The CIA World Factbook Edition 1992 People

Religions In 36 editions of 36.

Religions was published in 36 editions of the CIA World Factbook, from 1990 to 2025. The 1992 edition carries it in 232 entries, in its People section. Every entry is shown as that edition published it.

entries in the 1992 edition
232
the first edition with it
1990
the latest edition with it
2025

Published as “Religions” (1992 to 2025) and “Religion” (1990 to 1991).

the entry has the field in that editionnot in that editionthe open editionEach entry below ends in its editions with Religions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down; choose one in a row to read that edition’s text there.

1992

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Africa

56 entries

Algeria

Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%

Angola

  • indigenous beliefs 47%,
  • Roman Catholic 38%,
  • Protestant 15% (est.)

Benin

  • indigenous beliefs 70%,
  • Muslim 15%,
  • Christian 15%

Botswana

indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 50%

Burkina now Burkina Faso

  • indigenous beliefs about 65%,
  • Muslim 25%,
  • Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10%

Burundi

  • Christian about 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%),
  • indigenous beliefs 32%,
  • Muslim 1%

Cape Verde now Cabo Verde

Roman Catholicism fused with indigenous beliefs

Cameroon

  • indigenous beliefs 51%,
  • Christian 33%,
  • Muslim 16%

Central African Republic

  • indigenous beliefs 24%,
  • Protestant 25%,
  • Roman Catholic 25%,
  • Muslim 15%,
  • other 11%;
  • animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority

Chad

  • Muslim 44%,
  • Christian 33%,
  • indigenous beliefs,
  • animism 23%

Comoros

Sunni Muslim 86%, Roman Catholic 14%

Zaire now Democratic Republic of the Congo

  • Roman Catholic 50%,
  • Protestant 20%,
  • Kimbanguist 10%,
  • Muslim 10%,
  • other syncretic sects and traditional beliefs 10%

Congo now Republic of the Congo

  • Christian 50%,
  • animist 48%,
  • Muslim 2%

Ivory Coast now Cote d'Ivoire

indigenous 63%, Muslim 25%, Christian 12%,

Djibouti

Muslim 94%, Christian 6%

Egypt

(official estimate) Muslim (mostly Sunni) 94%; Coptic Christian and other 6%

Equatorial Guinea

natives all nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic; some pagan practices retained

Swaziland now Eswatini

Christian 60%, indigenous beliefs 40%

Ethiopia

  • Muslim 40-45%,
  • Ethiopian Orthodox 35-40%,
  • animist 15-20%,
  • other 5%

Gabon

  • Christian 55-75%,
  • Muslim less than 1%,
  • remainder animist

The Gambia

  • Muslim 90%,
  • Christian 9%,
  • indigenous beliefs 1%

Ghana

  • indigenous beliefs 38%,
  • Muslim 30%,
  • Christian 24%,
  • other 8%

Guinea

  • Muslim 85%,
  • Christian 8%,
  • indigenous beliefs 7%

Guinea-Bissau

  • indigenous beliefs 65%,
  • Muslim 30%,
  • Christian 5%

Kenya

  • Protestant 38%,
  • Roman Catholic 28%,
  • indigenous beliefs 26%,
  • Muslim 6%

Lesotho

Christian 80%, rest indigenous beliefs

Liberia

  • traditional 70%,
  • Muslim 20%,
  • Christian 10%

Libya

Sunni Muslim 97%

Madagascar

  • indigenous beliefs 52%,
  • Christian about 41%,
  • Muslim 7%

Malawi

  • Protestant 55%,
  • Roman Catholic 20%,
  • Muslim 20%;
  • traditional indigenous beliefs are also practiced

Mali

  • Muslim 90%,
  • indigenous beliefs 9%,
  • Christian 1%

Mauritania

Muslim, nearly 100%

Mauritius

  • Hindu 52%,
  • Christian (Roman Catholic 26%, Protestant 2.3%) 28.3%,
  • Muslim 16.6%,
  • other 3.1%

