How many Muslims are there on earth? How many Muslims are there in the world
If we talk about Moscow, then a person of Eastern nationality can be found at almost every step, and the average Russian immediately classifies him as a Muslim. In most cases this is true. But what do the numbers say? How many Muslims are there really in Russia?
History of Islam
The new religion arose during a difficult period in the history of the Middle East. The struggle for power, idolatry, and immoral customs were widespread everywhere. Around 610 CE, according to legend, forty-year-old Muhammad (Muhammad) received a revelation from the angel Jibril near Mecca. This was the beginning of a whole series of messages from above, which were transmitted to the newly appointed prophet for 22 years until his death in 632. At first they were kept in oral form, then the followers of Muhammad collected all his sayings into a single book, which is widely known as the Koran.
One of the main postulates of the new religion was monotheism, as opposed to the polytheism of that time. Muhammad cleansed the Kaaba, the main Arab sanctuary near Mecca, of pagan idols and turned it into a temple of Allah. Although such religious reforms did not pass without resistance, the new teaching soon gained many followers.
Main teachings
The basic creed of Islam - strict monotheism - is succinctly expressed in the shahada, or which every Muslim knows by heart: “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” The four other pillars of Islam are praying five times a day (namaz), obligatory material donations for the poor (zakat), fasting on holidays (sawm), and making a pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj).
Thanks to military, political and economic reasons, Islam has now become. The believers themselves consider this to be God's guidance and proof that their religion is true. Islam brings to the masses not only new rituals and traditions, but also, first of all, a radically new way of thinking.
How many Muslims are there in the world? This question is simple, but the answer is ambiguous. The numbers are approximate: from 1.3 to 1.8 billion people. If by 2015 it almost reached 8 billion, then adherents of the religion of Muhammad range from 16 to 22%. And this is enough. Although followers of Islam are scattered unevenly around the world. There are countries that are indeed almost entirely Muslim, while others have only small communities.
According to some data, Muslims live in more than 197 countries around the world. In 39 of them they even constitute the overwhelming majority among the entire population (more than 80%). And in the other 28 states, Islam is the second or third largest religion. Including in 13 states the concentration of Muslims ranges from 50% to 79%, and in 15 others - from 20% to 49%. According to statistics, in the remaining 33 countries there are from 5% to 19% adherents of Islam. A small number (1% to 4%) live in another 40 countries, and very few - less than 1% - live in 57 countries. Moreover, in 28 countries Islam has been given the status of a state religion. If such figures are reliable, then this religion ranks second in the world in terms of the number of people who consider themselves adherents.
The leader in the number of Muslim residents is Indonesia. Then, in descending order, come India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, Turkey, Algeria. Between 222 and 36 million “true believers” live in these countries. Where is the Russian Federation on this list?
The Russian Federation ranks 21st on this list. The 2010 census showed that the number of Muslims in Russia is 15 million. A few years later, as of 2013, their number increased, and ranged from 18 to 21 million. Although back in the 2000s one could often hear the phrase from the lips of Russian officials: “Twenty million Muslims live in our country.” Why is there such a difference in numbers? How many Muslims actually live in Russia?
A large number of “true believers” do not have registration in the Russian Federation, since they are immigrants and are not registered anywhere, although they actually live in the country. Some reports also take into account such residents. In any case, most of them are seasonal workers who arrived for a month or two, and even if they have temporary registration, whether they should be considered Russian Muslims is a moot point.
If we start from the figures of 21 million (the approximate number of adherents of Islam in 2013) and 146 million (the population of the Russian Federation as of January 1, 2015), then we can calculate the percentage of Muslims in Russia. It comes out to 14%. It turns out that the Russian ummah is an influential minority in the state.
If the data is reliable, then over three years (2010-2013) the Muslim population of Russia increased by 3-6 million. This rapid growth is due to several reasons. Firstly, the same migration. In addition to seasonal workers, many people moved to permanent residence from Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. Secondly, the birth rate among Muslims is higher than among Russians. Thirdly, many Russian residents convert to Islam. Apparently, this dynamic will continue to be observed in the future, and the number of Muslims in Russia will increase.
