The incredibly detailed map of the world’s religions above, was created by reddit user scolbert08. To see the full resolution version just click on it.
It shows what the biggest religion is by census area in each country, along with its level of support. For example, in large parts of British Columbia the most common answer on the census is no religion, but the intensity of that feeling varies widely.
Another important thing to note is that while Christianity is divided between Catholicism, Protestantism and Orthodox denominations, Islam is not similarly divided between Sunnis and Shias.
Also, the map likely wildly overstates the religiosity of Scandinavians, since the data is based on state Church records and everyone is assigned to a church at birth. Actual church attendance is much lower than the map would suggest.
Other interesting things to note:
- The Catholic bit of Antarctica is based on Chilean census data for Villa Las Estrellas
- Omman’s Hindu population comes from migrant workers who outnumber locals.
- The Buddhist area in Russia is Kalmykia.
Below are more detailed maps by region. All created by scolbert08:
Two things to note about Europe. The formerly communist states of East Germany and Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic and Slovakia) are clearly visible on the map as the areas with no religion. Second, despite right-wing fear-mongering, Muslims do not form a majority in any area of Western Europe.
Interestingly, despite Latin American immigration to the United States, the vast majority of its census areas remain protestant majorities. Also, British Columbia is an interesting anomaly being largely non-religious.
While most of Australia is still nominally religious, most of New Zealand is not.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about Asia are the random Protestant census areas. These include parts of India, Sarawak in Malaysia and North Sulawesi and West Papua in Indonesia.
Wondering what the fastest growing religions are? Then check out: Fastest Growing Religion In Each Country Around The World
Notice anything else interesting? Then please leave a comment below:
Gwyn says
No comments on Africa? On the survival of pre-colonial religions in Mozambique? On the interesting range of religions where Protestant and Catholic colonial religions mix with pre-colonial Islam and other indigenous religions in West Africa?
Scott says
Please update this awesome map. And would also be interesting to have it interactive over time. Imagine how informative it would be if it took in more historical data from say the last 500 years?
Chuck says
Gwyn, stop being lazy and do your research.. http://i.imgur.com/rzv85dn.png
Guest says
That “big” green part of Bosnia, surrounded with purple ain’t correct, it should be purple too, mostly orthodox there.
Leon says
No, Bosnia is a muslim Turk country with Catholic Croat and Orthodox Serb minorities.
Ömer Faruk says
No, Bosnia has a majority muslim group called Bosnian and they’re not Turkish. They don’t even below to Turkic family. They’re Slavic but it’s true they affect from Turks.
Sebastian says
Notice that even though the U.S. is still predominantly Protestant, the big metro areas are catholic (Chicago, NY and most east coast, LA, San Francisco, Houston, Cleveland). Also little Protestan enclaves in south Brazil are probably the German colonies, but that big Protestant chunk in the Eastern coast of Central America is baffling.
Alejo Falahé says
That zone has a lot of creole people who came from Jamaica and former British Caribbean Leeward Islands to work in sugar cane plantations, some of this communities remain speaking English as a mother tongue and maintain their Protestant churches.
Gustavo Pedroso says
on Brazil: not really. here in Brazil he actually have a lot of protestants, about 20% of the total population. but the majority of the protestants here are not like presbiterian, lutherans and other classical denominations, but pentescostal and neopentesconal, and they are divided equaly in the population etnically speaking. large part of southern Brazil is colonizated by germans, but many of them are roman catholics
Danilo Pontes says
Actually, Gustavo, southern* Brazil does owe these protestant pockets to German immigration. If you take a look at the 2010 census map (http://www.censo2010.ibge.gov.br/apps/mapa/), you can see that the largest Lutheran communities in RS match the blue areas on the state in the redditor’s map. You know, as a Brazilian like me, that Lutherans don’t mass convert the local population like the Pentecostals and such.
The blue in Rio, Recife metro area, and other pockets around the country where there’s never been much external immigration; those, however, centainly are the Pentecostal converts you’re talking about, and those compromise most of the ~20%.
Gustavo Pedroso says
really, you are right, in southern Brazil that’s true. but surprisingly, lutherans only make 23% of the gaúcho’s evangelical christians
Samuel Julião says
Metropolitan areas are mostly Catholic because of Latin American immigration, and indeed the Protestant enclaves in southern Brazil are German colonies.
Gordon Dudgeon says
Protestant Exclave, not Enclave. If an area is surrounded by ,in this case Roman Catholics it is a RC Enclave. Personally I dont like religious or simply ethnic Enclaves , I prefer National ones where a country surrounds a piece of another.
daidalos says
So Greece is a Protestant country, in the opinion of the creator of the map?
I don’t think so …
erik smit says
No, of course not. The entire dark blue area in the Balcans should be dark purple instead.
Nate Hoffman says
S.Korea has tons of Christians. Not sure if there are more Protestants or Christians, but there are churches evertwhere.
Johny Marshal says
North Sulawesi – Christians, Middle Sulawesi – Tentena, strong Christian communiti, Middle-South Sulawesi – Rantepao – Torajan culture who adopt christianity. Dutch influence (missionars). In many parts of Molucas there are also christians. Dutch dominated in this area when spice (nutmeg, clove, peper) was important, but nowdays muslim majority populate these areas too and christians could disappear.
erik smit says
The islamic world looks more uniform that it actually is. It would have been interesting if Islam had been broken down into Sunni, Shia, Alevite etc. just as christianity was broken down into a number of subgroups.
