Most Popular Religion in The World – According to estimations, there exist more than four thousand religions as well as faith groups and denominations around the globe. Academics and researchers typically classify the world’s religious traditions into five major categories: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Judaism.
This graphic created by Chit Chart illustrates the most well-known religions across the globe with the most recent available information taken from Index Mundi’s global demographics.
Apart from the five main religions the graphic contains two additional categories that are a collection of Folk religions and another category for people who aren’t affiliated to a particular religion.
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The Religions that have the highest number of followers
Most Popular Religion in The World – The number of people who adhere to an organized religion has diminished in recent years, 82.8% of the population adheres to one of the world’s most important religions.
Here’s a list of the most well-known religions, in order of their popularity as a proportion of the population of the world:
| Rank | Religion | % of World’s Population |
| 1 | Christian | 31.4% |
| 2 | Muslim | 23.2% |
| 3 | Unaffiliated | 16.4% |
| 4 | Hindu | 15.0% |
| 5 | Buddhist | 7.1% |
| 6 | Folk Religions | 5.9% |
| 7 | Jewish | 0.2% |
| 8 | Other | 0.8% |
Christianity is the religion with the largest number of followers with around 30% of population. Muslims are the second largest religion group, comprising 23.2 percent of the population.
About 16.4 percent of the world’s population is not affiliated to a religious group. This is higher than the percentage in people that identify as Hinduism (15 percent), Buddhism (7.1%), Folk Religions (5.9 percent) or Judaism (0.2 percent).
A World of Religions from oldest to most recent
Most Popular Religion in The World – Hinduism is believed to be the the oldest religion worldwide, having its origins within the Indus River Valley (modern-day Pakistan) circa 7000 BCE..
Although Judaism was a religion that came after Hinduism and is considered to be the oldest of the three monotheistic Abrahamic religions, which makes it more ancient that Christianity as well as Islam.
It started around the year 2000 BCE within the Southern Levant (modern-day Israel, Palestine along with Jordan). Contrary to this, Christianity was founded in the 1st century and was initially an emerging movement within Judaism.
The creation of Islam to the 7th century which makes it one of the earliest most important religions listed that are listed on the list. Islam was first established within Mecca (modern-day Saudi-Arabia).
Another religion not listed in the list of religions is Sikhism. It was founded in the latter half of the fifteenth century It’s relatively new particularly when compared to other religions such as Hinduism as well as Judaism. However, despite being relatively new, Sikhism has a large fan base. According to some estimations, it has around 25 , million Sikhs around the world.
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What are Folk Religions?
Most Popular Religion in The World – Folk religion refers to a traditional faith can be defined as a cultural or ethnic practice that is not a part of the theological beliefs of organized religions.
Without sacred texts Folk religions tend to be more focused on the spiritual aspect of things rather than rituals or rites. Examples of folk religions are Native American traditions, Chinese folk religions, as well as the traditional African religions.
Because they aren’t established, they are more difficult to gauge and frequently left out of surveys. However it is estimated that 5.9 percent of the people (approximately 430 million people) are followers of a folk religion.
The Fastest-Growing Religions
Most Popular Religion in The World – Although Islam is the most recent of the five major religions, it’s one of the most rapidly growing one, too. For context, here’s an approximate percent change in the seven religions between 2015 to 2060:
| Rank | Religious Group | Est. percent change in the size of the population (2015-2060) |
| 1 | Muslims | 70% |
| 2 | Christians | 34% |
| 3 | Hindus | 27% |
| 4 | Jews | 15% |
| 5 | Folk religions | 5% |
| 6 | Unaffiliated | 3% |
| 7 | Buddhists | -7% |
The rapid growth of Islam means that it’s likely to be able to surpass Christianity in the rankings of world’s most populous religion within the next 50 years. What’s the reason for this rapid growth?
As per Pew Research Center, the primary reason is demographics. On the average Muslim females are parents to 2.9 kids that is lower than the median for all non-Muslims averages 2.2.
Muslims are also a majority within Africa in Africa and the Middle East, the two regions that are predicted to see the greatest population growth over the coming years.
Atheism/Agnosticism
Antheismrefers to the absence of any conviction in the existence of gods or an active belief that gods are not real. The theology of this belief system is rejected and the premise in organized religious belief. The concept of “religion” originated in the early world and was designed to degrade people who did not accept the common sense of religious beliefs. The first time it was used was in the Age of Enlightenment in 18th century France. It was during the French Revolution was driven by the importance of human reason over the authority of religion as an abstract concept. This led to a period of doubtful inquiry, one during which atheism was a major cultural as well as philosophical concept.
