There are three active gurdwaras (Sikh places of worship) in Kabul and 10 in other parts of the country; there were 64 gurdwaras throughout the country before the mujahideen era, when many were seized. There are five remaining Hindu mandirs (temples) in three cities: two in Kabul, one of which shares a wall with a mosque, one in Jalalabad, one in Helmand, and one in Kandahar.

Afghanistan's last known Jew maintains Kabul's sole synagogue, and there are also three defunct synagogues in Herat, which are no longer in use for lack of a Jewish community. There are no public Christian churches. Afghan Christians worship alone or in small congregations in private homes. Many Afghan Christians converted while living as refugees in third countries. Chapels and churches for noncitizens of various faiths are located on several military bases, Provincial Reconstruction Teams, and at the Italian embassy in Kabul. Buddhist foreigners are free to worship in Hindu temples.

Followers of the Bahá'í Faith have practiced in the country for approximately 150 years. The community is predominantly based in Kabul, although some Bahá'ís remain in Kandahar.

note: all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice (2011 est.)

The population consists largely of immigrants from Spain, Portugal, and France; citizens constitute 37 percent of inhabitants. Immigrants are generally also Catholic.

There are approximately 450 to 500 Jews, primarily Israelis.

Yezidis are concentrated primarily in agricultural areas northwest of Yerevan around Mount Aragats, and Armenian Catholics live primarily in the north. Most Jews, Mormons, and Orthodox Christians reside in Yerevan, along with a small community of Muslims, most of whom are Shiites, including Iranians and temporary residents from the Middle East.

The census indicated that indigenous persons constitute 2.5 percent of the population (approximately 548,370 people) and that 1 percent of indigenous respondents practice traditional indigenous religions. Affiliation with a traditional indigenous religion is higher in very remote areas (6 percent) than in all other areas (less than 1 percent). Around 60 percent of indigenous respondents identify themselves as Christian and around 20 percent report having no religious affiliation.

note: religious affiliation is still nominal in Azerbaijan; percentages for actual practicing adherents are much lower.

Christians mainly live in Baku and other urban areas. Approximately 20,000 Jews live in Baku, with smaller communities throughout the country. Other small religious groups include Lutherans, Roman Catholics, Baptists, Molokans, Seventh-day Adventists, and Bahá'ís.

Since independence in 1991, a number of religious groups considered by the government to be foreign or "nontraditional" have established a presence, including Salafist Muslims, Pentecostal and other evangelical Christians, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Hare Krishnas. There is a significant number of foreign resident Christian communities in Baku.

Smaller religious communities are also active and include Greek Orthodox Christians, Jews, Bahá'ís, Jehovah's Witnesses, Rastafarians, Muslims, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). A small number of Bahamians and resident Haitians, particularly those living in the Family Islands, practice Obeah, a version of Voodoo. Some members of the small resident Guyanese and Indian populations practice Hinduism.

There are approximately 350 licensed Sunni mosques, while the number of licensed Shia places of worship includes 863 mosques and 589 matams (religious cultural centers). In newer residential developments such as Hamad Town and Isa Town, which often have mixed Shia and Sunni populations, there tends to be a disproportionate number of Sunni mosques.

Foreigners, mostly from South Asia and from other Arab countries, constitute an estimated 54 percent of the population. Approximately half of resident foreigners are non-Muslim, including Hindus, Buddhists, Christians (primarily Roman Catholic, Protestant, Syrian Orthodox, and Mar Thoma from South India), Bahá'ís, and Sikhs.

Most noncitizen residents are of Bangladeshi descent and practice Islam. Separately, there are approximately 30,000 registered Rohingya refugees and between 250,000 and 450,000 unregistered Rohingya practicing Islam in the southeast around Cox's Bazar.

The number of non-Christians is small. There are 4,000 Muslims, most of whom trace their ancestry to the Indian state of Gujarat. A few immigrants from Guyana, Trinidad, South Asia, and the Middle East, as well as approximately 200 native-born persons, constitute the rest of the growing Muslim community. There are three mosques and an Islamic center. Other religious groups include Jews, Rastafarians, Hindus, Buddhists, and Bahá'ís.

A 2011 report by the King Baudouin Foundation estimates the religious affiliation of the population to be 50 percent Roman Catholic, 32 percent without affiliation, 9 percent atheist, 6 percent Muslim, 2.5 percent other Christian, 0.4 percent Jewish, and 0.3 percent Buddhist. Other religious groups include Hindus, Sikhs, Hare Krishnas, and Scientologists.

No religious group is a majority in any of the country's six districts. Catholics are found throughout the country. Mennonites and Pentecostals live mostly in the rural areas of the Cayo and Orange Walk districts, and members of other religious groups tend to be concentrated in Belize City.

Many individuals who identify themselves as Christian or Muslim also practice Voodoo or other traditional religions.

Most Muslims are Sunni and are concentrated in northern areas. The few Shia Muslims are primarily foreign residents and reside in Benin for commercial reasons. Southern areas are more heavily Christian.

According to unconfirmed estimates, there are between 3,000 and 15,000 Christians in the country. There are also reports of a few Muslims. Although priests of the animist Bon tradition often officiate at and include Bon rituals in Buddhist festivals, very few citizens adhere exclusively to this religion. The Sharchops ethnic group, which forms the majority of the population of eastern Bhutan, reportedly practices Tibetan Buddhism combined with elements of the Bon tradition and Hinduism.

According to an April estimate by the Ministry of Labor and Resources, just over 55,000 Indian laborers are present in the country, most of whom are Hindu or Muslim.

Many indigenous communities, concentrated in rural areas, practice a mix of Catholic and spiritual traditions.

The majority of Serbian Orthodox adherents live in the RS, and the majority of Muslims and Catholics in the Federation. Within the Federation distinct, Muslim and Catholic majority areas remain, with most Catholics in Herzegovina and areas of central Bosnia and most Muslims elsewhere in central Bosnia and Sarajevo. The Jewish community, similar to Protestants and most other small religious communities, has its largest membership in Sarajevo.

Anglicans, Methodists, and members of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa make up the majority of Christians. There are also congregations of Lutherans, Roman Catholics, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Baptists, the Dutch Reformed Church, Mennonites, and other Christian denominations. According to a 2011 study by the Pew Research Center, there are approximately 8,000 Muslims, many of whom are of South Asian origin. There are small numbers of Hindus and Bahá'ís. Immigrants, including foreign workers, are more likely to be members of non-Christian religious groups than are native-born citizens.

Other groups constituting less than 1 percent each include African and syncretic religious groups such as Candomble and Umbanda, Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, and Hindus. There is a small number of adherents of indigenous religious beliefs.

There are different assessments of the number of Muslims. According to the 2010 census, there are approximately 35,200 Muslims, while the Federation of Muslim Associations of Brazil considers the number to be about 1.5 million. Other observers estimate there are approximately 400,000-500,000 Muslims. There are significant Muslim communities in the cities of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, and Foz do Iguazu, as well as in smaller cities in the states of Parana, Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro.

According to the Jewish Confederation of Brazil, there are more than 125,000 Jews, 65,000 of whom reside in São Paulo State and 40,000 in Rio de Janeiro State. Many other cities have smaller Jewish communities.

Some religious minorities are concentrated geographically. Many Muslims, including ethnic Turks, Roma, and "Pomaks" (descendants of Slavic Bulgarians who converted to Islam under Ottoman rule) live in the Rhodope Mountains along the southern border with Greece. Ethnic Turkish and Roma Muslims also live in large numbers in the northeast and along the Black Sea coast. Nearly 40 percent of Catholics live in and around Plovdiv. The majority of the small Jewish community lives in Sofia and along the Black Sea coast. Protestants are widely dispersed, but are more numerous in areas with large Roma populations.

Muslims reside largely in the northern, eastern, and western border regions, and Christians live in the center of the country. Persons practice indigenous religious beliefs throughout the country, especially in rural communities. The capital has a mixed Muslim and Christian population.

The country is ethnically diverse, with significant correlation between ethnicity and religion. Theravada Buddhism is the dominant religion among the majority Burman ethnic group and also among the Shan, Rakhine, and Mon ethnic minorities. Christianity is dominant among the Kachin, Chin, and Naga ethnic groups. Christianity also is practiced widely among the Karen and Karenni ethnic groups; although many Karen and Karenni are Buddhist and some Karen are Muslim. Citizens of South Asian origin, who are concentrated in major cities and in the south-central region, are predominantly Hindu or Muslim, although some are Christian. Islam is practiced widely in Rakhine State and in Rangoon, Irrawaddy, Magwe, and Mandalay Divisions, where some Burmese, ethnic Indians, ethnic Bengalis, ethnic Kaman, and Rohingya practice the religion. Chinese ethnic minorities generally practice traditional Chinese religions. Traditional indigenous beliefs are practiced widely among smaller ethnic groups in the highland regions.

Approximately 2.4 percent of the population, predominantly ethnic Chams, is Muslim, typically living in towns and rural fishing villages on the banks of the Tonle Sap Lake and the Mekong River, as well as in Kampot Province. There are four branches of Islam represented in the country: the Malay-influenced Shafi branch, practiced by as much as 90 percent of Muslims; the Saudi-Kuwaiti-influenced Salafi (Wahhabi) branch; the indigenous Iman-San branch; and the Kadiani branch. The remaining 1.6 percent of the population is Bahá'í, Jewish, ethnic Vietnamese Cao Dai, or members of various Christian denominations.

Muslims and Christians live in every region, although Christians are concentrated primarily in the southern and western regions. Large cities have significant populations of both groups. The two Anglophone regions of the country are largely Protestant, and the eight Francophone regions are mostly Catholic. In the northern regions, the dominant Fulani (or Peuhl) ethnic group is mainly Muslim, but the overall population in those regions is fairly evenly divided among Muslims, Christians, and followers of indigenous religions, who are mostly located in rural areas. The Bamoun ethnic group of the West Region is predominantly Muslim. Many Muslims, Christians, and members of other faiths also adhere to some aspects of African animist beliefs.