Mayotte

Muslim 99%; remainder Christian, mostly Roman Catholic

Morocco

  • Muslim 98.7%,
  • Christian 1.1%,
  • Jewish 0.2%

Mozambique

  • indigenous beliefs 60%,
  • Christian 30%,
  • Muslim 10%

Namibia

predominantly Christian

Niger

Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christians

Nigeria

  • Muslim 50%,
  • Christian 40%,
  • indigenous beliefs 10%

Reunion

Roman Catholic 94%

Rwanda

  • Roman Catholic 65%,
  • Protestant 9%,
  • Muslim 1%,
  • indigenous beliefs and other 25%

Saint Helena now Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha

Anglican majority; also Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, and Roman Catholic

Sao Tome and Principe

  • Roman Catholic,
  • Evangelical Protestant,
  • Seventh-Day Adventist

Senegal

  • Muslim 92%,
  • indigenous beliefs 6%,
  • Christian 2% (mostly Roman Catholic)

Seychelles

  • Roman Catholic 90%,
  • Anglican 8%,
  • other 2%

Sierra Leone

  • Muslim 30%,
  • indigenous beliefs 30%,
  • Christian 10%,
  • other or none 30%

Somalia

almost entirely Sunni Muslim

South Africa

  • most whites and Coloreds and about 60% of blacks are Christian;
  • about 60% of Indians are Hindu;
  • Muslim 20%

Sudan

  • Sunni Muslim (in north) 70%,
  • indigenous beliefs 20%,
  • Christian (mostly in south and Khartoum) 5%

Tanzania

  • mainland - Christian 33%,
  • Muslim 33%,
  • indigenous beliefs 33%;
  • Zanzibar - almost all Muslim

Togo

  • indigenous beliefs about 70%,
  • Christian 20%,
  • Muslim 10%

Tunisia

  • Muslim 98%,
  • Christian 1%,
  • Jewish less than 1%

Uganda

  • Roman Catholic 33%,
  • Protestant 33%,
  • Muslim 16%,
  • rest indigenous beliefs

Western Sahara

Muslim

Zambia

  • Christian 50-75%,
  • Muslim and Hindu 24-49%,
  • remainder indigenous beliefs 1%

Zimbabwe

  • syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%,
  • Christian 25%,
  • indigenous beliefs 24%,
  • a few Muslim

Arctic Region

2 entries

Greenland

Evangelical Lutheran

Iceland

  • Evangelical Lutheran 96%,
  • other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3%,
  • none 1% (1988)

Asia

22 entries

Afghanistan

  • Sunni Muslim 84%,
  • Shi`a Muslim 15%,
  • other 1%

Armenia

Armenian Orthodox 94%

Azerbaijan

  • Moslem 87%,
  • Russian Orthodox 5.6%,
  • Armenian Orthodox 5.6%,
  • other 1.8%

Bangladesh

Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, Buddhist, Christian, and other less than 1%

Bhutan

Lamaistic Buddhism 75%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced Hinduism 25%

China

  • officially atheist, but traditionally pragmatic and eclectic;
  • most important elements of religion are Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism;
  • Muslim 2-3%, Christian 1% (est.)

Georgia

  • Russian Orthodox 10%,
  • Georgian Orthodox 65%,
  • Armenian Orthodox 8%,
  • Muslim 11%,
  • unknown 6%

India

  • Hindu 82.6%,
  • Muslim 11.4%,
  • Christian 2.4%,
  • Sikh 2.0%,
  • Buddhist 0.7%,
  • Jains 0.5%,
  • other 0.4%

Japan

most Japanese observe both Shinto and Buddhist rites so the percentages add to more than 100% - Shinto 95.8%, Buddhist 76.3%, Christian 1.4%, other 12% (1985)

Kazakhstan

Muslim 47% Russian Orthodox NA%, Lutheran NA%

Korea, North now North Korea

  • Buddhism and Confucianism;
  • some Christianity and syncretic Chondogyo;
  • autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent;
  • government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom

Korea, South now South Korea

  • strong Confucian tradition;
  • vigorous Christian minority (24.3% of the total population);
  • Buddhism;
  • pervasive folk religion (Shamanism);
  • Chondogyo (religion of the heavenly way), eclectic religion with nationalist overtones founded in 19th century, about 0.1% of population