Many who identify themselves as atheists believe that lack of proof or scientific method is the reason for not having belief in a god. Others who identify theirself as secular humanists formulated an ethical code that is separate from worshiping gods. Finding out the exact amount of “practicing” atheists is quite difficult given the lack of a united religion. Surveys across the globe have resulted in a wide range of opinions and the highest rates of atheism typically observed within Europe as well as East Asia.
In close proximity is the notion of agnosticism. It does not claim to know if there exists or doesn’t exist the existence of a god. Agnosticism asserts that human thinking and comprehension makes it impossible to know the existence of god(s) as well as the source in the creation of universes, as well as any possibility that there is an eternal life intangible.
Similar to atheism, the word was coined in the fifth millennium BCE and was considered with particular attention in Indian religions. It gained greater popularity and recognition after it was coined by English scientist Thomas Henry Huxley, who, in 1869, recognized the humans were not equipped to answer questions about the divinity. To Huxley as well as the agnostic and the most spiritualist thinkers who followed them theistic or gnostic beliefs, they are not scientifically based and, therefore, should be discarded.
2. Baha’i
Most Popular Religion in The World – Baha’i belief system is in essence an ideology of spirituality that promotes the virtues of all religions and believes in that universality is the key to unification. Baha’u’llah is the primary figure in the Baha’i faith declared his faith by 1863. He was born in Persia (or the present-day Iran). In a way, it is a hybrid of various faiths Baha’i was born from the traditions of Babism that itself arose from an Islamic faith known as Shaykhism.
(Today Babism is a religion with only a handful of adherents mostly in Iran and is distinct from the Islamic doctrines that have surrounded it.) Similar to Babism the Baha’i faith incorporates some principles of Islam but combines them with Christian beliefs. The main body that governs the faith of Baha’i is an nine-member body known as”the Universal House of Justice, is based in Haifa, Israel. The Baha’i faith has between five and seven million believers all over the world.
3. Buddhism
Most Popular Religion in The World – Buddhistism is both a philosophy and religion. The beliefs and traditions of Buddhism are traceable back to the early Gautama Buddha’s teachings, a wise thinker believed to be alive between the sixth and fourth centuries BCE. The Buddha was a teacher and lived in the eastern regions of the ancient India providing the basis for a religion based upon the notions of moral rectitude, a free from attachment to material things or desires and the attainment of tranquility and illumination via meditation. living a life committed to kindness, wisdom, and compassion. The Buddha’s teachings spread widely across Asia during the following centuries.
While its writings and customs guide a myriad of sects and beliefs, Buddhism is generally separated into two distinct branches. Theravada which is the purpose of which is the liberation from material attachment, ignorance and anger by pursuing an enlightened and peaceful practice known as the Noble Eightfold Path, all striving to achieve a transcendent state known as Nirvana as well as Mahayana which is the aim of which is to achieve Buddhahood through mindfulness, meditation and the Zen methods of controlling yourself mindfulness, and the expression of the wisdom of Buddha throughout your day-to-day activities, specifically to benefit others, and ultimately to the goal of attaining bodhisattva or a continuous cycle of rebirth, through which you will keep educating others.
In the present, about 7 percent of the population is a follower of some kind of Buddhism which makes it the fourth-largest of the world’s religions that has an estimated 500 million believers in those of the Eastern as well as the Western World.
4. Christianity
Christianity can be described as an monotheistic religion that is that is based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Christianity affirms that Jesus is the son of God and that he is the Messiah (the salvation of mankind as portrayed in the Torah which is the main biblical doctrine in the Jewish religion). Christian scripture combines as well scriptures from the Torah (referred to Christians as the Old Testament) with the account of Jesus as well as his teachings and the writings of his contemporary discipleship (the New Testament).
These are the basis of The Bible the principal source for the Christian faith. Christianity was founded in Jerusalem as an extension of Judaism that believed in Jesus as the Messiah (meaning “anointed one”). The concept and its adherents were widely spread across the ancient Judea during the time of the first century CE and eventually spreading throughout the entire world.
