Religion is a big part of many people’s lives. But it’s often hard to find accurate information about how many followers each religion has and where they live. The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life has conducted the first comprehensive demographic study of the world’s major religions—including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and others—and this post will summarize key findings from our report. Which is the fastest growing religion in the world?
Each of the world’s major religions has a different level of geographic distribution and demographic profile. For example, Christianity is by far the largest and most widespread religion, with an estimated 2.2 billion adherents worldwide as of 2010—nearly one-third (31%) of all 6.9 billion people on Earth.
Christianity is the largest religion in the world, with an estimated 2.3 billion adherents—thirty-three percent of the world’s population.
Christianity is the largest religion in the world, with an estimated 2.3 billion adherents—thirty-three percent of the world’s population.
Christianity began as a Jewish sect in the mid-1st century AD. The Roman Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity along with other religions in 313 AD, and it became the state religion of Rome under Theodosius I in 380 AD. Over time, Christianity split into various denominations based on differences in theology or church governance (e.g., papal primacy). By 1900 there were more than 250 such groups worldwide; today there are over 40,000 denominations that may be considered “Christian.”
Islam is the second largest religion in the world, with 1.8 billion adherents—twenty-five percent of the world’s population.
Islam is the second-largest religion in the world, with 1.8 billion adherents or 25% of the global population. It is followed by over 1.6 billion Muslims globally, including 15% who live as minorities in non-Muslim countries such as India and China. It’s an Abrahamic faith (alongside Judaism and Christianity), tracing its roots back to Abraham ibn Ibrahim al-Taymiya al-Shafi’i’s conversion to Islam sometime between 781 and 803 AD at age forty-one while traveling through northern Arabia on business with his wife Sarah bint Amr ibn Abd Allah al-Muhajiran.
In 2009, Christianity was by far the world’s largest religion, with an estimated 2.2 billion adherents, nearly a third (31%) of all 6.9 billion people on Earth, according to a comprehensive demographic study—the first of its kind—by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life.
In 2009, Christianity was by far the world’s largest religion, with an estimated 2.2 billion adherents, nearly a third (31%) of all 6.9 billion people on Earth. Islam is the second largest faith in terms of population size with 1.6 billion adherents (23%). Buddhism comes in third with approximately 376 million followers worldwide (5%), while Hinduism ranks fourth with 340 million believers (4%).
The global Buddhist population will be about the same size it was in 2010, while the Hindu and Jewish populations will be larger than they are today.
Buddhism is a major world religion. It has about 500 million followers worldwide, making it the fourth largest religion in the world. Buddhism originated in India around 550 BCE and spread throughout Asia until it reached China in the 1st century CE. Nowadays, there are four main sects of Buddhism: Mahayana (China, Tibet), Theravada (Sri Lanka), Vajrayana (Tibet) and Zen (Japan). The two most common sects are Mahayana and Theravada; these two constitute nearly 95% of all Buddhist practitioners globally.
Moreover, all of the world’s major religious groups are poised for at least some growth in absolute numbers in the coming decades.
Religion is an important part of life for many people around the world. In fact, religious affiliation is one of the most prominent ways to identify people globally. It’s also one of the most rapidly growing trends in modern society. According to Pew Research Center analysis, about seven-in-ten countries (70%) have experienced an increase in their Muslim population between 2010 and 2015. As a result, Islam is now the world’s second largest religion after Christianity.
The growth rate among Muslims has been coupled with an increase in overall global population—a trend that may continue into 2050 when it is predicted that there will be 9 billion people on Earth. This means that while certain religions are growing at higher rates than others (for example: Islam), they still only make up roughly 30 percent of Earth’s entire population today—and this number will likely continue to fall if current trends persist into future decades.
This post has information about the religious demographics of different religions across different parts of the world. The largest religious groups are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism.
The religious makeup of the world is changing. For example: in 1900 Christians were a majority in nearly every country; now only about half or less of all people live in countries where most citizens are Christian.
Conclusion: We hope you enjoyed reading about the religious demographics of different religions across different parts of the world.