Kyrgyzstan

Muslim 70%, Russian Orthodox NA%

Maldives

Sunni Muslim

Mongolia

predominantly Tibetan Buddhist, Muslim (about 4%); previously limited religious activity because of Communist regime

Nepal

  • only official Hindu state in world,
  • although no sharp distinction between many Hindu (about 90% of population) and Buddhist groups (about 5% of population);
  • Muslims 3%,
  • other 2% (1981)

Pakistan

Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%, Shi`a 20%), Christian, Hindu, and other 3%

Russia

  • Russian Orthodox NA%,
  • unknown NA%,
  • none NA%,
  • other NA%

Sri Lanka

  • Buddhist 69%,
  • Hindu 15%,
  • Christian 8%,
  • Muslim 8%

Tajikistan

Sunni Muslim approximately 80%, Shi`a Muslim 5%

Turkmenistan

  • Islam 85%,
  • Eastern Orthodox 10%,
  • unknown 5%

Uzbekistan

Muslim (mostly Sunnis) 75-80%, other (includes Farsi) 20-25%

Central America and the Caribbean

31 entries

Anguilla

  • Anglican 40%,
  • Methodist 33%,
  • Seventh-Day Adventist 7%,
  • Baptist 5%,
  • Roman Catholic 3%,
  • other 12%

Antigua and Barbuda

  • Anglican (predominant),
  • other Protestant sects,
  • some Roman Catholic

Aruba

Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, also small Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, and Jewish minority

The Bahamas

  • Baptist 32%,
  • Anglican 20%,
  • Roman Catholic 19%,
  • Methodist 6%,
  • Church of God 6%,
  • other Protestant 12%,
  • none or unknown 3%,
  • other 2% (1980)

Barbados

  • Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other 12%),
  • Roman Catholic 4%;
  • none 17%,
  • unknown 3%,
  • other 9% (1980)

Belize

  • Roman Catholic 62%,
  • Protestant 30% (Anglican 12%, Methodist 6%, Mennonite 4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Pentecostal 2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1%, other 2%),
  • none 2%,
  • unknown 3%,
  • other 3% (1980)

British Virgin Islands

  • Protestant 86% (Methodist 45%, Anglican 21%, Church of God 7%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 2%),
  • Roman Catholic 6%,
  • none 2%,
  • other 6% (1981)

Cayman Islands

  • United Church (Presbyterian and Congregational),
  • Anglican,
  • Baptist,
  • Roman Catholic,
  • Church of God,
  • other Protestant denominations

Costa Rica

Roman Catholic 95%

Cuba

85% nominally Roman Catholic before Castro assumed power

Dominica

  • Roman Catholic 77%,
  • Protestant 15% (Methodist 5%, Pentecostal 3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Baptist 2%, other 2%),
  • none 2%,
  • unknown 1%,
  • other 5%

Dominican Republic

Roman Catholic 95%

El Salvador

Roman Catholic about 75%, with extensive activity by Protestant groups throughout the country (more than 1 million Protestant evangelicals in El Salvador at the end of 1990)

Grenada

  • largely Roman Catholic;
  • Anglican;
  • other Protestant sects

Guadeloupe

Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 5%

Guatemala

predominantly Roman Catholic; also Protestant, traditional Mayan

Haiti

  • Roman Catholic is the official religion;
  • Roman Catholic 80% (of which an overwhelming majority also practice Voodoo),
  • Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%),
  • none 1%,
  • other 3% (1982)

Honduras

Roman Catholic about 97%; small Protestant minority

Jamaica

  • predominantly Protestant 55.9% (Church of God 18.4%, Baptist 10%, Anglican 7.1%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6.9%, Pentecostal 5.2%, Methodist 3.1%, United Church 2.7%, other 2.5%),
  • Roman Catholic 5%,
  • other 39.1%,
  • including some spiritualist cults (1982)

Martinique

Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 5%

Montserrat

  • Anglican,
  • Methodist,
  • Roman Catholic,
  • Pentecostal,
  • Seventh-Day Adventist,
  • other Christian denominations

Netherlands Antilles

  • predominantly Roman Catholic;
  • Protestant,
  • Jewish,
  • Seventh-Day Adventist

Nicaragua

Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant 5%

Panama

Roman Catholic over 93%, Protestant 6%

Puerto Rico

Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant denominations and other 15%

