Major religious groups 348450 225925757 2008-07-16T01:23:40Z IanCheesman 6318446 [[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 225910378 by [[Special:Contributions/204.11.170.48|204.11.170.48]] ([[User talk:204.11.170.48|talk]]) {{dablink|For the TV show see [[World Religions (TV series)]].}} [[Image:Religion distribution.png|thumb|400px|Religions of the world, mapped by distribution, with no sects.]] [[Image:World religions pie chart.png|thumb|400px|Major religions by percentage of world population as of 2007, according to the '''[[CIA World Factbook]]<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/xx.html] CIA World Factbook - World</ref>'''. '''Major Religion percentages''' - '''''[[Christians]]: 33.32%, [[Muslims]]: 21.01%, [[Hindus]]: 13.26%, [[Buddhists]]: 5.84%...''''']] [[Image:Worldwide percentage of Adherents by Religion.png|thumb|400px|Major religious groups as a percentage of the world population in 2005 (''[[Encyclopaedia Britannica]]''). In summary, religious adherence of the world's population is as follows: "[[Abrahamic religions|Abrahamic]]": 53.5%, "[[Indian religions|Indian]]": 19.7%, [[irreligious]]: 14.3%, "[[Far Eastern religions|Far Eastern]]": 6.5%, [[tribal religion]]s: 4.0%, [[new religious movements]]: 2.0%. ]] [[Image:Worldreligion.png|thumb|400px|Predominant religions of the world, mapped by state]] [[Image:Abraham Dharma.png|thumb|400px|Map showing the prevalence of "[[Abrahamic religion|Abrahamic]]" (purple), and "[[Indian religion|Indian]]" (yellow) religions in each country.]] [[Image:Christ Islam.png|thumb|400px|Map showing the relative proportion of Christianity (red) and Islam (green) in each country.]] The world's principal '''[[religion]]s''' and spiritual traditions may be classified into a small number of major groups or '''world religions'''. According to the 2005 survey of ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'', the vast majority of religious and spiritual adherents follow [[Christianity]] (33.06% of [[world population]]), [[Islam]] (20.28%), [[Hinduism]] (13.33%), [[Chinese folk religion]] (6.27%) or [[Buddhism]] (5.87%). The [[Irreligion|irreligious]] and [[Atheism|atheists]] are 14.27% and 3.97% follow indigenous [[tribal religion]]s. These spiritual traditions may be either combined into larger super-groups, or separated into smaller sub-denominations. [[Christianity]], [[Islam]] and [[Judaism]] (and sometimes the [[Bahá'í Faith]]) are summarized as '''[[Abrahamic religion]]s'''. [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Sikhism]] and [[Jainism]] are classified as '''[[Indian religion]]s''' (or Dharmic religions). [[Chinese folk religion]], [[Confucianism]], [[Taoism]] and [[Shinto]] are classified as '''[[East Asian religion]]s''' (or Far Eastern, Chinese, or Taoic religions). Conversely, the major spiritual traditions may be parsed into denominations: *Christianity into [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholicism]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodoxy]], [[Protestantism]], [[Oriental Orthodoxy]], and [[Nestorianism]] (see [[List of Christian denominations|Christian denominations]]) *Islam into [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]], [[Shia Islam|Shi'a]], [[Sufism]], and [[Kharijites]] (see [[divisions of Islam]]) *Hinduism into [[Shaivism]], [[Vaishnavism]], [[Shaktism]], [[Smartism]], and others (see [[Hindu denominations]]) *Buddhism into [[Theravada]], [[Mahayana]], and [[Vajrayana]] (see [[Schools of Buddhism]]) *Judaism into [[Hasidic Judaism|Hasidic]], [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]], [[Conservative Judaism|Conservative]], and [[Reform Judaism|Reform]] (see [[Jewish denominations]]) For a more comprehensive list of religions and an outline of some of their basic relationships, please see the article [[list of religions]]. ==World religions== ===Historical notions=== The concept of "world religion" is historically based on a subjective perception of temporal or theological importance, usually from a [[Western world|Western]], "Christian" (or at least "Abrahamic") perspective. Early Christian scholars, the earliest known classifiers of major religions, recognized two "proper" religions, Christianity and Judaism, besides [[heresy|heretical]] deviations from Christianity, and [[idolatry|idolatrous]] relapse or [[paganism]]. Islamic theology recognizes Christians and Jews as "[[People of the Book]]" rather than [[shirk (idolatry)|idolaters]], although Christians are criticized for worshiping Christ as a god rather than following Christ as a prophet and messenger. The [[Medieval Christian view of Muhammad|Christian view]] long classified Islam as one heresy among others. Views evolved during [[the Enlightenment]] however, and by the 19th century Western scholars considered the five "world religions" to be Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. These remain the classic "world religions." ===Modern classifications=== Modern classifications typically list major religious groups by number of adherents, not by historical or theological notability. Most dramatically, this affects Judaism, which holds the position of "world religion" as the foundational tradition of the "Abrahamic" group, but which in terms of adherents ranks below 0.25% of world population, behind [[Sikhism]]. The remaining four classic world religions, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, are the largest contemporary religions by far. They each have more than 300 million adherents, more than ten times the number of the next largest organized religion (Sikhism, ca. 19 million per the ''Christian Science Monitor'' source cited below). An example of a modern listing of "world religions" is that of the [http://www.religioustolerance.org/var_rel.htm Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance], listing twelve "long established, major world religions, each with over three million followers", alphabetically: :[[Bahá'í Faith]], [[Buddhism]], [[Christianity]], [[Confucianism]], [[Hinduism]], [[Islam]], [[Jainism]], [[Judaism]], [[Shinto]], [[Sikhism]], [[Taoism]], [[Vodou]]. The [[Adherents.com]] list of "twelve classical world religions" is nearly identical, but replaces Vodou with [[Zoroastrianism]]. The "World's Major Religions" list published in the ''New York Public Library Student's Desk Reference''<ref>New York: Prentice Hall (1993) p. 271</ref> omits Vodou and Zoroastrianism, as well as Jainism and Sikhism, but lists the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], [[Protestantism]] and [[Roman Catholicism]] as separate religions. The ''[[Christian Science Monitor]]'', in a 1998 article "Top 10 Organized Religions in the World," provides a listing of the largest "organized religions" [http://www.adherents.com/misc/rel_by_adh_CSM.html]: {|style="width:90%;" class="wikitable" |- | # || '''Religion''' || '''Number&nbsp;of&nbsp;Adherents&nbsp;''' |- | 1 || [[Christianity]] || 1.9 billion |- | 2 || [[Islam]] || 1.1 billion |- | 3 || [[Hinduism]] || 781 million |- | 4 || [[Buddhism]] || 324 million |- | 5 || [[Sikhism]] || 19 million |- | 6 || [[Judaism]] || 14 million |- | 7 || [[Bahá'í Faith]] || 6.1 million |- | 8 || [[Confucianism]] || 5.3 million |- | 9 || [[Jainism]] || 4.9 million |- | 10 || [[Shinto]] || 2.8 million |- |} In comparison with the Ontario Consultants list above, the ''Christian Science Monitor'' omits [[Taoism]] and [[Vodou]] as "non-organized." Other "major religions" listed by [http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html Adherents.com] (2007), not found on the above lists, are: * [[tribal religions]] ([[Shamanism]], [[Animism]]): roughly 300 million * [[African traditional religions|African traditional]] and [[African diasporic religions| diasporic]] (including [[Vodou]]): roughly 100 million<ref>adherents.com separate "African Traditional & African Diasporic Religions" from "Primal-Indigenous", admitting large overlap. Only very rough estimates for the size of these groups are possible in any case.