The CIA World Factbook Edition 2018 People and Society
Religions In 36 editions of 36.
Religions was published in 36 editions of the CIA World Factbook, from 1990 to 2025. The 2018 edition carries it in 238 entries, in its People and Society section. Every entry is shown as that edition published it.
- entries in the 2018 edition
- 238
- 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.
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Entries with Religions in each edition
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World
1 entryAfrica
56 entriesAlgeria
Muslim (official; predominantly Sunni) 99%, other (includes Christian and Jewish) <1% (2012 est.)
Central African Republic
note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority
Comoros
Sunni Muslim 98%, other (including Shia Muslim, Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Protestant) 2%
note: Islam is the state religion
Cote d'Ivoire now Cote d'Ivoire
note: the majority of foreign migrant workers are Muslim (72.7%) and Christian (17.7%)
Egypt
Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 90%, Christian (majority Coptic Orthodox, other Christians include Armenian Apostolic, Catholic, Maronite, Orthodox, and Anglican) 10% (2015 est.)
Libya
Muslim (official; virtually all Sunni) 96.6%, Christian 2.7%, Buddhist 0.3%, Hindu <0.1, Jewish <0.1, folk religion <0.1, unafilliated 0.2%, other <0.1 (2010 est.)
note: non-Sunni Muslims include native Ibadhi Muslims (<1% of the population) and foreign Muslims
Morocco
Muslim 99% (official; virtually all Sunni, <0.1% Shia), other 1% (includes Christian, Jewish, and Baha'i); note - Jewish about 6,000 (2010 est.)
Nigeria
- Muslim 51.6%,
- Roman Catholic 11.2%,
- other Christian 35.7%,
- traditionalist .9%,
- unspecified .5% (2013 est.)
Senegal
Muslim 95.9% (most adhere to one of the four main Sufi brotherhoods), Christian 4.1% (mostly Roman Catholic) (2016 est.)
South Africa
Christian 86%, ancestral, tribal, animist, or other traditional African religions 5.4%, Muslim 1.9%, other 1.5%, nothing in particular 5.2% (2015 est.)
Tunisia
Muslim (official; Sunni) 99.1%, other (includes Christian, Jewish, Shia Muslim, and Baha'i) 1%
Arctic Region
2 entriesIceland
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland (official) 67.2%, Roman Catholic 3.9%, Reykjavik Free Church 2.8%, Hafnarfjordur Free Church 2%, Asatru Association 1.2%, The Independent Congregation .9, other religions 4% (includes Zuist and Pentecostal), none 6.7%, other or unspecified 11.3% (2018 est.)
Asia
22 entriesAzerbaijan
Muslim 96.9% (predominantly Shia), Christian 3%, other <0.1, unaffiliated <0.1 (2010 est.)
note: religious affiliation is still nominal in Azerbaijan; percentages for actual practicing adherents are much lower
Korea, North now North Korea
traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way)
note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom
Korea, South now South Korea
note: many people practice Confucianism, regardless of their religion or not having a religious affiliation
Pakistan
Muslim (official) 96.4% (Sunni 85-90%, Shia 10-15%), other (includes Christian and Hindu) 3.6% (2010 est.)
Russia
- Russian Orthodox 15-20%,
- Muslim 10-15%,
- other Christian 2% (2006 est.)
note: estimates are of practicing worshipers; Russia has large populations of non-practicing believers and non-believers, a legacy of over seven decades of official atheism under Soviet rule; Russia officially recognizes Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism as the country's traditional religions
Tajikistan
- Muslim 96.7% (Sunni ~90%, Shia ~7%),
- Christian 1.6%,
- unaffiliated 1.5%,
- other .2% (2010 est.)
Central America and the Caribbean
32 entriesCuba
- nominally Roman Catholic 85%,
- Protestant,
- Jehovah's Witnesses,
- Jewish,
- Santeria
note: prior to CASTRO assuming power
Curacao
- Roman Catholic 72.8%,
- Pentecostal6.6%,
- Protestant 3.2%,
- Adventist 3%,
- Jehovah's Witness2%,
- Evangelical 1.9%,
- other 3.8%,
- none 6%,
- unspecified 0.6% (2011 est.)
Haiti
note: many Haitians practice elements of vodou in addition to another religion, most often Roman Catholicism; vodou was recognized as an official religion in 2003
Europe
49 entriesAlbania
note: all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice
France
- Christian (overwhelmingly Roman Catholic) 63-66%,
- Muslim 7-9%,
- Buddhist 0.5-0.75%,
- Jewish 0.5-0.75%,
- other 0.5-1.0%,
- none 23-28% (2015 est.)
note: France maintains a tradition of secularism and has not officially collected data on religious affiliation since the 1872 national census, which complicates assessments of France's religious composition; an 1872 law prohibiting state authorities from collecting data on individuals' ethnicity or religious beliefs was reaffirmed by a 1978 law emphasizing the prohibition of the collection or exploitation of personal data revealing an individual's race, ethnicity, or political, philosophical, or religious opinions; a 1905 law codified France's separation of church and state
Greece
- Greek Orthodox (official) 81-90%,
- Muslim 2%,
- other 3%,
- none 4-15%,
- unspecified 1% (2015 est.)
Isle of Man
Protestant (Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends), Roman Catholic
Italy
- Christian 80% (overwhelmingly Roman Catholic with very small groups of Jehovah's Witnesses and Protestants),
- Muslim (about 800,000 to 1 million),
- atheist and agnostic 20%
Jersey
Protestant (Anglican, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian), Roman Catholic
Liechtenstein
- Roman Catholic (official) 73.4%,
- Protestant Reformed 6.3%,
- Muslim 5.9%,
- Christian Orthodox 1.3%,
- Lutheran 1.2%,
- other Protestant .7%,
- other Christian .3%,
- other .8%,
- none 7%,
- unspecified 3.3% (2015 est.)
