Religion plays a huge role in human life. This is true even of so-called agnostics or non-believers. Therefore, the question of what is the number of believers in the world in general or in Russia in particular always remains relevant. Its consideration is complicated by the fact that a significant part of the world's states declare themselves to be secular.
Therefore, issues of religion remain at the personal discretion of each person, which cannot always be reflected in dry statistical data.
Which faith came first: Christianity or Islam?
To answer the question of what came first, it is necessary to turn to history. Islam was founded by an Arab merchant named Muhammad (in other sources Mahomed) around the 7th century AD.
Christianity appeared much earlier in the 1st century AD on the basis of old Judaism.
Jesus Christ became a prophet in Christianity, from whose birth the chronology is calculated. From this it follows that Christianity appeared earlier.
You should definitely read the advice of priests on how to protect yourself from envy.
Rating of countries by level of religiosity
Over the course of three years - 2008, 2009 and 2015 - Gallup International conducted large-scale research to study the level of religiosity in different countries of the world. A list of the most and least religious states in the world is given below.
| The most religious states in the world | Share of believers | Least religious states in the world | Share of believers |
| Malawi | 99% | China | 7% |
| Ethiopia | 99% | Japan | 13% |
| Niger | 99% | Estonia | 16% |
| Mauritania | 98% | Sweden | 19% |
| Afghanistan | 97% | Norway | 21% |
| Cameroon | 96% | Czech | 23% |
| Senegal | 96% | Hong Kong | 26% |
| Jordan | 96% | Netherlands | 26% |
| Rwanda | 95% | Israel | 30% |
| Congo | 95% | Great Britain | 30% |
An analysis of the information provided shows that the most religious regions include the Middle East and Africa. The share of believers is slightly lower in Latin America and Southeast Asia. Europe demonstrates the minimum level of religiosity.
How Islam and Christianity are related
Christianity and Islam have been closely related since their inception. These religions originated from Judaism. They are also connected by contradictions, which at all times caused wars between them.
The Koran contains many stories from Christianity: about the Virgin Mary, John the Baptist, about Jesus Christ, who had the ability to perform miracles, about his death and resurrection.
Islam, as a younger religion, emphasized much of the knowledge of Christianity, on which the main provisions in the Koran were subsequently based.
Forecasts for the future
Population forecasts for the near and distant future occupy a prominent place in demographic science. The religious aspect of the problem is also given a lot of attention. Forecast data for 2050 from the experts who compiled the encyclopedia “Religions of the World” are as follows.
| Religion | 2010 | Share | 2050 | Share | 2050/2010 |
| Christians | 2292 | 33% | 3220 | 35% | 140% |
| Muslims | 1549 | 22% | 2494 | 27% | 161% |
| Hindus | 949 | 14% | 1241 | 14% | 131% |
| Agnostics | 640 | 9% | 556 | 6% | 87% |
| Buddhists | 469 | 7% | 570 | 6% | 122% |
| Religion of China | 458 | 7% | 525 | 6% | 115% |
| Atheists | 261 | 4% | 272 | 3% | 104% |
| New religions | 139 | 2% | 64 | 1% | 46% |
| Other religions | 150 | 2% | 249 | 3% | 166% |
| TOTAL | 6907 | 100% | 9191 | 100% | 133% |
Particularly serious attention is always paid to the relationship between believers of the two main world religions.
The above data shows a faster growth in the number of Muslims. But, according to experts from Religion of Peace, it will not be enough for Islam to catch up with Christianity in the number of followers.
Although not everyone shares this point of view. For example, representatives of the PRC mentioned above give a slightly different forecast. In their opinion, in 2050 the number of Christians and Muslims will not yet be equal, but will become much closer - 2,918 million versus 2,761 million people. Time will tell which forecast will be more accurate.
Difference between Christianity and Islam
Although there are some similarities and relationships between these religions, their differences are more obvious and significant. So, Islam differs from Christianity in the following areas:
- The emergence of religion: as mentioned above, Islam appeared almost 600 years later than Christianity.
- Prophets: Muhammad in Islam had several wives, whom he beat, raided and plundered caravans, called for the killing of people of other religions, enslaved women and children in Medina. On the contrary, Jesus never married, did not kill anyone, and did not engage in raids or plunder.
