Top 10 Largest Religions In The World

Religions are simply the identification element for humans to give more importance. Universal there are hundred of religions in the world. Among all, there are few religions with standard records.

Being religious does not mean you only have to believe in what is being told, but being religious means is the proof of life, nature and the existence of humans in the right way. So, here is the list of top ten largest/biggest religions in the worlds 2017.

List of the world’s top 10 largest religions in 2017

10. Shintoism

Followers: Approximately 4 million
Of Total Population: 0.01%

Shintoism was founded in 300 BC. With no specific founder, people who follow this religion are called Shinto. It is a form of Toaic religion. The religion has two sacred known scriptures: Nihon Shoki and The Kojiki, written and completed in 712 AD.

9. Jainism

Followers: 4.5 million
Of Total population: 0.06%

Jainism was founded in 600 BC by “The Great Hero” Mahavira. The people who follow Jainism are called Jains. The written scripture of Jainism is called Jain Agamas and there are more than forty Jain Agamas. These scriptures are available in Prakrit language. The religions have two categories of followers, The Shvetambaras and The Digambaras. It is a Dharmic religion with the basic preaching of non-violence, life after death etc.

8. Confucianism

Followers: 7 Million Followers
Of Total Population: 0.1 %

Confucianism was founded by Kong Qiu (K’ung Ch’iu) in 600 BC. Just like Shintoism, Confucianism is a Taoist religion and consist of the most of the population from South East Asia. The followers are known as Confucius and Confucians. There are four major books of this religion and five classic books which are Holy books of Confucianism. With over 7 million followers all across the world, Confucianism is the eighth biggest religion in the world.

7. Bahaism

Follower: 8 Million Approximately
Of Total Population: 0.15 Percent

Bahaism was founded by Mirza Husayn Ali (Bahaullah) in 1900 AD. It was initially started in Iran in the 19th century where Bahaullah preached the religion but was later victimised many times during his life and died in Palestine after getting captured in a prison. The followers of this religion are known as Bahai and Babis. The holy book of Bahai people is Kitab al-Aqdas. The religion follows the Abrahamic teaching and currently spread across the middle eastern countries and many parts of Asia.

6. Judaism

Followers: 20 Million
Of Total population: 0.3 %

Judiasm was founded by Abraham, Jacob and Issac in 1300 BC. Like Bahaism, it is also an Abrahamic religion and one of the oldest religion in the world. With more than 20 million followers all across the globe, it is the sixth largest religion as well. The followers of Judaism are called Jews and they split into thrombin assemblies Conservative, Orthodox and Liberals. Israel consists of core Jewish population followed by United Stated where the maximum percentage of the community is concentrated

5. Sikhism

Followers: 30 Million Followers
Of total population: 0.4 Percent

Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak during 1469-1539 AD. The religion was founded in the state of Punjab in India. Sikhism is the third largest Dharmic religion and the people who follow this religion are called Sikh. The holy book of this religion is “Guru Granth Sahib” which was written in Gurmukhi script originally. Sikh folks can be recognised by the turbans especially on the head of men.

4. Buddhism

Followers: 400 Million
Of total population: 7 Percent

Buddhism was founded in 600 BC by Siddhartha Gautama who is also known as “The Buddha” Buddhism is a Dharmic religion and just like Hinduism the teachings are based on life after death, karma and reincarnation. The people who follow Buddhism are called Buddhists. The holy book of Buddhism is called “The Tripitaka meaning Three Baskets. The actual version of the book was written in Pali language. The religion has different sects such as Mahayana, Vajrayana and Hinayana. Many regions in Asia also follow Tibetan Buddhism which is a part of Vajrayana.

3. Hinduism

Followers: 1 Billion Followers
Of Total population: 15 %

Hinduism is currently the third biggest religion in the world and also one of the oldest religion on this earth. Almost 99.99% of the total Hindu population lives in South Asia ad India along consist of 90% of Hindu followers. The interesting fact about Hinduism is that there is no founder of this religion and the existence of this religion can be tracked back to 1500 BC. The Upanishads and Vedas are the sacred books of Hinduism.

2. Islam

Followers: 1.6 Billion Followers
Of total population: 23 Percent

Islam was founded in 610 AD by Prophet Muhammad. The people who follow Islamic religion are known as Muslims and they strictly believe in Muhammad, Allah, Sunnah and Quran. It is the oldest and second biggest religion in the world. The holy book of Quran is read by all the Muslims. Muslim community consists of two groups: Shia and Sunni. Almost 90% of Islamic followers are Sunnis and only 10% of people are Shias. Just like Judaism and Bahaism, Islam is also an Abrahamic Religion.

1. Christianity

Followers: 2.3 Billion
Of Total Population: 32 Percent

Christianity is the oldest and the most popular religion on this planet. It was founded by Jesus Christ in somewhere around 27 AD. Christianity is also the oldest Abrahamic Religion. The people who follow this religion are called Christians. They believe that Jesus was the son of God. They have a high faith in death and returning of Jesus. Their holy book is called Bible and it is read by most of the Christians. It comprises of two sections added into one: The Old Testament & The New Testament. There are three types of Christian communities: Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. Each of the section comes with different beliefs, preaching and traditions.