</ref> * [[Chinese folk religion|Chinese traditional]] (including [[Taoism]] and [[Confucianism]]): 394 million * [[Juche]] ([[North Korea]]n [[state ideology]]): 19 million * [[Cao Dai]]: 4 million * [[Tenrikyo]]: 2 million * [[Neopaganism]]: 1 million * [[Unitarian-Universalism]]: 800,000 * [[Rastafarianism]]: 600,000 ==Classification== {{Unreferencedsection|date=November 2007}} {{main|Comparative religion|Sociological classifications of religious movements}} Religious traditions fall into super-groups in [[comparative religion]], arranged by historical origin and mutual influence. [[Abrahamic religions]] originate in the [[Middle East]], [[Indian religions]] in [[India]] and [[Far Eastern religions]] in [[East Asia]]. Another group with supra-regional influence is [[African diasporic religions]], which have their origins in [[Central Africa|Central]] and [[West Africa]]. *[[Abrahamic religion]]s are by far the largest group, and these consist primarily of [[Christianity]], [[Islam]] and [[Judaism]] (sometimes [[Bahá'í Faith]] is also included). They are named for their common patriarch [[Abraham]], and are unified by their strict [[monotheism]]. Today, around 3.4 billion people are followers of Abrahamic religions and are spread widely around the world apart from the regions around [[southeast Asia]] and [[China]]. *[[Indian religions]] originated in [[Greater India]] and tend to share a number of key concepts, such as [[dharma]] and [[karma]]. They are of the most influence across the [[Indian subcontinent]], [[East Asia]], [[South East Asia]], as well as isolated parts of [[Russia]]. The main Indian religions are [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Sikhism]], and [[Jainism]]. Indian religions mutually influenced each other. *[[Far Eastern religions]] consist of several East Asian religions which make use of the concept of ''Tao'' (in Chinese) or ''Do'' (in Japanese or Korean). They include [[Taoism]], [[Confucianism]], [[Chinese folk religion]], [[Shinto]], [[Chondogyo]], [[Caodaism]] and [[Yiguandao]], as well as [[Far Eastern Buddhism]] (in which the group overlaps with the "Indian" group). *[[Iranian religions]] include [[Zoroastrianism]], [[Yazdanism]] and historical traditions of [[Gnosticism]] ([[Mandaeanism]], [[Manichaeism]]). It has significant overlaps with Abrahamic traditions, e.g. in [[Sufism]], and in recent religions such as [[Bábísm]] and the [[Bahá'í Faith]]. *[[African diasporic religions]] practiced in the [[Americas]], imported as a result of the [[Atlantic slave trade]] of the 16th to 18th centuries, building on [[African traditional religions|traditional religions]] of [[Central Africa|Central]] and [[West Africa]]. *Indigenous [[tribal religions]], formerly found on every continent, now marginalized by the major organized faiths, but persisting as undercurrents of [[folk religion]]. Includes [[African traditional religions]], Asian [[Shamanism]], [[Native American religions]], [[Austronesian people#Religion|Austronesian]] and [[Australian Aboriginal mythology|Australian Aboriginal]] traditions and sometimes arguably [[Chinese folk religion]] (overlaps with Far Eastern religions). *[[New religious movement]]s, a heterogeneous group of religious faiths emerging since the 19th century, often [[syncretism|syncretizing]], re-interpreting or reviving aspects of older traditions ([[Bahá'í Faith|Bahá'í]], [[Hindu reform movements]] (Hindu revivalism), [[Ayyavazhi]], [[Pentecostalism]], [[polytheistic reconstructionism]]), some inspired by science-fiction ([[UFO religion]]s, [[Scientology]]). See [[List of new religious movements]], list of groups referred to as cults. Demographic distribution of the major super-groupings mentioned is shown in the table below: {|style="width:90%;" class="wikitable" |- ! Name of Group !! Name of Religion !! Number of followers !! Date of Origin !! Main regions covered |- | rowspan="4"| [[Abrahamic religions]] <br>3.4 billion |[[Christianity]] || 2.1 billion ||1st c.|| <small>Worldwide except [[Northern Africa|Northwest Africa]], the [[Arabian Peninsula]], and parts of [[Central Asia|Central]], [[East Asia|East]], and [[Southeast Asia]].