What is the largest religion in the world? 10 largest religions in the world by population
Religion is a powerful force that has shaped civilizations, cultures, and societies throughout history. There are many religions in the world, each with its own unique beliefs, traditions, and practices. While the diversity of religions is vast, the world’s primary religions can be divided into two categories: Abrahamic religions, such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam; and Indian religions, which include Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and others.
Of these, Christianity and Islam is the largest religion, with more than two billion followers worldwide. In this article, I will discuss the history and practices of Christianity, and its current status as the world’s largest religion.
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| Religion | Adherents | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Christianity | 2.382 billion | 31.11% |
| Islam | 1.907 billion | 24.9% |
| Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist | 1.193 billion | 15.58% |
| Hinduism | 1.161 billion | 15.16% |
| Buddhism | 506 million | 5.06% |
| Chinese traditional religion | 394 million | 5% |
| Ethnic religions excluding some in separate categories | 300 million | 3% |
| African traditional religions | 100 million[ | 1.2% |
| Sikhism | 26 million | 0.30% |
| Spiritism | 15 million | 0.19% |
| Judaism | 14.7 million | 0.18% |
| Baháʼí | 5.0 million | 0.07% |
| Jainism | 4.2 million | 0.05% |
| Shinto | 4.0 million | 0.05% |
| Cao Dai | 4.0 million | 0.05% |
| Zoroastrianism | 2.6 million | 0.03% |
| Tenrikyo | 2.0 million | 0.02% |
| Animism | 1.9 million | 0.02% |
| Neo-Paganism | 1.0 million | 0.01% |
| Unitarian Universalism | 0.8 million | 0.01% |
| Rastafari | 0.6 million | 0.007% |
| total | 7.79 billion | 100% |
Christianity is the largest religion in the world, with over two billion adherents as of 2021. It is a monotheistic faith based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, who lived in the Middle East in the first century. Christianity is one of the oldest of the major world religions, with roots that can be traced back to the Middle East and beyond. Its core beliefs include the belief in one God, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and salvation through faith in Jesus.
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Islam is a major world religion with over 1.8 billion adherents worldwide. It is the second-largest religion in the world after Christianity, and it is the fastest-growing religion. While there is a great deal of diversity within the Islamic faith, it is unified by its sacred text, the Qur’an, and its core beliefs.
Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad (570–632 CE), who many believe to be Allah’s ultimate prophet, founded Islam in Mecca during the 7th century CE. The Qur’an, which is the faith’s spiritual text, contains the teachings of Allah, known as Allah. Approximately 80 percent of Muslims belong to one of two major branches of Islam: Sunnis and Shiahs. There are also smaller denominations.
Hinduism is the world’s third most popular religion, with an estimated 1.1 billion adherents. It is also one of the oldest, with beliefs and ceremonies reaching back to the 1500s BCE at the very least. Hinduism is mostly practiced in India (where Hindus account for almost 80% of the population), Nepal, and Indonesia.
Although little is known about Hinduism’s origins, its teachings have a significant influence on nearly every aspect of its adherents’ lives. Certain aspects of Hinduism, such as yoga and the use of chakras (energy centers placed throughout the body) to identify and cure sickness, have gained favor in the West in recent years.
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Buddhism is one of the oldest religions in the world, and it is now the fourth-largest religion in the world. Buddhism originated in India around the 6th century BCE, and it has since spread to many other countries. It is estimated that there are currently over 500 million followers of Buddhism worldwide.
Buddhism is divided into two education: Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism. Buddhism’s tenets include a nonviolent commitment and dedication to ethical behavior in all spheres of life.
Folk religion refers to any ethnic or cultural religious practice that is not prescribed by organized religion. The word relates to how people perceive and practice religion in their daily lives, and is based on popular ideas. It is also known as popular or vernacular religion
Folk Religion is one of the oldest and most widely practiced belief systems in the world, yet it is often overlooked and underrepresented in popular discourse. Despite its centuries-old presence, Folk Religion has grown to become the fifth-largest religion in the world, with over one billion adherents.
Shinto, Japan’s ever-evolving religion, has no fixed theology or founding myth. Shinto ideas, at their most basic, revolve around a flexible concept of kami. Wind, rivers, trees, and other natural elements are personified as kami. The notion of an afterlife was established by Christianity, and some adherents believe people become kami after death.
The religion grew more definite after WWII, when the Japanese government established it as a state religion with the goal of honoring the emperor as a living, human kami. Otherwise, Shinto ideas have evolved from the sixth century as a collection of fragmented nature-focused beliefs that blended and then broke with Buddhism and Confucianism. The religion, which has 104 million adherents and focuses on ancestry and environment, may be comprehended by engaging in the Japanese narrative, in which the horror of twentieth-century industry threatens the wonder of the world around us.
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The first Guru of Sikhism was born in 1469. In the early 1500s, Guru Nanak, a native of northeastern Pakistan, traveled to India and began writing and teaching his insights while traveling across the Islamic and Hindu worlds. These are brief but crucial revelations: share with others, live a virtuous life, concentrate on God’s name, and avoid bad conduct.
The 25 million followers currently unite to promote global egalitarian values and believe that all faiths eventually worship a single heavenly entity. A well-known example of this approach is the practice of Sikh temples having a communal kitchen dedicated to offering free meals to anybody. Regrettably, Sikh history is defined by political strife and lethal resistance against oppressive rulers. Several of Nanak’s earliest Gurus, or spiritual leaders, were executed by the governmental authorities of their day.
Taoism is a set of ideas and axioms that try to guide followers towards equilibrium. It is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ worldview. The Tao and Laozi, a 6th-century Confucius contemporary, are the two “persons” at the center of Taoism.
Laozi and his school of thought held that the Tao is indefinable and can only be encountered via actual experience. It is a tremendous energy that runs throughout the cosmos and fosters “De,” or Tao, observance. Since its organization by Confucius and his writings in 500 B.C., the faith currently hosts over 6 million followers.
Caodaism is a recent development that began in 1921 when a vision came to an organized group of mediums in Vietnam. It is a melting pot of many of the world’s greatest faiths.
Nearly 4.4 million adherents support the main doctrines of harmony, union with a monotheistic deity, rebirth, and anti-materialism. Caodaism, like Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism, maintains the existence of numerous creator spirits as well as demons commanded by an entity like Satan; this is a dynamic shared by Abrahamic faiths.
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Confucianism is one of the oldest and largest religions in the world. It is based on the teachings of the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius and is practiced by millions of people around the world. This essay will demonstrate that Confucianism is the tenth-largest religion in the world, and will provide evidence from various sources to support this claim.
Furthermore, Confucianism contends that the manner humanity should act should adhere to the most obvious morals: generosity, obedience to mentors, humility, and compassion. All humans are innately good, and they must learn to reconnect with that nature. Since its inception in 500 B.C. by Confucius and his teachings, the faith has grown to nearly 6 million adherents.