According to the 2001 census, 0.1 percent of the population identifies itself as followers of "aboriginal spirituality." Approximately 16 percent of the population claims no religious affiliation.

Most recent immigrants are of Asian origin and generally adhere to religious beliefs different from the majority of native-born citizens. According to the 2006 census, "visible minorities" constitute 16.2 percent of the overall population, with 96 percent residing in major metropolitan areas across the country.

note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority.

The majority of Muslims adheres to the Sufi Tijaniyah tradition. A minority of Muslims (5 to 10 percent) holds beliefs associated with Wahhabism or Salafism, and these numbers are increasing slowly.

Approximately 25 percent of Christians are Roman Catholics, according to Catholic Church data. Most Protestants are members of evangelical Christian groups. Small groups of Bahá'ís and Jehovah's Witnesses are also present.

According to the 2002 census, 5 percent of the population self-identifies as "indigenous", of whom 65 percent identify as Catholic, 29 percent as Protestant, and 6 percent as "other."

note: officially atheist (2010 est.)

According to the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA), there are more than 21 million Muslims in the country; unofficial estimates range as high as 50 million. Hui Muslims are concentrated primarily in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Qinghai, Gansu, and Yunnan provinces. Uighur Muslims live primarily in Xinjiang. According to Xinjiang Statistics Bureau data from 2010, there are approximately 10 million Uighurs in Xinjiang.

The 2011 Blue Book of Religions, produced by the Institute of World Religions at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), a research institution directly under the State Council, reports the number of Protestant Christians to be between 23 and 40 million. A June 2010 SARA report estimates there are 16 million Protestants affiliated with the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM). According to 2010 Pew Research Center estimates, there are 67 million Protestant Christians, of whom 23 million are affiliated with the TSPM.

According to SARA, more than six million Catholics worship in sites registered by the Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA). The Pew Center estimates that there are nine million Catholics on the mainland, 5.7 million of whom are affiliated with the CPA.

In addition to the five nationally recognized religions, local governments have legalized certain religious communities and practices, such as Orthodox Christianity in Xinjiang, Heilongjiang, Zhejiang, and Guangdong provinces. Some ethnic minorities retain traditional religions, such as Dongba among the Naxi people in Yunnan and Buluotuo among the Zhuang in Guangxi. Worship of the folk deity Mazu reportedly has been reclassified as "cultural heritage" rather than religious practice.

Prior to the government's 1999 ban on Falun Gong, a self-described spiritual discipline, it was estimated that there were 70 million adherents.

Most ethnic Tibetans practice Tibetan Buddhism, although a sizeable minority practices Bon, an indigenous religion, and very small minorities practice Islam, Catholicism, or Protestantism. Some scholars estimate that there are as many as 400,000 Bon followers across the Tibetan Plateau. Scholars also estimate that there are up to 5,000 ethnic Tibetan Muslims and 700 ethnic Tibetan Catholics in the TAR.

Many Tibetan government officials and CCP members in Tibet are religious believers, despite government and CCP prohibitions against officials’ holding religious beliefs or participating in religious activities.

Other residents of traditionally Tibetan areas include ethnic Han Chinese, many of whom practice Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, or traditional folk religions; Hui Muslims; and non-ethnic Tibetan Catholics and Protestants. Approximately 4,000 to 5,000 Muslims worship at mosques in the TAR. A Catholic church with 560 members is located in the traditionally Catholic community of Yanjing in the eastern TAR. Cizhong (Tsodruk), in Diqing (Dechen) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (TAP), Yunnan Province, is also home to a large Tibetan Catholic congregation. The TAR is home to a small number of Falun Gong adherents, as well as unregistered Christian churches.

According to the State Council Information Office's 2011 White Paper "Sixty Years Since Peaceful Liberation of Tibet," the TAR has over 1,700 "venues for religious activities and about 46,000 monks and nuns." While no recent data on the number of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in other Tibetan areas of China are available, according to a 2009 article in the People's Daily (the official newspaper of the CCP), altogether in the TAR and in Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces, there are 3,000 Tibetan Buddhist monasteries with 120,000 Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns.

Some religious groups are concentrated in certain geographical regions. Most of those who blend Catholicism with elements of African animism are Afro-Colombians and reside on the Pacific coast. Most Jews reside in major cities, most Muslims on the Caribbean coast, and most adherents of indigenous animistic religions in remote rural areas. A small Taoist commune is located in a mountainous region of Santander Department.

The very few non-Sunni places of worship include Shia mosques, a Hindu temple, and one Christian church on each of the three islands. The best known is the Catholic Church in Moroni, for which the surrounding "Quartier du Cathedral" neighborhood is named. Its parishioners are nearly entirely foreign residents, who worship freely.

Most religious groups are scattered throughout the country and are widely represented in cities and large towns. Muslims mainly reside in the provinces of Maniema, Orientale, Kasai Occidental, Bandundu, and Kinshasa. Although present throughout the country, Kimbanguists are primarily concentrated in Kinshasa and Bas-Congo.

Approximately 92 percent of Protestants are Pentecostal and 8 percent are Baptist. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) estimates its membership at 35,000. The Lutheran Church estimates it has 5,500 members. The Jewish Zionist Center estimates that there are 2,800 Jews. Approximately 1,000 Quakers live in the cloud forest reserve of Monteverde, Puntarenas, and an additional 1,000 persons attend Quaker meetings as nonmembers throughout the country. Although they represent less than one percent of the population, Jehovah's Witnesses have a strong presence on the Caribbean coast. Seventh-day Adventists operate a university that attracts students from throughout the Caribbean Basin. The Unification Church has its headquarters for Latin America in San Jose. Other religious groups include followers of Islam, Taoism, Krishna Consciousness, Scientology, Tenrikyo, and the Bahá'í Faith. Indigenous peoples are more likely than non-indigenous peoples to practice animism.

note: prior to CASTRO assuming power.

Many people, particularly in the Afro-Cuban community, consult with practitioners of religions with roots in West Africa and the Congo River basin, known as Santeria. These religious practices are commonly intermingled with Catholicism, and some even require Catholic baptism for full initiation, making it difficult to estimate accurately the total membership of these syncretistic groups.

As a result of immigration, Muslims constitute approximately 4 percent of the population. Muslim groups are concentrated in the largest cities, particularly Copenhagen, Odense, and Aarhus. Groups constituting less than 1 percent of the population include, in descending order: Roman Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, Serbian Orthodox Christians, Jews, Baptists, Buddhists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Pentecostals, and other non-denominational Christians. Though estimates vary, the Center for Contemporary Religion at Aarhus University places the Jewish population at 2,400.

Most of the approximately 350 Jews live in Santo Domingo, where there are two synagogues and one rabbi. There is also a small Jewish community and a synagogue in Sosua. There are approximately 800 Muslims, including foreign students. There are a small number of Buddhists and Hindus. Some Catholics combine Catholicism and Afro-Caribbean beliefs (santeria), witchcraft (brujeria), or voodoo (vodou), but they usually conceal such practices.

Most Haitian immigrants are Catholic. An unknown number practice voodoo, but typically conceal the practice.

note: data represents persons at least 16 years of age from five Ecuadoran cities (2012 est.)

There are small numbers of other registered religious groups, including Anglicans, Episcopalians, Bahá'ís, Lutherans, members of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Presbyterians, members of the Unification Church, and followers of Inti (the traditional Inca sun god).

Shia Muslims constitute less than 1 percent of the population. There are also small groups of Quranists and Ahmadi Muslims. The country's Jewish community numbers fewer than 70 persons, mostly senior citizens. There are 1,000 to 1,500 Jehovah's Witnesses and 1,500 to 2,000 Bahá'ís; however, the government does not recognize these groups.

Christians reside throughout the country, although the percentage of Christians is higher in Upper Egypt (the southern part of the country) and in some sections of Cairo and Alexandria.

Many foreign religious groups, including Roman Catholics and Protestants, have been present in the country for more than a century. These groups are engaged in education, social, and development work. Some foreigners are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), a group the government does not recognize but allows to meet in private residences.

In a March 2011 report, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics states 108,395 mosques and 2,869 churches exist in the country.

The population is predominantly Muslim in the eastern and western lowlands and mainly Christian in the central highlands. There are high levels of participation among all religious groups.

According to the government, there are more than 500 registered religious associations.

There are small numbers of Eastern Rite and Roman Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and adherents of indigenous religions.

Religious affiliation runs largely along ethnic lines. Most indigenous Fijians, who constitute 57 percent of the population, are Christian. Most Indo-Fijians, who account for 37 percent, are Hindu, while roughly 20 percent of the Indo-Fijians are Muslim and 6 percent are Christian. Approximately 60 percent of the small Chinese community is Christian. The very small western community is predominantly Christian.

There are approximately 50,000-60,000 Muslims, more than a 100 percent increase since 1999, primarily due to immigration and high birth rates. An estimated 75 percent are Sunni and 25 percent are Shiite. The largest Muslim group is ethnic Somali; there are also communities of North Africans, Bosnians, Arabs, Tartars, Turks, and Iraqis.

The government statistics agency reported in 2011 that the number of persons with no religious affiliation is over one million. An estimated 19 percent of the population either does not belong to any religious group or practices religion "in private," including nonregistered Pentecostal worshippers and Muslims.

note: France maintains a tradition of secularism and has not officially collected data on religious affiliation since the 1872 national census, which complicates assessments of France's religious composition; an 1872 law prohibiting state authorities from collecting data on individuals' ethnicity or religious beliefs was reaffirmed by a 1978 law emphasizing the prohibition of the collection or exploitation of personal data revealing an individual's race, ethnicity, or political, philosophical, or religious opinions; a 1905 law codified France's separation of Church and State (2015 est.)

The Catholic daily La Croix found that 64 percent of the population identifies itself as Roman Catholic, 6 percent of whom classify themselves as observant. The Interior Ministry estimates that 8 to 10 percent of the population is Muslim, 25 percent of whom attend Friday prayers. The Muslim population primarily consists of immigrants from former French North African and sub-Saharan colonies and their descendants.