</small> |- | [[Islam]] || 1.5 billion || 7th c. || <small>[[Middle East]], [[Northern Africa]], [[Central Asia]], [[South Asia]], [[Western Africa]], [[Indian subcontinent]], [[Malay Archipelago]] with large population centers existing in [[Eastern Africa]], [[Balkan Peninsula]], [[Russia]], [[Europe]] and [[China]]. |- | [[Judaism]] || 14 million || 1300 BCE || <small>>[[Israel]] and among [[Jewish diaspora]] (live mostly in [[USA]] and [[Europe]]) |- | [[Bahá'í Faith]] || 5 million || 19th c. || <small>Dispersed worldwide with no major population centers |- | rowspan="4"| [[Indian religions]] <br>1.4 billion | [[Hinduism]] || 900 million || <small>no founder</small> || <small>[[Indian subcontinent]], [[Fiji]], [[Guyana]] and [[Mauritius]] |- | [[Buddhism]] || 376 million || [[Iron Age India|Iron Age]] (1200–300 BCE)|| <small>[[Indian subcontinent]], [[East Asia]], [[Indochina]], regions of [[Russia]]. |- | [[Sikhism]] || 25.8 million || 15th c. || <small>[[India]], [[Pakistan]], [[Africa]], [[Canada]], [[USA]], [[United Kingdom]] |- | [[Jainism]] || 4.2 million || [[Iron Age India|Iron Age]] (1200–300 BCE)|| <small>[[India]], and [[East Africa]] |- | rowspan="7"| [[Far Eastern religions]] <br>500 million |[[Taoism]] || unknown || [[Spring and Autumn Period]] (722 BC-481 BC)|| <small>[[China]] and the [[Chinese diaspora]]</small> |- | [[Confucianism]] || unknown || [[Spring and Autumn Period]] (722 BC-481 BC)|| <small>[[China]], [[Korea]], [[Vietnam]] and the Chinese and Vietnamese [[diaspora]]s</small> |- | [[Shinto]] || 4 million || <small>no founder</small>|| <small>[[Japan]] |- | [[Caodaism]] || 1-2 million || 1925 || <small>[[Vietnam]] |- | [[Chondogyo]] || 1.13 million || 1812 || <small>[[Korea]] |- | [[Yiguandao]] || 1-2 million || c. 1900 || <small>[[Taiwan]] |- | [[Chinese folk religion]] || 394 million || <small>no founder, a combination of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism</small> || <small>[[China]] |- | rowspan="3"| Ethnic/tribal <br>400 million |- | [[tribal religion|Primal indigenous]] || 300 million || <small>no founder</small> || <small>[[India]], [[Asia]] |- | [[African traditional religions|African traditional]] and [[African diasporic religions|diasporic]] || 100 million || <small>no known founder</small> || <small> [[Africa]], [[Americas]] |- | rowspan="7"| Other <br><small>each over 500 thousand</small> |- | [[Juche]] || 19 million || || <small>[[North Korea]]</small> |- | [[Spiritism]] || 15 million || || |- | [[Neopaganism]] || 1 million || || |- | [[Unitarian-Universalism]] || 800,000 || || |- | [[Rastafarianism]] || 600,000 || || |- | [[Scientology]] || 500,000 {{Fact|date=June 2008}} || || |- |} ==Religious demographics== {{splitsection|Religious demographics}} {{see|List of religious populations}} One way to define a major religion is by the number of current adherents. The population numbers by religion are computed by a combination of census reports and population surveys (in countries where religion data is not collected in census, for example [[USA]] or [[France]]), but results can vary widely depending on the way questions are phrased, the definitions of religion used and the bias of the agencies or organizations conducting the survey. Informal or unorganized religions are especially difficult to count. There is no consensus among researchers as to the best methodology for determining the religiosity profile of the world's population. A number of fundamental aspects are unresolved: * Whether to count "historically predominant religious culture[s]"<ref>{{cite | title = Sacred and Secular, Religion and Politics Worldwide | page = 43-44 | url = www.cambridge.org/9780521839846 | accessdate = 2006-12-29 | date =2007-01-06 | publisher = Cambridge University Press | author = Pippa Norris, Ronald Inglehart}}</ref> * Whether to count only those who actively "practice" a particular religion<ref>{{cite web | title = Among Wealthy Nations U.S. Stands Alone in its Embrace of Religion | accessdate = 2006-10-12 | author = Pew Research Center | publisher = Pew Research Center | url = http://pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?ReportID=167 | date = 2002-12-19}}</ref> * Whether