Saint Kitts and Nevis

  • Anglican,
  • other Protestant sects,
  • Roman Catholic

Saint Lucia

  • Roman Catholic 90%,
  • Protestant 7%,
  • Anglican 3%

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

  • Anglican,
  • Methodist,
  • Roman Catholic,
  • Seventh-Day Adventist

Trinidad and Tobago

  • Roman Catholic 32.2%,
  • Hindu 24.3%,
  • Anglican 14.4%,
  • other Protestant 14%,
  • Muslim 6%,
  • none or unknown 9.1%

Turks and Caicos Islands

  • Baptist 41.2%,
  • Methodist 18.9%,
  • Anglican 18.3%,
  • Seventh-Day Adventist 1.7%,
  • other 19.9% (1980)

Virgin Islands

  • Baptist 42%,
  • Roman Catholic 34%,
  • Episcopalian 17%,
  • other 7%

Europe

45 entries

Albania

  • all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited;
  • in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice;
  • estimates of religious affiliation - Muslim 70%, Greek Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10%

Andorra

virtually all Roman Catholic

Austria

  • Roman Catholic 85%,
  • Protestant 6%,
  • other 9%

Belarus

  • Russian Orthodox NA%,
  • unknown NA%,
  • none NA%,
  • other NA%

Belgium

Roman Catholic 75%, remainder Protestant or other

Bosnia and Herzegovina

  • Slavic Muslim 40%,
  • Orthodox 31%,
  • Catholic 15%,
  • Protestant 4%

Bulgaria

  • Bulgarian Orthodox 85%;
  • Muslim 13%;
  • Jewish 0.8%;
  • Roman Catholic 0.5%;
  • Uniate Catholic 0.2%;
  • Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and other 0.5%

Croatia

  • Catholic 76.5%,
  • Orthodox 11.1%,
  • Slavic Muslim 1.2%,
  • Protestant 1.4%,
  • others and unknown 11%

Czechoslovakia

  • Roman Catholic 50%,
  • Protestant 20%,
  • Orthodox 2%,
  • other 28%

Denmark

  • Evangelical Lutheran 91%,
  • other Protestant and Roman Catholic 2%,
  • other 7% (1988)

Estonia

Lutheran is primary denomination

Faroe Islands

Evangelical Lutheran

Finland

  • Evangelical Lutheran 89%,
  • Greek Orthodox 1%,
  • none 9%,
  • other 1%

France

  • Roman Catholic 90%,
  • Protestant 2%,
  • Jewish 1%,
  • Muslim (North African workers) 1%,
  • unaffiliated 6%

Germany

  • Protestant 45%,
  • Roman Catholic 37%,
  • unaffiliated or other 18%

Gibraltar

  • Roman Catholic 74%,
  • Protestant 11% (Church of England 8%, other 3%),
  • Moslem 8%,
  • Jewish 2%,
  • none or other 5% (1981)

Greece

  • Greek Orthodox 98%,
  • Muslim 1.3%,
  • other 0.7%

Guernsey

  • Anglican,
  • Roman Catholic,
  • Presbyterian,
  • Baptist,
  • Congregational,
  • Methodist

Holy See (Vatican City)

Roman Catholic

Hungary

  • Roman Catholic 67.5%,
  • Calvinist 20.0%,
  • Lutheran 5.0%,
  • atheist and other 7.5%

Ireland

  • Roman Catholic 93%,
  • Anglican 3%,
  • none 1%,
  • unknown 2%,
  • other 1% (1981)

Man, Isle of now Isle of Man

  • Anglican,
  • Roman Catholic,
  • Methodist,
  • Baptist,
  • Presbyterian,
  • Society of Friends

Italy

virtually 100% Roman Catholic

Jersey

  • Anglican,
  • Roman Catholic,
  • Baptist,
  • Congregational New Church,
  • Methodist,
  • Presbyterian

Latvia

  • Lutheran,
  • Roman Catholic,
  • Russian Orthodox

Liechtenstein

  • Roman Catholic 87.3%,
  • Protestant 8.3%,
  • unknown 1.6%,
  • other 2.8% (1988)

