Kenya See Methodology for details. Other scholars, he says in the article, have suggested the cause of religious decline is the accumulation of wealth. According to the UN estimates, five of the eight countries that are expected to make up half of the world's population growth over the next 27 years are in Africa. Author of, Emeritus Professor of Geography, University of Durham, England. The Islamic religion, which the Arabs carried with them, spread from North Africa into many areas south of the Sahara, so that many western African peoples are now largely Islamized. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com, The Democratic Republic of Congo - 86,790,570, The 10 Least Populated Countries in Africa, The 10 Most Populated Countries In Europe, The 10 Most Populated Countries In The World, The 10 Most Densely Populated Countries In The World, 5 Philosophical Answers to the Meaning of Life, 12 Philosophical Concepts You Should Know. Orthodox Christianity in the 21st Century | Pew Research Center The study found that in the rest of the cases, including Kenya and Zambia, support for Christianity was below the global average. The land is richly fertile, and Ugandan coffee has become both a mainstay of the agricultural economy and a favourite of connoisseurs around the world. Africa's northern and southernmost countries also stretch out of the tropics (from 0 to 23.5 N and S latitude) and into the northern and southern temperate latitudes (latitudes above the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn).As the world's second-largest continent, Africa is divided into 53 officially recognized countries. Indeed, nearly half (48%) of the broader Christian population now lives in Latin America and Africa, up from 14% in 1910. [Online]. For similar-sized African countries with lower Catholic populations, population growth over that same period was 275%. If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again. Brazil By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Stay up to date with what you want to know. Thorn woodland, grassland, and semidesert vegetation, Africa - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Africa - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Iran's leader, visiting Africa, attacks Western support for homosexuality as among 'dirtiest' things, After the fall of Roe, emboldened religious conservatives lobby to restrict abortion in Africa. Still, the share of Orthodox Christians living outside Central and Eastern Europe has increased somewhat, to 23% in 2010 from 9% a century ago. Now, there are 60 million Orthodox Christians living outside Central and Eastern Europe, out of a global Orthodox population of 260 million. Famous for its safaris, this East African country's economy is rapidly growing. With an annual population growth rate of 1.85%, its expected the population will double by 2050. The Size and Distribution of the World's Christian Population | Pew History of the spread The following is a list of Africa's countries ordered by land area. Located in Africas horn on its east coast, the landlocked nation of Ethiopia is the second most populous nation in Africa. Over the last century, several sizable diaspora communities of Orthodox Christians have developed in the Americas and Western Europe, areas that, a century ago, had only small Orthodox populations. Related topics Glossary Index Outline Christianity portal v t e As of the year 2023, Christianity had approximately 2.6 billion adherents and is the largest-religion by population respectively. While some areas appear to have been inhabited more or less continuously since the dawn of humanity, enormous regionsnotably the desert areas of northern and southwestern Africahave been largely unoccupied for prolonged periods of time. Nigeria has the largest population in Africa. Facing extinction, Tuvalu considers the digital clone of a country African priests overstaying the permission of their bishops back in Africa is in some places an ongoing problem. Tuvalu is expected to be one of the first countries in the world to be completely lost to climate change. The rise is in contrast to a growing number of countries that will experience population declines. Failed Wagner revolt leaves a question in Africa: Will the ruthless mercenaries remain? Paradoxically, the coastline of Africa18,950 miles (30,500 km) in lengthis shorter than that of Europe, because there are few inlets and few large bays or gulfs. This landlocked country in East Africa is home to approximately 44 million people. See Pew Research Centers, Githieya, Francis Kimani. The country represents 0.69% of the worlds population, with its numbers expected to double by 2040. Thus, although Africa is the second largest continent, it contains only about 10 percent of the worlds population and can be said to be underpopulated. In all, 19 countries around the world have at least a million Orthodox Christians, including Romania (19 million) and Greece (10 million). Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). In 1970, there were seven African countries with populations of more than one million people, which were at least 30% Catholic. Of the 10 countries with the largest Orthodox populations in 2010, eight are located in Central and Eastern Europe. The scholars found that nine of the 10 countries with the fastest declining Christian populations in the world offer moderate to high levels of official support for Christianity. Christianity is on the rise in African countries despite the harsh religious environment on the continent that is characterized by persecution of Christians and lack of government support of churches, a new study has revealed. Looking at major countries in those regions: Nigeria is more affluent than India, while Pakistan is similar to Kenya. Countries in Africa 2023 - World Population Review As empty church pews in Europe and North America have shown, cultural Catholicism is not a guarantee of future religious vitality. (The total Christian population, including Orthodox, Catholics, Protestants and others, has risen from 614 million to 2.2 billion during that period.). Irans president on a rare visit to Africa has sharply criticized Western nations support for homosexuality as one of the dirtiest things which have been done in human history., When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the national right to abortion a year ago, it shook efforts to legalize and make abortions safer in Africa, The Russian mercenary group that briefly rebelled against President Vladimir Putins authority has for years been a ruthless force-for-hire across Africa, protecting rulers at the expense of the masses, Fashion designers from several parts of Africa have come together for a show in eastern Congo, hoping to inspire peace and creativity in a region long affected by conflict, Counter-terrorism experts say Africa is now the worlds terrorism hot spot, with half of the victims killed last year in sub-Saharan Africa. Coauthor of, Professor of Anthropology, Virginia Commonwealth University. Briney, Amanda. Africa is crossed from north to south by the prime meridian (0 longitude), which passes a short distance to the east of Accra, Ghana. Latin America has a fertility rate of 2.0, below the replacement level. 1997. Ethiopia has a similarly large Orthodox population (36 million); its Orthodox Tewahedo Church claims lineage back to Christianitys earliest centuries. Islam, which is primarily concentrated in the northern regions of the continent, grew from 33% of the population to 41%. The number of Catholics in Africa grew by more than eight million in 2019, for a total of around 19% of the population, while in Asia, which has 4.5 billion people, Catholics make up just 3.31% of . Their concerns, and ways of thinking, may well offer the Church paths forward on difficult issues, but not without emerging tensions between African Churchmen and their European and American counterparts. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax Briney, Amanda. Nigeria has a high density of Christians in their population at 85 million. Catholicism Grows In Africa And Asia, Plummets In Europe, Report Says For reference, the country's population and capital city have also been included. Each year, its population increases by nearly 5.5 million. Africa is key to the future of the Catholic Church not only because of demographics. Today, DR Congos population is nearly 87 million. The scholars found that seven of the 10 countries with the fastest-growing Christian populations offer low or no official support for Christianity. Again, Nigeria has been influenced as a British colony, though conflicts remain between Christians and Muslims. However, the support does not come in the way devout believers might expect, the two researchers assert, and explain, As governmental support for Christianity increases, the number of Christians declines significantly.. Top 11 Countries with the Greatest Number of Catholics (total headcount): Brazil - 123,360,000 Mexico - 100,000,000 Philippines - 85,470,000 United States - 69,300,000 Italy - 50,474,000 France - 39,000,000 Colombia - 35,000,000 Poland - 33,037,017 Spain - 30,720,000 Argentina - 28,770,000 Congo (Dem. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/geography-of-the-countries-of-africa-1434326. There are seven countries in Western Europe that had fewer than 10,000 Orthodox Christians in 1910 but now have Orthodox populations over 100,000. It is estimated that roughly 48 percent of the country's population are Protestant. Africa: prevalence of Christianity by country 2023 | Statista Directly accessible data for 170 industries from 150+ countries The smallest country with an Orthodox majority is Montenegro (which has a total population of 630,000), where 74% of the population is Orthodox.10. In the 41 years since, Nigeria's population has nearly tripled . As one of the Protestant countries, approximately 32 million are Protestants and that includes those in the Kimbanguist religion. There also has been rapid growth in the vast Asia-Pacific region, where 131 million Catholics (12%) now live, up from 14 million (5%) a century ago. Fourteen countries worldwide have Orthodox majorities, and all of them except Eritrea and Cyprus are in Europe. African Countries by Population (2023) - Worldometer Worldometer. Church in Afric, Population Growth Extremes: Doublers and Decliners. Other, smaller islands include the Seychelles, Socotra, and other islands to the east; the Comoros, Mauritius, Runion, and other islands to the southeast; Ascension, St. Helena, and Tristan da Cunha to the southwest; Cape Verde, the Bijags Islands, Bioko, and So Tom and Prncipe to the west; and the Azores and the Madeira and Canary islands to the northwest. Of those, 19 million are Protestants. Africa contains an enormous wealth of mineral resources, including some of the worlds largest reserves of fossil fuels, metallic ores, and gems and precious metals. This total far exceeds the 2015 world population of 7.2 billion.The world's population continues to increase by roughly 140 people per minute, with births outweighing deaths in most countries. The southeastern part of the plateau includes the Ethiopian Plateau, the East African Plateau, andin eastern South Africa, where the plateau edge falls downward in a scarpthe Drakensberg range. Tensions might also arise over political emphases, spirituality, and the need for Catholics in Africa - as in Latin America - to catechize congregations in the face of evangelization efforts by Evangelical/Pentecostal communities. Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. Ethiopia, where the Orthodox population has increased over the last century from 3 million to 36 million, is not part of an Orthodox diaspora; its Orthodox history dates to the fourth century of Christianity, more than half a millennium before Christianity developed a substantial following in Russia. Religion in Africa - Wikipedia Then you can access your favorite statistics via the star in the header. The recent Pillar Survey of Religious Attitudes and Practice found that only 36% of self-identified Catholics say they go to Mass on a weekly basis since the pandemic, while surveys by CARA and Pew Research have found even lower numbers of Mass attendance. For the full list of all 54 countries in Africa, see the table below. Geography of the Countries of Africa. Egypt and the rest of North Africa were integral parts of the Roman world and were early centers for Christianity. With 54 countries, Africa exhibits a diverse range of language, landscape, beliefs, and cultures. Retrieved from:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_African_countries_and_territories. The continent is bounded on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, on the north by the Mediterranean Sea, on the east by the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, and on the south by the mingling waters of the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Uganda | Religion, Population, Language, President, & Kampala Other regions of the world have even lower fertility rates. In the northeast, Africa was joined to Asia by the Sinai Peninsula until the construction of the Suez Canal. Orthodox Christianity in Kenya, on the other hand, developed during the early to mid-20th century through the assistance of missionaries and became affiliated with the Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa in the 1960s.15, 1615 L St. NW, Suite 800Washington, DC 20036USA India This geographic distribution distinguishes Orthodox populations from the other major Christian groups, which are far more evenly distributed around the world. In the process, the country will leap-frog Pakistan and Indonesia and end up in a virtual tie with the US as the third most populous country in the world. He says that in persecution, believers turn to their faith as a source of strength, and that it is such devotion that attracts those outside their faith. Just as Africa will play an increasingly important role in the global economy, its increasing population seems set to play an ever-larger role in the life of the Church. At the same time, Orthodox Christians remain a small minority of sub-Saharan Africas Christians, most of whom are Catholics or Protestants. Poland is a deeply religious country, with 85.8% of the population citing their religion as Catholic. ", Worldometer, African countries with the largest population as of 2020 (in 1,000 individuals) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1121246/population-in-africa-by-country/ (last visited July 14, 2023), African countries with the largest population as of 2020 (in 1,000 individuals) [Graph], Worldometer, June 22, 2023. Africa is also the poorest continent (excluding Antarctica) by a wide margin. Currently, you are using a shared account. The study, which was carried out in 166 countries globally to examine the correlation between the growth of Christianity and the support given to it by the respective governments has placed 10 African countries on top of the list of countries where there has been immense growth. Because of its high level of religious practice, sub-Saharan Africa is also one of the few parts of the world in which the number of priests is growing year after year. For the first time in a generation, the Roman Curia is without any African cardinals in top leadership positions, after Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Cardinal Peter Turkson from the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. According to World Population Review, Africa has the youngest population worldwide with 41% of its population under the age of 15. ), and yet are extremely socially active (unlike many conservative Christians in the USA). "African countries with the largest population as of 2020 (in 1,000 individuals)." Chart. In the Americas, there are three countries with over 100,000 Orthodox Christians that had fewer than 20,000 a century ago: Canada, Mexico and Brazil. Most of the countrys estimated 43 million inhabitants reside in its urban areas or near water sources. Learn more about how Statista can support your business. This does not mean that Christians segregate themselves from public life and to abandon politics altogether, they say, and explain that the approach would strongly caution Christians against equating any political party, political ideology, or nation with Gods plans.. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Dean, School of Post-Graduate Studies and Research, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda, 199194. How many Roman Catholics are there in the world? - BBC News For reference, the country's population and capital city have also been included.1) SudanArea: 967,500 square miles (2,505,813 sq km)Population: 39,154,490Capital: Khartoum2) AlgeriaArea: 919,594 square miles (2,381,740 sq km)Population: 33,333,216Capital: Algiers3) Democratic Republic of the CongoArea: 905,355 square miles (2,344,858 sq km)Population: 63,655,000Capital: Kinshasa4) LibyaArea: 679,362 square miles (1,759,540 sq km)Population: 6,036,914Capital: Tripoli5) ChadArea: 495,755 square miles (1,284,000 sq km)Population: 10,146,000Capital: N'Djamena6) NigerArea: 489,191 square miles (1,267,000 sq km)Population: 13,957,000Capital: Niamey7) AngolaArea: 481,353 square miles (1,246,700 sq km)Population: 15,941,000Capital: Luanda8) MaliArea: 478,840 square miles (1,240,192 sq km)Population: 13,518,000Capital: Bamako9) South AfricaArea: 471,455 square miles (1,221,037 sq km)Population: 47,432,000Capital: Pretoria10) EthiopiaArea: 426,372 square miles (1,104,300 sq km)Population: 85,237,338Capital: Addis Ababa11) MauritaniaArea: 396,955 square miles (1,030,700 sq km)Population: 3,069,000Capital: Nouakchott12) EgyptArea: 386,661 square miles (1,001,449 sq km)Population: 80,335,036Capital: Cairo13) TanzaniaArea: 364,900 square miles (945,087 sq km)Population: 37,849,133Capital: Dodoma14) NigeriaArea: 356,668 square miles (923,768 sq km)Population: 154,729,000Capital: Abuja15) NamibiaArea: 318,695 square miles (825,418 sq km)Population: 2,031,000Capital: Windhoek16) MozambiqueArea: 309,495 square miles (801,590 sq km)Population: 20,366,795Capital: Maputo17) ZambiaArea: 290,585 square miles (752,614 sq km)Population: 14,668,000Capital: Lusaka18) SomaliaArea: 246,200 square miles (637,657 sq km)Population: 9,832,017Capital: Mogadishu19) Central African RepublicArea: 240,535 square miles (622,984 sq km)Population: 4,216,666Capital: Bangui20) MadagascarArea: 226,658 square miles (587,041 sq km)Population: 18,606,000Capital: Antananarivo21) BotswanaArea: 224,340 square miles (581,041 sq km)Population: 1,839,833Capital: Gaborone22) KenyaArea: 224,080 square miles (580,367 sq km)Population: 34,707,817Capital: Nairobi23) CameroonArea: 183,569 square miles (475,442 sq km)Population: 17,795,000Capital: Yaound24) MoroccoArea: 172,414 square miles (446,550 sq km)Population: 33,757,175Capital: Rabat25) ZimbabweArea: 150,872 square miles (390,757 sq km)Population: 13,010,000Capital: Harare, 26) Republic of the CongoArea: 132,046 square miles (342,000 sq km)Population: 4,012,809Capital: Brazzaville27) Cte d'IvoireArea: 124,502 square miles (322,460 sq km)Population: 17,654,843Capital: Yamoussoukro28) Burkina FasoArea: 105,792 square miles (274,000 sq km)Population: 13,228,000Capital: Ouagadougou29) GabonArea: 103,347 square miles (267,668 sq km)Population, 1,387,000Capital: Libreville30) GuineaArea: 94,925 square miles (245,857 sq km)Population: 9,402,000Capital: Conakry31)GhanaArea: 92,098 square miles (238,534 sq km)Population: 23,000,000Capital: Accra32) UgandaArea: 91,135 square miles (236,040 sq km)Population: 27,616,000Capital: Kampala33) SenegalArea: 75,955 square miles (196,723 sq km)Population: 11,658,000Capital: Dakar34) TunisiaArea: 63,170 square miles (163,610 sq km)Population: 10,102,000Capital: Tunis35) MalawiArea: 45,746 square miles (118,484 sq km)Population: 12,884,000Capital: Lilongwe36) EritreaArea: 45,405 square miles (117,600 sq km)Population: 4,401,000Capital: Asmara37) BeninArea: 43,484 square miles (112,622 sq km)Population: 8,439,000Capital: Porto Novo38) LiberiaArea: 43,000 square miles (111,369 sq km)Population: 3,283,000Capital: Monrovia39) Sierra LeoneArea: 27,699 square miles (71,740 sq km)Population: 6,144,562Capital: Freetown40) TogoArea: 21,925 square miles (56,785 sq km)Population: 6,100,000Capital: Lom41) Guinea-BissauArea: 13,948 square miles (36,125 sq km)Population: 1,586,000Capital: Bissau42) LesothoArea: 11,720 square miles (30,355 sq km)Population: 1,795,000Capital: Maseru43) Equatorial GuineaArea: 10,830 square miles (28,051 sq km)Population: 504,000Capital: Malabo44) BurundiArea: 10,745 square miles (27,830 sq km)Population: 7,548,000Capital: Gitega (changed from Bujumbura in December 2018)45) RwandaArea: 10,346 square miles (26,798 sq km)Population: 7,600,000Capital: Kigali46) DjiboutiArea: 8,957 square miles (23,200 sq km)Population: 496,374Capital: Djibouti47) SwazilandArea: 6,704 square miles (17,364 sq km)Population: 1,032,000Capital: Lobamba and Mbabane48) GambiaArea: 4,007 square miles (10,380 sq km)Population: 1,517,000Capital: Banjul49) Cape VerdeArea: 1,557 square miles (4,033 sq km)Population: 420,979Capital: Praia50) ComorosArea: 863 square miles (2,235 sq km)Population: 798,000Capital: Moroni51) MauritiusArea: 787 square miles (2,040 sq km)Population: 1,219,220Capital: Port Louis52) So Tom and PrncipeArea: 380 square miles (984 sq km)Population: 157,000Capital: So Tom53) SeychellesArea: 175 square miles (455 sq km)Population: 88,340Capital: Victoria, Wikipedia.