Religious Affiliation Demographics: A Worldwide Overview
Worldwide, over 80% of individuals align themselves with a religious group, according to a comprehensive demographic study published recently by a major Forum on Religion & Public Life. Conducted across more than 230 countries and territories, this study estimates that around 5.8 billion individuals, both adults and children, were affiliated with religious beliefs in 2010, representing 84% of the world’s population at that time, which stood at 6.9 billion.
Key Findings by Religious Group
The study examined data from over 2,500 censuses, surveys, and population registers. It identified 2.2 billion Christians (32% of the global population), 1.6 billion Muslims (23%), 1 billion Hindus (15%), nearly 500 million Buddhists (7%), and 14 million Jews (0.2%) worldwide in 2010. Additionally, around 400 million individuals (6%) practiced various folk or traditional religions, including African traditional religions, Chinese folk religions, Native American religions, and Australian aboriginal religions. Approximately 58 million people (less than 1% of the global population) belonged to other religions such as the Baha’i faith, Jainism, Sikhism, Shintoism, Taoism, Tenrikyo, Wicca, and Zoroastrianism.
Interestingly, the study revealed that approximately 1.1 billion people globally (16%) did not identify with any religious affiliation, positioning the unaffiliated as the third-largest religious group worldwide, comparable in size to the world’s Catholic population and following Christians and Muslims. Notably, surveys indicated that many unaffiliated individuals held spiritual or religious beliefs, such as belief in God or a universal spirit, despite not associating with a specific faith.
Geographic Distribution of Religious Groups
Geographically, the distribution of religious groups varied significantly. Predominantly, several religious groups were concentrated in the Asia-Pacific region, including the majority of Hindus, Buddhists, adherents of folk or traditional religions, and members of other world religions. Three-quarters of the religiously unaffiliated also resided in the vast Asia-Pacific region, with China alone accounting for approximately 700 million unaffiliated individuals, surpassing the total population of the United States.
Population Distribution Insights
The study highlighted that Christians were the most evenly dispersed among the major religious groups, with approximately equal numbers residing in Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, it identified unique distributions, such as a significant portion of Jews residing in North America and the Middle East/North Africa region, particularly in Israel.
Unique Regional Concentrations
Moreover, nearly three-quarters (73%) of the global population lived in countries where their religious group constituted a majority, while about a quarter (27%) lived as religious minorities. However, these figures excluded subgroups within the major religious groups, such as Shia Muslims in Sunni-majority countries or Catholics in Protestant-majority countries.
Age Demographics Among Religious Groups
The study also shed light on the age demographics within various religious groups, showcasing that certain religions had younger populations compared to others. This trend often correlated with the geographic distribution of these groups, where those concentrated in developing countries tended to have younger populations.
Methodology and Scope of the Study
These findings were published as part of a major Global Religious Futures project, examining religious change’s global impact and analyzing the demographics and characteristics of major religious groups across the world. The study utilized data from national censuses, surveys, and population registers, and it was based on information available up until early 2012, though new data may have emerged since then.
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