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Major religious groups

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"World Religions" redirects here. For the Canadian TV series, see World Religions (TV series).

Worldwide percentage of adherents by religion as of 2020[1]

  Christianity (31.1%)
  Islam (24.9%)
  Irreligion (15.6%)
  Hinduism (15.2%)
  Buddhism (6.6%)
  Folk religions (5.6%)
  Other religions (1%)

The world's principal religions and spiritual traditions may be classified into a small number of major groups, though this is not a uniform practice. This theory began in the 18th century with the goal of recognizing the relative levels of civility in different societies,[2] but this practice has since fallen into disrepute in many contemporary cultures.

Religious demographics

Further information: List of religious populations
Main category: Religious demographics
Map of major denominations and religions

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 the United States 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]"[3]
  • Whether to count only those who actively "practice" a particular religion[4]
  • Whether to count based on a concept of "adherence"[5]
  • Whether to count only those who expressly self-identify with a particular denomination[6]
  • Whether to count only adults, or to include children as well
  • Whether to rely only on official government-provided statistics[7]
  • Whether to use multiple sources and ranges or single "best source(s)"

Largest religious groups

Religion Followers
(billions)		 Cultural tradition Founded References
Christianity 2.4 Abrahamic religions Judaea (Middle East) [8][9]
Islam 1.9 Abrahamic religions Hejaz (Middle East) [10][11]
Hinduism 1.2 Indian religions Indian subcontinent [8]
Buddhism 0.5 Indian religions Indian subcontinent [9]
Folk religion 0.4 Regional Worldwide [12]

Medium-sized religions

Religion Followers
(millions)		 Cultural tradition Founded References
Shinto 89 Japanese religions Japan, unknown origin date [13][14]
Taoism 12–173 Chinese religions China, 2nd century CE [15]
Yoruba Religion >70 African religions Yorubaland, unknown origin date [16]
Voodoo 60 African religions Dahomey, unknown origin date [17]
Sikhism 25–30 Indian religions Indian subcontinent, 15th century [18]
Judaism 14.7 Abrahamic religions Judah (Middle East), 6th to 5th century BCE [8][19][20]
Spiritism 5–15 New religious movements France, 19th century [21]
Mu-ism 5–15 Korean religions Korea, unknown origin date [22][page needed]
Confucianism 6–7 Chinese religions China, 6th to 5th century BCE [23]
Baháʼí Faith 5–7.3 Abrahamic religions Persia, 19th century [24][25][nb 1]
Jainism 4–5 Indian religions Indian subcontinent, 7th to 9th century BCE [26][27]
Cheondoism 3–4 Korean religions Korea, 19th century [28]
Hoahaoism 1.5–3 Vietnamese religions Vietnam, 20th century [29]
Caodaism 1.1–3 Vietnamese religions Vietnam, 20th century [30]
Tenriism 1.2 Japanese religions Japan, 19th century [31]
Druze 1 Abrahamic religions Egypt, 9th century [32]

By region

Further information: Religions by country
Further information: Growth of religion
Trends in adherence[34]
1970–1985 (%)[35] 1990–2000 (%)[36][37] 2000–2005 (%)[38] 1970–2010 (%)[25]
Baháʼí Faith 3.65 2.28 1.70 4.26
Buddhism 1.67 1.09 2.76
Christianity 1.64 1.36 1.32 2.10
Confucianism 0.83
Hinduism 2.34 1.69 1.57 2.62
Islam 2.74 2.13 1.84 4.23
Jainism 2.60
Judaism 1.09 -0.03
Sikhism 1.87 1.62 3.08
Shinto -0.83
Taoism 9.85
Zoroastrianism 2.5
unaffiliated 0.37