Lithuania

  • Catholic NA%,
  • Lutheran NA%,
  • unknown NA%,
  • none NA%,
  • other NA%

Luxembourg

Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant and Jewish 3%

Malta

Roman Catholic 98%

Moldova

  • Eastern Orthodox 98.5%, Jewish 1.5%, Baptist only about 1,000 members, other 1.0%;
  • note - almost all churchgoers are ethnic Moldovan;
  • the Slavic population are not churchgoers (1991 figures)

Monaco

Roman Catholic 95%

Netherlands

  • Roman Catholic 36%,
  • Protestant 27%,
  • other 6%,
  • unaffiliated 31% (1988)

Macedonia now North Macedonia

  • Eastern Orthodox 59%,
  • Muslim 26%,
  • Catholic 4%,
  • Protestant 1%,
  • unknown 10%

Norway

  • Evangelical Lutheran (state church) 87.8%,
  • other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3.8%,
  • none 3.2%,
  • unknown 5.2% (1980)

Poland

Roman Catholic 95% (about 75% practicing), Russian Orthodox, Protestant, and other 5%

Portugal

  • Roman Catholic 97%,
  • Protestant denominations 1%,
  • other 2%

Romania

  • Romanian Orthodox 70%,
  • Roman Catholic 6%,
  • Greek Catholic (Uniate) 3%,
  • Protestant 6%,
  • unaffiliated 15%

San Marino

Roman Catholic

Serbia and Montenegro

  • Orthodox 65%,
  • Muslim 19%,
  • Roman Catholic 4%,
  • Protestant 1%,
  • other 11%

Slovenia

  • Roman Catholic 94%,
  • Orthodox Catholic 2%,
  • Muslim 1%,
  • other 3%

Spain

Roman Catholic 99%, other sects 1%

Sweden

  • Evangelical Lutheran 94%,
  • Roman Catholic 1.5%,
  • Pentecostal 1%,
  • other 3.5% (1987)

Switzerland

  • Roman Catholic 47.6%,
  • Protestant 44.3%,
  • other 8.1% (1980)

Ukraine

  • Ukrainian Autonomous Orthodox,
  • Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox,
  • Ukrainian Catholic (Uniate),
  • Protestant,
  • Jewish

United Kingdom

Anglican 27.0 million, Roman Catholic 5.3 million, Presbyterian 2.0 million, Methodist 760,000, Jewish 410,000

Middle East

17 entries

Bahrain

Muslim (Shi`a 70%, Sunni 30%)

Cyprus

Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, Maronite, Armenian, Apostolic, and other 4%

Gaza Strip

  • Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 99%,
  • Christian 0.7%,
  • Jewish 0.3%

Iran

Shi`a Muslim 95%, Sunni Muslim 4%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 1%

Iraq

Muslim 97%, (Shi`a 60-65%, Sunni 32-37%), Christian or other 3%

Israel

  • Judaism 82%,
  • Islam (mostly Sunni Muslim) 14%,
  • Christian 2%,
  • Druze and other 2%

Jordan

Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 8%

Kuwait

Muslim 85% (Shi`a 30%, Sunni 45%, other 10%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other 15%

Lebanon

  • Islam 75%, Christian 25%, Judaism NEGL%;
  • 17 legally recognized groups - 5 Islam (Alawite or Nusayri, Druze, Isma`ilite, Shi`a, Sunni);
  • 11 Christian, consisting of 4 Orthodox Christian (Armenian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Nestorean, Syriac Orthodox), 6 Catholic (Armenian Catholic, Caldean, Greek Catholic, Maronite, Roman Catholic, and Syrian Catholic) and the Protestants;
  • 1 Jewish

Oman

  • Ibadhi Muslim 75%;
  • remainder Sunni Muslim,
  • Shi`a Muslim,
  • some Hindu

Qatar

Muslim 95%

Saudi Arabia

Muslim 100%

Syria

Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, tiny Jewish communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo

Turkey now Turkiye

Muslim (mostly Sunni) 99.8%, other (Christian and Jews) 0.2%

United Arab Emirates

Muslim 96% (Shi`a 16%); Christian, Hindu, and other 4%

West Bank

  • Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 80%,
  • Jewish 12%,
  • Christian and other 8%