to count based on a concept of "adherence"<ref>{{cite web | title = Major Religions of the World Ranked by Number of Adherents | url = http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html | accessdate = 2006-10-12 | date =2005-08-28 | publisher = adherents.com | author = adherents.com}}</ref> * Whether to count only those who expressly self-identify with a particular denomination<ref>{{cite web | title = World Values Survey | url = http://www.worldvaluessurvey.com/ | accessdate = 2006-10-12 | date = 2005-06-28 | publisher = worldvaluessurvey.com | author = worldvaluessurvey.com}}</ref> * Whether to count only adults, or to include children as well. * Whether to rely only on official government-provided statistics<ref>{{cite web | title = United Nations Statistics Division - Demographic and Social Statistics | url =http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/sconcerns/popchar/popcharMeta.aspx | accessdate = 2007.01.06 | date = 2007.01.06 | publisher = United Nations Statistics Division | author = unstats.un.org}}</ref> * Whether to use multiple sources and ranges or single "best source(s)" === Largest religions or belief systems by number of adherents === {{onesource|reliability]] is also not established.|date=November 2007}} <!-- NOTE: Objective statistics on the size of religions vary widely, so all of the statistics for this section are drawn entirely from the Adherents.com listing of religions by adherents, which takes into account the wide range of member statistics for most religions. --> <!-- NOTE: Many religions are often biased towards on the number of members they have. And some sects, denominations, and groups within the major religion often are regarded as part of that religion, yet the other sects may disagree. Note that all of this information and classifications of faith are from Adherents.com. --> This listing{{ref_label|a|a|none}} includes both organized religions, which have unified belief codes and religious hierarchies, and informal religions, such as Chinese folk religions. For completeness, it also contains a category for the non-religious, although their views would not ordinarily be considered a religion. # [[Christianity by country|Christianity]]: 2.1 billion, with major branches as [http://www.adherents.com/adh_branches.html#Christianity follows]: #*''See also the [[List of Christian denominations by number of members]] and [[List of Christian denominations]] pages'' (Non-denominational statistics are not shown.) #*[[Roman Catholic Church]]: 1.05 billion #*[[Eastern Orthodox Church]]: 240 million #*[[African Initiated Church]]: 110 million #*[[Pentecostalism]]: 105 million #*[[Reformed churches|Reformed]]/[[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]]/[[Congregational church|Congregational]]/[[United Church of Christ|United]]: 75 million #*[[Anglicanism]]/[[Episcopal Church]]: 73 million #*[[Baptist]]: 70 million #*[[Methodism]]: 70 million #*[[Lutheranism|Lutheran]]: 64 million #*[[Jehovah's Witnesses]]: 14.8 million #*[[Latter Day Saint movement|Latter-day Saints]]: 12.5 million #*[[Seventh-day Adventist Church]]: 12 million #*[[Apostolic Church|Apostolic]]/[[New Apostolic Church|New Apostolic]]: 10 million #*[[Restoration Movement]]: 5.4 million #*[[New Thought]] ([[Unity Church|Unity]], [[Christian Science]], etc.): 1.5 million #*[[Brethren|Brethren (incl. Plymouth)]]: 1.5 million #*[[Mennonite]]: 1.25 million #*[[Religious Society of Friends|Friends/Quakers]]: 300,000 # [[Islam by country|Islam]]: 1.5 billion, with major branches as [http://www.adherents.com/adh_branches.html#Islam follows]:{{ref_label|d|d|none}} #*[[Sunni Islam|Sunni]]: 940 million #*[[Shia Islam|Shia]]: 120 million #*[[Ahmadi]]: 10 million #*[[Druze]]: 450,000 #[[Secularity (non-religiosity)|Secular]]/[[Irreligion|irreligious]]/[[agnostic]]/[[atheist]]/[[Antitheism|antitheistic]]/[[antireligious]]: 1.1 billion #*Category includes a wide range of beliefs, without specifically adhering to a religion or sometimes specifically against dogmatic religions. The category includes [[Humanism (life stance)|humanism]], [[deism]], [[pantheism]], [[rationalism]], [[freethought]], [[agnosticism]] and [[atheism]]. Broadly labeled humanism, this group of non religious people are third largest in the world. For more information, see the [http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html#Nonreligious Adherents.com] discussion of this category and the note below.