All other religious groups combined constitute less than 7 percent of the population. Le Parisien estimates that there are 1.6 million Protestants, 500,000 of whom are evangelical. Many evangelical churches are African-style "prosperity" churches composed primarily of African and Antillean immigrants. The Buddhist Union estimates there are one million Buddhist sympathizers and practitioners. The Buddhist population mainly consists of Chinese and Vietnamese immigrants and their descendants. The Jewish community numbers approximately 600,000, of whom 40 percent are highly observant, according to press reports. The Jewish community is approximately 70 percent Sephardic and 30 percent Ashkenazi Jews. The Jehovah's Witnesses estimate they have approximately 120,000 members. Orthodox Christians number between 80,000 and 100,000; most are associated with the Greek or Russian Orthodox churches. The Church of Scientology estimates 50,000 members. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) estimates its membership at 36,000 in metropolitan France and 22,000 in French overseas departments and territories, 30 percent of whom are observant. According to the press, there are between 7,000 and 15,000 Sikhs.

An estimated 9 percent of the population is Christian. Most Christians are Roman Catholic. There are also Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and a number of evangelical groups. Less than 1 percent of the population is Bahá'í or practices indigenous animist religious beliefs. There is a small community of Hindus among South Asian immigrants and business persons.

There is a strong correlation among ethnicity, religious affiliation, and region of residence. Most ethnic Georgians are affiliated with the GOC. A small number of mostly ethnic Russians are members of several Orthodox groups not affiliated with the GOC, including the Molokani, Staroveriy (Old Believers), and Dukhoboriy (Spirit Wrestlers). Ethnic Azeris, who are predominantly Muslim, form the majority of the population in the southeastern region of Kvemo-Kartli. Other Muslim groups include ethnic Georgian Muslims in Ajara and Chechen Kists in the northeast. Ethnic Armenians belong primarily to the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) and constitute the majority of the population in the southern Samtskhe-Javakheti region.

Roman Catholics, Kurdish Yezidis, Greek Orthodox, and Jews together make up less than 5 percent of the population. "Nontraditional" religious groups such as Baptists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Pentecostals, and Hare Krishnas are growing in number, but together constitute less than 1 percent of the population.

There are approximately 4 million Muslims, including 2.9 million Sunnis, 500,000 Alevis, and 280,000 Shia, together making up 5 percent of the population. Orthodox Christians number approximately 1.4 million. Smaller religious groups include Buddhists, Hindus, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the COS. The Jewish community numbers approximately 200,000. Roughly 28 million persons (33 percent of the population) either have no religious affiliation or are members of unrecorded religious groups.

Christian denominations include Roman Catholic, Methodist, Anglican, Mennonite, Evangelical Presbyterian, African Methodist Episcopal Zionist, Christian Methodist, Evangelical Lutheran, F’eden, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon), Seventh-day Adventist Church, Pentecostal, Baptist, African independent churches, the Society of Friends (Quaker), and numerous charismatic religious groups.

Islamic traditions include Orthodox Sunni, Ahmadi, the Tijani and Qadiriyya orders of Sufism, and a small number of Shia.

Many individuals who are nominally Christian or Muslim also adhere to some aspects of traditional beliefs. There are also syncretistic groups combining elements of Christianity and Islam with traditional beliefs. Zetahil, a practice unique to the country, combines elements of Christianity and Islam.

There is no significant link between ethnicity and religion, but geography is often associated with religious identity. The majority of Muslims reside in northern areas and in the urban centers of Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi, Tamale, and Wa, while the majority of the followers of traditional religious beliefs resides in rural areas. Christians live throughout the country.

The 1923 Treaty of Lausanne created an officially recognized "Muslim minority," estimated at 140,000 to 150,000 (approximately 1.3 percent of the total population) residing in Thrace. Additionally, NGOs estimate that between 500,000 and 700,000 Muslims from Albania, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Syria, and North Africa reside in the region of Attica, which encompasses Athens. Other religious groups include Roman Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Old Calendarist Orthodox, Jehovah's Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Scientologists, Bahá'ís, Hare Krishnas, and members of polytheistic Hellenic religions.

Catholics and Protestants are present throughout the country, and their adherents are found among all major ethnic groups and political parties. According to leaders of Mayan spiritual organizations and Catholic and Protestant missionaries, many indigenous Catholics and some Protestants also practice some form of indigenous spiritual ritual.

Muslims constitute a majority in all four major regions. Christians are most numerous in Conakry, large cities, the south, and the eastern Forest Region. Indigenous religious beliefs are most prevalent in the Forest Region.

Participation in formal religious services and rituals is high as a result of the close ties between cultural rituals and religious practices.

The Fula (Peuhl or Fulani) and Mandinka ethnic groups are the most numerous followers of Islam. Muslims generally live in the north and northeast, and most Muslims are Sunni. Adherents of indigenous religious beliefs generally live in all but the northern parts of the country. The Christian population, including Roman Catholics and Protestants, is concentrated in Bissau and other large towns.

The country is ethnically diverse, reflecting East Indian, African, Chinese, and European ancestry, as well as a sizeable indigenous population. The membership of most religious groups includes a cross section of ethnic groups, although most Hindus are Indo-Guyanese and nearly all Rastafarians are Afro-Guyanese.

note: many Haitians practice elements of voodoo in addition to another religion, most often Roman Catholicism; voodoo was recognized as an official religion in 2003.

There are approximately 600 Taoist and Buddhist temples (including temples affiliated with Tibetan Buddhist schools), 800 Christian churches and chapels, five mosques, seven synagogues, one Hindu temple, and one Sikh temple.

There are approximately 1,400 Protestant congregations, representing 50 denominations, including Baptists, Lutherans, Seventh-day Adventists, Anglicans, Christian and Missionary Alliance groups, the Church of Christ in China, Methodists, and Pentecostals. The Hong Kong Catholic Diocese recognizes the Pope. A bishop, priests, monks, and nuns serve Catholics and maintain links to the Vatican.

Approximately 6.7 percent of the population belongs to 35 small recognized and registered religious groups. The largest is the Roman Catholic Church with10,455 members. Approximately 5.8 percent belongs to other or unspecified religious groups and 4.9 percent does not belong any religious group. Muslim sources estimate there are 1,000 to 1,500 Muslims. There are fewer than 100 Jews. Foreigners constitute an estimated 80 percent of the Roman Catholic population, mostly from other European countries and the Philippines.

There are large Muslim populations in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala; Muslims constitute the majority in the states of Jammu and Kashmir. Although Muslims are a minority nationally, the country has the world's third-largest Muslim population based on the 2001 census. Slightly more than 85 percent of Muslims are Sunni; most of the rest are Shia. Christian populations are found across the country but in greater concentrations in the northeast, as well as in the southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Goa. Three small northeastern states (Nagaland, Mizoram, and Meghalaya) have large Christian majorities. Sikhs constitute the majority in the state of Punjab.

The country's Muslim population is overwhelmingly Sunni. Of the more than 207 million Muslims, an estimated one to three million are Shiites. Many smaller Muslim groups exist, including approximately 200,000-400,000 members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

An estimated 20 million people, primarily in Java, Kalimantan, and Papua, practice various traditional belief systems, often referred to collectively as "Aliran Kepercayaan." There are approximately 400 different Aliran Kepercayaan communities throughout the archipelago. Many combine their beliefs with one of the government-recognized religions and register under that recognized religion.

The country has a small Sikh population, estimated at between 10,000 and 15,000, residing primarily in Medan and Jakarta. There are small Jewish communities in Jakarta, Manado, and Surabaya. The Bahá'í community reports thousands of members, but no reliable figures are available. Falun Dafa (or Falun Gong), which considers itself a spiritual organization rather than a religion, claims several thousand followers, but specific numbers are unavailable. The number of atheists is also unknown, but the group Indonesian Atheists claims to have more than 500 members.

Sunni Islam is the majority religion throughout most of the country. Notable exceptions include the province of Bali, which is predominantly Hindu, and the provinces of Papua, West Papua, East Nusa Tenggara, and North Sulawesi, which are predominantly Protestant Christian.

Groups together constituting the remaining 1 percent of the population include Bahá'ís, Christians, Jews, Sabean-Mandaeans, and Zoroastrians. The two largest non-Muslim minorities are Bahá'ís and Christians. The Bahá'ís number approximately 300,000, and are heavily concentrated in Tehran and Semnan. According to UN figures, 300,000 Christians live in the country, though some NGOs estimate there may be as many as 370,000. The Statistical Center of Iran reports there are 117,700. The majority of Christians are ethnic Armenians concentrated in Tehran and Isfahan. Unofficial estimates of the Assyrian Christian population range between 10,000 and 20,000. There are also Protestant denominations, including evangelical groups. Christian groups outside the country estimate the size of the Protestant Christian community to be less than 10,000, although many Protestant Christians reportedly practice in secret. There are from 5,000 to 10,000 Sabean-Mandaeans. The Statistical Center of Iran estimates there are 25,271 Zoroastrians, who are primarily ethnic Persians; however, Zoroastrian groups report they have 60,000 members.

note: while there has been voluntary relocation of many Christian families to northern Iraq, recent reporting indicates that the overall Christian population may have dropped by as much as 50 percent since the fall of the Saddam HUSSEIN regime in 2003, with many fleeing to Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon (2010 est.)

According to 2010 government statistics, 97 percent of the population is Muslim. Shia Muslims, predominantly Arabs but including Turkmen, Faili (Shia) Kurds, and others, constitute 60 to 65 percent. Arab and Kurdish Sunni Muslims make up 32 to 37 percent of the population. From 18 to 20 percent are Sunni Kurds, 12 to 16 percent are Sunni Arabs, and the remaining 1 to 2 percent are Sunni Turkmen. Approximately 3 percent of the population is composed of Christians, Yezidis, Sabean-Mandaeans, Bahá'ís, Shabaks, Kakais (sometimes referred to as Ahl-e Haqq), and a very small number of Jews. Shia, although predominantly located in the south and east, are the majority in Baghdad and have communities in most parts of the country. Sunnis form the majority in the west, center, and the north of the country.