Christians believe that Jesus accomplished his mission and fulfilled all of the requirements of the Old Testament laws, took on his own the sins of humanity through his crucifixion, then died and arose in a way that those who put their faith in Jesus are forgiven for their sins, reconciled with God and given grace for everyday living. Christians affirm they are in heaven, and that heaven along with God awaits them after their bodily death, but the eternal separation to God and hell is the fate of those who never accepted forgiveness from their sins, nor recognized Jesus to be Lord.
Christianity is the biggest religion in the world, having approximately 2.4 billion believers that represent 33percent of population.
Christianity has witnessed a myriad of reformation movements, that resulted in a myriad of sects and offshoot religious denominations. Many different types of worship are available to be listed together, but the three major branches of Christianity comprise Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism. Together, Christianity is the largest religion worldwide, boasting around 2.4 billion believers which is three-quarters of population. The impact of Christianity on the course of history around the globe and on the current world of culture is unimaginable.
5. Confucianism
Most Popular Religion in The World – Confucianism is the most dominant type of religion and philosophy in the ancient China which arose from the ideas that were taught by the Chinese philosopher Confucius who lived between 55 and 79 BCE. Confucius considered himself to be an outlet for doctrines of the dynasties of the imperial era that preceded his. With a focus on the family and harmony of society Confucianism was an essentially secularist, even humanist philosophy. Confucianism was a major influence on the evolution of Eastern legal practices and the rise of the scholar class (and associated with that, the meritocratic system of managing).
Confucianism was to be involved in historical tug and pull with the philosophical theories associated with Buddhism and Taoism that experienced ebbs as well as influences, reaching significant heights during the Han (206 BCE to 220 CE), Tang (618-907 CE) and Song (960-1296 CE) Dynasties. When Buddhism took over as the primary spiritual power throughout China, Confucianism declined in the practice. In the wake of the rise in communism, as well as Maoism during the 20th century, the main usage of Confucianism was in the majority to come to an end.
But, it is an ideology that is the basis to drive Asian and Chinese views on academic, legal as well as professional endeavors. Indeed, the powerful ethics of work promoted by Confucianism is considered to be an important factor in the rise in the 20th century of Asian economies. Today, there are many independent Confucian congregations, however it was only in the year 2015 that leaders of the congregation in China came together to form The Holy Confucian Church.
6. Druze
Most Popular Religion in The World – Druze is an Arabic ethnoreligious community that was founded in and continues to largely reside in this region. Mountain of Druze region in the southern region of Syria. Although there is a tiny number of followers, the Druze still play a major contribution to the development of the region (known in shorthand terms from the past in the shorthand as Levant). The Druze consider themselves to be the direct descendents from Jethro of Midian who is identified in Jewish Scripture as the father-in law of Moses. The Druze believe that Jethro to be a “hidden” prophet, one through whom God spoke to the “revealed prophet” Moses.
Accordingly as such, the Druze are thought to be as being related to Judaism through marriage. As their spouses they Druze adhere to a monotheistic belief system, with the belief in one God. Druze beliefs are hybrid, however, taking inspiration from the teachings of culture of Islam as well as including knowledge of Greek philosophers such as Plato as well as concepts of reincarnation that are similar to those found in the Hindu canon.
Jethro’s role as a veiled prophet is a crucial conceptual aspect of Druze culture. Its current writings and the community are largely isolated. The tight-knit communities that are rooted in modern Syria, Lebanon, and Israel have been for centuries victimized, especially in the hands of Islamic theocracies. This could be one of the reasons that the Druze are active in the political and social affairs of their countries of origin are able to shield their practices and customs from the gaze of the outside world. There are currently between 800,000 to one million Druze adherents, most of them within their native Middle East.
7. Gnosticism
Most Popular Religion in The World – Gnosticism is likely not referring to a specific religious inclination but rather to the notion of an “interreligious phenomenon” in which different groups in a variety of countries developed an identical set of beliefs and concepts. A term that has been adapted to modern historical debate, gnosticism is concerned with the various religious systems and beliefs that existed in the early world, which originated in the tradition of Judeo-Christianity.
These beliefs believed that all emanations of one God were the primary reason in the development of the physical world, and that as such, all human beings were infused with an eternal spark from God. Gnosticism is dualistic and creates sharp distinctions between the spiritual world and the less spiritual physical world, and also the ability to acquire or receive specific, secret information (“gnosis”) that allows for the transition from one world to another. The first century CE and in complete to the development of Christianity Gnosticism possibly best understood as an intermediate set of beliefs that were shared by a portion of the world , as Christianity slowly surpassed Judaism in both size and scope.
