world religious adherents
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Colombia
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Jamaica
Kenya
Kiribati
Latvia
Lesotho
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Reunion
Romania
Russia
Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Vatican
Venezuela
Wallis and Futuna
Islands
Zaire (Democratic
Republic of Congo)
Zambia
HinduismThe world's third largest religion, Hinduism, makes up the majority of the population of3 nations:
Balinese-style Hindus also make up 95% of the large population of Bali, in Indonesia.
Nepal
IndiaMauritius
Bali, Indonesia
It is interesting to note that although the majority of the world's Hindus live in India, the nation as a whole is only about
80% Hindu, and is an officially secular state, i.e., there is no state religion. The continuation of a secular state is one of
the Indian government's highest priorities.
In Nepal a higher proportion of the population are Hindus than in India, and Nepal is the world's only official Hindu
state. Freedom of worship is protected, but official state religion is Hinduism. (As in many countries, inter-religious
proselyting is prohibited.)
In Mauritius, a bare majority of 54% of the population are Hindu.
BuddhismThe worlds' fourth largest organized religion, Buddhism, is the religion of the majority of the population in 10 countries
Thailand
Cambodia
Myanmar
Tibet
Bhutan
Mongolia
Sri Lanka
Laos
Vietnam
Japan
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Buddhism is also very important historically and culturally in other several other Asian countries, but is no longer cited as
the preferred religion by at least 50% of the population. In China and North Korea, Buddhism was forcibly
suppressed by Communist regimes. Buddhism remains important in these countries, but is no longer claimed as the
religious preference by the majority of the population. Taiwan is heavily Buddhist, but the religion is mixed with Taoism
and Confucianism, and exists side by side with other religions to such a degree that Buddhism is probably not a majority
religion, strictly speaking. In South Korea Christianity has recently made enough gains that Buddhism is no longer the
religion of the majority of the population.
Currently, many people in traditionally Buddhist countries such as Korea and China are embracing Christianity in greater
numbers, while Buddhism is in turn gaining increasing numbers of converts among Westerners in places such as Europe,
Australia, and the United States. There are even organizations and books for "JuBus" (Jews who practice Buddhism).
SikhismSikhism does not make up the majority of the population of any nations. It makes up the majority of the population of
only one Indian Province: Punjab.
It might be said that of the world's largest religions, only Sikhism does not have a state. Sikhism is often called the
world's fifth largest orgnanized religion, and with nearly 20 million adherents, is larger than Judaism (about 15 million,
many of whom are secular).
For many Sikhs, not having a state of their own is an issue of great importance, and the Punjabi independence
movement is hotly debated in the region and in the Sikh community worldwide. Other Sikhs genuinely feel emphasis on
achieving their own independent political state is overly divisive and draws undue attention away from the profound
theological and spiritual messages of their religion.
Punjab, India
JudaismJews makes up the majority (83%) in one country: Israel.
A large number of Israel's Jews are secular -- nonobservant and either philosophically nonreligious or even agnostic or
atheist. Religious Jews are in the minority in Israel.
Interestingly enough, a larger number of Jews live in the United States than in Israel, and a higher proportion of
American Jews are religious (i.e., practice Judaism or profess some form of belief in Judaism).
Israel
Taoism and ConfucianismNo country can really said to be predominantly Taoist orConfucian in the sense that a majority of people claim one
of these systems as their religion. But Taoism and Confucianism (mixed with Buddhism) are major cultural and
philosophical influences in many East Asian nations. Religious Taoism in still very significant in Taiwan.
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Many writers have noted that the influence ofConfucianism is felt more significantly in present-day Japan than
Buddhism, Shinto, or any other religion, even though no Japanese people cite it as their "religion." The majority of
Chinese are influenced by combinations of Confucian and Taoist thought, and traditional religious practices and beliefs
(ancestor- and nature-oriented), but most do not name themselves exclusively as adherents of these traditions. Other
important influences and religions in China which are of non-Chinese origin are Buddhism, Communism, Islam, and
Christianity.
Baha'iThere are no nations, provinces or states where Baha'is make up a majority of the population. This is not surprising, as
the religion is very young.
There are some villages in Africa which are predominantly Baha'i. (It is not unusual for smaller, close-knit villages in
Africa, and sometimes other parts of the world, to adopt a new religion en masse.)
