Largest Religions in the World 2025 (Ranked by Followers)
Are you curious about the largest religions in the world? In 2025, religion continues to shape global culture, traditions, and daily life. Here’s the updated ranking of the top world religions by number of followers:
Top 10 Largest Religions in 2025
- Christianity – 2.3 billion followers | Wikipedia
- | Founded ~30 AD, Middle East
- Islam – 2.0 billion followers | Wikipedia
- | Founded ~610 AD, Arabia
- Hinduism – 1.2 billion followers | Wikipedia
- | Founded ~2000 BC, India
- Buddhism – 300–520 million followers | Wikipedia
- | Founded ~500 BC, India
- Folk & Traditional Religions – ~200–400 million followers | Wikipedia
- | Worldwide
- Shinto – ~89 million followers | Wikipedia
- | Ancient Japan
- Sikhism – 25–30 million followers | Wikipedia
- | 15th century, India
- Judaism – ~15 million followers | Wikipedia
- | ~500 BC, Middle East
- Taoism – 12–173 million followers | Wikipedia
- | ~200 AD, China
- Jainism – 4–5 million followers | Wikipedia
- | ~700 BC, India
Fast Facts About the World’s Largest Religions
- Christianity remains the largest religion globally, with over 2.3 billion followers concentrated in Europe and the Americas.
- Islam is the fastest-growing religion and is projected to rival Christianity in total followers by 2050–2060.
- Hinduism and Buddhism have a major cultural influence in South and East Asia.
- Smaller faiths like Sikhism, Taoism, and Shinto punch above their weight culturally despite having fewer followers.
Religious Demographics by Country: 2025 Global Overview
Curious about religious demographics by country in 2025? With the world population approaching 8.2 billion, the distribution of faith varies widely—from Christian-majority regions in the Americas to Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and Asia. Here’s a mobile-friendly snapshot of major religions by country for the 10 most populous nations, based on 2025 estimates.
Top 10 Most Populous Countries – Religious Breakdown
1. India (1.43B)
- Hinduism: 79.8%
- Islam: 14.2%
- Christianity: 2.3%
- Sikhism: 1.7%
- Others
2. China (1.41B)
- Unaffiliated: 52%
- Folk/Traditional: 21%
- Buddhism: 18%
- Christianity: 5%
3. United States (341M)
- Christianity: 62% (40% Protestant, 19% Catholic)
- Unaffiliated: 29%
- Judaism: 2%
- Islam: 1%
4. Indonesia (279M) – World’s largest Muslim population
- Islam: 87%
- Christianity: 10%
- Hinduism: 1.7%
5. Pakistan (245M)
- Islam: 96.5%
- Hinduism: 2%
- Christianity: 1.3%
6. Nigeria (229M)
- Islam: 50%
- Christianity: 49%
- Traditional: 1%
7. Brazil (217M)
- Christianity: 88% (Catholic & Protestant)
- Unaffiliated: 8%
8. Bangladesh (173M)
- Islam: 91%
- Hinduism: 8%
- Buddhism & Christianity: <1%
9. Russia (144M)
- Christianity: 71% (mostly Orthodox)
- Unaffiliated: 15%
- Islam: 10%
10. Mexico (129M)
- Christianity: 90% (mostly Catholic)
- Unaffiliated: 7%
Key 2025 Trends in Global Religion
- Global share: Christianity remains ~31% of the world population, while Islam accounts for ~25%. Islam is the fastest-growing religion and may rival Christianity by 2050–2060.
- Rising unaffiliated: Religiously unaffiliated populations are growing fastest in Western countries, including the USA, Europe, and China.
- Diversity hotspots: Countries like Nigeria and Indonesia have nearly equal Christian-Muslim populations, creating unique cultural and religious dynamics.
Want to see the full religious breakdown for your country? Explore the Pew Research Interactive Tool
or the World Religion Database
Sources: Pew Research Center (2025), World Population Review, Wikipedia country pages (2024–2025 data)