8. Hinduism
Most Popular Religion in The World – Hinduism can be considered by some as the world’s most ancient religion, possibly being a precursor to what is called as the Indian subcontinent as the Vedic time. In this time, between 1500 and 600 BCE the civilization was transitioning from pastoral and tribal living to more settled, agricultural living. This led to the development of social classes as well as state-entities and monarchies. The primary texts that recount the history of this time are known as the Vedas and will be a significant part of what is known as the Hindu Synthesis.
It is believed that the Hindu Synthesis was a period of time, from around 500 BCE from 300 CE during which the tenets that were the foundation of Hinduism became solidified through the intertwining of a myriad of threads of Indian religious and cultural tradition and arising from a wide variety of philosophical philosophies, to create an unifying set of notions.
The most important of these is the idea of the four Purusarthas (or goals) that human beings pursue: Dharma (ethics and duties), Artha (prosperity and work), Kama (desires and passions) as well as Moksha (liberation or salvation). Some other important concepts are karma, that asserts the universal connection between intention, action, and its consequences; samsara the Hindu notion of rebirth as well as a variety of Yogic practices that connect the mind, body and the elements.
Although no person or group is believed to be responsible for the origins of the religion, Hinduism is the third largest religion on the planet in the present. The more than a billion believers represent more than 15 percent of the world’s population.
Although no single person or organization is responsible for the origins of Hinduism, Hinduism is the third largest religion on earth currently. The more than one billion followers make up more than 15 percent of the population of the world.
9. Islam
Most Popular Religion in The World – Islam It is a monotheistic faith that -, like Christianity and Judaism is traced its origins back to its roots in the Garden of Eden, Adam along with the prophet Abraham. Islam believes that Allah is the sole God as well as that Muhammed as his prophet. Islam affirms the belief that God has spoken to Muhammed via the archangel Gabriel at in the 600 CE and gave him messages that eventually later form The Quran. This text that is the foundational source of Islamic religion is believed by those who adhere to it to be the statements of God and thus gives a complete and unalterable guideline for living a life.
The Quran as well as The Quran as well as the Islamic legal code, also known by the name of Sharia are the basis for the entirety of human life including worship and ethics to family as well as business matters. Islam is a belief that good behavior and compliance will result in eternal life in heaven, while disobedience to Muhammed’s teachings could result in the death penalty.
The Islamic faith spread rapidly across all of the Middle East, particularly around the three holy sites of the religion: Mecca, where an awakened Muhammed was the first to make his journey; Medina, the center of the early Islamic faith under the leadership of Muhammed and Jerusalem one of the most sacred cities in the world.
Through the centuries that followed, Islam would simultaneously produce numerous wars of succession as well as an increasing sense of spiritual harmony within this Arab World. This conflict between internal conflict and cultural harmony is present in the Islamic faith even today. This ambiguity could result in a split between two major religions in Islam, Sunni and Shia. In the present, Islam is the dominant religion of large areas of geography, with a particular focus on regions like the Middle East, Southeast Asia and North Africa. It has over 1.6 billion believers, Islam is the second-largest religion in the world and the main spirituality of over 24 percent of the world’s inhabitants.
10. Jainism
Most Popular Religion in The World – Jainism is an old Indian religion that , according to the adherents can be traced back through a succession wise teachers. The first of these teachers is believed to be Rishabhanatha who lived for millions of years prior to the time. The Jainist tenets that are the most fundamental of them are a (nonviolence) and anekantavada (many-sidedness) and aparigraha (nonattachment) and asceticism (abstinence from pleasure). These, along with other concepts, are described within the Acaranga Sutra, which is the oldest of the Jainist texts.
Being one of the earliest known religious traditions that emerged from the fertile spiritually Indian subcontinent Jainism has both similarities and differs from the features of and reflects aspects of Hindu and Buddhist traditions that were also developed from the same region. Similar to Hindu or Buddhism, Jainism teaches the principles of karma, the rebirth of souls as well as monastic (as as opposed to theistic) spiritual practices.
Jainists believe that the soul is a dynamic thing that is tied to the body only for the duration of its life and this differs with Hindu or Buddhist views of the soul as being part of an unending and continuous universe. The emphasis on the corporeal extends into that of the Jainist caste system that like Hinduism demands that adherents avoid the social freedom in favor of spiritual freedom. Nowadays, the majority of the 4 to 5 millions of Jains live in India.
