Caryle Murphy

Muslim women have made greater educational gains than Muslim men in most regions of the world.

Melina Platas, an assistant professor of political science at New York University Abu Dhabi, explains the Muslim-Christian education gap in sub-Saharan Africa.

A new Pew Research Center study, analyzing data from 151 countries, looks at education levels of Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and religiously unaffiliated adults ages 25 and older. Here are five key takeaways from the report.

The share of people completing a college education differs by religion, with members of some faith groups much more educated, on average, than others.

When it comes to marriage, Israelis rarely cross religious lines.

While Christian women are on the whole more religious than Christian men, Muslim women and Muslim men have similar levels of religious commitment. And when it comes to attendance at worship services, Muslim men are more active than Muslim women.

A discussion with David Voas of the Department of Social Science at University College London on the gender gap in religion around the world.

Generally, women are more likely than men to be affiliated with a religious organization; women also pray more, and are more inclined to say religion is “very important” in their lives.

Acceptance of homosexuality is rising across the broad spectrum of American Christianity, including among members of churches that strongly oppose homosexual relationships as sinful.

The three countries on the pope’s itinerary -- Uganda, Kenya and the Central African Republic -- all have sizable Catholic populations. But they also have seen violent clashes in recent years.