Faith, and approximately 1,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) throughout the country. There is one Jewish synagogue in Ho Chi Minh City serving approximately 150 Jews, mainly foreign residents who live in the city. Other citizens consider themselves nonreligious, or practice animism or the veneration of ancestors, tutelary and protective saints, national heroes and local, respected persons. Followers of these traditional forms of worship may or may not term themselves religious. Ethnic minorities constitute approximately 14 percent of the population. Based on adherents’ estimates, two-thirds of Protestants are members of ethnic minorities, including minority groups in the Northwest Highlands (H’mong, Dzao, Thai, and others) and in the Central Highlands (Ede, Jarai, Sedang, and M’nong, among others). The Khmer Krom ethnic group overwhelmingly practices Theravada Buddhism. |
| Virgin Islands, British | Population 20,000, Christian 84.5%, Muslim 1.2%, Unaffiliated 3.9%, Hindu 1.2%, Folk Religion 8.4%, Other Religion 0.8% | Protestant 72.2% (Methodist 22.7%, Anglican 11.6%, Church of God 11.4%, Pentecostal 9.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 8.4%, Baptist 8.2%, other Protestant .9%), Roman Catholic 9.5%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2.2%, Hindu 2%, other 5.2%, none 6.4%, unspecified 2.7% (2001 est.) | Bahá'í 0.8%, Christian 84.5%, Hindu 1.2%, Muslim 1.2%, Spiritist 8.4%, Atheist 0.1%, Agnostic 3.8% | |
| Virgin Islands, U.S. | Population 110,000, Christian 94.8%, Muslim 0.1%, Unaffiliated 3.7%, Hindu 0.4%, Other Religion 0.6%, Jewish 0.3% | Protestant 59% (Baptist 42%, Episcopalian 17%), Roman Catholic 34%, other 7% | Bahá'í 0.6%, Christian 94.8%, Hindu 0.4%, Jewish 0.3%, Muslim 0.1%, Atheist 0.2%, Agnostic 3.6% | |
| Wallis and Futuna | Population 10,000, Christian 97.4%, Unaffiliated 0.6%, Folk Religion 1.2%, Other Religion 0.8% | Roman Catholic 99%, other 1% | Bahá'í 0.8%, Christian 97.4%, Ethnoreligionist 1.2%, Agnostic 0.5% | |
| Western Sahara | Population 530,000, Christian 0.2%, Muslim 99.4%, Unaffiliated 0.4% | Muslim | Christian 0.2%, Muslim 99.4%, Agnostic 0.3% | According to U.S. government estimates, the population is 523,000. The majority of the population is Sunni Muslim. Islamic practice is frequently characterized by maraboutism, the veneration of religious figures and the tombs in which they are believed to be interred. There is a small group of Roman Catholics who live and worship freely.
There is a small foreign community working for the United Nations Mission for a Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). Many of its members are non-Muslims. |
| World | Population 6,895,890,000, Christian 31.5%, Muslim 23.2%, Unaffiliated 16.3%, Hindu 15.0%, Buddhist 7.1%, Folk Religion 5.9%, Other Religion 0.8%, Jewish 0.2% | Christian 33.39% (of which Roman Catholic 16.85%, Protestant 6.15%, Orthodox 3.96%, Anglican 1.26%), Muslim 22.74%, Hindu 13.8%, Buddhist 6.77%, Sikh 0.35%, Jewish 0.22%, Bahá'í 0.11%, other religions 10.95%, non-religious 9.66%, atheists 2.01% (2010 est.) | ||
| Yemen | Population 24,050,000, Christian 0.2%, Muslim 99.1%, Unaffiliated 0.1%, Hindu 0.6% | Muslim 99.1% (official; virtually all are citizens, an estimated 65% are Sunni and 35% are Shia), other 0.9% (includes Jewish, Baha'i, Hindu, and Christian; many are refugees or temporary foreign residents) (2010 est.) | Christian 0.2%, Hindu 0.6%, Muslim 99.1% | The population is 25 million, according to U.S. government estimates. Most citizens are Muslim, belonging either to the Zaydi order of Shia Islam or the Shafi order of Sunni Islam. While there are no official statistics, 35 percent of the population is estimated to be Shia and 65 percent is estimated to be Sunni. There are reports of an increase in Muslims who adhere to Salafi-Sunni Islam, but statistics are unavailable to confirm these reports. There are a few thousand Ismaili Muslims concentrated in the Haraz district near Sanaa, an unknown number of Ithnasheria (Twelver) Shia who reside mainly in the north, and a significant but indeterminate number of Sufis. Groups comprising less than .05 percent of the population include Jews, Bahá'ís, Hindus, and Christians, many of whom are refugees or temporary foreign residents. Christian groups include Roman Catholics and Anglicans. The once-sizable Jewish community is the only indigenous non-Muslim minority religious group; the few Jews remaining after decades of emigration to Israel live mainly in Sanaa and the Rayda district in the Amran governorate. |