11. Judaism
Most Popular Religion in The World – Judaism is among the oldest monotheistic religions in the world and was among the first religious groups to abandon pagan worship and towards the worship of a single god. Judaism is said to be the result of the story of Abraham as who was a man living within the Land of Canaan — which is a geographic area that likely encompasses parts from Phoenicia, Philistia, and Israel. In the Tanakh — the main body of Jewish Scripture that includes the foundational text known as The Torah, and later supplements called The Midrash along with the Talmud It is believed it was God addressed Abraham and told Abraham to acknowledge the singularity and the omnipotence of God. Abraham accepted the command, and became the father of not only Judaism but of all the religions that were monotheistic (or Abrahamic) religions that adhered to.
This is why Abraham is not only regarded as the prophet who first appeared in Judaism and Christianity, but also as the founder from his fellow Christian and Islamic religions that originated from this Judaic tradition. In the Jewish faith is based on the covenant with Abraham and God where the former abstained from idolatry and accepted the God of the latter as the sole God-ordained authority.
As a result, God promised to make Abraham’s offspring “Chosen People.” This Chosen People became “the Children of Israel, and eventually they would be they would be the Jewish faith. To signify the agreement, Abraham was the very first to be the first recipient from the ritualistic circumcision. The circumcision ceremony is still carried out to this day on every new Jewish male to symbolize the signing of this covenant.
With a total of 14.3 million followers, the practitioners of Judaism represent approximately 0.2 percent of the world’s population.
The historians have observed that although Abraham likely lived longer than three thousand years ago, the literary freedoms taken in conjunction with the scriptures make it difficult to determine the exact date he was born. His influence would be big in the early world and the moral code of the rabbinic religion that are part of Judaism and its ethical monotheism model and both significantly influencing the creation of religion and law in the west. With around 14.3 million believers, followers of Judaism are approximately 0.2 percent of the population.
12. Rastafarianism
Most Popular Religion in The World – Rastafarianism Rastafarianism is a brand new religious movement that is part of the Abrahamic tradition of monotheism which refers to the single god as Jah. Rastafari adhere to their beliefs in the Christian Bible as their primary text, but they provide an interpretation that is closely tied to their particular geography and political context. Based around the early 20th century of Jamaica Rastafarianism arose as an ethnocultural response against British rule and oppression. This oppression would play an important part in the Afrocentric view of the Bible that was favored by Rastafari.
In the 1930s, a group of Rastafarians advocated the belief that the faithful believed that they were living as an African diaspora, separated from their homes by the colonization process and slavery. To escape the oppression within Western societies (or Babylon), many Rastafari believe that it is necessary to relocate their adherents back to the African homelands.
An important figure within Rastafari’s Rastafarian religion, Haile Selassie rose to the position that of the King of Ethiopia in the year 1930. It was believed to be the genesis point in the development of the modern religion. Selassie was seen in the eyes of Rastafari as the Second Coming, a direct descendant of Christ as well as the Messiah predicted by the Book of Revelation.
Selassie was regarded as the person who could inspire his people from Africa and the people living in the diaspora to liberation and freedom. The trip he made in 1966 to Jamaica was to be the turning point in the propagation of Rastafari ideas and the resulting political movement for freedom within Jamaica.
The visit resulted in an eventual change of heart for the most well-known adherent, the musician Bob Marley. Marley helped to increase the popularity of the religion, and its rituals of community gathering, musical expression, protection of the natural environment, and cannabis use as a sacred sacrament. The current estimates range from 700,000 to 1 million followers practice Rastafarianism with the majority of them residing in Jamaica.
13. Shinto
Most Popular Religion in The World – Shinto can be described as a a religion tradition indigenous to Japan. At first, it was a casual collection of mythologies and beliefs, Shinto was more of a cult rather a distinctive Japanese way of observing cultural customs.
The first documented use for the word Shinto can be traced back to in the 6th centuries CE and is the primary connecting link between the ancient Japanese traditions and modern Japanese living. The main goal on Shinto is the traditional belief of kami (spirits) and the interaction with them via public shrines.
They are an essential artifact and channel for Shinto observation. Over 80.000 Shinto shrines are scattered throughout Japan. Traditional Japanese fashions of dress, ritual, and dance are as well founded in Shinto practices.
About 3-4 percent of the Japanese populace identify as belonging to the Shinto sect or a religious congregation. In contrast the survey of 2008 approximately 26 percent of Japanese residents reported going to Shinto shrines.