&nbsp;{{ref_label|c|c|none}} # [[Hinduism by country|Hinduism]]: 900 million, with major branches as [http://www.adherents.com/adh_branches.html#Hinduism follows]: #*[[Vaishnavism]]: 580 million #*[[Shaivism]]: 220 million #*[[Hindu reform movements|Neo-Hindus and Reform Hindus]]: 22 million #*[[Lingayatism|Veerashaivas/Lingayats]]: 10 million # [[Chinese folk religion]]: 394 million #*Not a single organized religion, includes elements of [[Taoism]], [[Confucianism]], [[Buddhism]] and traditional nonscriptural religious observance (also called "Chinese traditional religion"). # [[Buddhism]]: 376 million, with major branches as [http://www.adherents.com/adh_branches.html#Buddhism follows]: #*[[Mahayana]]: 185 million #*[[Theravada]]: 124 million #*[[Vajrayana]]/[[Tibetan Buddhism|Tibetan]]: 20 million # Primal [[indigenous peoples|indigenous]] ([[tribal religion]]s): 300 million #*Not a single organized religion, includes a wide range of traditional or [[tribe|tribal]] religions, including [[animism]], [[shamanism]] and [[paganism]]. Since African traditional and diasporic religions are counted separately in this list, most of the people counted in this group are in Asia. # [[African traditional religion|African traditional]] and [[Afro-American religion|diasporic]]: 100 million #*Not a single organized religion, this includes several traditional African beliefs and philosophies such as those of the [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]], [[Ewe]] (Vodou) and the [[Bakongo]]. These three religious traditions (especially that of the Yoruba) have been very influential to the diasporic beliefs of the Americas such as [[Condomble]], [[Santeria]] and [[voodoo]]. The religious capital of the Yoruba religion is at [[Ile Ife]]. # [[Sikhism]]: 23 million # [[Juche]] (North Korean Communism) 19 million # [[Spiritism]]: 15 million #*Not a single organized religion, includes a variety of beliefs including some forms of [[Umbanda]]. # [[Judaism]]: 14 million, with major branches as [http://www.adherents.com/adh_branches.html#Judaism follows]: #*[[Conservative Judaism|Conservative]]: 4.5 million #*Unaffiliated and Secular: 4.5 million #*[[Reform Judaism|Reform]]: 3.75 million #*[[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]]: 2 million #*[[Reconstructionist Judaism|Reconstructionist]]: 150,000 # [[Bahá'í Faith]]: 7 million # [[Jainism]]: 4.2 million, with two significant branches: #*[[Svetambara]] (White clad): 95% #*[[Digambar]] (Sky clad): 5% # [[Shinto]]: 4 million #* This number states the number of actual self-identifying practising primary followers of Shinto. If everyone were included who is considered Shinto by some people due to ethnic or historical categorizations, the number would be considerably higher &mdash; as high as 100 million (according to the adherents.com [http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html#Shinto source] used for the statistics in this section). # [[Cao Dai]]: 4 million # [[Zoroastrianism]]: between <!-- DON'T change this to 2+ million again unless you want to be considered illiterate -- ********** AND that means you PETER! ********* -->150,000-250,000,<ref>Melton, J. Gordon & Baumann, Martin, eds. (2002), ''Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices'', Oxford: ABC-CLIO, ISBN 1-57607-223-1, p. 634</ref><ref>Hopfe, Lews M. & Woodward, Mark R, eds. (2003), ''Religions of the World'', New York: Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-13-183007-4, p. 313</ref><ref>Eliade, Mircea & Couliano, Ioan P., eds. (1991), ''The Eliade Guide to World Religions'', San Francisco: Harper Collins, ISBN 0-06-062145-1, p. 254</ref><ref>Palsetia, Jesse S. (2001) ''The Parsis of India'', Leiden: Brill, ISBN 90-04-12114-5, p. 1 n. 1.