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Visualizing the World’s Most Popular Religions

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The World's Most Popular Religions

Visualizing the World’s Most Popular Religions

According to some estimates, there are over 4,000 religions, faiths groups, and denominations that exist around the world today. Researchers and academics generally categorize the world’s religions into five major groups: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Judaism.

This graphic by Chit Chart visualizes the most popular religions around the world, using the latest available data from Index Mundi’s world demographics.

In addition to the five major religious groups, the graphic includes two more categories: one for a collective of Folk religions and another for people who are unaffiliated with a religion.

The Religions with the Most Followers

Although the number of people who follow a religion has decreased in recent decades, 82.8% of the global population still identifies with one of the world’s major religions.

Here’s a breakdown of the most popular religions, ranked by their following as a percentage of the world’s population:

RankReligion% of World’s Population
1Christian31.4%
2Muslim23.2%
3Unaffiliated16.4%
4Hindu15.0%
5Buddhist7.1%
6Folk Religions5.9%
7Jewish0.2%
8Other0.8%

Christianity has the largest following with approximately 31% of the global population. Muslims make up the second-largest religious group, accounting for 23.2% of the world’s population.

Roughly 16.4% of the global population is unaffiliated with a religion. This figure exceeds the percentage of people who identify with Hinduism (15%), Buddhism (7.1%), Folk Religions (5.9%), or Judaism (0.2%).

The World’s Religions from Oldest to Newest

Hinduism is considered the oldest religion in the world, originating in the Indus River Valley (modern-day Pakistan) circa 7000 BCE.

While Judaism came after Hinduism, it is thought to be the oldest of the three monotheistic Abrahamic faiths, making it older than Christianity and Islam.

It began circa 2000 BCE in the Southern Levant (modern-day Israel, Palestine, and Jordan). By contrast, Christianity was founded in the 1st century and began as a movement within Judaism.

Scholars typically date the creation of Islam to the 7th century, making it the youngest of the world’s major religions on this list. Islam was established in Mecca (modern-day Saudi-Arabia).

One religion that’s not included on this list is Sikhism. Founded in the late 15th century, it’s relatively new, especially compared to other religions like Hinduism or Judaism. Yet, despite being new, Sikhism has a large following—according to some estimates, there are over 25 million Sikhs worldwide.

What are Folk Religions?

A folk religion is defined as an ethnic or cultural practice that exists outside the theological doctrine of organized religions.

Lacking sacred texts, Folk religions are more concerned with spirituality than rituals or rites. Examples of Folk religions include Native American traditions, Chinese folk religions, and traditional African religions.

Since Folk religions are less institutionalized, they are especially challenging to measure and often excluded from surveys. With that said, an estimated 5.9% of the global population (approximately 430 million people) practice a Folk religion.

The Fastest-Growing Religions

While Islam is the newest of the big five religions, it’s currently the world’s fastest-growing one too. For context, here’s the estimated percent change among the seven religion categories, between 2015 and 2060:

RankReligious GroupEst. % change in population size (2015-2060)
1Muslims70%
2Christians34%
3Hindus27%
4Jews15%
5Folk religions5%
6Unaffiliated3%
7Buddhists-7%

Islam’s rapid growth means it may surpass Christianity as the world’s largest religion within the next half-century. What’s causing this growth?

According to Pew Research Center, the main reason is simply demographics—on average, Muslim women have 2.9 children, which the average of all non-Muslims is 2.2.

Muslims are also concentrated in Africa and the Middle East, the two regions predicted to have the highest population increases in the next few decades.

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This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.

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Demographics

Mapped: The World’s Happiest Countries in 2023

Where do the happiest people on earth live? This map is a snapshot of the world’s most (and least) happy countries in 2023.

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World's Happiest Countries

The World’s Happiest Countries in 2023

Measuring subjective ideas like happiness and life satisfaction is tricky business.