Christian leaders estimate there are between 400,000 and 850,000 Christians. Approximately two-thirds are Chaldeans (an eastern rite of the Catholic Church), nearly one-fifth are Assyrians (Church of the East), and the remainder are Syriacs (Eastern Orthodox), Armenians (Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox), Anglicans, and other Protestants. Evangelical Christians reportedly number approximately 5,000.

Yezidi leaders report that most of 500,000 to 700,000 Yezidis reside in the north, with 15 percent in Dahuk Province and the rest in Ninewa Province. Shabak leaders state there are 200,000 to 500,000 Shabaks, who reside mainly near Mosul in Ninewa Province. Estimates of the size of the Sabean-Mandaean community vary widely; according to Sabean-Mandaean leaders, about 4,000 remain in the country, generally along the Tigris and its tributaries. According to a leader in the Sabean-Mandaean community in Basrah, the Sabean-Mandaean population in Basrah has fallen dramatically over the last decade to an estimated 500-750 people. The Bahá'í leadership report fewer than 2,000 members, spread throughout the country in small groups. The Kakai community around Kirkuk is estimated at 24,500 people. Fewer than 10 Jews reportedly reside in Baghdad, and there are unconfirmed reports that very small Jewish communities exist in other parts of the country.

UNHCR reports that 82,260 Iraqi refugees and 218,800 internally displaced persons (IDPs) registered returns in 2012. The Ministry of Migration and Displacement (MOMD) reports that 304 of those returns were minorities. A majority of these refugees originally fled Iraq and sought asylum in Syria and Jordan due to sectarian violence triggered by the 2006 bombing of the Samara shrine. According to UNHCR's 2012 monitoring report, the majority of the Iraqi refugees who sought asylum in Iran were Shia families who had fled Iraq before 2003; those who returned in 2012 mostly settled in Najaf and Karbala.

In addition to Iraqi refugees, an estimated 1.1 million people of diverse religious backgrounds remain internally displaced due to sectarian violence between 2006 and 2008. The number of religious minorities internally displaced by violence remains uncertain because many stay with relatives and friends. An international NGO reports that 6,156 Christian families remain internally displaced in the country's northern governorates. The NGO largely attributes the high number to Iraqi Christians fleeing Syria where they had previously found refuge. The NGO attributes the decision of families to resettle in northern Iraq due to the area's relative security compared with elsewhere in the country. Humanitarian organizations working with displaced Christian families note that this vulnerable population is often unable to sell their homes at a reasonable price if they choose to migrate. They also face increasing rental costs in their area of displacement.

According to the CBS report, 9 percent of the Jewish population identifies as Haredi (also known as "ultra-Orthodox"), 10 percent identifies as Orthodox, 15 percent describe themselves as "traditional, religious," 23 percent call themselves "traditional, not so religious," and 43 percent describe themselves as "nonreligious/secular" Jews, most of whom observe some Jewish traditions. Although not differentiated in official statistics, a 2012 Guttman Institute poll shows that approximately 500,000 traditional and secular Jews associate themselves with the beliefs of the Conservative or Reform streams of Judaism. There is also a community of approximately 20,000 Messianic Jews.

Religious communities often are concentrated in geographical areas according to religious beliefs. The country continues to undergo demographic changes due to the higher birth rate of the Haredi and Muslim communities.

There are approximately 95,000 foreigners permitted to work in the country and an additional 120,000 illegal foreign workers. Foreign workers were members of many different religious groups, including: Protestant, Roman Catholic, Orthodox Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim.

The number of Muslims continues to grow with immigration from North Africa, South Asia, Albania, and the Middle East. Most Muslims live in the northern part of the country. According to the research branch of the Caritas nongovernmental organization (NGO), of an estimated five million resident foreigners, 1.6 million are Muslim, 1.5 million Orthodox, one million Catholic, and 0.2 million Protestant. The Jewish community is estimated to be 30,000.

note: the majority of foreigners (migratory workers) are Muslim (70%) and Christian (20%).

Traditionally, the north is associated with Islam and the south with Christianity, although practitioners of both religions live throughout the country. In general, political and religious affiliations tend to follow ethnic lines.

Christian groups include Roman Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Harrists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Southern Baptists, Copts, and members of the Assemblies of God.

Other religious groups include Buddhists, Bahá'ís, adherents of the Celestial Church of Christ, followers of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, and Bossonists, who follow traditions of the Akan ethnic group.

note: total adherents exceeds 100% because many people practice both Shintoism and Buddhism (2012 est.)

According to the ACA's 2009 statistics, 106 million persons identified themselves as Shinto, 90 million as Buddhist, and 2.1 million as Christian, while nine million followed "other" religions. The category of "other" includes Islam, the Bahá'í Faith, Hinduism, Judaism, or no religion. The government does not compile statistics on the number of Muslims in the country specifically, but a 2005 report by academic sources estimates the Muslim population at 63,000.

There is no significant correlation between religious affiliation and ethnicity, politics, or socio-economic status; the society is relatively ethnically and religiously homogeneous. The indigenous Ainu people, who practice an animist faith, are concentrated mainly in Japan's northern island, Hokkaido. Some immigrants and foreign workers practice religions other than Shintoism, the indigenous religion, or Buddhism.

Officially recognized Christian denominations include the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic (Melkite), Armenian Orthodox, Maronite Catholic, Assyrian, Coptic, Anglican, Lutheran, Seventh-day Adventist, and Presbyterian churches. Christian churches that are not officially recognized but registered as "societies" include the Free Evangelical Church, Nazarene Church, Assemblies of God, Christian and Missionary Alliance, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Unrecognized Christian denominations not registered as "societies" include the United Pentecostal Church and Jehovah's Witnesses. The government refers to Chaldean and Syriac Christians among the Iraqi refugee population as "guests." The Baptist Church is registered as a "denomination," but does not enjoy the full privileges of other registered religious groups in the country. The government does not recognize the Bahá'í Faith as a religion.

Approximately 65 percent of the population is Muslim; the majority is Sunni of the Hanafi school. Other Islamic groups that account for less than 1 percent of the population include Shafi’i Sunni, Shia, Sufi, and Ahmadi. The highest concentration of self-identified practicing Muslims is in the southern region bordering Uzbekistan.

Orthodox Christians constitute approximately 24.6 percent of the population. Other groups constituting less than 5 percent of the population include Roman Catholics, Greek Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Seventh-day Adventists, Methodists, Mennonites, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Jews, Buddhists, Hare Krishnas, Bahá'ís, Christian Scientists, Scientologists, and members of Grace Church, New Life Church, and the Unification Church.

note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom.

In Pyongyang there are four state-controlled Christian churches: two Protestant churches (Bongsu and Chilgol Churches), the Changchun Roman Catholic Church, and the Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church. The Chilgol Church is dedicated to the memory of former leader Kim Il-Sung's mother, Kang Pan-sok, who was a Presbyterian deaconess. The number of regular worshippers at these churches is unknown. Defectors from outside of Pyongyang have no knowledge of these churches.

As part of its 2009 Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the government reports the existence of religious organizations such as the Korea Christian Federation, Korea Buddhists’ Federation, Korea Roman Catholic Association, Korea Chondoist Society, and Korea Religionists’ Society.

The government-established Korean Catholic Association (KCA) provides for basic services at the Changchun Church, but has no ties with the Vatican. There are no Catholic priests residing in the country. Visiting priests occasionally provide Mass at the Changchun Church.

According to religious leaders who have traveled to the country, there are Protestant pastors at the Bongsu and Chilgol Churches, although it is not known whether they are resident or visiting pastors.

In its July 2002 report to the UN Human Rights Committee, the government reports the existence of 500 "family worship centers." However, according to the 2012 Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU) White Paper, defectors were unaware of any such centers. Observers stated that "family worship centers" may be part of the state-controlled Korean Christian Federation, while an unknown number of "underground churches" operate apart from the federation and are not recognized by the government. The 2012 KINU White Paper and the 2007 U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom report, "A Prison Without Bars," include defector testimonies referencing the existence of underground churches, but conclude that their existence was hard to verify.

In July 2009 the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper reported an estimated 30,000 Christians, while some NGOs and academics estimate there may be up to several hundred thousand "underground" Christians. Others question the existence of a large-scale underground church or conclude that it is impossible to estimate accurately the number of underground religious believers. Individual underground congregations are reportedly very small and typically confined to private homes.

According to the 2012 KINU White Paper, there are an estimated 60 Buddhist temples. Most are regarded as cultural relics, but religious activity is permitted in some. Monks serve as caretakers in many of these temples and foreign visitors find these monks to be knowledgeable about Buddhism. Based on defector testimony, the 2012 KINU White Paper reports that most residents of the country have not heard about Buddhist scriptures and have never seen a Buddhist monk. State-controlled press reported on several occasions that Buddhist ceremonies took place in various locations.

The Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church opened in Pyongyang in 2006.

Religion and ethnicity are closely linked; Serbs generally belong to the SOC, while the majority of religiously active citizens of Albanian descent identify themselves as Muslim.

Critics of the census note it does not include residents in the northern region of Mitrovice/Mitrovica and thus significantly under-represents Serbs who belong to the SOC. Anecdotal information also suggests census takers at times automatically assigned Islam to persons without soliciting explicit answers or over their verbal objections.

note: represents the total population; about 69% of the population consists of immigrants (2013 est.)

There are an estimated 600,000 non-citizen Hindus. The largely non-citizen Christian population is estimated to be more than 450,000. The government-recognized Christian churches include the Roman Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the National Evangelical (Protestant) Church, the Armenian Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church (referred to in Arabic as the Roman Orthodox Church), the Greek Catholic (Melkite) Church, and the Anglican Church. There are also many unrecognized Christian religious groups with smaller populations. There are an estimated 100,000 Buddhists, 10,000 Sikhs, and 400 Bahá'ís, the majority of whom are non-citizens.