Shinto is a distinct religion. In its manifestation of Japanese cultural identity, Shinto observance is not just restricted to those who regard themselves as religious believers. Around 3-4 percent from the Japanese population identify as being members of an Shinto group or a congregation. Contrary to this according to an survey conducted in 2008 approximately 26 percent of Japanese citizens said they had visited Shinto shrines.
14. Sikhism
Most Popular Religion in The World – Sikhism is a monotheistic belief that originated from and is still centered throughout the Punjabi region, which runs through Northern India and Eastern Pakistan. The Sikh religion was brought to the forefront at the end of the 15th century, and derives its principles of meditation, faith as well as social justice and equality of all people from a book known as”the Guru Granth Sahib.
The spiritual leader who was the first to be a part from Sikhism, Guru Nanak, was born between 1469 and 1539. He taught that an ideal, spiritual lifestyle should be woven into a healthy, secular life. Guru Nanak emphasized activity as well as a sense of humour to self-control, purity, and fidelity. What is more important than the metaphysical Guru Nanak argued, is the way one lives that is a way to live the desires of God. Guru Nanak was succeeded by an additional group of nine Gurus who served as spiritual guides. The tenth of this succession line, Guru Gobind Singh, identified the scriptures as his successor. This marked the end of the human authority within the Sikh faith and the rise from the Scriptures into the sole spiritual guide.
Today, the over 28 million people who are believed to be followers of Sikhism are mostly located in India making Sikhism the seventh-largest religion in the world..
15. Zoroastrianism
Most Popular Religion in The World – Zoroastrianism is considered to be one of the oldest religions in the world and its earliest ideas — messianism posthumous judgement as well as the duality of hell and heavenare thought to have been the basis for the development of Judaism along with Gnosticism, Christianity, and Islam. Its founder, Zoroaster, was an revolutionary religious teacher and thinker who was believed to be alive from 700 BCE and 500 BCE in Persia (modern-day Iran).
The primary text of the Avesta The Avesta incorporates both the Gathas (Zoroaster’s texts) together with the Yasna (the foundational text for Zoroastrianism). Zoroaster’s influence was felt throughout his time and location. In fact, Zoroastrianism shortly adopted as the official faith within the Persian Empire and was so for more than 1000 years.
Zoroaster’s beliefs finally were thrown out of the picture following the Muslim conquer of Persia in the 7th century CE. The following centuries were of oppression and denial by Muslim conquerors to the point of nearly all but eradicating Zoroastrian beliefs and practices throughout the Arab-speaking world. The Zoroastrian practices have experienced an occasional revival in the 20th and the early 21st centuries with a few Iranians as well as Iraqi Kurdish populations adopting Zoroastrianism as a means of protest against theocratic rule.
In the present, there are around 190,000 Zoroastrians who are mostly located on Iran, Iraq, and India.
16. Traditional African Religions
Numerous religions are a source of information for the people in the African continent every one with their own unique rituals and beliefs that are that are based on ethnicity and region. Because Africa has a wide range of ethnic groups and their beliefs are strongly connected to the geographical and tribal regions, the continent’s history is a tangle of diverse spiritual traditions.
A lot of them share common threads that include the faith in spirits, reverence to the spirits of dead people, and significance of the connection between humans and nature. Another commonality is that most of these religions depend on oral tradition and oral history instead of texts. While Christianity is the most popular, as are Islam are currently the main religions in Africa Informal estimates put the number of people who adhere to Traditional African Religions at 100 million. Following is a list adapted by Wikipedia provides a list of the most popular or most popular of these religions:
- Bushongo legend (Congo)
- Lugbara mythology (Congo)
- Baluba mythology (Congo)
- Mbuti mythology (Congo)
- Akamba mythology (Kenya)
- Lozi mythology (Zambia)
- Tumbuka mythology (Malawi)
- Zulu legends (South Africa)
- Dinka Religion (South Sudan)
- Hausa animism (Chad, Gabon)
- Lotuko mythology (South Sudan)
- Maasai mythology (Kenya, Tanzania, Ouebian)
- Kalenjin religion(Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania)
- Dini Ya Msambwa (Bungoma, Trans Nzoia, Kenya)
- San religion (South Africa)
- Traditional healers from South Africa
- Manjonjo Healers of Chitungwiza of Zimbabwe
- Akan religion (Ghana, Ivory Coast)
- Dahomean religious system (Benin, Togo)
- Efik mythology (Nigeria, Cameroon)
- Edo religion (Benin kingdom, Nigeria)
- Hausa animism (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Togo)
- Odinani (Igbo people, Nigeria)
- Serer religion (Senegal, Gambia, Mauritania)
- Yoruba religion (Nigeria, Benin, Togo)
- West African Vodun (Ghana, Benin, Togo, Nigeria)
- Dogon religion (Mali)
- Vodun (Benin)
17. African Diaspora Religions
The European slave trade and practices of colonization led to what’s called”the African diaspora. In this area, families, individuals as well as whole groups were exiled from the tribes or communities they had settled in the African continent. This led to the rise of numerous religious groups throughout and in Caribbean, Latin America and the southern United States during the 16th to 18th centuries.