ShintoBecause of historical birth registration laws and customs, Shinto organizations claim over 80% of the population of
Japan as adherents. (Keep in mind that Buddhist organizations claim 90% of the population as adherents.) The majority
of Japanese take part in Shinto celebrations, festivals, etc., and many have Shinto shrines in their homes. Although less
than 4% of Japanese claim Shinto as their religious preference in opinion surveys (most claim Buddhism, and most also
say they aren't religious), the religion of Shinto can certainly be said to "have a state." But the religion's influence is more
cultural, historical, and traditional--more comparable to the influence of the Anglican Church in England than Islam in
Saudi Arabia.
Japan
JainismThere are no countries or provinces in which Jains make up the majority of the population. Jains have no significant,
established communities outside of India.
ZoroastriansThe relatively few remaining Zoroastrians in the world do not make up the majority of the population in any countries,
states, or provinces. They do form the majority in a few small Iranian towns, and they are an important segment ofthe cultural elite in a few major Indian cities.
Zoroastrianism was once the state religion of ancient Persia (present-day Iran), and at one time was one of the
largest organized religions in the world.
Where Some Other Religions are in the Majority or Heavily
Concentrated
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The religions discussed below (Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, Baha'i, Shinto, Jainism,
Zoroastrianism, Taoism, and Confucianism) are the "Classical World Religion" -- those religions most often listed in
comparative religion books. But there are other distinct religions in the world, some of which are much larger than some
of the "classical" world religions.
primal-indigenous"Primal-indigenous" is not a single religion, but simply the term that refers to followers of traditional, pre-literate cultures.
Other terms used to refer to the religion of these peoples include "traditional", "native", "indigenous", or "tribal." Other
words such as "paganism" or "animism" have been applied to these groups in the past, but have gone out of favor and
may be less accurate. Many or most primal-indigenous religions may indeed contains elements of animism or paganism.
But the statistical use of these terms is usually misleading because the way these groups have usually been identified by
Westerners is by a people group's lack of written language or technological development, not by an actual
understanding of their theology.
Virtually all societies, whether in Papua New Guinea or Texas, exhibit behavior and beliefs which are associated with
their ethnic or regional identities rather than the official teachings of an organized religion. (Texans, for instance, generally
have an aversion to state income taxes, love high school football, and believe cowboy boots are formal footwear.) Like
other people everywhere, most Africans and tribal peoples who affirm membership in a major world religion (such as
Christianity or Islam) also maintain traditional practices, rituals, and beliefs.
Primal-indigenous religion is part of every predominantly tribal society. But in the following countries, at least by
some reports, it seems that the majority of the population officially claim to be adherents of traditional native
religions, rather than at least nominally declaring themselves members of a major world religion:
Benin
Botswana
Guinea-Bissau
Liberia
Togo
Many other countries, such as Papua New Guinea, would have to be added if one looked at practice rather than
nominal, census-based adherence to a major world religion. But to be fair in making such a list, one would also have to
ask to what degree the Norwegians are more Norwegian than Lutheran, to what degree Spaniards are more Spanish
than Catholic, to what degree the majority of Americans practice "Americanism" rather than Christianity or Judaism.
It is also interesting to note that 85% of the newly-formed (1999) Canadian province of Nunavut are Inuit. But this
statistic indicates tribal/ethnic affiliation. I do not have data regarding the religious preference of the population of Inuit,
but earlier statistics from the Northwest Territories (the province from which Nunavut was formed) indicate that mostresidents are Christian.
Yoruba religionAnother of the world's largest religions (but not a "classical" major religion) is the traditional religion of the Yoruba
peoples of western Africa. Two of its major modern branches in the Americas are known as Santeria and Vodoun.
Vodoun may not be the officialstate religion ofHaiti, but it is often called the unofficial national religion. The majority
of the population are thought to participate in Vodoun. Most Haitians are also members of Christian faiths, and mostly
claim Christianity as their religion in census counts.
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It is estimated that 70% of the population ofCuba practices African-based New World religions, especially the
Santeria form. The majority of Cubans are also baptized and self-identified Catholics. The Communist government in
Cuba has also issued official figures indicating that the majority of Cubans are nonreligious. So, Cuba could be placed
on three "majority religion" lists (Yoruba, Catholic and Nonreligious). (Interestingly enough, Cuba also has one of
world's largest national communities of Jehovah's Witnesses (both in terms of raw numbers as well as percentage of the
population).
HaitiCuba
parts of western Africa
TenrikyoTenrikyo is a distinct, living religion which emerged from a Shinto background, but which declared itself distinct from
Shinto many decades ago and has truly gone its own direction. It has about 3 million adherents. It has not spread very
much outside of Japan, although their are foreign and non-Japanese adherents.