Yemen

  • North - Muslim almost 100% (45% Sunni and 55% Zaydi Shi`a);
  • NEGL Jewish;
  • South - Sunni Muslim, some Christian and Hindu

North America

5 entries

Bermuda

  • Anglican 37%,
  • Roman Catholic 14%,
  • African Methodist Episcopal (Zion) 10%,
  • Methodist 6%,
  • Seventh-Day Adventist 5%,
  • other 28%

Canada

  • Roman Catholic 46%,
  • United Church 16%,
  • Anglican 10%

Mexico

nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Roman Catholic 98%

United States

  • Protestant 56%,
  • Roman Catholic 28%,
  • Jewish 2%,
  • other 4%,
  • none 10% (1989)

Oceania

25 entries

American Samoa

  • Christian Congregationalist 50%,
  • Roman Catholic 20%,
  • Protestant denominations and other 30%

Australia

  • Anglican 26.1%,
  • Roman Catholic 26.0%,
  • other Christian 24.3%

Cook Islands

Christian, majority of populace members of Cook Islands Christian Church

Fiji

  • Christian 52% (Methodist 37%, Roman Catholic 9%), Hindu 38%, Muslim 8%, other 2%;
  • note - Fijians are mainly Christian, Indians are Hindu, and there is a Muslim minority (1986)

French Polynesia

  • mainly Christian;
  • Protestant 54%,
  • Roman Catholic 30%,
  • other 16%

Guam

Roman Catholic 98%, other 2%

Kiribati

  • Roman Catholic 52.6%,
  • Protestant (Congregational) 40.9%,
  • Seventh-Day Adventist,
  • Baha'i,
  • Church of God,
  • Mormon 6% (1985)

Marshall Islands

predominantly Christian, mostly Protestant

Micronesia, Federated States of now Federated States of Micronesia

  • predominantly Christian, divided between Roman Catholic and Protestant;
  • other churches include Assembly of God, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventist, Latter-Day Saints, and the Baha'i Faith

Nauru

Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic)

New Caledonia

  • Roman Catholic 60%,
  • Protestant 30%,
  • other 10%

New Zealand

  • Anglican 24%,
  • Presbyterian 18%,
  • Roman Catholic 15%,
  • Methodist 5%,
  • Baptist 2%,
  • other Protestant 3%,
  • unspecified or none 9% (1986)

Niue

Ekalesia Nieue (Niuean Church) - a Protestant church closely related to the London Missionary Society 75%, Mormon 10%, Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventist 5%

Norfolk Island

  • Anglican 39%,
  • Roman Catholic 11.7%,
  • Uniting Church in Australia 16.4%,
  • Seventh-Day Adventist 4.4%,
  • none 9.2%,
  • unknown 16.9%,
  • other 2.4% (1986)

Northern Mariana Islands

Christian with a Roman Catholic majority, although traditional beliefs and taboos may still be found

Pacific Islands, Trust Territory of the now Palau

  • predominantly Christian, including Catholics, Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Assembly of God, the Liebenzell Mission, and Latter-Day Saints;
  • a third of the population observes the Modekngei religion, indigenous to Palau

Papua New Guinea

  • Roman Catholic 22%,
  • Lutheran 16%,
  • Presbyterian/Methodist/London Missionary Society 8%,
  • Anglican 5%,
  • Evangelical Alliance 4%,
  • Seventh-Day Adventist 1%,
  • other Protestant sects 10%;
  • indigenous beliefs 34%

Pitcairn Islands

Seventh-Day Adventist 100%

Western Samoa now Samoa

Christian 99.7% (about half of population associated with the London Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Latter Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist)

Solomon Islands

  • almost all at least nominally Christian;
  • Anglican 34%,
  • Roman Catholic 19%,
  • Baptist 17%,
  • United (Methodist/Presbyterian) 11%,
  • Seventh-Day Adventist 10%,
  • other Protestant 5%

Tokelau

  • Congregational Christian Church 70%, Roman Catholic 28%, other 2%;
  • on Atafu, all Congregational Christian Church of Samoa;
  • on Nukunonu, all Roman Catholic;
  • on Fakaofo, both denominations, with the Congregational Christian Church predominant