Muslim peoples of Russia
If we do not take into account the diaspora of Azerbaijanis, Kazakhs, Abkhazians, Tajiks, Turkmen, Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, who have their own statehood, and talk only about those nationalities that live on the territory of the Russian Federation as part of national republics, then we can distinguish about 20 peoples . If we list them, these are Tatars, Bashkirs, Chechens, Ingush, Karachais, Balkars, Avars, Dargins, Kumyks, Lezgins, Laks, Tabasarans, Nogais, Kabardins and others. There are 7 million Tatars, 1.7 million Bashkirs, 1.4 million Chechens. Almost all of the above nations are 100% Muslim. For example, among the Tatars, 98% profess the religion of Muhammad. Therefore, sometimes the number of Muslims in Russia is determined by adding the population of all such Muslim nations. Of course, such a calculation may give inflated figures, because among those born under the crescent sign there are also those who later converted to Christianity. Although, in fairness, it should be noted that the percentage is quite small.
Currents of Islam in Russia
Islam has two main directions: Sunnis (who are the majority in the whole world, and in Russia in particular) and Shiites. Mostly Muslims in the south of Dagestan and Azerbaijanis living in Russia consider themselves Shiites.
Russians' attitude towards Muslims
Generally speaking, it is mostly negative. The reason is partly the number of Muslims in Russia. Their numbers, which are increasing every day, alarm many. But first of all, the division exists at the religious level, because Russia is a stronghold of Orthodoxy, and Russians consider Islam an alien religion to them. Also, the media quite often identify any Muslims with terrorists and extremists, and this develops fear of all people of Eastern nationality. Although these are just stereotypes.
So, there is no clear answer to the question of how many Muslims there are in Russia, but most facts point to a number of 21 million people.
The American research center Pew Research conducted a social study on the topic of the population's belonging to a particular religion. It turned out that 8 out of 10 respondents identify themselves with one religion or another. One of the oldest and most mysterious religions in the world is Buddhism.
Statistics show the following figures about how many Buddhists there are in the world in 2017: more than 500 million people officially profess Buddhism. This represents about 7% of the world's population. It's not very much. But it should be noted that it is Buddhists who most clearly follow the canons and have always been an example of humility and adherence to religious tradition.
Religious map of the Earth. What percentage of Buddhists in the world
The majority of the world's believers are Christians. As of 2016, their number amounted to 32% of the Earth's population (about 2.2 billion inhabitants). Muslims - 23% (1.6 billion people). However, according to forecasts, Islam may soon become the largest religion. There are 15% (1 billion) Hindus in the world, 7% (500 million) Buddhists and 0.2% (14 million) Jews.
It should be noted that only official figures are presented above. In fact, it is impossible to say exactly how many Buddhists there are in the world. The population sometimes ignores the census and does not participate in the compilation of statistics. Following fashionable trends, many carry out various Buddhist practices and share Buddhist ideology.
About 400 million people profess relatively young faiths, such as Shintoism, Sikhism and others. 16% of the population does not belong to any religion, that’s 1.1 billion people.
Buddhism is one of the oldest religions
Today, Eastern religions are gaining more and more followers. For some it is a tribute to fashion, for others it is a way of life. How many Buddhists are there in the world? This is a pressing question related to the popularity of Sidhartha's teachings.
Buddhism is called "Bodhi", which means "the teaching of awakening." It arose back in the 1st millennium BC. e. In essence, Buddhism is a complex religious and philosophical teaching. Followers call it “Dharma”, which means “Law”, or “Buddadharma”, referring to the founder - Prince Sidhartha Gautama, later and to this day called Buddha Shakyamuni.
How many Buddhists are there in the world? How many branches and schools of Buddhism are there? There are 3 main directions: Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana.
Theravada
The most ancient school, preserved in its original form since the beginning of Buddha’s preaching. Initially, Buddhism was not a religion, but a philosophical teaching.
The main feature of Theravada is the absence of an object of universal worship, with the exception of the Buddha. This determines the simplicity of rituals and external attributes of religion. Primordial Buddhism is not a religion, but a philosophical and ethical teaching. The Buddha taught that this amounts to denying one's own responsibility for one's actions. According to Theravada adherents, a person should be independently responsible for his actions, and therefore does not need a large number of controlling laws.
