Are there any reasonable sources of data on numbers of religious adherents, for different religions, throughout history?

What percentage of people are religious?

Adherents in 2020

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%

How many religions exist?

There are an estimated 10,000 distinct religions worldwide. About 84% of the world’s population is affiliated with Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, or some form of folk religion.

What is the oldest religion known to man?

The word Hindu is an exonym, and while Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, many practitioners refer to their religion as Sanātana Dharma (Sanskrit: सनातन धर्म, lit.

What was the first religion?

Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs dating back more than 4,000 years. Today, with about 900 million followers, Hinduism is the third-largest religion behind Christianity and Islam. Roughly 95 percent of the world’s Hindus live in India.

What was the first religion in the Bible?

The Old Testament is the first section of the Bible, covering the creation of Earth through Noah and the flood, Moses and more, finishing with the Jews being expelled to Babylon. The Bible’s Old Testament is very similar to the Hebrew Bible, which has origins in the ancient religion of Judaism.

What was the religion before Christianity?

Judaism (9th – 5th century BCE)



If it is today followed by an estimated 11–14 million people, its two successor faiths – Christianity (1st century CE) and Islam (7th century CE) – are the world’s most popular, with a combined 3.8 billion adherents.

Is Christianity in decline?

In 2020, 47% of Americans said that they belonged to a church, down from 70% in 1999. Nationwide Catholic membership increased between , but the number of churches declined by nearly 11% and by 2019, the number of Catholics decreased by 2 million people.

Who is the oldest God?

Inanna

Inanna is among the oldest deities whose names are recorded in ancient Sumer. She is listed among the earliest seven divine powers: Anu, Enlil, Enki, Ninhursag, Nanna, Utu, and Inanna.



When did humans start believing in God?

The exact time when humans first became religious remains unknown, however research in evolutionary archaeology shows credible evidence of religious-cum-ritualistic behavior from around the Middle Paleolithic era (45–200 thousand years ago).

Which is the right religion in the world?

The most popular religion is Christianity, followed by an estimated 2.38 billion people worldwide. Islam, which is practiced by more than 1.91 billion people, is second. However, population researchers predict that Islam will have nearly caught up to Christianity by 2050.

Is Christianity allowed in China?

Chinese who are over the age of 18 are only permitted to join officially sanctioned Christian groups which are registered with the government-sanctioned Catholic Patriotic Church, the China Christian Council and the Protestant Three-Self Church.

Is Christianity allowed in Russia?

A: Russia adopted a law making it unconstitutional to be a Christian, even though the (Russian) constitution says you are free to profess any faith. (The Yarovaya law increases regulation of evangelism, including a ban on the performance of “missionary activities” in non-religious settings.)



Is the Mormon church losing membership?

While the church enjoyed small gains in membership growth the past two years globally (up 0.8%) and nationally (up 0.6%) amid a worldwide pandemic, more than 40% of U.S. states (21 plus the District of Columbia) saw their numbers decrease during that time frame.

What are the 12 main religions in the world?

The world’s faithful account for 83% of the global population; the great majority of these fall under twelve classical religions–Baha’i, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism, and Zoroastrianism.

What are the 4300 religions in the world?

Below is each religion’s total estimated population for 2020:

  • Christianity – 2.38 billion.
  • Islam – 1.91 billion.
  • Hinduism – 1.16 billion.
  • Buddhism – 507 million.
  • Folk Religions – 430 million.
  • Other Religions – 61 million.
  • Judaism – 14.6 million.
  • Unaffiliated – 1.19 billion.


What will be the largest religion in 2050?

Over the next four decades, Christians will remain the largest religious group, but Islam will grow faster than any other major religion. If current trends continue, by 2050 … The number of Muslims will nearly equal the number of Christians around the world.



Which religion is decreasing in world?

The Presbyterian Church has had the sharpest decline in church membership: between they lost over 40% of their congregation and 15.4% of their churches. Infant baptism has also decreased; nationwide, Catholic baptisms are down by nearly 34%, and ELCA baptisms by over 40%.

What is the fastest growing religion in the world 2022?

According to various scholars and sources Pentecostalism – a Protestant Christian movement – is the fastest growing religion in the world, this growth is primarily due to religious conversion.

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