In Japan its members probably make up less than 2% of the general population, but they form the overwhelming
majority of the city of Tenri-shi. With approximately 50,000 citizens, Tenri is the heartland, headquarters, and site of
pilgrimage of Tenrikyo faithful.
Tenri-shi, Japan
Veerashaivas (Lingayatas)The Lingayat religion grew out of a Hindu environment and today most people (including the Indian government) classify
it as a Hindu sect, although Lingayats prefer to call it a distinct religion. Published estimates of their numbers range from
about 5.5 million to 20 million worldwide, most of whom live in the Indian state of Karnataka. Approximately 10 - 20%
of the total population of Karnataka is Lingayat, but in the Lingayat heartland regions of Karnataka, as many as
67% follow the religion, a clear majority.
parts of Karnataka, India
JucheLittle known outside of North Korea, Juche is the national philosophy and religion created and run by the North Korean
government. By law, all North Koreans are adherents of Juche. Nearly all citizens regularly participate in Juche
meetings, celebrations, education, etc.
North Korea
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RastafarianismProportionately significant only in the Caribbean, Rastafarians do not make up the majority of any population. But in
their home country ofJamaica, the majority of the people are thought to be Rasta "supporters," although less than 5%
of the population are actually self-identified adherents.
Nations Where One Branch of a Major Religion is Predominant
As mentioned previously, in most nations where a single religion is predominant, it is also true that a single branch (and
often a single religious body) of that religion is predominant. The countries in the following lists will have already
appeared on lists above.
Not all countries listed above as being predominantly Christian, Muslim, etc., will appear in lists below. In a country
which is predominantly Christian, there may not be one branch which is predominant. For instance, in a country which is
65% Christian, that 65% may be divided fairly evenly between Protestants and Catholics. This would mean that
although Christianity is the predominant religion, there is not a predominant branch or religious body.
Shiite islamThe majority (90%) of Muslims belong to the Sunni branch of Islam. Historically there has been considerable distance
between Sunni and Shiite Islam, roughly comparable to the Catholic/Protestant split. But in recent years leading Sunni
councils (such as at the Islamic university at Cairo) have increasingly accepted Shiites as thoroughly a part of orthodox
Islam, and described Shiites as a "fifth" school, on par with traditional Sunni schools such as Shafii or Hanafi Islam.
Nevertheless, although Shiites may be thought of theologically as part of the orthodox Islamic "communion," there
remain clear cultural, legal and even doctrinal differences between Shiite and Sunni Muslims.
In the following nations the majority of the population are Shiite Muslims:
Iran
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Oman
Iraq
Notably, Shiite Islam is the predominant form in Lebanon, but Shiites do not make up the majority of the nation's
population, as Muslims are only a slim and recent majority in the country. Large proportions of the nation's population
are Christian and Druze. If one does not count Druze as Muslims, the Muslim majority in the country is slim and difficult
to confirm.
In virtually all other countries in which one branch of Islam is predominant, the predominant branch is Sunni. There are
other branches of Islam which are considered heretical by Sunnis (such as Ahmadiyyans and Druze), but these do not
form the majority of the population in any nation.
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Catholic ChristianityIn the following places (listed alphabetically), at least 85% of the population is Catholic (at least nominally):
Andorra
Argentina
Aruba
Austria
Belgium
Bolivia
Cape Verde
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
France
French Guiana
Gibraltar
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Haiti
Honduras
Indonesia: Flores
Ireland
Italy
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Malta
Martinique
Mexico
Monaco
Nicaragua
Northern Mariana Islands
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Quebec, Canada
Reunion
Saint Lucia
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
San Marino
Seychelles
Slovenia
Spain
Vatican City
Venezuela
Wallis and Futuna Islands
Places in which between 50% and 85% of the population is Catholic, at least nominally:
Angola
Belize
Brazil
Burundi
Congo
Connecticut
Croatia
Czechoslovakia
Dominica
East Timor
Hungary
Kiribati
Lithuania
Massachusetts
Netherlands Antilles
New Brunswick, Canada
New Caledonia
Rhode Island
Rwanda
Slovakia
Uganda
Uruguay
Protestant ChristianityCountries in which at least 85% of the population is Protestant, at least nominally (these lists are not necessarily
comprehensive):
Antigua and Barbuda
Denmark
Finland
Greenland
Iceland
Norway
Sweden
Tuvalu
Countries in which between 50 and 85% of the population is Protestant, at least nominally:
Bahamas
Barbados
Nauru
New Zealand
Solomon Islands
South Africa
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Bermuda
French Polynesia
Jamaica
Namibia
Newfoundland
Oceania
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
Swaziland
Tahiti
Tonga
United Kingdom
USA
Vanuatu
Orthodox (Eastern) ChristianityCountries in which at least 50% of the population is Orthodox:
Armenia
Belarus
Bulgaria
Cyprus
Georgia
Greece
Macedonia
MoldovaRomania
Russia
Serbia and Montenegro
Ukraine
Predominant Protestant Denominational Families
In some predominantly Protestant countries the majority of the population belongs to a single denominational family.