Are wealth and prosperity legitimate measures of happiness? How about safety and health outcomes? In the West, we view democracy as a key component to happiness, yet there are countries under authoritarian rule that score high in the Happiness Index. Questions like these make “ranking happiness” a particularly challenging puzzle, but also one worth pursuing. If policymakers have a clearer picture of what conditions can foster happiness, they can enact policies that can improve the lives of people living their jurisdictions.

The map above is a global snapshot of life satisfaction around the world. It utilizes the World Happiness Report—an annual survey of how satisfied citizens are worldwide—to map out the world’s happiest and least happy countries.

To create the index the map is based on, researchers simply asked people how satisfied they are with their lives. Scores were assigned using these self-reported answers from people living within various countries, as well as quality of life factors. While there may be no perfect measure of happiness around the world, the report is a robust and transparent attempt to understand happiness at the global level. For more detailed notes on the report’s methodology and more, we recommend viewing the info box at the end of this article.

Now, let’s look at the world’s happiest countries in 2023.

Global Happiness, by Country

Global happiness currently averages out to 5.5 out of 10, a decrease of 0.1 from last year. Below is a look at every country’s score:

RankCountryScore
#1🇫🇮 Finland7.8
#2🇩🇰 Denmark7.6
#3🇮🇸 Iceland7.5
#4🇮🇱 Israel7.5
#5🇳🇱 Netherlands7.4
#6🇸🇪 Sweden7.4
#7🇳🇴 Norway7.3
#8🇨🇭Switzerland7.2
#9🇱🇺 Luxembourg7.2
#10🇳🇿 New Zealand7.1
#11🇦🇹 Austria7.1
#12🇦🇺 Australia7.1
#13🇨🇦 Canada7.0
#14🇮🇪 Ireland6.9
#15🇺🇸 United States6.9
#16🇩🇪 Germany6.9
#17🇧🇪 Belgium6.9
#18🇨🇿 Czechia6.8
#19🇬🇧 United Kingdom6.8
#20🇱🇹 Lithuania6.8
#21🇫🇷 France6.7
#22🇸🇮 Slovenia6.7
#23🇨🇷 Costa Rica6.6
#24🇷🇴 Romania6.6
#25🇸🇬 Singapore6.6
#26🇦🇪 UAE6.6
#27🇹🇼 Taiwan6.5
#28🇺🇾 Uruguay6.5
#29🇸🇰 Slovakia6.5
#30🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia6.5