Of the remaining population, Protestant Christians number 11,000. Protestant denominations include 48 registered Baptist groups, 21 Lutheran, 49 Pentecostal, 35 Presbyterian, 43 "Charismatic," and 30 Seventh-day Adventist communities. Jehovah's Witnesses number approximately 4,800. There are three Roman Catholic churches, with an estimated 1,200 adherents nationwide. The Jewish community, with about 1,500 members, has one synagogue. The Buddhist community includes approximately 1,000 members and has one temple. There are 12 registered Bahá'í houses of worship that serve approximately 300 members.

Islam is the predominant religion in both urban and rural areas. Members of Russian Orthodox and other non-Muslim religious groups live mainly in major cities. Ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks are primarily Muslim, while ethnic Russians most often belong to the Russian Orthodox Church or one of the several Protestant denominations.

Many Orthodox Christians are Russian-speaking noncitizen permanent residents and live mainly in major cities. Many Catholics live in the east.

note: 18 religious sects recognized (2012 est.)

The 18 officially recognized religious groups include four Muslim groups, 12 Christian groups, the Druze, and Judaism. The main branches of Islam practiced are Shia and Sunni. The Alawites and the Ismaili ("Sevener") Shia order are the smallest Muslim communities. The Maronite community, the largest Christian group, maintains its centuries-long affiliation with the Roman Catholic Church but has its own patriarch, liturgy, and ecclesiastical customs. The second-largest Christian sect is Greek Orthodox. Other Christians are divided among Greek Catholics, Armenian Orthodox (Gregorians), Armenian Catholics, Syriac Orthodox (Jacobites), Syriac Catholics, Assyrians (Nestorians), Chaldeans, Copts, evangelicals (including Baptists and Seventh-day Adventists), and Latins (Roman Catholic). The Druze, who refer to themselves as al-Muwahhideen, or "believers in one God," are concentrated in the rural, mountainous areas east and south of Beirut.

Many persons fleeing religious mistreatment and discrimination in neighboring states are immigrants in the country, including Kurds, Shia, and Chaldeans from Iraq, as well as Coptic Christians from Egypt and Sudan. According to the secretary-general of the Syriac League, approximately 10,000 Iraqi Christians and 3,000 to 4,000 Coptic Christians reside in the country.

Immigrants from other parts of Africa, South Asia, and China constitute less than 1 percent of the population. No statistics are available on their religious affiliation.

Christians reside throughout the country. Muslims belong mainly to the Mandingo ethnic group, which resides throughout the country, and the Vai ethnic group, which lives predominantly in the west. There is also a predominantly Muslim Fula community throughout the country. The Fula people are referred to as a community not by location, but as a tribal segment of society. Ethnic groups in most regions participate in the indigenous religious practices of secret societies.

note: non-Sunni Muslims include native Ibadhi Muslims (<1% of the population) and foreign Muslims (2010 est.)

There are no known places of worship for members of other non-Muslim religious groups, although adherents are allowed to practice their religion in their homes.

The great majority of Muslims are Sunnis, predominantly from Turkey and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Less than 0.5 percent belongs to religious groups the government designates "nontraditional." The most numerous are Jehovah's Witnesses, Full Gospel Word of Faith Movement, Pentecostals/Charismatics, Old Baltic faith communities, Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, Methodists, members of the New Apostolic Church, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

There are approximately 40 Buddhist temples, as well as dozens of village temples and houses dedicated to Buddhist deities; 30 Taoist temples; three Catholic cathedrals, 18 Catholic churches and 56 Catholic chapels within diocesan buildings; approximately 70 Protestant churches; four Bahá'í centers; and one mosque.

Protestant denominations include Baptist, Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Pentecostal churches. There are also evangelical groups and independent local churches.

An estimated 70 Protestant churches with 4,000 members conduct services in Chinese; approximately 4,000 worshippers attend every Sunday. An estimated 500 Protestants attend services conducted in foreign languages.

The Council of Christian Churches in Madagascar (FFKM) represents the four principal Christian groups: Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, and members of the Reformed Protestant Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar (FJKM). Smaller groups include The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Jehovah's Witnesses, and Seventh-day Adventists.

Local sources report that the most numerous non-Christian group includes adherents of indigenous religions, although the number is unknown. A local academic estimates Muslims constitute 10-15 percent of the population. According to religious leaders, Muslim populations are largely concentrated in the north, northwest, and southeast. Citizens of ethnic Indian and Pakistani origin, and Comoran immigrants represent the majority of Muslims.

There are also small numbers of Hindus and Jews.

There are several mosques associated with the group Dawa al Tabligh, a fundamentalist Muslim group that does not seek to impose its practices outside of its own group. The group has fewer than a thousand members in Bamako.

On the main island, the population of the city of Port Louis is primarily Muslim and Roman Catholic, while the majority of the rest of the island's population is Hindu. The island of Rodrigues is 90 percent Roman Catholic.

There is a strong correlation between religious affiliation and ethnicity. Citizens of Indian ethnicity are primarily Hindu or Muslim. Those of Chinese ancestry generally practice either Buddhism or Catholicism. Creoles and citizens of European descent are primarily Catholic.

Official statistics occasionally differ from membership figures religious groups provide. Approximately 314,900 individuals identify themselves as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in the 2010 census; however, LDS Church in Mexico officials assert their membership is approximately 1.3 million. There are large Protestant communities in the southern states of Chiapas and Tabasco. In Chiapas, Protestant evangelical leaders state nearly half of the state's 2.4 million inhabitants are members of evangelical groups, but less than 5 percent of 2010 census respondents in Chiapas self-identify as evangelical.

According to the 2010 census, the Jewish community numbers approximately 67,500, some 42,000 of whom live in Mexico City and the state of Mexico; there are also small numbers of Jews in Morelos, Oaxaca, Puebla, and Veracruz. Nearly half of the country's approximately 4,000 Muslims are concentrated in Mexico City and the state of Mexico. A community of approximately 50,000 Mennonites is concentrated mostly in Chihuahua. Some indigenous persons in the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Yucatán adhere to a syncretic religion combining Catholic and pre-Hispanic Mayan beliefs.

In some communities, particularly in the south, there is a correlation between politics and religious affiliation. A small number of local leaders reportedly manipulated religious tensions in their communities for their own political or economic benefit, particularly in Chiapas.

Although there is linguistic and cultural diversity within each of the country's four states, its religious character is overwhelmingly Christian. Several Protestant denominations, as well as the Roman Catholic Church, are present in every state. The United Church of Christ is the main Protestant denomination. In Kosrae, 95 percent of the population is Protestant. In Pohnpei, the population is evenly divided between Protestants and Catholics. In Chuuk, an estimated 60 percent is Catholic and 40 percent Protestant. In Yap, an estimated 80 percent of the population is Catholic and the remainder Protestant. In addition to the United Church of Christ, Protestant denominations include Baptist, Assemblies of God, Salvation Army, and Seventh-day Adventists. Smaller groups include Jehovah's Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and Bahá'ís. There are increasing numbers of Mormons; in Pohnpei, about 5 percent of the population considers itself Mormon. Attendance at religious services is generally high. Churches are well supported by their congregations and play a significant role in civil society.

The majority of foreign workers are Filipino Catholics who have joined local Catholic churches. The Filipino Iglesia ni Cristo has a church in Pohnpei.

Historic interdenominational rivalry and the conversion of clan leaders in Pohnpei resulted in religious divisions along clan lines that continue today, although intermarriage has blurred the lines considerably. More Protestants live on the western side of the island, while more Catholics live on the eastern side.

Smaller religious groups include Muslims, Bahá'ís, Molokans, Messianic Jews, Lutherans, Presbyterians, other Christians, members of the Unification Church, and Krishna Consciousness followers.

In the separatist Transnistria region, the largest religious group is the MOC. The Tiraspol-Dubasari diocese is part of both the MOC and the Russian Orthodox Church, and an estimated 80 percent of the Transnistrian population belongs to the MOC. Other religious groups in the region include Roman Catholics, followers of Old Rite Orthodoxy, Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, evangelical and charismatic Christians, Jews, Lutherans, and Jehovah's Witnesses.

Muslims constitute approximately 5 percent of the population nationwide and 80 percent of the population of the primarily ethnic Kazakh western province of Bayan-Olgiy. According to the Mongolian Muslim Association, in addition to approximately 120,000 Kazakh Muslims (mostly in Bayan-Olgiy), there are 30,000 Khoton Muslims residing primarily in the province of Uvs. There are more than 40 mosques and ten Islamic student centers, where an estimated 3,000 students study Islam.

There is a small but growing population of Christians. According to the 2010 National Census, approximately 2 percent of the population is Christian. A 2011 government nationwide study indicates that 4.7 percent of the 2,500 individuals surveyed are Christian.

According to estimates by various Christian groups, approximately 90 percent of Christians are Protestant, while 9 percent belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Roman Catholics and members of the Russian Orthodox Church together account for the remaining 1 percent.

Some citizens practice shamanism, often in tandem with another religion. The 2010 National Census estimates that 2.9 percent of the population practices shamanism, widely viewed as a traditional form of healing. According to the 2011 government survey of 2,500 people, 6 percent of those surveyed self-identified as shamanists and 8.6 percent responded that they practiced shamanism alongside Buddhism.

According to 2011 records from the State General Registration Office, which are the most recent records available, there are 630 registered places of worship, of which 272 are Buddhist, 293 Christian, and 65 belonging to various other religious groups. According to estimates by the Evangelical Alliance, a confederation of evangelical Christian churches throughout the country, there are 400 to 600 evangelical churches, approximately 250 to 300 of which are registered.

The predominantly Roman Catholic and Protestant foreign resident Christian community consists of approximately 5,000 practicing members, although some Protestant and Catholic clergy estimate the number to be as high as 25,000. Most foreign resident Christians live in the Casablanca, Tangier, and Rabat urban areas. Various local Christian leaders estimate that there are 4,000 citizen Christians (mostly ethnic Amazigh) who regularly attend "house" churches and live predominantly in the south. Some Christian leaders estimate that there may be as many as 8,000 Christian citizens throughout the country, but many reportedly do not meet regularly due to fear of government surveillance and social persecution.

