The CIA World Factbook Edition 1997 People

Religions In 36 editions of 36.

Religions was published in 36 editions of the CIA World Factbook, from 1990 to 2025. The 1997 edition carries it in 234 entries, in its People section. Every entry is shown as that edition published it.

entries in the 1997 edition
234
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.

1997

Every edition with Religions

Entries with Religions in each edition

19902000201020202025

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Africa

57 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 Faso

  • indigenous beliefs 40%,
  • Muslim 50%,
  • Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10%

Burundi

  • Christian 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%

note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority

Chad

  • Muslim 50%,
  • Christian 25%,
  • indigenous beliefs (mostly animism) 25%

Comoros

Sunni Muslim 86%, Roman Catholic 14%

Congo, Democratic Republic of the now Democratic Republic of the Congo

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

Congo, Republic of the now Republic of the Congo

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

Cote d'Ivoire

  • indigenous 25%,
  • Muslim 60%,
  • Christian 12%

Djibouti

Muslim 94%, Christian 6%

Egypt

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

Equatorial Guinea

nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan practices

Eritrea

  • Muslim,
  • Coptic Christian,
  • Roman Catholic,
  • Protestant

Swaziland now Eswatini

Christian 60%, indigenous beliefs 40%

Ethiopia

  • Muslim 45%-50%,
  • Ethiopian Orthodox 35%-40%,
  • animist 12%,
  • other 3%-8%

Gabon

  • Christian 55%-75%,
  • Muslim less than 1%,
  • 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 (including Anglican) 38%,
  • Roman Catholic 28%,
  • indigenous beliefs 26%,
  • other 8%

Lesotho

Christian 80%, rest indigenous beliefs

Liberia

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

Libya

Sunni Muslim 97%

Madagascar

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

Malawi

  • Protestant 55%,
  • Roman Catholic 20%,
  • Muslim 20%,
  • traditional indigenous beliefs

Mali

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

Mauritania

Muslim 100%

Mauritius

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

Mayotte

Muslim 99%, Christian (mostly Roman Catholic)

Morocco

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

Mozambique

  • indigenous beliefs 50%,
  • Christian 30%,
  • Muslim 20%

Namibia

Christian 80% to 90% (Lutheran 50% at least, other Christian denominations 30%, native religions 10% to 20%

Niger

Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christians

Nigeria

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

Reunion

  • Roman Catholic 94%,
  • Hindu,
  • Islam,
  • Buddhist

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),
  • Baptist,
  • Seventh-Day Adventist,
  • 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 60%,
  • indigenous beliefs 30%,
  • Christian 10%

Somalia

Sunni Muslim

South Africa

  • Christian 68% (includes most whites and Coloreds, about 60% of blacks and about 40% of Indians),
  • Muslim 2%,
  • Hindu 1.5% (60% of Indians),
  • traditional and animistic 28.5%

Sudan

  • Sunni Muslim 70% (in north),
  • indigenous beliefs 25%,
  • Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum)

Tanzania

  • mainland - Christian 45%,
  • Muslim 35%,
  • indigenous beliefs 20%

note: Zanzibar - more than 99% Muslim

Togo

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

Tunisia

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

Uganda

  • Roman Catholic 33%,
  • Protestant 33%,
  • Muslim 16%,
  • indigenous beliefs 18%

Western Sahara

Muslim

Zambia

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

Zimbabwe

  • syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%,
  • Christian 25%,
  • indigenous beliefs 24%,
  • Muslim and other 1%

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

  • Muslim 93.4%,
  • Russian Orthodox 2.5%,
  • Armenian Orthodox 2.3%,
  • other 1.8% (1995 est.)

note: religious affiliation is still nominal in Azerbaijan; actual practicing adherents are much lower

Bangladesh

  • Muslim 88.3%,
  • Hindu 10.5%,
  • other 1.2%

Bhutan

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

China

  • Daoism (Taoism),
  • Buddhism,
  • Muslim 2%-3%,
  • Christian 1% (est.)

note: officially atheist, but traditionally pragmatic and eclectic

Georgia

  • Christian Orthodox 75% (Georgian Orthodox 65%, Russian Orthodox 10%),
  • Muslim 11%,
  • Armenian Apostolic 8%,
  • unknown 6%

India

  • Hindu 80%,
  • Muslim 14%,
  • Christian 2.4%,
  • Sikh 2%,
  • Buddhist 0.7%,
  • Jains 0.5%,
  • other 0.4%

Japan

observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)

Kazakstan now Kazakhstan

  • Muslim 47%,
  • Russian Orthodox 44%,
  • Protestant 2%,
  • other 7%

Korea, North now North Korea

Buddhism and Confucianism, some Christianity and syncretic Chondogyo

note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom

Korea, South now South Korea

Christianity 49%, Buddhism 47%, Confucianism 3%, pervasive folk religion (shamanism), Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way), and other 1%

