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What is each country’s second-largest

religious group?

By Conrad Hackett and Timmy Huynh2 comments

Religiously unaffiliated people – sometimes called the “nones” – account for 16 of the !orld"s

 population# and they make up the largest “religious group” in se$en countries and territories%

&erhaps more remarka'ly# they also are the second-largest  group in roughly half ()*+ of the!orld"s nations%

,ndeed# !hile either Christians or -uslims make up the largest religious group in nine.in.ten

nations around the glo'e# “nones” rank second in si/e in most of the 0mericas and urope# as

!ell as in many countries in su'.aharan 0frica%

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“3ones” are a di$erse collection of people# including atheists and agnostics# as !ell as those !hoha$e a mi4 of religious 'eliefs and practices 'ut do not identify !ith a particular faith% 5hile the

“nones” are not a religion per se# they are 'roadly categori/ed as such 'ecause# regardless of

their 'eliefs# they don"t identify !ith a religious group%

f the 112 countries and territories in !hich the unaffiliated rank second# Christians are thelargest religion in 176% ,n many of these nations# including the 8%% and most of 5estern urope#

“nones” are a su'stantial minority% They make up a 9uarter or more of the population in the

8nited :ingdom and ;ermany# for e4ample%

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Christians are the second.largest religious group in )< countries – including in much of predominantly -uslim 3orth 0frica and the -iddle ast – although in many of these states# such

as audi 0ra'ia and =i'ya# less than > of inha'itants are Christian% ,ndeed# in many countries#

the largest group is far larger than the second.largest group% 0cross all countries and territories in

the !orld# the median share of the country population in the largest religious group is **#!hereas the median share in the second.largest group is ?% Three.9uarters of the !orld"s people

li$e as part of the largest religious group in their country# !hile 16 are part of the second.

 'iggest group%

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-uslims are the second.largest group in <7 countries% ,slam ranks second to Christianity in many

0frican countries# particularly in the su'.aharan 'elt of nations that run across the continent%

-any of these countries# such as 3igeria and thiopia# are situated 'et!een the predominantly-uslim -aghre' of 3orth 0frica and the more solidly Christian countries in the southern part of

the continent% ,slam also is the second.largest religion in ,ndia# after Hinduism%

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0dherents of folk religions arethe largest religious group in @ust three countries (-acau# Tai!an and Aietnam+# 'ut they are the

second.largest group in 2< nations# including China (!here “nones” are the 'iggest group+%

Hindus# mean!hile# make up the second.largest group in 12 countries# perhaps most nota'ly&akistan% Buddhists are the second.largest group in se$en countries (including apan+% e!s are

not the second.largest religious group in any nation%

 Note: This analysis is based on the eight religious categories used in “The Future of World

 Religions” report: Christians, Muslis, the religiously unaffiliated, !indus, "uddhists,adherents of fol# religions, $e%s and follo%ers of other religions& These results %ould 'ary if

 subgroups %ithin these categories %ere classified as separate religions&

Country and regional religious coposition data, along %ith future coposition pro(ections, are

a'ailable in sortable tables& )ou can also do%nload a list *+cel file of the largest and second-largest religious groups in each country& .dditional data on country-le'el religious deography

is a'ailable at the /lobal Religious Futures %ebsite&

Topics Religious 0ffiliation# Religiously 8naffiliated

hare the link  http://pew r 

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1%

Conrad Hackett is a demographer focusing on religion at &e! Research Center%

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o Bio

o Dconradhackett

2. Timmy Huynh is an ad$anced analytics intern focusing on demography and religion at

&e! Research Center%