The Catholic and French Protestant (referred to as l’Eglise evangelique du Maroc, or EEM) churches have buildings throughout many cities in the country. There are two Anglican churches located in Casablanca and Tangier. The Russian Orthodox Church holds services in a building in Rabat. The Greek Orthodox Church owns a building in Casablanca where it holds services. The Association Marocaine des Eglises Protestantes (AMEP) churches, a network of autonomous foreign resident Protestant church communities, generally rent or share buildings.

There are an estimated 3,000 to 8,000 Shia Muslims, most of them foreign residents from Lebanon or Iraq but including a few citizens. Followers of several Sufi Muslim orders across the Maghreb and West Africa undertake joint annual pilgrimages to the country. There are 350-400 Bahá'ís, located in urban areas.

The South Asian immigrant population is predominantly Muslim, and there are some differences between their practices and the traditional, Sufi-inspired Swahili Islam of Muslims of African origin. An increasing number of African Muslim clerics travel to Egypt, Kuwait, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia for training, and some return with a more conservative approach to Islam.

Members of the Dutch Reformed Church are predominantly ethnic Afrikaners. Members of the Himba and San ethnic groups often combine indigenous religious beliefs with Christianity. The few Muslims are mostly Sunni and are predominantly immigrants from elsewhere in Africa or recent converts.

A 2009 CBS report estimates the number of Muslims to be 850,000 (5.2 percent of the population). Most Muslims live in urban areas and are of Turkish, Moroccan, or Surinamese background. The Muslim population also includes large numbers of asylum seekers from Iran, Iraq, Somalia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

According to the Jewish Social Work organization, there are approximately 45,000 Jews. The Stephen Roth Institute and the Council of Europe estimate the number to be closer to 30,000.

According to the Scientific Council for Government Policy in 2008, there are between 100,000 and 215,000 Hindus, of whom approximately 85 percent are Surinamese and 10 percent Indian.

The Buddhist community has approximately 17,000 members, according to the Netherlands Institute for Social Research in 2007.

note: based on the 2013 census of the usually resident population; percentages add up to more than 100% because people were able to identify more than one religion (2013 est.)

Of the indigenous Maori, who make up approximately 15 percent of the population, 13 percent is Anglican, 12 percent Catholic, and 10 percent belongs to syncretic Maori Christian groups such as Ratana and Ringatu. Thirty-four percent states no religious affiliation.

The Assemblies of God, Nicaragua's largest evangelical Pentecostal church, estimates its membership at 640,000. Evangelical leaders estimate evangelicals currently represent 43-46 percent of the population; they include Moravian Lutherans, Baptists, and other Protestants in that number. Catholic Church leaders estimate a decrease in their membership, but offer no statistics. Evangelical leaders estimate Catholics represent up to 56 percent of the population.

Groups constituting less than 5 percent of the population include Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and Muslims.

The Moravian Lutheran Church, with approximately 88,000 members, is largely concentrated in the country's North and South Autonomous Regions. A large percentage of its members are Amerindians and people of Afro-Caribbean descent. In the two regions, nearly 50 percent of the population self-identifies as Moravian Lutheran. Moravian leaders estimate that 5 percent of their members have transferred to the Assemblies of God church.

The Hausa-Fulani and Kanuri ethnic groups dominate the predominantly Muslim northern states. Significant numbers of Christians also reside in the north, and Christians and Muslims reside in about equal numbers in the Middle Belt, the Federal Capital Territory, and the southwestern states, where the Yoruba ethnic group predominates. While most Yorubas are either Christian or Muslim, some primarily adhere to traditional Yoruba religious beliefs. In the southeastern states, where the Igbo ethnic group is dominant, Catholics, Anglicans, and Methodists constitute the majority, although many Igbos combine traditional practices with Christianity. In the Niger Delta region, where the Ogoni and Ijaw ethnic groups predominate, Christians form the majority while an estimated 1 percent of the population is Muslim. Pentecostal groups are growing rapidly in the Middle Belt and southern regions. Ahmadi Muslims maintain a small presence in the cities of Lagos and Abuja.

Various Christian denominations (289,000 registered members) make up 57 percent of all registered members of religious groups outside of the ELC. Of these, the Roman Catholic Church is the largest and, because of recent immigration, has increased to an estimated 100,000 registered members (from 57,000 in 2010), while the Pentecostal Church has approximately 39,100 registered members. Membership in Muslim congregations is 112, 000 and comprises 22 percent of all members of religious groups outside of the ELC in the country. Mosques are located throughout the country, but the Muslim population is most concentrated in the Oslo region. Membership in Jewish congregations decreased to 819 from 850 in 2009. There are two official Jewish congregations, one in Oslo and one in Trondheim.

Buddhists, Orthodox Christians, Sikhs, and Hindus together constitute less than 5 percent of the population.

note: approximately 75% of Omani citizens, who compose almost 70% of the country's total population, are Ibadhi Muslims; the Omani government does not keep statistics on religious affiliation (2013) (2010 est.)

The majority of non-Muslims are foreign workers from South Asia, although there are small communities of naturalized ethnic Indians who are mainly Hindu or Christian. Non-Ibadhi religious groups constitute approximately 18 percent of the population and include Sunni and Shia Muslims and groups of Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Bahá'ís, and Christians. Christian groups are centered in the major urban areas of Muscat, Sohar, and Salalah and include Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant congregations. These groups tend to organize along linguistic and ethnic lines. There are more than 60 different Christian groups, fellowships, and assemblies active in the Muscat metropolitan area. There are also three officially recognized Hindu temples and two Sikh temples in Muscat, as well as additional temples located in foreign laborer camps.

note: the proportion of Christians continues to fall mainly as a result of the growth of the Muslim population but also because of the migration and the declining birth rate of the Christian population (2012 est.); Gaza Strip - Muslim 98.0 - 99.0% (predominantly Sunni), Christian <1.0%, other, unaffiliated, unspecified <1.0%

note: dismantlement of Israeli settlements was completed in September 2005; Gaza has had no Jewish population since then (2012 est.)

According to local Christian leaders, Palestinian Christian emigration has accelerated since 2001. Lower birth rates among Palestinian Christians also contribute to their shrinking numbers.

The Jewish and Muslim communities have approximately 12,000 members each. The Jewish community is centered largely in Panama City. Muslims live primarily in Panama City and Colon. One of the world's seven Bahá'í houses of worship is in Panama City. Indigenous religions include Ibeorgun (among Kuna), Mamatata and Mamachi (among Ngobe Bugle), and Embera (among Embera), found in their respective indigenous communities throughout the country.

Nontraditional Christian and non-Christian religious groups have become increasingly active in recent years. Muslim and Confucian organizations largely serve the expatriate population. The Muslim community has about 3,000 members with a mosque in Port Moresby and 12 Islamic centers across the country. Pentecostal and charismatic Christian groups have found converts within congregations of the more established churches.

Mennonites comprise a majority of the population in remote areas of the Central Chaco and Eastern Paraguay.

According to a survey from 2000 by the Philippine Statistics Authority, approximately 93 percent of the population is Christian. A large majority of Christians are Roman Catholics, constituting 80 to 85 percent of the total population. The 2000 survey states that Islam is the largest minority religion, constituting approximately 5 percent of the population.

A more recent estimate by the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) in 2011 states that there are 10.3 million Muslims, or about 11 percent of the total population. Most Filipino Muslims are members of various ethnic minority groups. Nearly 60 percent of Muslims reside in Mindanao and nearby islands. Although most belong to the Sunni branch of Islam, a small number of Shia Muslims live in the provinces of Lanao del Sur and Zamboanga del Sur in Mindanao. An increasing number of Filipino Muslims are migrating to the urban centers of Manila and Cebu.

Religious groups that together constitute less than 5 percent of the population include the following international denominations: Seventh-day Adventists, United Church of Christ, United Methodists, the Episcopal Church in the Philippines, Assemblies of God, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and Philippine (Southern) Baptists; and the following domestically established churches: Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ), Philippine Independent Church (Aglipayan), Members Church of God International, and The Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the Name Above Every Name.

notes: represents population 15 years of age and older (2011 est.)

Most noncitizens are Sunni or Shia Muslims, Hindus, Christians, or Buddhists. While the government does not release figures regarding religious affiliation, some estimates for noncitizens are available from Christian groups and local embassies. The Hindu community, almost exclusively from India and Nepal, comprises more than 30 percent of noncitizens. Roman Catholics are approximately 20 percent of the noncitizen population, while Buddhists, largely from South, Southeast, and East Asia, are estimated at 7 percent of noncitizens. Groups constituting less than 5 percent of the population include Anglicans, Egyptian Copts, Bahá'ís of Iranian or Lebanese origin, and members of the Greek and other Eastern Orthodox Churches.

Some religious groups are concentrated in particular regions. Old Rite Russian Christians are mainly located in Moldavia and Dobrogea. Most Muslims live in the southeast around Constanta. Most Greek Catholics reside in Transylvania. Protestants and Roman Catholics reside primarily in Transylvania. Orthodox and Greek Catholic ethnic Ukrainians live mostly in the north. Orthodox ethnic Serbs are primarily in Banat. Members of the Armenian Church are concentrated in Moldavia and the south. Virtually all members of the Protestant Reformed, Roman Catholic, Unitarian, and Lutheran churches from Transylvania are ethnic Hungarians. Approximately half of the Jewish population is in Bucharest.

According to an April survey conducted by the Romanian Institute for Evaluation and Strategy, 14 percent of respondents attend church services several times a week, 48 percent several times a month, 16 percent several times a year, and 17 percent only on important religious feasts.

note: estimates are of practicing worshipers; Russia has large populations of non-practicing believers and non-believers, a legacy of over seven decades of Soviet rule.

note: despite having a large expatriate community of various faiths (more than 30% of the population), most forms of public religious expression inconsistent with the government-sanctioned interpretation of Sunni Islam are restricted; non-Muslims are not allowed to have Saudi citizenship and non-Muslim places of worship are not permitted (2013) (2012 est.)