</ref> substantiated by the following lists at adherents.com: [http://www.adherents.com/Na/Na_674.html 1][http://www.adherents.com/adh_branches.html#Zoroastrianism 2], but elsewhere accidentally inserting one zero too many.<!-- which is why some editors keep inserting 2+ million --> The breakdown by major communities is as follows: #*In India (the [[Parsi]]s): est. 65,000 (2001 India Census: 69,601); Estimate of Zoroastrians of Indian origin: [http://www.adherents.com/adh_branches.html#Zoroastrianism 100,000-110,000]. #*In Iran: est. [http://www.adherents.com/adh_branches.html#Zoroastrianism 20,000] (1974 Iran Census: 21,400)<!-- DON'T USE the pejorative "[[Gabar]]" --> # [[Tenrikyo]]: 2 million # [[Neopaganism]]: 1 million #*A blanket term for several religions like [[Wicca]], [[Asatru]], [[Neo-druidism]], and [[Polytheistic reconstructionism|polytheistic reconstructionist]] religions # [[Unitarian Universalism]]: 800,000 # [[Rastafari Movement|Rastafari]]: 600,000 # [[Scientology]]: 500,000 ;Notes: {{refbegin}} * a){{note_label|a|a|none}} The source for most of these statistics is [http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html Adherents.com], updated 2008. These statistics are reportedly based on analysis of a range of sources on religious populations, for more on the methodology, please see [http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html#Specific Adherents.com's explanation]. * b){{note_label|b|b|none}} Falun Gong itself claims 100 million followers worldwide, including 70 million in China. In contrast, the New York Times reports "[http://partners.nytimes.com/library/world/asia/042799china-protest.html over 70 million]." Both numbers are from 1999. [http://www.adherents.com] counts it as part of Chinese religion * c){{note_label|c|c|none}} Unlike the source site adherents.com, this list classifies [[Juche]] under the secular/non-religious category, since it does not fit most definitions of religion and is considered secular by its followers. * d){{note_label|d|d|none}} [[Ahmadiyya]] consider themselves Muslim, but are not considered Muslim by the mainstream. Adherents.com includes [[Druze]] as Muslim, but they are usually considered a distinct religious community based mostly in the Middle East who are an offshoot of Islam. * e){{note_label|e|e|none}} The main list at adherents.com estimates 2.6 million [[Zoroastrianism]], but its detailed section refers to "[http://www.adherents.com/adh_branches.html#Zoroastrianism less than 200,000]." {{refend}} ===By region=== {{see|Religion in present-day nations and states|National church}} *[[Religion in Africa]] *[[Religion in Asia]] **[[Religion in India]] **[[Religion in China]] **[[Muslim world]] (SW Asia and N Africa) *[[Religion in North America]] **[[Religion in the United States]] *[[Religion in South America]] *[[Religion in Australia]] *[[Religion in Europe]] **[[Religion in the European Union]] ===Trends in adherence=== {{Onesource|peer-reviewed]] nor otherwise accompanied by a description of methodology or an assertion of adherence to scientific methods.|date=November 2007}} [[Image:Religious importance.png|thumb|350px|right|World map based on the results of a 2002 [[Pew Research Center]] study on the percentage of people who regard religion as "important"]] [[Image:Irreligion statistics by country.png|thumb|350px|right|World map showing the percentages of people who regard religion as "non-important"]] <!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Mahakumbh.jpg|thumb|right|The largest religious gathering of humans on Earth [http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn360]. About 70 million [[Hindu]]s from around the world participated in ''[[Kumbh Mela]]'' in the [[Hinduism|Hindu]] holy city of [[Prayaga]], [[India]], which is also known as [[Allahabad]].]] --> Since the late 19th century the demographics of religion have changed a great deal. Some countries with a historically large Christian population have experienced a significant decline in the numbers of professed active Christians. Symptoms of the decline in