Maps of self-reported adherence

  • Map showing self-reported religiosity by country. Based on a 2015 worldwide survey by Pew.
    Map showing self-reported religiosity by country. Based on a 2015 worldwide survey by Pew.
  • World map showing the percentages of people who regard religion as "non-important" according to a 2002 Pew survey
    World map showing the percentages of people who regard religion as "non-important" according to a 2002 Pew survey
  • Map showing the prevalence of "Abrahamic religion" (purple), and "Indian religion" (yellow) religions in each country
    Map showing the prevalence of "Abrahamic religion" (purple), and "Indian religion" (yellow) religions in each country
  • Map showing the relative proportion of Christianity (red) and Islam (green) in each country as of 2006
    Map showing the relative proportion of Christianity (red) and Islam (green) in each country as of 2006
  • Distribution of world religions by country/state, and by smaller administrative regions for the largest countries (2012 data):   % Christian population   % Islam population   % all other religions but Judaism (equal parts cyan/magenta - Judaism)
    Distribution of world religions by country/state, and by smaller administrative regions for the largest countries (2012 data):
      % Christian population
      % Islam population
      % all other religions but Judaism
    (equal parts cyan/magenta - Judaism)

Classification

Further information: Comparative religion and 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,[39][40] Indian religions in the Indian subcontinent (South Asia)[41] and East Asian religions in East Asia.[42] Another group with supra-regional influence are Afro-American religion,[43] which have their origins in Central and West Africa.

History of religious categories

An 1821 map of the world, where "Christians, Mahometans, and Pagans" correspond to levels of civilization (The map makes no distinction between Buddhism and Hinduism.)
An 1883 map of the world divided into colors representing Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Mohammedans (Muslims), and Fetishists

Christian categorizations

Initially, Christians had a simple dichotomy of world beliefs: Christian civility versus foreign heresy or barbarity. In the 18th century, "heresy" was clarified to mean Judaism and Islam;[52] along with paganism, this created a fourfold classification which spawned such works as John Toland's Nazarenus, or Jewish, Gentile, and Mahometan Christianity,[53] which represented the three Abrahamic religions as different "nations" or sects within religion itself, the "true monotheism."

Daniel Defoe described the original definition as follows: "Religion is properly the Worship given to God, but 'tis also applied to the Worship of Idols and false Deities."[54] At the turn of the 19th century, in between 1780 and 1810, the language dramatically changed: instead of "religion" being synonymous with spirituality, authors began using the plural, "religions", to refer to both Christianity and other forms of worship. Therefore, Hannah Adams's early encyclopedia, for example, had its name changed from An Alphabetical Compendium of the Various Sects... to A Dictionary of All Religions and Religious Denominations.[55][56]

In 1838, the four-way division of Christianity, Judaism, Mahommedanism (archaic terminology for Islam) and paganism was multiplied considerably by Josiah Conder's Analytical and Comparative View of All Religions Now Extant among Mankind. Conder's work still adhered to the four-way classification, but in his eye for detail he puts together much historical work to create something resembling the modern Western image: he includes Druze, Yazidis, Mandaeans, and Elamites[clarification needed][57] under a list of possibly monotheistic groups, and under the final category, of "polytheism and pantheism", he listed Zoroastrianism, "Vedas, Puranas, Tantras, Reformed sects" of India as well as "Brahminical idolatry", Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Lamaism, "religion of China and Japan", and "illiterate superstitions" as others.[58][59]

The modern meaning of the phrase "world religion", putting non-Christians at the same level as Christians, began with the 1893 Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago. The Parliament spurred the creation of a dozen privately funded lectures with the intent of informing people of the diversity of religious experience: these lectures funded researchers such as William James, D. T. Suzuki, and Alan Watts, who greatly influenced the public conception of world religions.[60]

In the latter half of the 20th century, the category of "world religion" fell into serious question, especially for drawing parallels between vastly different cultures, and thereby creating an arbitrary separation between the religious and the secular.[61]

Islam categorizations

In Islam, the Quran mentions three categories: Muslims, the People of the Book, and idol worshipers.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Historically, the Baháʼí Faith arose in 19th-century Persia, in the context of Shia Islam, and thus may be classed on this basis as a divergent strand of Islam, placing it in the Abrahamic tradition. However, the Baháʼí Faith considers itself an independent religious tradition, which draws from Islam but also other traditions. The Baháʼí Faith may also be classed as a new religious movement, due to its comparatively recent origin, or may be considered sufficiently old and established for such classification to not be applicable.

References

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  2. ^ Masuzawa, Tomoko (2005). The Invention of World Religions. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-50989-1.
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  5. ^ adherents.com (28 August 2005). "Major Religions of the World Ranked by Number of Adherents". adherents.com. Archived from the original on 15 June 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
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  12. ^ "Folk Religionists". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
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Sources

Further reading

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