| Zambia | Population 13,090,000, Christian 97.6%, Muslim 0.5%, Unaffiliated 0.5%, Hindu 0.1%, Folk Religion 0.3%, Other Religion 0.9% | Protestant 75.3%, Roman Catholic 20.2%, other 2.7% (includes Muslim Buddhist, Hindu, and Baha'i), none 1.8% (2010 est.) | Bahá'í 1.8%, Christian 85.5%, Ethnoreligionist 11.2%, Hindu 0.1%, Muslim 1.1%, Agnostic 0.2% | According to the 2010 census, the population is 13.1 million. Approximately 87 percent of the population is Christian, 1 percent is Muslim or Hindu, and 12 percent adhere to other belief systems, including indigenous religions. Many people combine Christianity and indigenous beliefs.
Muslims are primarily concentrated in Lusaka and in the Eastern and Copperbelt provinces; many are immigrants from South Asia, Somalia, and the Middle East who have acquired Zambian citizenship. A small minority of indigenous persons are also Muslim. Most Hindus are of South Asian descent. |
| Zimbabwe | Population 12,570,000, Christian 87.0%, Muslim 0.9%, Unaffiliated 7.9%, Folk Religion 3.8%, Other Religion 0.3% | Protestant 75.9% (includes Apostolic 38%, Pentecostal 21.1%, other 16.8%), Roman Catholic 8.4%, other Christian 8.4%, other 1.2% (includes traditional, Muslim), none 6.1% (2011 est.) | Bahá'í 0.3%, Christian 81.7%, Ethnoreligionist 15.9%, Hindu 0.1%, Muslim 0.7%, Atheist 0.2%, Agnostic 1.0% | Preliminary findings from the 2012 national census estimate the population at 13 million, although it is likely lower because an estimated three to four million Zimbabweans currently live outside the country due to economic and political crises. According to the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ), 84 percent of the population is Christian. The EFZ's 2004 census estimates the Christian population is 33 percent Catholic; 42 percent evangelical or Pentecostal; 17 percent Anglican, Methodist, or Presbyterian, and 8 percent apostolic. There are a significant number of independent Pentecostal and syncretic African churches.
The majority of the population also adheres to indigenous religions. Religious leaders reported a continued increase in observance of indigenous religious practices, often simultaneously with Christianity. Approximately 14 percent of the population adheres solely to indigenous religious beliefs. Approximately 3 percent of the population is Muslim, primarily immigrants of Mozambican and Malawian descent. The Muslim population is concentrated in rural areas and in some high-density suburbs. Small numbers of Greek Orthodox, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and Bahá'ís make up less than 1 percent of the population. Political elites tend to be members of established Christian mainstream or Pentecostal churches. Some apostolic groups, along with the CPZ, support the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and are especially prevalent in ZANU-PF political strongholds. |
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See also
Notes
References
- Adherents.com World Religions Religion Statistics Geography Church Statistics
- BBC News's Muslims in Europe: Country guide
- CIA FactBook
- Religious Intelligence
- The University of Virginia
- The US State Department's International Religious Freedom Report 2007
- The US State Department's Background Notes
- Vipassana Foundation's Buddhists around the world
- World Statesmen
- Catholic Hierarchy's Its Bishops and Dioceses, Current and Past
