Year: 2012

View as: Numbers | Percentages Country Est. 2010 Christian Population Est. 2010 Muslim Population Est. 2010 Unaffiliated Population Est. 2010 Hindu Population Est. 2010 Buddhist Population Est. 2010 Folk Religions Population* Est. 2010 Other Religions Population** Est. 2010 Jewish Population Afghanistan 30,000 31,330,000 <10,000 10,000 <10,000 <10,000 20,000 <10,000 Albania 580,000 2,570,000 50,000 <10,000 <10,000 […]

View as: Numbers | Percentages Country Est. 2010 percent that is Christian Est. 2010 percent that is Muslim Est. 2010 percent that is Unaffiliated Est. 2010 percent that is Hindu Est. 2010 percent that is Buddhist Est. 2010 percent that is Folk Religions* Est. 2010 percent that is Other Religions** Est. 2010 percent that is […]

A country-by-country analysis of data from more than 2,500 censuses, surveys and population registers finds that 84% of adults and children around the globe are religiously affiliated. The study also finds that the median age of two major groups – Muslims (23 years) and Hindus (26) – is younger than the world’s overall population (28), while Jews have the highest median age (36).

Eight-in-ten Americans say they learned little or nothing about the Mormon religion during the 2012 presidential campaign, according to a new Pew Research Center poll. At the same time, poll findings suggest some warming of attitudes toward Mormonism, especially among religious groups that voted heavily for Mitt Romney.

Leading up to the election, there was speculation about how strongly white evangelical Protestants would support a Mormon candidate. According to a new Pew Research Center analysis of exit poll data, white evangelicals voted for Mitt Romney with as much enthusiasm as his other supporters did.

Across the U.S., a fierce debate is taking place between those who hope all gays and lesbians will soon have the right to marry and those who believe that same-sex marriage is helping to undermine heterosexual marriage. Read about the history and current status of the same-sex marriage debate.

The U.S. Supreme Court stepped squarely into the same-sex marriage debate when it agreed on Dec. 7, 2012, to review two important lower court decisions involving gay marriage. Find out what that may mean for the future of same-sex marriage in the U.S.

In recent years, same-sex marriage has been a contentious subject within many religious groups in the U.S. Here is an overview of where 16 religious groups stand on this issue.

On Nov. 20, a Pakistani court ordered blasphemy charges dropped against a Christian teenager who had been accused of burning pages from the Quran. A new Pew Forum analysis finds that as of 2011 nearly half the countries and territories in the world have laws against blasphemy, apostasy or defamation.