Religion’s Divided House

Of all the world’s religions, Roman Catholicism, Islam, and Hinduism are the largest. Roman Catholics claim 985 million, or 18.8 percent of the total world population of 5.24 thousand million, while 912 million (17.4 percent) profess to be Muslims, and 686 million (13.1 percent) are Hindus​—over twice as many as the 320 million Buddhists.

“Christianity is the most practised of all the religions,” noted Asiaweek. “But it has been so deeply riven into historically antagonistic sects​—the Protestants and Catholics of Northern Ireland being the most prominent surviving example—​that it is difficult for many people to think of it all as one religion. . . . Muslims are less divided into sects than Christians, but Sunni and Shia are two distinct streams with a history that has not always been harmonious.” The largest group of Muslims are the Sunnis.

In addition, a sizable number of the world’s population profess no religious faith. A major part of this population is in China, Eastern Europe, and the Soviet Union. Those who are nonreligious number 896 million, and atheists make up an additional 236 million.