Sweden
note: estimates reflect registered members of faith communities eligible for state funding (not all religions are state-funded and not all people who identify with a particular religion are registered members); an estimated 60.2% of Sweden's population were members of the Church of Sweden in 2017
Ukraine
- Orthodox (includes Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox (UAOC), Ukrainian Orthodox - Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP), Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP)),
- Ukrainian Greek Catholic,
- Roman Catholic,
- Protestant,
- Muslim,
- Jewish (2013 est.)
note: Ukraine's population is overwhelmingly Christian; the vast majority - up to two-thirds - identify themselves as Orthodox, but many do not specify a particular branch; the UOC-KP and the UOC-MP each represent less than a quarter of the country's population, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church accounts for 8-10%, and the UAOC accounts for 1-2%; Muslim and Jewish adherents each compose less than 1% of the total population
Middle East
17 entriesGaza Strip
- Muslim 98.0 - 99.0% (predominantly Sunni),
- Christian <1.0%,
- other,
- unaffiliated,
- unspecified <1.0% (2012 est.)
note: dismantlement of Israeli settlements was completed in September 2005; Gaza has had no Jewish population since then
Iraq
- Muslim (official) 95-98% (Shia 64-69%, Sunni 29-34%),
- Christian 1% (includes Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Assyrian Church of the East),
- other 1-4% (2015 est.)
note: while there has been voluntary relocation of many Christian families to northern Iraq, recent reporting indicates that the overall Christian population may have dropped by as much as 50% since the fall of the SADDAM Husayn regime in 2003, with many fleeing to Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon
Jordan
Muslim 97.2% (official; predominantly Sunni), Christian 2.2% (majority Greek Orthodox, but some Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), Buddhist 0.4%, Hindu 0.1%, Jewish <0.1, folk religionist <0.1, unaffiliated <0.1, other <0.1 (2010 est.)
Lebanon
Muslim 57.7% (28.7% Sunni, 28.4% Shia, smaller percentages of Alawites and Ismailis), Christian 36.2% (Maronite Catholics are the largest Christian group), Druze 5.2%, very small numbers of Jews, Baha'is, Buddhists, and Hindus (2017 est.)
note: data represent the religious affiliation of the citizen population (data do not include Lebanon's sizable Syrian and Palestinian refugee populations) ; 18 religious sects recognized
Oman
- Muslim 85.9%,
- Christian 6.5%,
- Hindu 5.5%,
- Buddhist 0.8%,
- Jewish <0.1%,
- other 1%,
- unaffiliated 0.2% (2010 est.)
note: Omani citizens represent approximately 60% of the population and are overwhelming Muslim (Ibadhi and Sunni sects each constitute about 45% and Shia about 5%); Christians, Hindus, and Buddhists accounting for roughly 5% of Omani citizens
Saudi Arabia
Muslim (official; citizens are 85-90% Sunni and 10-15% Shia), other (includes Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh) (2012 est.)
note: despite having a large expatriate community of various faiths (more than 30% of the population), most forms of public religious expression inconsistent with the government-sanctioned interpretation of Sunni Islam are restricted; non-Muslims are not allowed to have Saudi citizenship and non-Muslim places of worship are not permitted (2013)
Syria
- Muslim 87% (official; includes Sunni 74% and Alawi, Ismaili, and Shia 13%),
- Christian 10% (includes Orthodox, Uniate, and Nestorian),
- Druze 3%,
- Jewish (few remaining in Damascus and Aleppo)
note: the Christian population may be considerably smaller as a result of Christians fleeing the country during the ongoing civil war
United Arab Emirates
note: represents the total population; about 85% of the population consists of noncitizens
West Bank
- Muslim 80-85% (predominantly Sunni),
- Jewish 12-14%,
- Christian 1-2.5% (mainly Greek Orthodox),
- other,
- unaffiliated,
- unspecified <1% (2012 est.)
Yemen
Muslim 99.1% (official; virtually all are citizens, an estimated 65% are Sunni and 35% are Shia), other 0.9% (includes Jewish, Baha'i, Hindu, and Christian; many are refugees or temporary foreign residents) (2010 est.)
North America
5 entriesOceania
25 entriesNew Zealand
note: based on the 2013 census of the usually resident population; percentages add up to more than 100% because respondents were able to identify more than one religion
Northern Mariana Islands
Christian (Roman Catholic majority, although traditional beliefs and taboos may still be found)
South America
13 entriesPeru
- Roman Catholic 60%,
- Christian 14.6% (includes evangelical 11.1%, other 3.5%),
- other .3%,
- none 4%,
- unspecified 21.1% (2017 est.)
Southeast Asia
16 entriesBurma now Burma (Myanmar)
note: religion estimate is based on the 2014 national census, including an estimate for the non-enumerated population of Rakhine State, which is assumed to mainly affiliate with the Islamic faith
Hong Kong
note: many people practice Confucianism, regardless of their religion or not having a religious affiliation
Malaysia
- Muslim (official) 61.3%,
- Buddhist 19.8%,
- Christian 9.2%,
- Hindu 6.3%,
- Confucianism,
- Taoism,
- other traditional Chinese religions 1.3%,
- other 0.4%,
- none 0.8%,
- unspecified 1% (2010 est.)
Philippines
- Roman Catholic 80.6%,
- Protestant 8.2% (includes Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches 2.7%, National Council of Churches in the Philippines 1.2%, other Protestant 4.3%),
- Muslim 5.6%,
- tribal religions .2%,
- other 1.9%,
- none .1% (2010 est.)
Cite this page
Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook 2018, “Religions”, all entries. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/fields/religions/2018.