For the same reason, Theravada does not presuppose its own pantheon of gods, therefore, in places where it spreads, the religion exists in symbiosis with local faith, turning to local gods for help in case of need.
Followers of Theravada live in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.
Mahayana
The largest branch of all Buddhists in the world. No matter how many Buddhist schools there are, Mahayana remains the main one to this day. The teachings of the Great Vehicle can be called a full-fledged religion. Its adherents live in Vietnam, Korea, Japan, China and Taiwan. How many Buddhists there are in the world can be judged by the population of these countries.
The Buddha is perceived by Mahayana followers as a divine figure and master teacher, capable of taking on various forms.
One of the main tenets of the Mahayana is the doctrine of bodhisattvas. This is the name given to saints who preferred endless rebirths in the form of divine personalities or missions to Nirvana. So, for example, everyone is considered a bodhisattva. Catherine II patronized the Buddhists of Buryatia, for which she was ranked among the bodhisattvas.
The Mahayana pantheon includes many deities and entities. A large number of fairy tales and myths have been written about them.
Vajrayana or Tantrayana
The teaching called the Diamond Chariot arose in Tibet under the influence of Mahayana and Indian Tantrism. In fact, it is an independent religion. The direction contains complex tantric practices that can lead to enlightenment in one earthly life. Fertility cults and erotic practices are revered. Vajrayana has a close connection with esotericism. The basics of the teaching are transmitted from the teacher - Lama to the student.
Tantrayana is practiced in Mongolia, Bhutan and eastern Russia.
Buddhism in Russia
Traditional adherents live today in the eastern regions of the country, such as the Republic of Buryatia, Kalmykia and Tuva. In addition, Buddhist associations can be found in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities. The percentage of Buddhists living in Russia is approximately 1% of the total population of Buddhists in the world. It is impossible to say exactly how many followers of Sidhartha’s teachings live in Russia. This is because Buddhism is not an official religion, and many of its adherents have not officially declared their religious affiliation.
Buddhism is one of the most peaceful religions. Followers of "Bodhi" call for peace and love. Recently, the number of adherents has been growing slowly but surely. Statistics on how many Buddhists there are in the world for 2017 indicate that every year their number increases by about 1.5%.
Donald Trump's recent executive order temporarily banning immigrants from seven Muslim countries will only affect 12% of the world's Muslims. This is evidenced by data from a 2015 Pew Research Center report on the current and projected size of religious groups. In fact, of the seven countries targeted by the new immigration ban (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen), only Iran is among the top ten countries with the largest Muslim populations.
As of 2010, there were approximately 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, making Islam the second most widely followed religion after Christianity. And while many people, especially in the United States, associate Islam with the Middle East and North Africa, in reality nearly two-thirds of Muslims (62%) live in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a Pew analysis. Thus, more Muslims live in India and Pakistan (344 million combined) than in the entire Middle East, as well as in East and North Africa (317 million).
However, the Middle East, East and North Africa region has the highest concentration of Muslims in the world. Of the region's 341 million people, 93% are Muslim, compared with 30% in sub-Saharan Africa and 24% in the Asia-Pacific region.
Muslims make up the majority of the population in 49 countries. The largest number (about 209 million) is in Indonesia, where 87.2% of the population call themselves adherents of Islam. India has the second largest Muslim population (approximately 176 million), although in percentage terms it constitutes only 14.4% of the country's total population.
In estimating the size of Muslims and other religious groups around the world, Pew Research Center uses a variety of surveys, census data, and population registers to count all the groups and people who identify with a particular religion.
Looking ahead, the center projects that the world's Muslim population will increase to 2.76 billion by 2050, representing 29.7% of the world's population. The share of Muslims living in sub-Saharan African countries will increase from 15.5% (2010) to 24.3%. Asia, which today has more Muslims than all other regions combined (61.7%), will retain its position, although the share of Muslims in the total population there will decrease, amounting to 52.8%. As for the Middle East and North Africa, the percentage of Muslims in the total population will remain virtually unchanged, increasing from 19.8% to 20% in 2050.