And interestingly, the author appears to consider Mormons non-Christians (see Utah, colored in as ‘other religions’.
walter schachner, komm zurück! says
well, technically “other relgions” includes non-catholic/protestant/orthodox christians as well, specifically non-trinitarian forms (such as mormonism)
walter schachner, komm zurück! says
full agreement on the islam front though.
TMCP says
Most Christians (including myself) consider the LDS Church to be outside of mainstream Christianity as well.
yamamanama says
What’s with Papua’s patchwork?
Sam Huddy says
North Papua was originally colonized by Germany, South Papua by Britain. West Papua, while today part of Indonesia, was generally beyond the limits of Islamic expansion, and was visited by a number of trading powers over the centuries.
yamamanama says
I’m guessing East Papua’s divide is from German New Guinea and British New Guinea.
Scott williamson says
Britain to my knowledge has had no input into new guinea Australia was ceded control after the First World War from the kaisers Germany ,Papua New Guinea was granted full independence by Australia in the early 70’s by Gough Whitlams labor government
Robert Basset says
Londonistan.
Danilo Pontes says
“Muslims do not form a majority in any area of Western Europe” – *Cough* so… what`s that geen spot in the London East side? *cough*
Robert Basset says
Exactly.
I doubt the author has ever been near it.
igs terious says
How is a spot a majority?
TMCP says
Also, I’m so glad this site always takes the time to aim a kick at “right-wing fear-mongering” in Europe. Just wait until your daughter gets raped by Somalis, you b****rd.
Joe Trader says
After writing that, the author completely discredits the accuracy of his map. Did he rig the stats to reflect his left-wing extremist views?
Milou Enmai says
So much delusion *sigh* When will people grow out of this god thing?
Ján Ďanovský says
“The formerly communist states of East Germany and Czechoslovakia (now
Czech Republic and Slovakia) are clearly visible on the map as the areas
with no religion.”
I see Slovakia full red. Make sure, where Slovakia is.
Lubaska says
Autori napísali pravdu, NDR a ČSSR – ako zdroje “nevercov” – akurát že nešpecifikovali, že rozdelením Československa vznikla jedna takmer totálna ateistická republika a druhá, ktorej obyvatelia sa hlásia k viere. Ale to je detail. a čitateľ mapy ho prečíta správne.
FrantisekKempny says
I’m proud of Czechia, really.
Andriamahanina Jacky says
BE SERIOUS! your data are wrong regarding Madagascar Island religions! Totally WRONG! Drawing FAKE maps from DUBIOUS DATA is insane!
Your supposed “taoism etc…” zone simply DOES NOT EXIST AT ALL! Even if you take in account the 100,000 asian originators over there! We are 24 million inhabitants in Madagascar! Do some maths please or DO NOT OUTPUT STUPID MAPS! YOU.ARE.NOT.SERIOUS!!! CHECK YOUR SOURCES!
Madagascar is 57% Christian, 25% Muslim. And people are Animist in parallel! JUST INVESTIGATE AND USE at least SOLID AND CREDIBLE DATA on the web!
RdWd says
Why are you shouting at a blog editor? You should address the person who made the map.
Joan McKniff says
stop shouting, please. misotra betsika
Kevin_OKeeffe says
“…despite right-wing fear-mongering, Muslims do not form a majority in any area of Western Europe.”
I guess we have to wait another decade for that blessing to be upon us.
Owe Olof Dan Olsson says
just one is one to many anyway.
Michael Joslin says
You cannot zoom in on the world map one click then you are back out to the big picture .. worthless
illiad says
Zooming is not that easy in a simple browser… It is best to save, and look at it properly with a graphics viewer… windows 7 ‘paint’ will open PNG files. 🙂
Ananas_Biter says
The part of Antarctica, which you have painted red, should have been white too. No part of Antarctica belongs to any country and there is no permanent population. Many countries have made territorial claims there in the past, many of them overlapping, but those countries have also signed the Antarctic treaty, which does not recognize the claims.
Robert Basset says
“despite right-wing fear-mongering, Muslims do not form a majority in any area of Western Europe.”
Bullshit chief.
Take a stroll down some of the white British minority cities.
Have a wander through half of the boroughs of London.
Been to Paris recently?
Just put the maps up and keep your leftard gibberish to yourself.
MarekEben says
It’s Czechia and Slovakia … (Czech Republic is just a long form) 🙂
SeaJay says
Can we get a KML file so we Google Earth Pro users can add this as a layer?
Joel says
I’d like to find out more? I’d want to find out more details.
fifty-two – Robbin,
Raj Kumar says
Just After 500 Years The Whole Map Will Be Totally Dark Green
Hegar says
“despite right-wing fear-mongering, Muslims do not form a majority in any area of Western Europe”
Cute. Lying with statistics.
1. Who said they have to be the majority of a region to do what they do?
2. It should be “despite mass immigration,” shouldn’t it? But you wanted to get that political slur in there.
3. They ARE a majority of births in London, Paris and other cities. Oops.
Isreal says
What’s with the Catholic Outpost in Iran?
Thought Criminal says
Cool map. You could leave out the emotionally charged political commentary though. It’s not nice and doesn’t do anyone any good.
Jack says
Majority of births doesn’t mean majority of people. And look, London and Paris have lower percent christian then the rest of their respective countries do.