Each of them had their own linguistic spiritual, ritualistic, and spiritual traditions, founded on their own traditions and their current geographic environments. Most often, as with the more traditional African religions that they derived from, these religions had common threads of reverence for spirits, reverence for the dead and similar mythological creation stories. Although too numerous to mention the following listthat is derived of Wikipedia lists the most significant African diaspora religious traditions:
- Batuque
- Candomble
- Dahomey mythology
- Haitian mythology
- Kumina
- Macumba
- Mami Wata
- Obeah
- Oyotunji
- Palo
- Ifa
- Lucumi
- Hudu
- Quimbanda
- Santeria (Lukumi)
- Umbanda
- Vodou
18. Indigenous American Religions
Native American religions comprise a broad and varied collection of beliefs, customs and practices embraced by the indigenous communities that prospered throughout the Americas prior to their arrival by European colonists. The variety of beliefs and customs represented in this article is as diverse as the main population centers as well as tribes and smaller nomadic groups that lived in the Americas for millennia.
Theologies differ widely, and represent various monotheistic, polytheistic, as well as theistic beliefs. The most diverse are the oral histories, concepts and hierarchical structures of the various indigenous groups. Certain religions developed around settled kingdoms or settlementsparticularly in society of the monarchs of pre-Latin America while others emerged from tribes that moved between and across regions. A few common threads are faith in spirit as well as the feeling of connection with nature.
While many families and individuals that descend from these tribes adhere to the customs of their ancestors, the indigenous religions have suffered the same fate as those of the Native American peoples. When the first Europeans brought about the start of a spiritual, religious and real genocide which wiped out tribes in mass numbers through disease, violence, and even religious conversion. Certain religions would be completely eliminated. Some religions are still being in use by shrinking populations of people living within reservations.
Wikipedia lists a number of major indigenous American religions:
- Earth Lodge religion
- Indian Shaker religon
- Longhouse religion
- Mexicayoti
- Peyote religion
- Waashat religion
This is not an exhaustive list. It is, in its intention, a brief review of major world religions. In reality, this subject is far from the limits of brevity. Every religion or culture which is represented here, and the many others not included here, provide worlds for themselves, with a wealth of the scriptures, history and leaders as well as events, codes of ethics, elaborately constructed mythologies, and indefatigable followers. You could easily spend a lifetime researching each one of these practices. Sure, many people do!
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15 Most Widely Practiced Religions
Although the five most ancient religions that are listed above are typically thought of as the five world religions, they’re definitely far from being the sole ones. There are newer religions that are one of the most well-known faiths that are defined as the religions that are the most popularly practiced around the world..
- Christianity (2.1 billion)
- Islam (1.3 billion)
- Hinduism (900 millions)
- Chinese customary religious (394 million)
- Buddhism 376 million
- Primal-indigenous (300 million)
- African Traditional as well as Diasporic (100 millions)
- Sikhism (23 millions)
- Juche (19 millions)
- Spiritualism (15 million)
- Judaism (14 million)
- Bahai (7 millions)
- Jainism (4.2 millions)
- 4. Shinto (4 million)
- Cao Dai (4 million)
Learn More About World Religions
They represent the longest-running and popularly practiced that is the reason they are considered to be the top five religions of the world. There are many different traditions in each, and many other religious traditions exist. It is the United Religions Initiative (URI) is an excellent source for learning about different faiths. Once you’ve mastered five facts about the fundamentals of five of the top faiths that exist It’s the perfect opportunity to explore the subject of religion. Begin by learning to determine the difference between a cult or religion.
12 Major World Religions
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Major Religion of the World -2022
World Religions
