More than 80 per cent of the world’s people identify with a religious group — but unbelievers, including atheists and agnostics, are now the third largest grouping.
These results come from a new demographic study carried out by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life.
Christians, with 2.2 billion or 32 per cent, make up the largest group. Muslims, with 1.6 billion or 23 per cent, come next. Those who say they have no religious affiliation number 1.1 billion or 16 per cent.
“However, many of the religiously unaffiliated have some religious beliefs,” the report said, including a belief in God or participation in religious observances.
The next largest groups are Hindus (1 billion people, 15 per cent), Buddhists (500 million, 7 per cent) and Jews (14 million people, 0.2 per cent).
More than 400 million people — 6 per cent — practise folk traditions from African, Chinese, Native American or Australian aboriginal cultures.
The study found that 157 countries have a majority Christian population, while 49 have a majority Muslim population. The five nations with the largest Christian populations are the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Russia and the Philippines.
“Christianity has spread far from its historical origins and is geographically widespread,” the study found, observing that 99 per cent of Christians live outside the region where the religion started.
While the median age worldwide is 28, the average Muslim is aged 23 and the average Christian is 30.
In six countries — the Czech Republic, North Korea, Estonia, Japan, Hong Kong and China — the religiously unaffiliated make up the majority of the population.
Sources:
The Global Religious Landscape (Pew Forum)
Image: Sojourners
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