1. God, spirits and the natural world
Large majorities around the world say they believe in God. Read about beliefs in spiritual presence “beyond the natural world,” and in animals and nature.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Large majorities around the world say they believe in God. Read about beliefs in spiritual presence “beyond the natural world,” and in animals and nature.
Migrants tend to move to regions where their religion is common, but some regions also see large influxes of migrants from minority religious groups.
Some activities, such as prayer, are widespread. Others, such as fasting and lighting incense or candles, vary more by country.
A majority of North Americans are Christian. But Christian populations declined in the U.S. and Canada, while the unaffiliated grew, from 2010 to 2020.
Muslims account for 29% of global migrants and most commonly live in the Middle-East North Africa and Asia-Pacific regions.
In 2022, global median scores on the Center’s Government Restrictions and Social Hostilities Indexes mirrored 2021. But some regions saw change since 2021.
Migration outpaced global population growth by 83% to 47% from 1990-2020. Buddhist and Muslim migrants more than doubled in number during this time.
The religiously unaffiliated population is the world’s third-largest religious category and grew the second-fastest between 2010 and 2020.
In 2022, governments and/or social actors harassed religious groups in 192 countries and territories out of the 198 analyzed – two more than 2021.
Hindus are the fourth-largest religious category in the world. Nearly all Hindus live in the Asia-Pacific region, with about 95% living in India alone.
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