Tonga

Christian; Free Wesleyan Church claims over 30,000 adherents

Tuvalu

  • Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%,
  • Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%,
  • Baha'i 1%,
  • other 0.6%

Vanuatu

  • Presbyterian 36.7%,
  • Anglican 15%,
  • Catholic 15%,
  • indigenous beliefs 7.6%,
  • Seventh-Day Adventist 6.2%,
  • Church of Christ 3.8%,
  • other 15.7%

Wallis and Futuna

largely Roman Catholic

South America

14 entries

Argentina

  • nominally Roman Catholic 90% (less than 20% practicing),
  • Protestant 2%,
  • Jewish 2%,
  • other 6%

Bolivia

Roman Catholic 95%; active Protestant minority, especially Evangelical Methodist

Brazil

Roman Catholic (nominal) 90%

Chile

Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, and small Jewish population

Colombia

Roman Catholic 95%

Ecuador

Roman Catholic 95%

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

primarily Anglican, Roman Catholic, and United Free Church; Evangelist Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutheran, Seventh-Day Adventist

French Guiana

predominantly Roman Catholic

Guyana

  • Christian 57%,
  • Hindu 33%,
  • Muslim 9%,
  • other 1%

Paraguay

Roman Catholic 90%; Mennonite and other Protestant denominations

Peru

predominantly Roman Catholic

Suriname

  • Hindu 27.4%,
  • Muslim 19.6%,
  • Roman Catholic 22.8%,
  • Protestant (predominantly Moravian) 25.2%,
  • indigenous beliefs about 5%

Uruguay

  • Roman Catholic (less than half adult population attends church regularly) 66%,
  • Protestant 2%,
  • Jewish 2%,
  • nonprofessing or other 30%

Venezuela

nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%

Southeast Asia

15 entries

Brunei

  • Muslim (official) 63%,
  • Buddhism 14%,
  • Christian 8%,
  • indigenous beliefs and other 15% (1981)

Burma now Burma (Myanmar)

  • Buddhist 89%,
  • Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%),
  • Muslim 4%,
  • animist beliefs 1%,
  • other 2%

Cambodia

Theravada Buddhism 95%, other 5%

Christmas Island

  • Buddhist 36.1%,
  • Muslim 25.4%,
  • Christian 17.7% (Roman Catholic 8.2%, Church of England 3.2%, Presbyterian 0.9%, Uniting Church 0.4%, Methodist 0.2%, Baptist 0.1%, and other 4.7%),
  • none 12.7%,
  • unknown 4.6%,
  • other 3.5% (1981)

Cocos Islands now Cocos (Keeling) Islands

almost all Sunni Muslims

Hong Kong

eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%

Indonesia

  • Muslim 87%,
  • Protestant 6%,
  • Roman Catholic 3%,
  • Hindu 2%,
  • Buddhist 1%,
  • other 1% (1985)

Laos

Buddhist 85%, animist and other 15%

Macau

  • Buddhist 45%,
  • Roman Catholic 7%,
  • Protestant 1%,
  • none 45.8%,
  • other 1.2% (1981)

Malaysia

  • Peninsular Malaysia - Malays nearly all Muslim, Chinese predominantly Buddhists, Indians predominantly Hindu;
  • Sabah - Muslim 38%, Christian 17%, other 45%;
  • Sarawak - tribal religion 35%, Buddhist and Confucianist 24%, Muslim 20%, Christian 16%, other 5%

Philippines

  • Roman Catholic 83%,
  • Protestant 9%,
  • Muslim 5%,
  • Buddhist and other 3%

Singapore

majority of Chinese are Buddhists or atheists; Malays are nearly all Muslim (minorities include Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Taoists, Confucianists)

Taiwan

mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%

Thailand

  • Buddhism 95%,
  • Muslim 3.8%,
  • Christianity 0.5%,
  • Hinduism 0.1%,
  • other 0.6% (1991)

Vietnam

  • Buddhist,
  • Confucian,
  • Taoist,
  • Roman Catholic,
  • indigenous beliefs,
  • Islamic,
  • Protestant

Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook 1992, “Religions”, all entries. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/fields/religions/1992.

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