Top Eight World Religions (Buddhists, America, atheist, agnostics)

[TroutDude]

Perhaps this has been posted before and if so, I apologize.

But I found this data interesting. I'm intrigued (and pleased) at #3. I suspect it's growing faster than any other group. I suppose it contains a growing share of atheists/agnostics but its umbrella also covers those of a spiritual bent who cannot align themselves with any organized religion: pagans, deists, theists et al who tread their own path.

I'm going to put on my soothsayer's hat and say some sooth: I predict within 25 years, category #3 will be #1 (or #2 with a bullet).


Top Eight World Religions

The table below lists the largest religious groups by percentage of global population as of 2010.
Religion Percent world population

1- Christians 31.5%
2- Muslims 23.2
3- Religiously Unaffiliated 16.3
4- Hindus 15.0
5- Buddhists 7.1
6- Folk Religionists 5.9
7- Other Religions 0.8
8- Jews 0.2

NOTE: The category Folk Religionists includes followers of African traditional religions, Chinese folk religions, Native American religions and Australian aboriginal religions. The category Other Religions includes Bahai's, Jains, Sikhs, Shintoists, Taoists, followers of Tenrikyo, Wiccans, Zoroastrians and many other faiths.
Source: Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life, Global Religious Landscape, December 2012.

[victorianpunk]

The "religiously unaffiliated" is not that large really. Thing is China, with almost a sixth of the world's population, still frowns on religion and hence it is hard to get accurate numbers from them.

On another note the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) has solid numbers on religious demographics in the US and their rates of change.

ARIS 2008 Summary Report | ARIS 2008

[Vizio]

ok? Good. That might indicate the squishy nominal "Christians" have wandered away. At least we'll know where we stand.

[cacto]

#3 could also mean people who practice multiple religions without allegiance to one.

That's very common in China.

[PoppySead]

Christianity is a hard one because they may share Jesus but they share very different takes on how to go about the worship and what following Jesus really means, IMO. I think it needs a break down. I'm getting personally tired of how it's lumped together as one religion when it's clearly not. Same with the Muslim religion. There are thousands of secs between the both of them and they don't agree on much. There are plenty of both that will state that but don't practice it at all. IMO, of course.