- Sacred literature: for Christians it is the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, and for Muslims it is the Koran.
- Place for prayer: Islam - mosque, Christianity - church.
- Holy City: Christianity - Jerusalem; Islam - Mecca.
Number of believers in Russia
The last large-scale sociological survey regarding the religiosity of the population was conducted in Russia in 2012. At that time, the country's population numbered 143.1 million people. The distribution by major religions was as follows.
| Religion | Number of believers, million people | Share |
| Orthodox | 58,7 | 41,0% |
| Non-religious believers | 35,8 | 25,0% |
| Atheists | 18,6 | 13,0% |
| Muslims | 6,7 | 4,7% |
| Christians | 5,9 | 4,1% |
| Sunni Muslims | 2,4 | 1,7% |
| Orthodox outside a specific church | 2,1 | 1,5% |
| Pagans | 1,7 | 1,2% |
| Buddhists | 0,7 | 0,5% |
| Old Believers | 0,7 | 0,5% |
| Shia Muslims | 0,7 | 0,5% |
| Catholics | 0,7 | 0,5% |
| Judaists | 0,7 | 0,5% |
| Hindus | 0,7 | 0,5% |
| Pentecostals | 0,7 | 0,5% |
| Other and undecided | 6,2 | 4,3% |
| TOTAL | 143,1 | 100,0% |
The distribution of believers by religion is shown more clearly in the diagram.
It should be noted that there are a large number of atheists, which should be recognized as a consequence of the policies pursued by the state during the years of the Soviet Union.
How is God different from Allah?
To answer this question it is necessary to make a reference to the scriptures.
Thus, Islam teaches that Allah is the almighty Creator and Ruler of everything that exists. Muslims emphasize the absolute unity of God with man, which does not recognize division. God's will is the embodiment of his love and mercy.
However, Allah can also be angry if His Will is not fulfilled. The word Islam means submission. Also, according to Islam, God cannot be considered a father; he does not have a son. Allah does not love sinners (Sura 3: 140).
Like Islam, Christianity teaches that God is the Creator and Ruler of all things. This is where the similarities end. Christians believe in one God who exists in three persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) who share one indivisible essence. God has only love and mercy in his power. According to Christianity, God the father has an eternal relationship with God the son. God loves even sinners (Romans 5:8).
How the religious composition changed in the 20th century
The dynamics of the number of believers over a long period of time - since the beginning of the 20th century - is important for the issue under study. The total number of followers of each of the world's major religions, broken down by year, is presented in the table.
| Religion | Number of believers in million people. | |||
| 1900 | 1970 | 2000 | 2010 | |
| Christians | 558 | 1235 | 2000 | 2292 |
| Muslims | 200 | 580 | 1188 | 1549 |
| Hindus | 203 | 459 | 811 | 949 |
| Agnostics | 3 | 542 | 768 | 640 |
| Buddhists | 127 | 234 | 360 | 469 |
| Religion of China | 380 | 232 | 385 | 458 |
| Atheists | 0,2 | 162 | 150 | 261 |
| New religions | 6 | 39 | 102 | 139 |
| Other religions | 141,8 | 216 | 291 | 150 |
| TOTAL | 1619 | 3699 | 6055 | 6907 |
The first and most obvious conclusion that follows from the above figures is that the three leading religions have significantly increased their influence in the world. Another very significant fact is the sharp increase in the number of agnostics and atheists, that is, non-religious people.
Evils of Islam and Christianity
Sins in Christianity have an eight-step system and include the following vices:
- greed;
- fornication
- anger;
- pride
- sadness;
- vanity;
- despondency;
- gluttony.
As for Islam, its vices include not only moral ones, including arrogance, pride, self-love, hypocrisy, envy, cunning and greed, but also other vices. Which include: sins of unbelief and sins of the body (eyes, ears, tongue, arms, legs, stomach and genitals).
Answers to readers' questions
Which religion has the most followers in the world?
The largest number of believers profess Christianity. This religion includes Catholicism, Protestantism and Orthodoxy. As of 2010, the number of Christians exceeded 2,292 million people.