Kyrgyzstan

  • Muslim 75%,
  • Russian Orthodox 20%,
  • other 5%

Maldives

Sunni Muslim

Mongolia

predominantly Tibetan Buddhist, Muslim 4%

note: previously limited religious activity because of communist regime

Nepal

  • Hindu 90%,
  • Buddhist 5%,
  • Muslim 3%,
  • other 2% (1981)

note: only official Hindu state in the world, although no sharp distinction between many Hindu and Buddhist groups

Pakistan

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

Russia

  • Russian Orthodox,
  • Muslim,
  • other

Sri Lanka

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

Tajikistan

Sunni Muslim 80%, Shi'a Muslim 5%

Turkmenistan

  • Muslim 89%,
  • Eastern Orthodox 9%,
  • unknown 2%

Uzbekistan

  • Muslim 88% (mostly Sunnis),
  • Eastern Orthodox 9%,
  • other 3%

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%,
  • Hindu,
  • Muslim,
  • Confucian,
  • Jewish

The Bahamas

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

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%,
  • other 6% (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

nominally Roman Catholic 85% prior to CASTRO assuming power; Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also represented

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 75%

note: there is extensive activity by Protestant groups throughout the country; by the end of 1992, there were an estimated 1 million Protestant evangelicals in El Salvador

Grenada

  • Roman Catholic 53%,
  • Anglican 13.8%,
  • other Protestant sects 33.2%

Guadeloupe

  • Roman Catholic 95%,
  • Hindu and pagan African 4%,
  • Protestant sects 1%

Guatemala

  • Roman Catholic,
  • Protestant,
  • traditional Mayan

Haiti

  • 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 97%, Protestant minority

Jamaica

  • 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,
  • including some spiritual cults 39.1% (1982)

Martinique

Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 5%

Montserrat

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

Netherlands Antilles

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

Nicaragua

Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant 5%

Panama

Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15%

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

46 entries

Albania

  • Muslim 70%,
  • Albanian Orthodox 20%,
  • Roman Catholic 10%

note: all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice

Andorra

Roman Catholic (predominant)

Austria

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

Belarus

Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)

Belgium

Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25%

Bosnia and Herzegovina

  • Muslim 40%,
  • Orthodox 31%,
  • Catholic 15%,
  • Protestant 4%,
  • other 10%

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 0.4%,
  • others and unknown 10.8%

Czech Republic now Czechia

  • atheist 39.8%,
  • Roman Catholic 39.2%,
  • Protestant 4.6%,
  • Orthodox 3%,
  • other 13.4%

Denmark

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

Estonia

Evangelical Lutheran, others include Baptist, Methodist, 7th Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Word of Life, 7th Day Baptist, Judaism

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 38%,
  • Roman Catholic 34%,
  • Muslim 1.7%,
  • unaffiliated or other 26.3%

Gibraltar

  • Roman Catholic 74%,
  • Protestant 11% (Church of England 8%, other 3%),
  • Muslim 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%,
  • Lutheran 5%,
  • 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

Roman Catholic 98%, other 2%

Jersey

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

Latvia

  • Lutheran,
  • Roman Catholic,
  • Russian Orthodox

Liechtenstein

  • Roman Catholic 80%,
  • Protestant 6.9%,
  • unknown 5.6%,
  • other 7.5% (1995)

Lithuania

  • primarily Roman Catholic,
  • others include Lutheran,
  • Russian Orthodox,
  • Protestant,
  • evangelical Christian Baptist,
  • Islam,
  • Judaism

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) (1991)

note: the large majority of churchgoers are ethnic Moldavian

Monaco

Roman Catholic 95%

Netherlands

  • Roman Catholic 34%,
  • Protestant 25%,
  • Muslim 3%,
  • other 2%,
  • unaffiliated 36% (1991)

Macedonia, now North Macedonia

  • Eastern Orthodox 67%,
  • Muslim 30%,
  • other 3%

Norway

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

Poland

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

Portugal

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

Romania

  • Romanian Orthodox 70%,
  • Roman Catholic 6% (of which 3% are Uniate),
  • Protestant 6%,
  • unaffiliated 18%

San Marino

Roman Catholic

Serbia and Montenegro

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

Slovakia

  • Roman Catholic 60.3%,
  • atheist 9.7%,
  • Protestant 8.4%,
  • Orthodox 4.1%,
  • other 17.5%

Slovenia

  • Roman Catholic 70.8% (including 2% Uniate),
  • Lutheran 1%,
  • Muslim 1%,
  • other 27.2%

Spain

Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%

Sweden

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

Switzerland

  • Roman Catholic 46.7%,
  • Protestant 40%,
  • other 5%,
  • no religion 8.3% (1990)