#31🇪🇪 Estonia6.5
#32🇪🇸 Spain6.4
#33🇮🇹 Italy6.4
#34🇽🇰 Kosovo6.4
#35🇨🇱 Chile6.3
#36🇲🇽 Mexico6.3
#37🇲🇹 Malta6.3
#38🇵🇦 Panama6.3
#39🇵🇱 Poland6.3
#40🇳🇮 Nicaragua6.3
#41🇱🇻 Latvia6.2
#42🇧🇭 Bahrain6.2
#43🇬🇹 Guatemala6.2
#44🇰🇿 Kazakhstan6.1
#44🇷🇸 Serbia6.1
#46🇨🇾 Cyprus6.1
#47🇯🇵 Japan6.1
#48🇭🇷 Croatia6.1
#49🇧🇷 Brazil6.1
#50🇸🇻 El Salvador6.1
#51🇭🇺 Hungary6.0
#52🇦🇷 Argentina6.0
#53🇭🇳 Honduras6.0
#54🇺🇿 Uzbekistan6.0
#55🇲🇾 Malaysia6.0
#56🇵🇹 Portugal6.0
#57🇰🇷 South Korea6.0
#58🇬🇷 Greece5.9
#59🇲🇺 Mauritius5.9
#60🇹🇭 Thailand5.8
#61🇲🇳 Mongolia5.8
#62🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan5.8
#63🇲🇩 Moldova5.8
#64🇨🇳 China5.8
#65🇻🇳 Vietnam5.8
#66🇵🇾 Paraguay5.7
#67🇲🇪 Montenegro5.7
#68🇯🇲 Jamaica5.7
#69🇧🇴 Bolivia5.7
#70🇷🇺 Russia5.7
#71🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina5.6
#72🇨🇴 Colombia5.6
#73🇩🇴 Dominican Republic5.6
#74🇪🇨 Ecuador5.6
#75🇵🇪 Peru5.5
#76🇵🇭 Philippines5.5
#77🇧🇬 Bulgaria5.5
#78🇳🇵Nepal5.4
#79🇦🇲 Armenia5.3
#80🇹🇯 Tajikistan5.3
#81🇩🇿 Algeria5.3
#82🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR5.3
#83🇦🇱 Albania5.3
#83🇮🇩 Indonesia5.3
#85🇿🇦 South Africa5.3
#86🇨🇬 Congo5.3
#87🇲🇰 North Macedonia5.3
#88🇻🇪 Venezuela5.2
#89🇱🇦 Laos5.1
#90🇬🇪 Georgia5.1
#91🇬🇳 Guinea5.1
#92🇺🇦 Ukraine5.1
#93🇨🇮 Ivory Coast5.1
#94🇬🇦 Gabon5.1
#95🇳🇬 Nigeria5.0
#96🇨🇲 Cameroon5.0
#97🇲🇿 Mozambique5.0
#98🇮🇶 Iraq5.0
#99🇵🇸 Palestine5.0
#100🇲🇦 Morocco5.0
#101🇮🇷 Iran5.0
#102🇸🇳 Senegal4.9
#103🇲🇷 Mauritania4.7
#104🇧🇫 Burkina Faso4.6
#105🇳🇦 Namibia4.6
#106🇹🇷 Türkiye4.6
#107🇬🇭 Ghana4.6
#108🇵🇰 Pakistan4.6
#109🇳🇪 Niger4.5
#110🇹🇳 Tunisia4.5
#111🇰🇪 Kenya4.5
#112🇱🇰 Sri Lanka4.4
#113🇺🇬 Uganda4.4
#114🇹🇩 Chad4.4
#115🇰🇭 Cambodia4.4
#116🇧🇯 Benin4.4
#117🇲🇲 Myanmar4.4
#118🇧🇩 Bangladesh4.3
#119🇬🇲 Gambia4.3
#120🇲🇱 Mali4.2
#121🇪🇬 Egypt4.2
#122🇹🇬 Togo4.1
#123🇯🇴 Jordan4.1
#124🇪🇹 Ethiopia4.1
#125🇱🇷 Liberia4.0
#126🇮🇳 India4.0
#127🇲🇬 Madagascar4.0
#128🇿🇲 Zambia4.0
#129🇹🇿 Tanzania3.7
#130🇰🇲 Comoros3.5
#131🇲🇼 Malawi3.5
#132🇧🇼 Botswana3.4
#133🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo3.2
#134🇿🇼 Zimbabwe3.2
#135🇸🇱 Sierra Leone3.1
#136🇱🇧 Lebanon2.4
#137Afghanistan1.9

