Figures from Encyclopedia Britannica,
probably the most respected of all encyclopedias
A secular encyclopedia can be expected to lump together all who claim allegiance to a particular religion, regards of whether their commitment is of life-transforming dimension. So it is hardly surprising that the following figures are more inflated than others I quote. Nevertheless, the comparison is illuminating. Reality is surprisingly different from the impression media, and the educational system gives us.
* 33.0% of people in the world are Christian * 19.3% are Muslim * 15.3% are atheists or non-religious * 13.4% are Hindu * 6.4% follow traditional Chinese religions |
* 6.0% are Buddhist * 3.8% follow tribal or indigenous religions * 1.7% belong to religions created since 1800 * 0.4 % are Sikhs * 0.2% are Jews |