The Top Ten  May 14 - 21    

Top Ten Organized Religions of the World


Statistics of the world's religions are only very rough approximations. Aside from Christianity, few religions, if any, attempt to keep statistical records; and even Protestants and Catholics employ different methods of counting members.

Rank Religion Members Percentage
1. Christianity 2.1 billion 33.0%
2. Islam 1.3 billion 20.1
3. Hinduism 851 million 13.3
4. Buddhism 375 million 5.9
5. Sikhism 25 million 0.4
6. Judaism 15 million 0.2
7. Baha'ism 7.5 million 0.1
8. Confucianism 6.4 million 0.1
9. Jainism 4.5 million 0.1
10. Shintoism 2.8 million 0.0
NOTE: Numbers from mid-2004. This list includes only organized religions and excludes more loosely defined groups such as Chinese or African traditional religions.
Sources: Encyclopedia Britannica; Adherents.com.

See Also:
Infoplease Religion Section