Believers of which denomination are the most numerous in Russia?
Most of the Russian population are Orthodox. According to various sources, the share of believers who consider themselves to be members of the Russian Orthodox Church varies from 41% to 66%. The maximum value of the indicator includes people who are considered believers, but not religious.
How will the relationship between the world's major religions change in the future?
The position of the three main world religions - Christianity, Islam and Hinduism - will not fundamentally change in the next 2-3 decades. The proportion of Muslims is gradually increasing, but not so quickly as to even approach that of Christians.
Where in the world is the level of religiosity highest and lowest?
The highest level of religiosity is in Africa and the Middle East. It is slightly lower in the countries of Latin America and Southeast Asia. In some fairly large countries, the indicator reaches 95-99%. These include Ethiopia, Niger, Egypt and many others.
The lowest levels of religiosity are in Europe and East Asia. The smallest share of believers is in the following countries: China (7%), Japan (13%), Estonia (16%) and Sweden (19%).
Brief information on the number of major religions
Islam There are no generally accepted classifications of movements in Islam. Reports produced by the Pew Research Center divide Muslims into Sunnis (87-90% of all Muslims in 2009) and Shiites (10-13%). At the same time, the authors of the studies acknowledge that there are other groups in Islam, as well as the general Islamic movement of Sufism.
The World Christian Encyclopedia (WCE) divides Islam into the following 3 movements:
Sunnis (84.4% of all Muslims) . According to the source, over half of Sunnis (53%) adhere to the Hanafi right-wing school; supporters of the Shafi'i and Maliki madhhabs account for 24% and 22%, respectively. The smallest madhhab, the Hanbalis, has 2.3 million followers. Among the Sunnis, the source separately identifies representatives of sectarian Sunnism - Wahhabis (7 million).
Shiites (14.3% Muslims) . The predominant direction within Shiite Islam are the Isna-Asharites (more than 80%, the figure includes both Usulites and Akhbarites). The Nizaris and Mustalis together represent the second largest movement in the Shiite branch of Islam - Ismailism (14% of all Shiites). Zaydis (together with Nuktavits) comprise almost 5% of all Shiites. The remaining Shiite movements (Alawites, Sheikhites, Ahl-e Haqq, Bektashis, etc.) are extremely small in number.
Islamic schismatics (1.3% of Muslims) . This group includes various, unrelated Islamic sects. The largest among the organizations represented in this group is the Ahmadiyya (8 million in 2000). Black Muslims (Nation of Islam, Moorish Science Temple, Five Percenters, United Nation of Islam, American Muslim Society) had 1.65 million adherents in 2000. The encyclopedia includes two more categories in the group of Islamic schismatics: Kharijites (1.64 million, all of them are Ibadis) and Druze (834 thousand).
Hinduism Modern Hinduism is divided into 5 main directions: Vaishnavism - ~ 68% of all Hindus. Shaivism - 26% Shaktism - 3% reformed Hinduism (Ramakrishna society, Arya Samaj, Brahmo Samaj movements, etc.) - 4 million people (0.5% Hindus). neo-Hinduism (Transcendental Meditation, Ananda Marga, Sri Chinmoy Center, Divine Life Society, Brahma Kumaris, International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Divine Light Mission, etc.) - 15.2 million adherents of new religious movements
Buddhism Buddhism is not a single religion and is divided into hundreds of schools. It is customary to distinguish 3 main directions in Buddhism: Mahayana (Great Vehicle) -56% of Buddhists in the world. Theravada -38% of the world's Buddhists. Tibetan Buddhism - 6% Buddhists.
