The five largest religious groups by world population, estimated to account for 5.8 billion people and 84% of the population, are Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism (with the relative numbers for Buddhism and Hinduism dependent on the extent of syncretism) and traditional folk religion.
Five largest religions | 2010 (billion)[10] | 2010 (%) | 2000 (billion)[62][63] | 2000 (%) | Demographics |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Christianity | 2.2 | 32% | 2.0 | 33% | Christianity by country |
Islam | 1.6 | 23% | 1.2 | 19.6% | Islam by country |
Hinduism | 1.0 | 15% | 0.811 | 13.4% | Hinduism by country |
Buddhism | 0.5 | 7% | 0.360 | 5.9% | Buddhism by country |
Folk religion | 0.4 | 6% | 0.385 | 6.4% | |
Total | 5.8 | 84% | 4.8 | 78.3% |
A global poll in 2012 surveyed 57 countries and reported that 59% of the world’s population identified as religious, 23% as not religious, 13% as “convinced atheists”, and also a 9% decrease in identification as “religious” when compared to the 2005 average from 39 countries.[64] A follow up poll in 2015 found that 63% of the globe identified as religious, 22% as not religious, and 11% as “convinced atheists”.[65] On average, women are “more religious” than men.[66] Some people follow multiple religions or multiple religious principles at the same time, regardless of whether or not the religious principles they follow traditionally allow for syncretism.[67][68][69]
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