Foreign embassies indicate that the foreign population in the country, including many undocumented migrants, may exceed 12 million. Comprehensive statistics for the religious denominations of foreigners are not available, but they include Muslims from the various branches and schools of Islam, Christians (including Eastern Orthodox, Protestants, and Roman Catholics), Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, and others.

The country is ethnically and religiously diverse. Although there is significant integration of all groups, Muslims are generally concentrated in the north while Christians largely reside in the west and south. Members of indigenous religious groups mainly live in the east and south.

The Islamic community operates under two separate authorities: the Islamic Community of Serbia, with its seat in Belgrade, and the Islamic Community in Serbia, with its seat in Novi Pazar.

According to June 2012 Department of Statistics data, 74.1 percent of the population is ethnic Chinese, 13.4 percent ethnic Malay, 9.2 percent ethnic Indian, and 3.3 percent other, including Eurasians. Nearly all ethnic Malays are Muslim. Among ethnic Indians, 55 percent are Hindu, 25 percent are Muslim, and 12 percent are Christian. The ethnic Chinese population includes mainly Buddhists (54 percent), Taoists (11 percent), and Christians (16.5 percent).

There is some correlation between religion and ethnicity. Greek Catholics are generally ethnic Slovaks and Ruthenians (of Ukrainian origin), although some Ruthenians belong to the Orthodox Church. Most Orthodox Christians live in the eastern part of the country. The Reformed Christian Church is found primarily in the south, near the border with Hungary, where many ethnic Hungarians live. Other religious groups tend to be spread evenly throughout the country.

The African Independent Churches constitute the largest group of Christian churches, including the Zion Christian Church (approximately 11 percent of the population), the Apostolic Church (approximately 10 percent), and a number of Pentecostal and charismatic groups. Other Christian groups include Methodists, Anglicans, Baptists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, Seventh-day Adventists, and members of the Greek Orthodox, Dutch Reformed, and Congregational churches.

Ethnic Indian/Asian South Africans account for 2.5 percent of the total population. Roughly half of the ethnic Indian population is Hindu, and the majority resides in KwaZulu-Natal. The small Muslim community includes Cape Malays of Malayan-Indonesian descent, individuals of Indian or Pakistani origin, and several thousand Somali and Ethiopian immigrants.

The small Jewish community is concentrated in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

The Episcopal Conference of Spain estimates there are 34.5 million Catholics. The Federation of Evangelical Religious Entities estimates there are 1.2 million evangelical Christians and other Protestants, 800,000 of whom are immigrants. The Union of Islamic Communities of Spain estimates there are 1.67 million Muslims, while other Islamic groups estimate a population of up to two million. The Federation of Jewish Communities estimates there are 40,000 Jews. Other religious groups include The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Buddhists, Orthodox Christians, Bahá'ís, Scientologists, Hindus, Christian Scientists and other Christian groups.

Most members of the majority Sinhalese community are Theravada Buddhists. Most Tamils, the largest ethnic minority, are Hindus. Most Muslims are Sunnis; there is a small minority of Shia, including members of the Bohra community. Almost 80 percent of Christians are Roman Catholic; other Christian groups include Anglicans, Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Methodists, Baptists, Pentecostals, members of the Dutch Reformed Church, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Although membership remains small, Evangelical Christian groups have grown in recent years.

Members of the St. Kitts Christian Council include the Anglican Church, the Methodist Church, the Moravian Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Salvation Army. Members of the Evangelical Association include the Baptist Church, the Pentecostal Church, the Wesleyan Church, and the Church of God in Christ. Seventh-day Adventists do not belong to either religious umbrella group.

The Culture and Information Ministry estimates that Christians make up 3 percent of the population. Christians primarily reside in Khartoum, the north, and the Nuba Mountains. It is unclear whether these numbers include residents of Southern Sudanese origin whose citizenship status remains under review. Khartoum's significant Christian population decreased with the migration of many Christians of southern heritage to South Sudan.

There are very small but long-established groups of Orthodox Christians in Khartoum and other cities, including Coptic Orthodox and Greek Orthodox. There are also Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox communities, largely made up of refugees and migrants, in Khartoum and the east. Other smaller Christian groups include the Africa Inland Church, Armenian (Apostolic) Church, Sudan Church of Christ, Sudan Interior Church, Sudan Pentecostal Church, Sudan Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian Church of the Sudan, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Roman Catholic Church, Anglicans, and Jehovah's Witnesses.

The Culture and Information Ministry indicates that less than 1 percent of the population adheres to African traditional religious beliefs. Some Christians and Muslims also adhere to some aspects of traditional beliefs.

Some Amerindian and Maroon populations adhere to indigenous religions. Some Amerindians, concentrated principally in the interior and to a lesser extent in coastal areas, practice shamanism through a medicine man (piaiman). Many Maroons, who inhabit the interior, worship nature through a practice that has no special name. Other Maroons, as well as some Creoles in urban areas, worship their ancestors through a rite called wintie. Citizens of Amerindian and Maroon origin who identify as Christian often combine Christian practices with indigenous religious customs with the tacit approval of Christian leaders.

There is a correlation between ethnicity and religion. Many political parties have strong ethnic ties, and members tend to belong to the same religious group. With the exception of those following indigenous practices, religious groups are not concentrated in any particular region.

According to the Official Council of Swedish Jewish Communities, the number of Jews is approximately 20,000. The Swedish Commission for Government Support to Faith Communities estimates there are 9,000 practicing Jews in the country. Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform synagogues are found mostly in large cities.

Smaller religious communities are concentrated in larger cities and include Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Zoroastrians, Hare Krishnas, and members of the Church of Scientology, Word of Faith, and Unification Church.

Most immigrants are members of religious groups different from native-born citizens. Over 90 percent of Muslims are of foreign origin, with nearly 100 nationalities represented. Most come from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Albania, Turkey, and North Africa. The majority of the Muslim community is Sunni, interspersed with some Shia and Alawites. Most of the Muslim population lives in urban areas. Over 75 percent of Jewish households are located in Zurich, Geneva, Basel, and Bern.

Most Christians belong to the autonomous Orthodox churches, the Uniate churches (which recognize the Roman Catholic Pope), or the independent Nestorian Church. There is a Yezidi population of approximately 80,000, but the government does not recognize the Yezidi as belonging to a group distinct from Islam. Many of the approximately 100 Jews in the country at the beginning of the year have reportedly emigrated due to the ongoing conflict.

Most Christians live in and around Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Hama, and Latakia, or in the Hasaka governorate in the northeast section of the country. Iraqi Christians frequently migrated to Syria in past years, but very few entered during the year due to ongoing unrest and violence. The majority of the Iraqi Christian population in the country either moved to neighboring states or returned to Iraq. The majority of Alawis live in the mountainous areas of the coastal Latakia governorate, but they also have significant presence in the cities of Latakia, Tartous, Homs, and Damascus. Many Druze live in the rugged Jabal al-Arab region in the southern governorate of Suweida, where they constitute the vast majority of the local population. The few remaining Jews are concentrated in Damascus and Aleppo. Yezidis are found primarily in the northeast and Aleppo. The Kurdish population is located in the northern and eastern border areas with Turkey and Iraq, largely in Hassakeh, Raqqah, and Halab.

In addition to organized religious groups, many persons also practice traditional Chinese folk religions, which include some aspects of shamanism, ancestor worship, and animism. Researchers and academics estimate that as much as 80 percent of the population believes in some form of traditional folk religion. Such folk religions may overlap with an individual's belief in Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, or other traditional Chinese religions. There also may be an overlap between practitioners of Buddhism, Taoism, and other traditional Chinese religions, and Falun Gong practitioners. Falun Gong is a self-described spiritual discipline that combines qigong (a traditional Chinese exercise discipline) with the teachings of founder Li Hongzhi. Falun Gong is registered as a civic rather than a religious organization. According to an academic source, Falun Gong membership exceeds one million and continues to grow.

Groups that constitute less than 5 percent of the population include I Kuan Tao, Tien Ti Chiao (Heaven Emperor Religion), Tien Te Chiao (Heaven Virtue Religion), Li-ism, Hsuan Yuan Chiao (Yellow Emperor Religion), Tian Li Chiao (Tenrikyo), Universe Maitreya Emperor Religion, Hai Tze Tao, Zhonghua Sheng Chiao (Chinese Holy Religion), Da Yi Chiao (Great Changes Religion), Pre-cosmic Salvationism, Huang Chung Chiao (Yellow Middle Religion), Roman Catholicism, Islam, the Church of Scientology, the Bahá'í Faith, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Mahikari Religion, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and the Unification Church, all of which are registered. Unregistered denominations include the Presbyterian, True Jesus, Baptist, Lutheran, Seventh-day Adventist, and Episcopal churches. The majority of the indigenous population of 507,000 aborigines is Protestant or Roman Catholic. Jews number approximately 130 persons, although they are predominantly foreign residents. Some 400,000 migrant workers, primarily from Southeast Asia, differ in religious adherence from the general population. The largest single group of migrant workers is from Indonesia, with a population of more than 200,000 persons who are largely Muslim. Migrant workers from the Philippines are predominantly Christian.

There are 75 registered non-Muslim religious groups. There are approximately 150,000 Christians. The largest Christian group is Russian Orthodox; there are also Baptists, Roman Catholics, Seventh-day Adventists, Lutherans, and Korean Protestants. There are a small number of Bahá'ís, fewer than 300 Jews and approximately 700 Jehovah's Witnesses.

On the mainland, large Muslim communities are concentrated in coastal areas, with some large Muslim minorities also located inland in urban areas. Zanzibar is approximately 98 percent Muslim. Between 80 and 90 percent of the Muslim population is Sunni. The remainder consists of several Shia subgroups, mostly of Asian descent. Christian groups include Roman Catholics, Protestants (including Pentecostals), Seventh-day Adventists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and Jehovah's Witnesses. Other religious groups include Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, and Bahá'ís.

