Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project
The Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures project analyzes religious change and its impact on societies around the world. This interactive website is still in development; over time, it will grow to include additional data from the Pew Research Center’s demographic studies and public opinion surveys in many more countries. Additional functionality for exploring and sharing the data will be made available as well. We welcome your feedback and suggestions. Please e-mail us at web@pewforum.org.
The research for the Global Religious Futures project is carried out by the Pew Research Center with generous funding from The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John Templeton Foundation. Pew Research uses a range of social science methods, including public opinion surveys, demographic analysis and coding, to examine three related areas of global change:
- Patterns in religious beliefs and practices, including how they shape people's social values and political attitudes
- Trends in religious affiliation, including the current and projected size of the world's major religious groups
- Comparisons of restrictions on the practice of religion, including restrictions imposed by governments as well as social groups, organizations and individuals
The Global Religious Futures website allows you to explore data collected by the Pew Research Center. The data currently in the Global Religious Futures database includes:
- Data on characteristics of the populations of 234 countries and territories in 2010 and projected through 2050
- Data on research questions related to government restrictions on religion and social hostilities involving religion in 198 countries and territories
- Select questions from two extensive public opinion surveys that cover more than 40 countries
The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life also has produced the following reports as part of the Global Religious Futures project:
The Age Gap in Religion Around the World June 2018 In the United States, religious congregations have been graying for decades, and young adults are now much less religious than their elders. Recent surveys have found that younger adults are far less likely than older generations to identify with a religion, believe in God or engage in a variety of religious practices.
Europe's Growing Muslim Population November 2017 Muslims are projected to increase as a share of Europe’s population – even with no future migration. To see how the size of Europe’s Muslim population may change in the coming decades, Pew Research Center has modeled three scenarios that vary depending on future levels of migration.
The Changing Global Religious Landscape April 2017 This report analyzes religious change and its impact on societies around the world. The demographic projections are based on the current size and geographic distribution of the world’s major religions, as well as age differences, fertility and mortality rates, international migration and patterns in conversion.
The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050 April 2015 This report analyzes religious change and its impact on societies around the world. The demographic projections are based on the current size and geographic distribution of the world’s major religions, as well as age differences, fertility and mortality rates, international migration and patterns in conversion.
Religion in Latin America November 2014 Nearly 40% of the world's Catholics live in Latin America, but many people in the region have converted from Catholicism to Protestantism, while some have left organized religion altogether.
Religious Hostilities Reach Six-Year High January 2014 A third of the 198 countries studied had a high or very high level of social hostilities involving religion in 2012. About three-in-ten countries had a high or very high level of government restrictions on religion, roughly the same as in 2011.
The World's Muslims: Religion, Politics and Society
April 2013
A new survey report looks at attitudes among Muslims in 39 countries on a wide range of topics, from science to sharia, polygamy to popular culture. The survey finds that overwhelming percentages of Muslims in many countries want Islamic law to be the official law of their land, but there is also widespread support for democracy and religious freedom.
The Global Religious Landscape
December 2012
A country-by-country analysis of data from more than 2,500 censuses, surveys and population registers finds that 84% of adults and children around the globe are religiously affiliated.
The Rising Tide of Restrictions on Religion
September 2012
Between mid-2009 and mid-2010, religious restrictions rose not only in countries that began the year with high or very high restrictions, such as Indonesia and Nigeria, but also in many countries that began with low or moderate restrictions, such as Switzerland and the United States.
The World's Muslims: Unity and Diversity
August 2012
The world's Muslims are united in their belief in God and the Prophet Muhammad and are bound together by such religious practices as fasting during Ramadan and almsgiving to assist the needy. But they have widely differing views about other aspects of their faith, including how important religion is to their lives, who counts as a Muslim and what practices are acceptable in Islam.
Rising Restrictions on Religion August 2011
Restrictions on religious beliefs and practices rose in 23 of the world's 198 countries (12%), decreased in 12 countries (6%) and remained essentially unchanged in 163 countries (82%) between mid-2006 and mid-2009. More than 2.2 billion people – nearly a third of the world's population – live in the 23 countries with increasing government restrictions or social hostilities involving religion.
Global Survey of Evangelical Protestant Leaders June 2011
Evangelical Protestant leaders who live in the Global South generally are optimistic about the prospects for evangelicalism in their countries: 71% expect that five years from now the state of evangelicalism in their countries will be better than it is today. But those who live in the Global North expect that the state of evangelicalism in their countries will either stay about the same (21%) or worsen (33%) over the next five years.
The Future of the Global Muslim Population January 2011
This comprehensive demographic study seeks to provide up-to-date estimates of the number of Muslims around the world in 2010 and to project the growth of the Muslim population from 2010 to 2030. The report also illustrates past trends for several measures by providing data from 1990 to 2010.
Global Restrictions on Religion December 2009
This report gauges the level of religious restrictions in 198 countries due both to government actions and to acts of violence and intimidation by private individuals, organizations and social groups.
Mapping the Global Muslim Population October 2009
A comprehensive demographic study of more than 200 countries finds that there are 1.6 billion Muslims of all ages living in the world today, representing 23% of an estimated 2009 world population of 6.8 billion.
