Singapore tops non secular variety; international tendencies present Christians largest, Muslims fastest-growing, Hindus close to 15% |

Singapore has been named the world’s most religiously various nation in a sweeping research of 201 nations, reflecting how evenly its inhabitants is unfold throughout seven main religion classes.The findings seize broader shifts underway globally. Christians stay the biggest group at 2.3 billion, although their share of the world’s inhabitants has edged down. Muslims are the fastest-growing main faith, increasing by 347 million over the previous decade. Hindus grew by 126 million to achieve 1.2 billion, holding regular at 14.9% of the worldwide inhabitants. In the meantime, the religiously unaffiliated now account for twenty-four.2% worldwide, the third-largest class, and Buddhists are the one main religion to say no in absolute numbers.On the reverse finish of the range scale, Yemen, Afghanistan and Somalia rank among the many least religiously various, whereas the Asia-Pacific area stands out as probably the most assorted total.These findings are drawn from a Pew Analysis Heart report launched in February 2026 as a part of the Pew-Templeton World Non secular Futures mission, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, the John Templeton Basis and Templeton Faith Belief. The research ranks international locations utilizing a Non secular Range Index (RDI) based mostly on how evenly populations are distributed throughout seven teams: Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, adherents of all different religions, and folks with no non secular affiliation.The rankings depend on demographic estimates beforehand printed in Pew’s 2025 report, How the World Non secular Panorama Modified From 2010 to 2020, which synthesised greater than 2,700 censuses and surveys. Every of the 201 international locations and territories included had at the least 100,000 residents in 2010 or 2020, collectively accounting for 99.98% of the worldwide inhabitants in 2020.

Pew’s Non secular Range Index (RDI) assigns international locations a rating between 0 and 10. A rating of 0 represents full homogeneity, a inhabitants composed fully of 1 non secular group. A rating of 10 would signify a superbly even break up amongst seven classes: Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, adherents of different religions, and folks with no non secular affiliation, every group making up roughly 14% of the inhabitants. No nation achieved an ideal 10.The “different religions” class encompasses faiths similar to Baha’is, Daoists, Jains, Shintoists, Sikhs, Wiccans and Zoroastrians, in addition to quite a few smaller teams, together with these typically described as people or conventional religions.

Of the 201 international locations and territories studied, eight fall into the “very excessive” variety vary (scores between 7.0 and 10.0). On the different finish of the size, 41 international locations are categorised as “very low” variety, with scores beneath 1.0. The most important quantity, 89 international locations, sit within the center, categorised as reasonably various.

Singapore and the world’s most various societies

With a rating of 9.3, Singapore comes nearer than every other nation to an excellent distribution throughout the seven classes. Buddhists type 31% of Singapore’s inhabitants, making them the biggest group. However they’re adopted carefully by religiously unaffiliated residents at 20%, Christians at 19%, Muslims at 16%, Hindus at 5%, and adherents of different religions at 9%. No single group holds a majority. Suriname ranks second and is the one Latin American nation within the high 10. Its inhabitants is 53% Christian, 22% Hindu, 13% Muslim and eight% religiously unaffiliated, a demographic sample formed partially by descendants of Nineteenth-century indentured labourers from British India.

Most different international locations within the high 10 are positioned both within the Asia-Pacific area, Taiwan, South Korea and Australia, or in sub-Saharan Africa, Mauritius, Guinea-Bissau, Togo and Benin. France is the one European nation within the high 10. Its inhabitants is 46% Christian, 43% religiously unaffiliated and 9% Muslim, giving it an RDI rating of 6.9. For comparability, South Korea scores 7.3 and america 5.8.

The least various international locations

No nation scores an ideal zero. However Yemen, Afghanistan and Somalia come closest. In every, Muslims account for 99.8% or extra of the inhabitants. General, Muslims make up at the least 99% of the inhabitants in eight of the ten least religiously various international locations and territories. The remaining two, Timor-Leste and Moldova, are virtually fully Christian.

Regionally, the Center East and North Africa has the bottom variety rating at 1.3. The area’s inhabitants is 94% Muslim and contains 5 of the world’s ten least various locations: Yemen, Morocco, Western Sahara, Iraq and Tunisia.

What modified globally between 2010 and 2020

The research additionally revisits how the world’s non secular composition shifted over the last decade. Christians stay the biggest non secular group globally. Their numbers rose by 122 million to achieve 2.3 billion. However as a share of the worldwide inhabitants, Christians declined by 1.8 share factors, falling to twenty-eight.8%. Muslims had been the fastest-growing group. Their inhabitants elevated by 347 million, greater than all different religions mixed, and their international share rose by 1.8 share factors to 25.6%. Folks with no non secular affiliation, typically referred to as “nones,” grew by 270 million to 1.9 billion, rising their share to 24.2% of the worldwide inhabitants. This development occurred regardless of the group being older on common and having decrease fertility charges, partly due to non secular “switching,”notably Christians disaffiliating. Hindus elevated by 126 million to 1.2 billion and held regular at 14.9% of the worldwide inhabitants.

Buddhists had been the one main group to say no numerically, dropping by 19 million to 324 million and slipping to 4.1% of the worldwide inhabitants. The worldwide Jewish inhabitants grew by practically 1 million to 14.8 million and remained about 0.2% of the world’s inhabitants, the smallest group within the research. All different religions mixed account for two.2% of the worldwide inhabitants and grew in step with total inhabitants growth. As of 2020, 75.8% of the world’s inhabitants identifies with a faith, whereas 24.2% doesn’t. In 2010, these figures had been 76.7% and 23.3%, respectively.

Range among the many world’s largest international locations

Among the many 10 most populous international locations, every with at the least 120 million individuals and collectively accounting for practically 60% of the worldwide inhabitants, america is probably the most religiously various. Christians make up 64% of its inhabitants, religiously unaffiliated individuals account for about 30%, and the remaining 6% are Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews and adherents of different religions, every representing roughly 1–2%. Nigeria is the second-most various amongst these massive international locations. Muslims and Christians every comprise greater than 40% of its inhabitants, making it some of the evenly break up international locations between two non secular teams. Pakistan, against this, is the least various among the many ten. Muslims account for 97% of its inhabitants, giving it an RDI rating of 0.8, in contrast with 5.8 in america.

Regional patterns

The Asia-Pacific area is probably the most religiously various total, with an RDI rating of 8.7. No single group types a majority there. The most important class, religiously unaffiliated individuals, represents roughly one-third of the area’s inhabitants. The area contains massive populations of Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and adherents of different religions; Jews have a comparatively small presence. North America (6.0), sub-Saharan Africa (5.9) and Europe (5.6) are categorised as extremely various. In every of those areas, Christians type the bulk. The second-largest group includes at the least 1 / 4 of the inhabitants, religiously unaffiliated individuals in North America and Europe, and Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa. Latin America and the Caribbean fall into the average class, with an RDI rating of three.1. The area has a robust Christian majority and a smaller share of unaffiliated residents.