Note: Scores have been rounded to the first decimal place.

European countries make up the bulk of the top 10, with Israel (#4) and New Zealand (#10) also making it into the top ranks. Finland sits at the very top of the ranking for the sixth year in a row.

Now let’s look at the world’s happiest countries on a more regional basis.

North America

Current Mood: Happy (6.3)

world's happiest countries 2023 - North America map

North America’s happiness score averages out to 6.3/10. The happiest country in the region is Canada, slightly beating out the United States. However, the scores of both countries have actually decreased from last year. It’s difficult to pinpoint why citizens feel less satisfied, but inflation, economic uncertainty, and many other factors could play a role.

The only countries to see improvement in North America were Nicaragua and Jamaica. Although a more recent development, many Jamaicans could be experiencing even more happiness in the near future, with a recent announcement of plans to increase the minimum wage by 44%.

South America

Current Mood: Content (5.8)

world's happiest countries 2023 - South America map

South America’s average score is 5.8. Although Venezuela is the continent’s least happy country, its score actually improved from 4.9 to 5.2. That said, the ongoing humanitarian and economic crisis is not likely to instill much hope into the average Venezuelan. Over 6.8 million people have fled the struggling nation since 2014.

The two countries in the region with decreased scores were Brazil and Colombia, where citizens have reported feeling worse compared to the year before.

Europe

Current Mood: Happy (6.4)

world's happiest countries 2023 - Europe map

Europe has some of the world’s happiest countries, with an average regional score of 6.4. Nordic countries like Finland, Sweden, and Iceland repeatedly report high scores, meaning people in these countries feel extremely satisfied with their lives.

Despite fending off an invasion, Ukrainians saw no diminishment of their happiness year-over-year, and many are feeling resilient and purposeful in their fight for freedom. Interestingly, Russia’s score actually increased slightly compared to last year, going from 5.5 to 5.7.

East Asia and Oceania

Current Mood: Neutral (5.6)

world's happiest countries 2023 - East Asia map

East Asia and Oceania’s collective average is 5.6. Oceania alone, however, would have the highest regional score in the world, at 7.1.

Bucking conventional wisdom—at least in the West—China has seen a noteworthy bump (+0.6) in its score in recent years. Across the strait, Taiwan records the second highest score in East Asia, after Singapore.

India once again has the lowest happiness score in its region. The country’s score has dropped -0.7 over the past decade.

Central Asia and The Middle East

Current Mood: It’s Complicated (5.2)

world's happiest countries 2023 - Middle East map

The average score in the Middle East and Central Asia is 5.2, and the array of happiness scores is wider than in any other region.

Afghanistan is the world’s least happy country, with citizens having reported extremely low levels of life satisfaction. Since the Taliban takeover, life has become objectively worse for Afghans, particularly women.

There is a lot of conflict in the region. Citizens of Armenia face particular tension with neighboring Azerbaijan, whose score was not recorded for this year. Conflicts in the Nagorno-Karabakh region have led to hundreds of deaths since 2020 and cause daily struggle for those who live in the disputed territory. Iran is still under economic sanctions and faces ongoing tensions with the U.S. and Israel. Some countries, like Syria and Yemen, are so destabilized that no data is available.

Still, there are bright spots as well. Israel has one of the world’s happiest countries with a top 10 score this year, and Saudi Arabia and the UAE have scores on par with many European countries.

Africa

Current Mood: Unhappy (4.4)

world's happiest countries 2023 - Africa map

The least happy region, Africa, averages out to a score of 4.4, and there is a lot of regional variation.

The highest score in Africa goes to the island nation of Mauritius. In addition to the country’s natural beauty and stability, there is growing economic opportunity. Mauritius is classified as an upper-middle-income country by World Bank, and is one of the fastest growing high-income markets in the world.

Sierra Leone has the lowest score of African countries that were included in the index, followed by Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It’s worth noting, there are a few data gaps in the region, including Burundi, which is currently the poorest country in the world.

Where does this data come from?

Source: The World Happiness Report which leverages data from the Gallup World Poll.

Methodology: A nationally representative group of approximately 1,000 people is asked a series of questions relating to their life satisfaction, as well as positive and negative emotions they are experiencing. The life evaluation question is based on the Cantril ladder, wherein the top of the ladder represents the best possible life for a person (a score of 10/10) and on the flipside, the worst possible life (scored as 0/10). The main takeaway is that the scores result from self-reported answers by citizens of each of these countries. The results received a confidence interval of 95%, meaning that there is a 95% chance that the answers and population surveyed represent the average. As well, scores are averaged over the past three years in order to increase the sample size of respondents in each country.

Criticisms: Critics of the World Happiness Report point out that survey questions measure satisfaction with socioeconomic conditions as opposed to individual emotional happiness. As well, there are myriad cultural differences around the world that influence how people think about happiness and life satisfaction. Finally, there can be big differences in life satisfaction between groups within a country, which are averaged out even in a nationally representative group. The report does acknowledge inequality as a factor by measuring the “gap” between the most and least happy halves of each country.

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