Wednesday, October 03, 2007

World Religions: estimated adherents

Chart from
http://www.adherents.com/adh_branches.html

BranchReligionNumber of Adherents
CatholicChristianity1,050,000,000
SunniIslam940,000,000
VaishnavitesHinduism580,000,000
Orthodox/Eastern ChristianChristianity240,000,000
ShaivitesHinduism220,000,000
Conservative ProtestantChristianity200,000,000
MahayanaBuddhism185,000,000
Liberal ProtestantChristianity150,000,000
TheravadaBuddhism124,000,000
ShiiteIslam120,000,000
African indigenous sects (AICs)Christianity110,000,000
PentecostalChristianity105,000,000
AnglicanChristianity73,000,000
SikhismSikhism23,000,000
neo-Hindus
and reform Hindus
Hinduism22,000,000
Lamaism
(Vajrayana/Tibetan, etc.)
Buddhism20,000,000
Jehovah's WitnessesChristianity14,800,000
Latter Day SaintsChristianity12,500,000
AhmadiyyaIslam10,000,000
Veerashaivas (Lingayats)Hinduism10,000,000
Baha'i World FaithBaha'i Faiths6,000,000
ConservativeJudaism4,500,000
Unaffiliated and SecularJudaism4,500,000
SvetambaraJainism4,000,000
ReformJudaism3,750,000
Seicho-No-IeNew Japanese3,200,000
Shinto all branchesShinto3,000,000
TenrikyoNew Japanese2,800,000
PL KyodanNew Japanese2,600,000
OrthodoxJudaism2,000,000
New Thought
(Unity, Christian Science, etc.)
Christianity1,500,000
Sekai KyuseikyoNew Japanese800,000
SthanakavasisJainism750,000
ZenrinkaiNew Japanese600,000
DruzeIslam450,000
Tensho Kotai JingukyoNew Japanese400,000
Friends (Quakers)Christianity300,000
EnnokyoNew Japanese300,000
DigambarasJainism155,000
ReconstructionistJudaism150,000
ParsisZoroastrianism110,000
GabarsZoroastrianism20,000

The source site list the last update as of 28 October 2005, and so these are 2005 statistics. Please see my notes in comments.