Ukraine

  • Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate,
  • Ukrainian Orthodox - Kiev Patriarchate,
  • Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox,
  • Ukrainian Catholic (Uniate),
  • Protestant,
  • Jewish

United Kingdom

Anglican 27 million, Roman Catholic 9 million, Muslim 1 million, Presbyterian 800,000, Methodist 760,000, Sikh 400,000, Hindu 350,000, Jewish 300,000 (1991 est.)

note: the UK does not include a question on religion in its census

Middle East

17 entries

Bahrain

Shi'a Muslim 75%, Sunni Muslim 25%

Cyprus

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

Gaza Strip

  • Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 98.7%,
  • Christian 0.7%,
  • Jewish 0.6%

Iran

Shi'a Muslim 89%, Sunni Muslim 10%, 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 14% (mostly Sunni Muslim),
  • 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 70% (5 legally recognized Islamic groups - Alawite or Nusayri, Druze, Isma'ilite, Shi'a, Sunni),
  • Christian 30% (11 legally recognized Christian groups - 4 Orthodox Christian, 6 Catholic, 1 Protestant),
  • Judaism NEGL%

Oman

  • Ibadhi Muslim 75%,
  • Sunni Muslim,
  • Shi'a Muslim,
  • Hindu

Qatar

Muslim 95%

Saudi Arabia

Muslim 100%

Syria

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

Turkey now Turkiye

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

United Arab Emirates

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

West Bank

  • Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni),
  • Jewish 17%,
  • Christian and other 8%

Yemen

Muslim including Sha'fi (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shi'a), small numbers of Jewish, Christian, and Hindu

North America

5 entries

Bermuda

  • Anglican 28%,
  • Roman Catholic 15%,
  • African Methodist Episcopal (Zion) 12%,
  • Seventh-Day Adventist 6%,
  • Methodist 5%,
  • other 34% (1991)

Canada

  • Roman Catholic 45%,
  • United Church 12%,
  • Anglican 8%,
  • other 35% (1991)

Mexico

nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Roman Catholic 99%

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%,
  • other Christian 24.3%

Cook Islands

Christian (majority of populace are members of the 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

  • Protestant 54%,
  • Roman Catholic 30%,
  • other 16%

Guam

Roman Catholic 98%, other 2%

Kiribati

  • Roman Catholic 53%,
  • Protestant (Congregational) 41%,
  • Seventh-Day Adventist,
  • Baha'i,
  • Church of God,
  • Mormon 6% (1985 est.)

Marshall Islands

Christian (mostly Protestant)

Micronesia, Federated States of now Federated States of Micronesia

  • Roman Catholic 50%,
  • Protestant 47%,
  • other and none 3%

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 33% (1986)

Niue

Ekalesia Nieue (Niuean Church) 75% - a Protestant church closely related to the London Missionary Society, Latter-Day Saints 10%, other 15% (mostly Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventist)

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 (Roman Catholic majority, although traditional beliefs and taboos may still be found)

Palau

Christian (Catholics, Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Assembly of God, the Liebenzell Mission, and Latter-Day Saints), Modekngei religion (one-third of the population observes this religion which is 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 one-half of population associated with the London Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Latter-Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist)

Solomon Islands

  • Anglican 34%,
  • Roman Catholic 19%,
  • Baptist 17%,
  • United (Methodist/Presbyterian) 11%,
  • Seventh-Day Adventist 10%,
  • other Protestant 5%,
  • traditional beliefs 4%

Tokelau

  • Congregational Christian Church 70%,
  • Roman Catholic 28%,
  • other 2%

note: 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

Roman Catholic 100%

South America

14 entries

Argentina

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

Bolivia

Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist)

Brazil

Roman Catholic (nominal) 70%

Chile

  • Roman Catholic 89%,
  • Protestant 11%,
  • Jewish

Colombia

Roman Catholic 95%

Ecuador

Roman Catholic 95%

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

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

French Guiana

Roman Catholic

Guyana

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

Paraguay

Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite and other Protestant denominations

Peru

Roman Catholic

Suriname

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

Uruguay

  • Roman Catholic 66% (less than one-half of the adult population attends church regularly),
  • 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 55%,
  • Christian 15%,
  • Muslim 10%,
  • other 20% (1991)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

  • Sunni Muslim 57%,
  • Christian 22%,
  • other 21% (1981 est.)

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 60%, animist and other 40%

Macau

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

Malaysia

  • Peninsular Malaysia - Muslim (Malays), Buddhist (Chinese), Hindu (Indians);
  • 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

  • Buddhist (Chinese),
  • Muslim (Malays),
  • Christian,
  • Hindu,
  • Sikh,
  • Taoist,
  • Confucianist

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,
  • Taoist,
  • Roman Catholic,
  • indigenous beliefs,
  • Islam,
  • Protestant,
  • Cao Dai,
  • Hoa Hao

Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook 1997, “Religions”, all entries. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/fields/religions/1997.

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