Frequently this is because there is a State Church to which most people automatically belong from birth. In such
countries, affiliation with the Christian church may be only nominal, with very low (essentially "post-Christian") levels are
participation and belief.
In other countries, especially in Polynesia, there is not an officially state church, but the majority of some populations
belong to a single denominational family or nationally-unified religious body, and the populace exhibits unusually high
levels of religious participation.
Lutheran
In the following nations the majority of the population belong to a state Lutheran church. In these places, the nominally
Lutheran population is at least 80%. Levels of religious participation and belief are known to be quite low, however.
Church attendance among members of the state Lutheran churches is typically less than 5% and the church has little or
no impact on the personal behavior of members.
Some sources indicate that the majority ofLithuanians and Latvians are Lutheran, which they may be, but if they are
they make up barely more than 50% of the population.
Denmark
Estonia
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Finland
Greenland
Iceland
Norway
Sweden
Methodist
Methodists form the third largest denominational family in the United States. There are no "Methodist States." There is
one nation in which the majority (90%) of the indigenous population is Methodist: Fiji. (But other sources indicate the
nation's population as a whole is 50% Hindu, 53% unknown, 8% Muslim. There are also large numbers of Sikhs,
Catholics and Latter-day Saints. There are a large number ofnon-indigenous Fijians, most of whom are notMethodist.
One source states that the overall population of Fiji is 37% Methodist.)
Most Tongans belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Catholic Church, or one of three national
Protestant religious bodies: the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga, the Church of Tonga, or the Free Church of Tonga.
Some sources indicate that the three national Tongan religious bodies are Methodist in origin, and that together thesebodies can claim over 50% of Tongan residents as members. I am uncertain to what degree, if at all, these national
Tongan bodies are affiliated with worldwide Methodist organizations.
Fiji (indigenous population)
Tonga
Methodists also make up a particularly large proportion (but not a majority) of the populations of Anguilla, Delaware,
and the British Virgin Islands.
Anglican
Anglicans make up the majority in two countries: the United Kingdom (where they make up about 50% of the total
population of the U.K., or about 60% of England alone) and Antigua and Barbuda (75% of the population).
United Kingdom
Antigua and Barbuda
Anglicans are a large part of the population, but not a majority, in many other places, including Barbados, Burmuda, the
Bahamas, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Uganda. The U.S. State with the highest proportion of Anglicans is RhodeIsland, with about 3% of the population affiliated with the Episcopal Church, and another 2% of the population
describing themselves as Episcopalian, but unaffiliated with a congregation.
Congregational
Some 97% of the population of island nation of Tuvalu reportedly belong to the Church of Tuvalu, a historically
Congregationalist religious body. 70% of the residents of Tokelau (a New Zealand territory) belong to the
Congregational Christian Church. 75% of the population of Niue belong to the Ekalesia Nieue (a national
Congregationalist body), while most of the rest are Latter-day Saints.
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Owing to the British and American Congregationalist missionary efforts in Polynesia during the 1700s and 1800s, there
are still large numbers of members in the historically Congregational bodies, but not over 50%. These modern
Congregationalist churches are essentially non-denominational Protestant in nature.
Tuvalu
Niue
Tokelau
Baptist
Baptists do not form the majority in any countries. But the populations of three U.S. states (Mississippi, Alabama, and
George) are just over 50% Baptist (divided among many Baptist denominations).
Mississippi
Alabama
Georgia (USA)Nagaland, India
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do not form the majority in any countries. But the
population of Utah (70%), as well as portions of other states, are predominantly members of the Church of Jesus Christ
Utah and the surrounding Rocky Mountain region in the Western U.S. are known to sociologists as the "Mormon
Cultural Region."