Judaism Judaism is divided into Orthodox (traditional), Reform (progressive), Conservative, Reconstructionist. Sometimes Hasidism is separated out separately, sometimes it is classified as Orthodox Judaism. Sometimes Judaism is divided into sectarian Judaism (Samaritans, Karaites) and marginal Judaism (black Judaism, etc.). The place of Messianic Jews, occupying an intermediate position between Christianity and Judaism, in the confessional classification is controversial. In the World Christian Encyclopedia, Jewish believers are divided into sub-ethnic groups. According to a similar methodology, the groups within Judaism are: Ashkenazi - 11 million Mizrahim - 2.4 million Sephardim - 1 million Karaites - 24 thousand Samaritans - 0.5 thousand
Other religions Throughout the 20th century, the proportion of followers of traditional religions and beliefs fell steadily. However, at the end of the 20th century, traditional beliefs attracted attention with the revival of European paganism (neopaganism). Obviously, this group includes thousands of different religious traditions, very loosely related to each other. However, sometimes believers of traditional religions are divided into two main groups: animists (95%) and shamanists (5%) . Most followers of ethnic religions live in Asia (133.7 million) and Africa (92 million); Moreover, in Africa they make up more than 10% of the continent's population. In Latin America, supporters of these religions number 3.3 million followers, in North America - 1.6 million, in Europe - 1.2 million and in Oceania - 293 thousand.
New religious movements (NRMs) and syncretic sects should be distinguished from traditional folk beliefs, despite the fact that most of them have an ethnic basis (for example, American, European, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese NRMs, syncretic cults of Indians and blacks of America, etc.) .). The classification of new religions, as well as the question of their boundaries, remain highly controversial. Asia is the continent where the majority (58 million) of adherents of new religions live. There are quite a few of them in both Americas; in the North - 1.69 million, in Latin - 1.46 million. On other continents their numbers are small: 353 thousand in Europe, 107 thousand in Africa and 85 thousand in Oceania.
The group of spiritualists includes various African-American, Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Brazilian religions (voodoo, Paleria, Pocomania, Rastafarianism, Santeria, Umbanda, Shangoism, etc.). The vast majority of spiritualists (87%) live in Latin America. It should be noted that the boundaries between spiritualism and other religions (primarily Christianity) are very vague.
Sikhism is divided into orthodox Sikhism and sectarian Sikhism, which includes a dozen different reform groups and sects. The majority of Sikhs live in India (22.9 million); in other Asian countries there are 400 thousand Sikhs. Thanks to emigration, noticeable Sikh communities appeared in North America (680 thousand) and Europe (406 thousand).
Despite their small numbers, Baha'is are one of the most dispersed religions in the world. The Asian Baha'i community has 3 million followers, the African - 1.7 million. On other continents, the number of Baha'is is insignificant: North America - 786 thousand, Latin America - 527 thousand, Europe - 134 thousand, Oceania - 87 thousand.
Jainism is divided into two main branches - Digimbara and Svetambara. The vast majority of Jains (5.5 million) live in India; in other Asian countries there are only 13 thousand Jains.
to determine the number of Confucians , primarily due to the multi-confessional nature of the Chinese, who are Confucians and supporters of the Chinese folk religion at the same time. It is believed that a total of 6.5 million Confucians live outside of China (primarily in Korea). Outside of Asia (6.25 million), the number of Confucians is insignificant. There are 142 thousand supporters of this religion in North America, 40 thousand in Oceania, 18 thousand in Europe and Africa,
Shintoism is divided into two main movements - temple Shintoism and sectarian Shintoism. The latter unites a dozen Shinto sects and communities. It is extremely difficult to estimate the number of Shintoists due to the multi-confessional nature of the Japanese. The vast majority of Shinto adherents live in Asia; outside its borders, large Shinto communities exist only in North and Latin America (62 thousand and 7 thousand, respectively).
The vast majority of Taoists also live in Asia, primarily in China and Vietnam. Outside of Asia, small communities of Taoists exist in North America (12 thousand) and Oceania (4 thousand)
Supporters of Zoroastrianism are also concentrated mainly in Asia (156 thousand). Outside its borders, Zoroastrian communities exist in North America (21 thousand), Europe (5 thousand), Oceania (2 thousand) and Africa (1 thousand).
In 2000, the number of Yazidis was estimated at 226 thousand people (in 10 countries). Half of them live in Iraq, the rest in Iran, Turkey, Syria, Armenia, and Georgia. Small Yazidi communities can be found in the USA, Canada, Russia and Germany.
The number of Mandaeans is estimated to range from 15 to 20 thousand people; until recently, they all lived only in Iraq and Iran. Thanks to emigration, small communities of Mandaeans appeared in Syria, Jordan, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and some European countries (Great Britain, Sweden and the Netherlands).
