Population Statistics of
|
Major Religions of the World
Ranked by Number of Adherents (2002)
- Christianity: 2 billion
- Islam: 1.3 billion
- Hinduism: 900 million
Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist: 850 million
- Buddhism: 360 million
- Chinese traditional religion: 225 million
- primal-indigenous: 150 million
- African Traditional & Diasporic: 95 million
- Sikhism: 23 million
- Juche: 19 million
- Spiritism: 14 million
- Judaism: 14 million
- Baha'i: 6 million
- Jainism: 4 million
- Shinto: 4 million
- Cao Dai: 3 million
- Tenrikyo: 2.4 million
- Neo-Paganism: 1 million
- Unitarian-Universalism: 800 thousand
- Rastafarianism: 700 thousand
- Scientology: 600 thousand
- Zoroastrianism: 150 thousand
Top Twenty Religions in the United States, 2001
(self-identification, ARIS)
| Religion | 1990 Est. Adult Pop. |
2001 Est. Adult Pop. |
% of U.S. Pop., 2000 |
% Change 1990 - 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christianity | 151,225,000 | 159,030,000 | 76.5% | +5% |
| Nonreligious/Secular | 13,116,000 | 27,539,000 | 13.2% | +110% |
| Judaism | 3,137,000 | 2,831,000 | 1.3% | -10% |
| Islam | 527,000 | 1,104,000 | 0.5% | +109% |
| Buddhism | 401,000 | 1,082,000 | 0.5% | +170% |
| Agnostic* | 1,186,000 | 991,000 | 0.5% | -16% |
| Atheist* | 902,000 | 0.4% | ||
| Hinduism | 227,000 | 766,000 | 0.4% | +237% |
| Unitarian Universalist | 502,000 | 629,000 | 0.3% | +25% |
| Wiccan/Pagan/Druid | 307,000 | 0.1% | ||
| Spiritualist | 116,000 | |||
| Native American Religion | 47,000 | 103,000 | +119% | |
| Baha'i | 28,000 | 84,000 | +200% | |
| New Age | 20,000 | 68,000 | +240% | |
| Sikhism | 13,000 | 57,000 | +338% | |
| Scientology | 45,000 | 55,000 | +22% | |
| Humanist | 29,000 | 49,000 | +69% | |
| Deity (Deist) | 6,000 | 49,000 | +717% | |
| Taoist | 23,000 | 40,000 | +74% | |
| Eckankar | 18,000 | 26,000 | +44% |
* many atheists/ agnostics undoubtably respond with 'non-religious/ secular' due to the stigma of 'atheism'
Collection of polls showing population of Atheists, Agnostics, Secularists
and Non-Religious
|
Poll
|
Date
|
Group
|
Adherents
|
%
|
total pop.
|
Source
|
| The Universal Almanac | 1990 |
|
Atheist |
9.9%
|
210,500,000
|
|
| Non-Religious |
16.9%
|
805,900,000
|
||||
| Breakdown of world religions | 1989 |
|
Nonbelievers |
21.6%
|
1,100,000,000
|
|
| Major Religions of the World Ranked by Number of Adherents | 2001 |
|
Secular/Nonreligious/ Agnostic/Atheist |
*
|
850,000,000
|
|
| United Kingdom Gallup - Telegraph | 1999 | UK 16-25 age-group | Atheist/ Agnostic |
40%
|
*
|
Gallup - Telegraph
|
| Major religious denominations, Canada | 2001 | Canada | No Religion | 16.2% |
4,796,325 |
Major religious denominations, Canada, 1991 1 and 2001 |
| U.S. Religious Affiliation, self-identification, |
2002
|
|
Atheist |
1%
|
*
|
|
| Agnostic |
2%
|
*
|
||||
| Top Twenty Religions in the United States, (self-identification) |
2001
|
|
Nonreligious/Secular |
13.2%
|
27,539,000
|
|
| Atheist |
0.4%
|
902,000
|
||||
| Agnostic |
0.5%
|
991,000
|
||||
| Non-Christian Religious Adherents in the United States |
2000
|
|
Atheist |
0.3%
|
925,000
|
|
| Non-Religious |
8.8%
|
24,554,000
|
Atheist Prison Population
| Canadian Prisons | 1925 |
Ca. prisoners | Atheist/ Agnostic, non-religious Uniterain | 0% |
0 of 1,2061 |
|
| Prison Population executed for murder at Sing-sing | 1925 |
US Sing-Sing Pen. | non-religious | 0.33% |
* |
|
| Prison Population | 1925 |
US Prisoners | convicts without religious training |
0.1% |
* |
|
| Prison Population | 1997 |
U.S. Prisoners |
Atheist | 0.209% |
156 of 74,731 |
Other Groups
| National Academy of Sciences | 1998 | members of the National Academy of Sciences | Personal disbelief in god |
72.2% |
517 members, half responded |
|
| doubt or agnosticism |
20.8% |
|||||
| Religious Affiliation US voters |
2000
|
U.S. Voters |
Agnostic or Atheist |
7.1% |
* |
|
| Nonreligious/No answer |
10% |
* |
||||
| What religious or nonreligious group doesn’t share your vision of American society | 2003 | |
Atheist (Muslims were second) |
54% |
* |
Christianity sinking; "none of the above" rising
* No data given
+ Collected from secondary source
|
Conclusions |
| The world population of non religious** ranges anywhere from 850 million to 1.1 billion making up 15 to 26.8%. |
| The US population of non religious** ranges anywhere from 25 to 30 million making up 9 to 15%. |
| If the US Prison Population statistics are accurate then there are far less nonbelievers in the prison system. This can be interpreted in many ways. Note that religious conversion is very active in prisons. |
** the ambiguous term non religious as used above includes those identified as atheist, agnostic, secular, nonbeliever and non-religious as defined by those responsible for the polls and statistics.
The Largest Atheist Populations
Top 10 Countries
With Highest Percentage of Atheists (1991)
| Country | Percent Atheist |
|---|---|
| East Germany | 88.20% |
| Slovenia | 29.80% |
| Russia | 27.30% |
| Israel | 25.60% |
| Netherlands | 24.10% |
| Hungary | 23.30% |
| Norway | 14.90% |
| Britain | 14.00% |
| West Germany | 12.10% |
| New Zealand | 11.50% |
Divorce rates by religion (U.S.)
|
Religion
|
% have been
divorced
|
| Jews |
30%
|
| Born-again Christians |
27%
|
| Other Christians |
24%
|
| Atheists, Agnostics |
21%
|
The Associated Press computed divorce statistics from data supplied
by the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Health. They showed that
The Smartest US States
Average IQ scores (estimated from SAT and ACT)
"Out of convicted rapists, 57% admitted to reading
pornography. 95% admitted to reading the Bible."
Recommended Links |
|
RELIGION IN THE WORLD AT THE END OF THE MILLENNIUM The Demand for Religion: Hard Core Atheism and "Supply Side" Theory |
| Main | Reference | About Atheism |