According to recent data,
Approximately 31% of the world’s population identifies as Christian.
25% of the world’s population identifies as Muslim.
Half of Christians identify as Catholic, 37 percent Protestant, 12 percent Orthodox and 1 percent “Other”. The United States is home to the largest Christian population (11.3% of the world total), followed by Brazil (8%), and Mexico (5%).
Christmas:
Celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25th
Laylat al-Qadr:
The holiest night of the year, which falls on the 27th of Ramadan. It commemorates the night the Qur’an was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.
Ganesh Chaturthi:
A 10-day festival that celebrates the birth of Ganesha, the god of wisdom and prosperity.
Vesak:
Also known as Buddha Day, this is the most important Buddhist holiday. It celebrates the birth, enlightenment, and death of Buddha and is celebrated on the full moon in the Buddhist month of Vaisakha, which is usually in May or June
World Population by Religion: A Global Tapestry of Faith
By Pam Wasserman | January 12, 2024
Religion Demographics of the World
Since the beginning of humanity, people have sought reasons for the creation of our world and our intelligent species. This gave rise to structures of beliefs and practices that were later defined as religion. French sociologist Émile Durkheim (one of the principal architects of modern social science), argued that religion is the most fundamental social institution, and, in one form or another, will always be a part of social life. Population growth, through history, has been inextricably tied to the expansion of religious life. Today, some 85 percent of people around the globe identify with a religion.
The Four Largest Religions in the World
While there are around 10,000 distinct religions in the world, over three-quarters of the global population adheres to one of these four – Christianity (31%), Islam (24%), Hinduism (15%), and Buddhism (7%).
Demographics Of Christianity
Christianity, a faith that began nearly 2,000 years ago in the Middle East, is now followed by 2.4 billion people, and is the primary religion practiced throughout the Americas, Europe, Oceania and sub-Saharan Africa. Half of Christians identify as Catholic, 37 percent Protestant, 12 percent Orthodox and 1 percent “Other”. The United States is home to the largest Christian population (11.3% of the world total), followed by Brazil (8%), and Mexico (5%).
Islam Demographics
Islam, founded in 622 CE, now has nearly 2 billion followers, the majority identifying in the two largest sects, Sunni and Shia. Muslims (followers of Islam) come from diverse ethnic backgrounds, speak hundreds of languages, and are the majority in 49 countries, covering the Middle East, Northern Africa, and parts of South Asia. The countries with the largest proportions of the world’s Muslim population are Indonesia (13.1%), India (11%), Pakistan (10.5%), and Bangladesh (8.4%). Karachi, Pakistan has the largest Muslim population of any city.
Hinduism Demographics
Hinduism is one of the oldest religions, beginning in Northern India around 2000 BCE. The overwhelming number of today’s 1.2 billion Hindus live in India and Nepal.
Buddhism Demographics
Buddhism, also with its roots in Ancient India, started in the 5th century CE. Countries with large Buddhist populations include Mongolia, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia. About half of the world’s 500 million practicing Buddhists reside in China.
Religions with Smaller Followings
Another 7 percent of the global population identify with religions with much smaller followings. Judaism, though one of the three major Abrahamic religions (along with Christianity and Islam) is represented by just 0.2 percent of the global population (16 million), most of whom reside in Israel (7 million) and the U.S. (6 million). Had the Holocaust not wiped out over a third of world Jewry during World War II, it is likely the Jewish population would be twice the size it is today.
An estimated 6 percent of the world’s population are adherents of folk or traditional religions. These include African traditional religions, Chinese folk religions, Native American religions, and Australian aboriginal religions. Another 1 percent follow a variety of other faiths, including Baha’i, Taoism, Jainism, Shintoism, Sikhism, Tenrikyo, Zoroastrianism, Wicca, and many others.
The Non-Religious Population in the World
About 16 percent of people around the world have no religious affiliation. These “nones” include atheists, agnostics, and people who may believe in God or spiritual life but do not identify with any particular religion. The countries with the largest unaffiliated populations include China, Japan, and the United States. In the case of the United States, those who reply “none” when asked about religion, have grown from 8 percent of the population in 2000 to 21 percent in 2022. In China and Japan, along with South Korea, North Korea, Czechia and Estonia, the majority of the populations have no religious affiliation.