active participation in Christian religious life include declining recruitment for the [[priest]]hood and [[monastery|monastic life]], as well as diminishing attendance at [[church]]. At the same time, there has been an increase in the number of people who identify themselves as [[secular humanism|secular humanists]]. In many countries, such as the [[People's Republic of China]], communist governments have discouraged religion, making it difficult to count the actual number of believers. However, after the collapse of communism in numerous countries of Eastern Europe and the former [[Soviet Union]], religious life has been experiencing resurgence there, particularly in the forms of [[Neopaganism]] and [[Far Eastern religions]]. Within the world's four largest religions, Christianity currently has the [[Claims to be the fastest growing religion#Christianity|greatest growth]] by numbers and Islam has the [[Claims to be the fastest growing religion#Islam|fastest growth]] by percentage.<ref name="worldchristianencyclopedia">{{cite book | url = http://www.bible.ca/global-religion-statistics-world-christian-encyclopedia.htm | first = David A. |last = Barrett | year = 2001 | title = World Christian Encyclopedia | pages = p. 4}}</ref> [[Hinduism]] is undergoing a revival and a globalization, and many temples are being built, both in India and in other countries. Analyzing percentage growth is a difficult matter - see [http://www.adherents.com/adh_faq.html#fastest this article] for a discussion. However, the ''World Christian Encyclopedia'' and ''World Christian Trends'' reported these numbers from growth from 1990-2000:<ref name="worldchristianencyclopedia" /><ref>{{cite web | title = Global adherents of the World's 19 distinct major religions| year = 2001 |publisher = William Carey Library | first = David |last = Barrett |coauthors = Johnson, Todd | accessdate = 2006-10-12 | url = http://www.gordonconwell.edu/ockenga/globalchristianity/gd/wct-1-2.pdf }}</ref> <blockquote> 1990-2000 *2.65% - Zoroastrianism *2.28% - Bahá'í Faith *2.13% - Islam *1.87% - Sikhism *1.69% - Hinduism *1.36% - Christianity *1.09% - Buddhism </blockquote>(The annual growth in the world population over the same period is 1.41%.) A 2002 [[Pew Research Center]] study found that, generally, poorer nations had a larger proportion of citizens who found religion to be very important than richer nations, with the exception of the United States.<ref>{{cite web | title = Among Wealthy Nations U.S. Stands Alone in its Embrace of Religion | accessdate = 2006-10-12 | author = Pew Research Center |publisher = Pew Research Center | url = http://pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?ReportID=167 | date = 2002-12-19}}</ref> ==References== {{reflist}} * [[Adherents.com]], [http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html Religions By Adherents] *Tomoko Masuzawa, ''The invention of world religions, or, How European universalism was preserved in the language of pluralism'', Chicago University Press 2005 ==See also== * [[Claims to be the fastest growing religion]] * [[:Category:Religion by country]] * [[List of religions]] * [[Religious text]] ==External links== * [http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/tools/civilisations/index.shtml Animated history of World Religions] - from the "Religion & Ethics" part of the BBC website, interactive animated view of the spread of world religions (requires Flash plug-in). * [http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/ BBC A-Z of Religions and Beliefs] {{Religion topics}} [[Category:Religion-related lists]] [[Category:Religious demographics]] [[bn:প্রধান ধর্মাবলম্বী গোষ্ঠীসমূহ]] [[da:Verdensreligion]] [[de:Weltreligion]] [[et:Maailmareligioon]] [[eo:Religio#Listo_de_religioj_la.C5.AD_grandeco]] [[ko:세계의 주요 종교]] [[it:Religioni maggiori]] [[ms:Kumpulan agama terbesar]] [[nl:Wereldreligie]] [[ja:世界宗教]] [[no:Verdensreligion]] [[nn:Verdsreligion]] [[pt:As dez maiores religiões]] [[ru:Мировая религия]] [[simple:Major world religions]] [[sl:Glavne svetovne religije]] [[sv:Världsreligion]] [[tr:Dinler]]