Utah
Southern Idaho
parts of Wyoming
parts of Arizona
parts of Nevada
parts of Colorado
Laie, Hawaii
Colonia Juarez, Mexico
Colonia Ciudad, Mexico
Cardston, Alberta, CanadaLiahona, Tonga
In addition, there are predominantly Latter-day Saint towns and villages in other countries where there are large
numbers of Latter-day Saints, such as Tonga, Samoa, Tahiti, Chile, Peru, etc.
Seventh-day AdventistsAlthough Seventh-day Adventists (a Protestant denomination, but culturally and doctrinally distinctive) can be found
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throughout the world, they make up less than 0.5% of the population of the United States (their country of origin). There
are no U.S. states or politically independent countries where SDAs make up the majority, but there is one land where,
until recently, they make up 100% of the population:
For a time, ALL (100%) of the residents ofPitcairn Island (a British protectorate) were Seventh-day Adventists.
(In 1998 the population of the island was 46 people.)
Pitcairn Island
[Update: Baha'i publications recently announced (2000) that two Baha'is pioneers from New Zealand had beenallowed to move to Pitcairn.]
Seventh-day Adventists are widespread, but represent less than 1% of the population in most U.S. counties. However,
for whatever it's worth, the 1990 Glenmary county-by-county study of U.S. church membership indicated that the
SDAs of Dawson County, Georgia accounted for 17.5% of the county population, and 5,667 SDAs made up 11.7% o
the population of Walla Walla County, Washington.
SDAs make up a larger proportion of the population (up to a few percent -- nothing near a majority) in many small and
"third world" countries.
Nations Without a Majority Religion
In a minority of the world's countries, no single religion (not even Christianity if taken as a whole) can claim more than
50% of the population.
In the following nations, no single major religion can claim a clear-cut majority of the population as adherents:
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Chad
China
Congo, Republic of the
Cote d'Ivoire
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Fiji
Guyana
Hong Kong
Kazakstan
Korea, South
Lebanon
Macau
Madagascar
Mozambique
Nigeria
Papua New Guinea
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Suriname
Taiwan
Tanzania
Zimbabwe
In some of these countries, such as Papua New Guinea, Ethiopia, and Taiwan, I am aware of data indicating a singlemajority religion, but I also have other reports which indicate otherwise.
In most predominantly Christian nations, a single religious body can claim the membership of the majority of Christians -
- usually the Catholic Church or a locally strong Orthodox church. In most predominantly Protestant nations, no single
religious body claims the membership of the majority of country's Christians. Germany, Australia, Canada and the
United States are four examples of such countries.
In the United States, Christianity is the largest religion, but less than 30% of the population belong to the largest religious
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body, the Catholic Church.
According to the county-by-county Glenmary study of 1990, there are only two states in the U.S. in which the
majority of the population belong to a single religious body. These are Utah (where members of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints make up 70% of the population), and Rhode Island (which is 63% Catholic). Other
sources indicate a slim Catholic majority in Connecticut and Massachusetts as well.
Places Where Truly 100% of People Belong to the Same Religion
Pitcairn Island isn't really an independent state. But there is an independent state in which 100% of the population
belong to the same religion and the same church: I'm fairly certain that 100% of the 480 permanent residents of the
Holy See, Vatican City are Catholics. Although small, the Vatican is politically autonomous.
This might make the Vatican and Pitcairn Island the only two lands on Earth where 100% of the people practice
exactly the same religion, and even belong to the same religious body, because even in the most completely mono-
religious countries (such as Saudi Arabia or Tunisia), there are foreign nationals who do not belong to the majority
religion, and possibly some native converts to other religions, sometimes in secret.
Sarita was kind enough to write to inform us about Mt. Athos: Mt. Athos is a peninsula in eastern Greece (near
Thesaloniki) that is extremely revered by Orthodox believers. It is inhabited exclusively by monastics. There are twenty
large monasteries plus countless small sketes, brotherhoods and hermitages. It is a major pilgramage sight for Orthodox
males. I would include Mt. Athos in the list of places where the entire population is of one religion (Orthodox.)
Obviously, since it is soley inhabited by monastics, they are all Orthodox. While it is militarily protected by Greece, it is
an independent entity in that it requires a seperate visa to enter Mt. Athos that has its own visa offices (this visa can not
be obtained from the Greek goverment) and they administer their own affairs.
This web page copyright 2005 by Adherents .com.
Created April 30, 1999. Last updated 12 April 2005.