Only 0.2% of the total Muslim population lives in North America. In the United States, the proportion of Muslims among the population is projected to double from 0.9% in 2010 to 2.1% in 2050. This forecast is based on demographic and migration trends.
InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial staff.
Christianity is an ancient religion with its own traditions and foundations. Today it is difficult to find a country where there are no Christian churches. Everywhere and consciously people accept the commandments. They create parishes and communities and donate a lot of money for the construction of churches. But how many Christians are there in the world? And what place does this religion occupy in relation to other religions?
World Christianity: statistical data
The Pew Research Center conducted calculations and found that Christians make up 32% of the total population of the Earth. Therefore, we can say with confidence that in 2015 there were about 2.419 billion adherents of this faith on the planet.
What denominations and movements are included in these statistics? The researchers included everyone who met the following criteria:
- adults and children from Christian families;
- those who belong to any Christian denomination;
- those who believe nominally and those who believe deeply;
- Christians who do not identify themselves with any church, but adhere to the tenets of the teachings of Christ.
The Russian Orthodox Church had 120 million followers in 2010. And every year the number of its parishioners only grows.
In the same year, the Romanian Orthodox Church received about 19 million believers under the arches of its churches. There were more of them only in 1998.
The Evangelical Church in Germany works with 23 million 700 thousand Christians. And the Chinese Christian Council - with 23 million Chinese who have converted to Christianity.
The remaining churches, belonging to different denominations, have a more modest number of followers. But at the same time they work stably. And every year there is an increase in those wishing to become Christians.
There are representations of Christian denominations in all 238 countries of the world. Orthodox, Pentecostals, Catholics, non-denominational Christians, Protestants and charismatics are the most common movements in many countries and territories.
From 2000 to 2010 (a whole decade), the number of Christians increased by 28 million people. The dynamics of growth in the number of parishioners and the spread of religion today are only increasing.
Now you know how many Christians there are in the world. It is interesting to compare this number with another world religion. Let's consider the quantitative relationship between Islam and Christianity.
Who are more numerous: Muslims or Christians?
Christianity and Islam have almost the same rates of development. In 2015, the number of Muslims on the planet was about 1.8 billion. And every year this number had a natural increase in the form of new followers of the religion.
There is an expert opinion that Islam may in the future take a leading position in the number of adherents. Already, the popularity of this religion is steadily increasing.
So who are more numerous: Muslims or Christians? There are still more Christians. But long-term forecasts from research centers predict that Islam will take precedence among other religious movements.
Although choosing faith is an unpredictable step. And it is almost impossible to predict which religion a person will prefer. There are many people in the world who were born and baptized in one religious denomination, and then changed it to a completely different one voluntarily. The most common reason for changing religion is marriage to a person of a different religion. This is followed by a change of religion in adulthood, as well as a change of religion due to a change of residence.
The birth rate threshold in religious families also plays a role. Christians have an average of 2.7 children per woman, while Muslims have 3.1 children.
Washington researchers note that the number of atheists in the world, as well as people who have not decided on their religious views, is rapidly decreasing.
By 2050, an equal proportion of Christians and Muslims on our planet is expected. These two world religions have significantly more followers than all other religious movements.
The largest numbers of Muslims live in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia. There are about 20 million representatives of this religion in Russia. Brunei and Kuwait have the least number of Muslims.
Approximately 1 billion people on the planet profess Hinduism, 50 million people consider themselves Buddhists and 14 million belong to Judaism.
The youngest representatives of the religion are observed in Islam. The average age of parishioners is 23 years. In Christianity, the average age of the flock is 30 years, and in Hindus it is 26 years. People who are not affiliated with any religion have an average age limit of 34 years. When calculating average age, only adults who have decided on their religious preferences are taken into account. Children baptized and anointed at a young age are not counted.
It is difficult to give a definite answer to the question of how many Christians there are in the world. This figure varies significantly from year to year. And the number of followers of other religions is also growing steadily. In fact, it is not the number of parishioners that is important, but their number. After all, many of those who are included in the above statistics believe only superficially and do not thoroughly observe the rules and canons of their religion.
