Global Religious Demographics

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.

Standard lists of history’s most influential religious leaders – among them Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) – tend to be predominantly, if not exclusively, male. Many religious groups, including Roman Catholics and Orthodox Jews, allow only men to be clergy, while others, including some denominations in the evangelical Protestant tradition, have lifted that restriction only in recent decades. Yet it often appears that the ranks of the faithful are dominated by women.

There are deep divisions in Israeli society over political values and religion's role in public life -- not only between Jews and the Arab minority, but also among the religious subgroups that make up Israeli Jewry.

Pope Francis begins a highly anticipated seven-day South American trip on Sunday that includes stops in Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay. As millions of faithful Catholics prepare to welcome Pope Francis next week, here are key facts about his trip.

While either Christians or Muslims make up the largest religious group in nine-in-ten nations around the globe, the religiously unaffiliated rank second in size in most of the Americas and Europe, as well as in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

The number of Christians in Europe is forecast to drop by about 100 million by 2050, while the share of Muslims and smaller religious minorities will increase.

Demographer Conrad Hackett explains how he and his team put together our major new report and why it differs from past efforts to predict religious change.

The share of the world's Christians in Europe will continue to decline while the percentage in sub-Saharan Africa will increase dramatically.

What will the world’s religious landscape look like a few decades from now?