The country's three largest political parties are secular, but include the opposition Civic United Front (CUF) party, often associated with Zanzibar's Muslim community, and the opposition Chama cha Mapinduzi na Maendeleo (Chadema) party, often associated with the Christian majority on the mainland.

Theravada Buddhism, the dominant religion, is not an exclusive belief system and most Buddhists also incorporate Brahmin-Hindu and animist practices. The Buddhist clergy (Sangha) consists of two main schools: Mahanikaya and Dhammayuttika. The former is older and more prevalent within the monastic community than the latter. The same ecclesiastical hierarchy governs both groups.

Islam is the dominant religion in four of the five southernmost provinces. The majority of Muslims in those provinces are ethnic Malay, but the Muslim population nationally also includes descendants of immigrants from South Asia, China, Cambodia, Indonesia, and those who consider themselves ethnic Thai. The Ministry of Interior's Islamic Affairs Section reported that, as of October, 3,744 mosques are registered in 68 of the country's 77 provinces, of which 3,179 are located in the 14 southern provinces. According to the Religious Affairs Department (RAD) of the Ministry of Culture, 99 percent of these mosques are associated with the Sunni branch of Islam. Shia mosques make up 1 percent and are in Bangkok and the provinces of Nakhon Sithammarat, Krabi, and Phatthalung. There are 39 Provincial Islamic Committees nationwide.

The majority of ethnic Chinese and Vietnamese practice Mahayana or Theravada Buddhism. Many ethnic Chinese, as well as members of the Mien hill tribe, practice forms of Taoism.

Most Muslims live in the central and northern regions. Christians live mainly in the southern part of the country. The Muslim Union of Togo reports a large surge in immigrants from Muslim countries, but the government does not collect the statistics needed to confirm or deny that claim.

Afro-Trinidadians are predominantly Christian, with a small Muslim community, and are concentrated in and around Port of Spain and the east-west corridor of northern Trinidad. The population of Trinidad's sister island, Tobago, is overwhelmingly of African descent and predominantly Christian. Indo-Trinidadians are primarily concentrated in central and southern Trinidad and are mostly Hindu, but there are also Muslims, Presbyterians, and Catholics.

Academics estimate there are between 15 million and 20 million Alevis, followers of a belief system that incorporates aspects of both Shia and Sunni Islam and draws on the traditions of other religious groups indigenous to the region. Alevi foundation leaders state the number at between 20 million and 25 million.

Other religious groups, mostly concentrated in Istanbul and other large cities, together constitute less than 1 percent of the population. While exact figures are not available, these groups include approximately 500,000 Shiite Jaferi Muslims; 90,000 Armenian Orthodox Christians (of which an estimated 60,000 are citizens and an estimated 30,000 are undocumented immigrants from Armenia); 25,000 Roman Catholics (mostly recent immigrants from Africa and the Philippines); 22,000 Jews; 20,000 Syrian Orthodox (Syriac) Christians; 15,000 Russian Orthodox Christians (mostly recent immigrants from Russia who hold residence permits); 10,000 Bahá'ís; 5,000 Yezidis; 5,000 Jehovah's Witnesses; 7,000 members of other Protestant denominations; 3,000 Iraqi Chaldean Christians; and up to 2,500 Greek Orthodox Christians. There also are small, undetermined numbers of Bulgarian Orthodox, Nestorian, Georgian Orthodox, Syriac Catholic, and Maronite Christians.

The 1995 census indicates that ethnic Russians make up almost 7 percent of the population; however, subsequent emigration to Russia and elsewhere continues to reduce this proportion. Most ethnic Russians and Armenians are Christian and are generally members of the Russian Orthodox Church. Ethnic Russians and Armenians also make up a significant percentage of unregistered religious congregations; however, ethnic Turkmen are increasingly represented among these unregistered groups.

There are small pockets of Shia Muslims, many of whom are ethnic Iranians, Azeris, or Kurds living along the border with Iran and in the western city of Turkmenbashi.

An estimated 300 Jews live in the country. Local Jews consider Judaism an ethnic rather than a religious identity. There are no synagogues or rabbis, and Jews do not gather for religious observances.

The nine island groups have traditional chiefs, all of whom are members of the Church of Tuvalu. Most members of other religious groups are found in Funafuti, the capital, although a relatively large number of Bahá'ís live on Nanumea Island.

note: Ukraine's population is overwhelmingly Christian; the vast majority - up to two-thirds - identify themselves as Orthodox, but many do not specify a particular branch; the UOC-KP and the UOC-MP each represent less than a quarter of the country's population, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church accounts for 8-10%, and the UAOC accounts for 1-2%; Muslim and Jewish adherents each compose less than 1% of the total population (2013 est.)

The 2011 Democratic Initiatives Foundation and the Ukraine Sociology Service opinion poll indicates that approximately 31 percent of the population identifies with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP), 26 percent with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), and 2 percent with the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UOAC). The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) is the largest non-Orthodox church. The UGCC estimates its membership at four million, approximately 93 percent of whom reside in the western portion of the country. The Roman Catholic Church estimates it has one million members spread throughout the western and central parts of the country.

Government agencies and independent think tanks estimate the Muslim population at 500,000, although some Muslim leaders put the number at two million. According to government figures, the majority are Crimean Tatars, numbering an estimated 300,000 and constituting the third-largest ethnic group in Crimea. The Evangelical Baptist Union of Ukraine is the largest Protestant community. Other Protestant groups include Pentecostals, Seventh-day Adventists, Lutherans, Anglicans, Calvinists, Methodists, and Presbyterians. According to the most recent government census data from 2001, there are an estimated 103,600 Jews in the country; however, some local Jewish leaders estimate the number of persons of Jewish heritage to be as high as 370,000.

There are also Jehovah's Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Buddhists, practitioners of Falun Gong, and adherents of Krishna Consciousness.

note: represents the total population; about 85% of the population consists of noncitizens (2005 est.)

Noncitizen residents predominantly come from South and Southeast Asia, although there are substantial numbers from the Middle East, Europe, Central Asia, and North America. According to a 2005 Ministry of Economy census, 76 percent of the total population is Muslim, 9 percent is Christian, and 15 percent belongs to other religious groups, primarily Hindu or Buddhist. Groups together constituting less than 5 percent of the population include Parsis, Bahá'ís, Druze, Sikhs, Ahmadis, Ismailis, Dawoodi Bohra Muslims, and Jews. These estimates differ from census figures because census figures do not take into account the many "temporary" visitors and workers, and count Bahá'ís and Druze as Muslim.

The Muslim community, comprising 4.8 percent of the population, is predominantly of South Asian origin, but also includes individuals from the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Africa, and Southeast Asia, as well as a growing number of local converts. Other religious groups, which each make up less than 2 percent of the population, include Hindus, Sikhs, Jews, and Buddhists. Individuals from these religious groups are concentrated in London and other large urban areas, primarily in England.

Census figures from Northern Ireland in 2011 indicate that 41 percent of the population is Catholic, 41.5 percent Protestant, and less than 1 percent various non-Christian religious groups. Approximately 17 percent of respondents did not indicate a religious affiliation.

In Bermuda, Anglicans are 16 percent of the population, while Roman Catholics and African Methodist Episcopalians are 15 and 9 percent, respectively. Muslims represent up to 1.5 percent of the population. Nearly 20 religious groups are present.

There are 2,225 registered religious groups representing 16 denominations. There are 2,051 Muslim groups (including mosques, educational institutions, and Islamic centers). Among the Muslim groups are several Shia congregations. Registered minority religious groups include 52 Korean Christian, 38 Russian Orthodox, 23 Baptist, 21 Pentecostal ("Full Gospel"), 10 Seventh-day Adventist, eight Jewish, five Catholic, six Bahá'í, two Lutheran, four "New Apostolic," two Armenian Apostolic, one Jehovah's Witnesses, one Krishna Consciousness, one Temple of Buddha, one Christian "Voice of God" Church, and one interconfessional Bible Society.

There are small but influential Muslim and Jewish communities. The Muslim community of more than 100,000 consists primarily of persons of Lebanese and Syrian descent living in Nueva Esparta State and the Caracas area. The Jewish community numbers approximately 9,000 and is centered in Caracas.

Smaller religious groups that together comprise less than 0.1 percent of the population include 50,000 ethnic Cham who mostly practice a devotional form of Hinduism in the south-central coastal area, an estimated 8,000 members of the Bahá'í Faith, and approximately 1,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) throughout the country. There is one Jewish synagogue in Ho Chi Minh City serving approximately 150 Jews, mainly foreign residents who live in the city.

Other citizens consider themselves nonreligious, or practice animism or the veneration of ancestors, tutelary and protective saints, national heroes and local, respected persons. Followers of these traditional forms of worship may or may not term themselves religious.

Ethnic minorities constitute approximately 14 percent of the population. Based on adherents’ estimates, two-thirds of Protestants are members of ethnic minorities, including minority groups in the Northwest Highlands (H’mong, Dzao, Thai, and others) and in the Central Highlands (Ede, Jarai, Sedang, and M’nong, among others). The Khmer Krom ethnic group overwhelmingly practices Theravada Buddhism.

There is a small foreign community working for the United Nations Mission for a Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). Many of its members are non-Muslims.

Muslims are primarily concentrated in Lusaka and in the Eastern and Copperbelt provinces; many are immigrants from South Asia, Somalia, and the Middle East who have acquired Zambian citizenship. A small minority of indigenous persons are also Muslim. Most Hindus are of South Asian descent.

The majority of the population also adheres to indigenous religions. Religious leaders reported a continued increase in observance of indigenous religious practices, often simultaneously with Christianity. Approximately 14 percent of the population adheres solely to indigenous religious beliefs.

Approximately 3 percent of the population is Muslim, primarily immigrants of Mozambican and Malawian descent. The Muslim population is concentrated in rural areas and in some high-density suburbs. Small numbers of Greek Orthodox, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and Bahá'ís make up less than 1 percent of the population.

Political elites tend to be members of established Christian mainstream or Pentecostal churches. Some apostolic groups, along with the CPZ, support the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and are especially prevalent in ZANU-PF political strongholds.