List of religions in the world

Answer

There is no single, agreed-upon number of religions in the world in 2025. Scholars typically recognize dozens of major world religions and thousands of local, indigenous, and new religious movements. In practical terms we can talk about major traditions (around 10–20 widely recognized faiths) and a much larger universe of smaller or localized religions that, together, add up to several thousand distinct religious traditions when you include sects, denominations, folk systems, and new movements.

Why the exact number is hard to pin down

Before listing religions, it’s important to understand why counting religions is tricky:

• What counts as a “religion”? Some scholars use a broad definition (any structured set of beliefs and practices), others are stricter (organized institutions with scripture and clergy).

• Branches and denominations: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and others divide into dozens or hundreds of denominations that might be treated as separate religions or as parts of one.

• Folk and indigenous systems: Many local belief systems exist without formal names or scriptures—are these separate religions or variants?

• New and syncretic movements: Over the last century many new faiths and syncretic traditions have emerged and continue to form.

• Overlap with culture and identity: For many communities religion, ethnicity and cultural practice are interwoven, making classification subjective.

Because of these complexities, responsible answers focus on categories and notable examples rather than a single absolute number.

Major world religions – Number of religions in the world 2025

Below are the major world religions commonly cited in surveys and academic work. Each of these encompasses global communities, long histories, and substantial numbers of adherents.

1. Christianity — includes Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Protestantism (and hundreds of denominations).

2. Islam — includes Sunni, Shia, and smaller branches.

3. Hinduism — a complex family of beliefs and practices rooted in South Asia.

4. Buddhism — includes Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana traditions.

5. Sikhism — founded in the Punjab region (15th–16th centuries).

6. Judaism — ancient monotheistic faith with multiple cultural and religious streams.

7 Bahá’í Faith — a modern world religion emphasizing unity and progressive revelation.

8. Jainism — ancient Indian religion focused on non-violence and asceticism.

9. Shinto — indigenous religion of Japan with ritual and ancestral focus.

10. Taoism (Daoism) — Chinese religious-philosophical tradition centered on the Dao.

11. Confucianism — often treated as a philosophical and religious tradition tied to social ethics.

12. Zoroastrianism — one of the world’s oldest monotheistic traditions, originating in ancient Persia.

Other recognized and notable religious traditions

Beyond the largest groups, there are numerous religions and faith movements with regional or historical significance:

• Cao Dai (Vietnam)

• Tenrikyo (Japan)

• Rastafari (Jamaica-originated movement)

• Native American spiritual traditions (many distinct nations and practices)

• African traditional religions (Yoruba, Akan, Vodun/Vodou, Santería/Lucumí, and others)

• Chinese folk religion (a blend of ancestor worship, popular Daoist and Buddhist practices)

• Sufism (mystical traditions within Islam — though usually counted under Islam)

• Newer global movements (e.g., Scientology, Eckankar — examples of modern religious movements)

• Neo-paganism and contemporary reconstructionist paths (Wicca, Druidry, Heathenry, Hellenism)

• New Religious Movements (NRMs) — dozens to hundreds of groups founded in the 19th–21st centuries

Indigenous, folk, and tribal religions (many, many local faiths)

Indigenous and folk religions are often the most numerous in terms of distinct systems because each people group may have its own spiritual universe. Examples and categories include:

• Australian Aboriginal spiritualities (many separate language/cultural groups)

• Amazonian tribal traditions

• Inuit and Arctic indigenous beliefs

• West African and Central African traditional religions (Vodun, Ifá, etc.)

• Southeast Asian animist and spirit religions

• Pacific islander spiritualities (Polynesia, Micronesia, Melanesia)

Each of these umbrella labels includes dozens to thousands of unique, named traditions if you list them individually by people group or region.

How scholars and organizations classify religions

There are multiple classification approaches used by scholars and institutions:

• By geography and ethnicity (e.g., Indian religions, East Asian religions, African traditional religions)

• By origin era (ancient, classical, medieval, modern)

• By doctrinal family (monotheistic, polytheistic, animistic, nontheistic/philosophical)

• By organizational structure (institutional religions vs. decentralized folk religions)

These taxonomies show why a single number is less informative than an organized list and explanation.

A useful working list (selected religions and movements worth knowing)

Below is a practical list organized to help readers and search engines alike. It’s not exhaustive (there are thousands more), but it captures major families and many notable traditions.

Abrahamic family (examples)

• Christianity (Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Protestantism)

• Islam (Sunni, Shia, Ibadi and others)

• Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist)

• Bahá’í Faith

• Druze

• Samaritanism

• Rastafari (often included as an Abrahamic-influenced movement)

Dharmic / Indian family

• Hinduism

• Buddhism (Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana)

• Jainism

• Sikhism

• Zoroastrianism (sometimes placed separately as Persian/ancient monotheism)

East Asian and Chinese traditions

• Taoism (Daoism)

• Confucianism

• Shinto

• Chinese folk religion (local cults, ancestral worship)

Indigenous & folk families (examples by region)

• African Traditional Religions (Yoruba/Ifá, Akan, Fon/Vodun, etc.)

• Native American religions (Cherokee, Hopi, Lakota, many others)

• Aboriginal Australian spiritualities (Dreaming traditions, dozens of groups)

• Maori and Pacific island spiritualities

New Religious Movements & Modern faiths

• Scientology

• Eckankar

• New Thought and Spiritualist movements

• Neo-pagan paths (Wicca, Druidry, modern reconstructionist religions)

• Modern syncretic religions (Santería, Candomblé, Umbanda — blending African and Christian elements)

Smaller historic or regionally important faiths

• Jainism

• Zoroastrianism

• Yazidism

• Mandaeism

• Ainu religion (Hokkaido)

• Cao Dai, Tenrikyo, Bön (Tibetan indigenous tradition)

Non-religious / unaffiliated

• Atheism, Agnosticism, Secular Humanism (often counted as “non-religious” but important in demographic discussions)

How many total, then?

If you’re asking for a single total: responsible summaries say there are thousands of religions in the world when you include:

• Major world religions (dozens),

• Branches and denominations (hundreds to thousands),

• Indigenous and folk traditions (thousands more when enumerated by people group), and

• New religious movements and modern sects (continually growing).

A practical phrase to use in SEO content is: “tens of thousands of distinct belief systems and spiritual traditions worldwide” — because counting every local cult, sect and named tradition quickly multiplies into the tens of thousands.

Why this matters

People search “How many religions are there” for different reasons: curiosity, school projects, interfaith comparison, travel planning, or demographic research. A helpful article should:

• Provide a short, clear answer (no single agreed number).

• Give a categorized list of major religions and notable traditions.

• Explain classification challenges.

• Offer useful next steps (where to learn more about specific faiths).

This article is structured to match user intent and to rank for queries about religion counts, lists, and overviews.

Final thoughts about religions

In 2025, asking “how many religions are there?” is less about pinpointing a tidy number and more about appreciating the diversity of human belief. From large global faiths with hundreds of millions of followers to small, deeply local spiritual systems practiced by a single community, religion remains one of the richest ways humans organize meaning and identity. If you want, I can create a downloadable table listing the major religions with short summaries, or produce region-focused lists (e.g., religions of South Asia, Africa, or the Pacific) to support deeper SEO content for your site.

FAQs

Q: Is there an official global registry of religions?
A: No single international authority maintains a complete registry. Religious scholars, census agencies, and NGOs publish lists and surveys, but each uses different criteria.

Q: Are denominations counted separately from religions?
A: It depends. Some counts treat major families as single religions (e.g., “Christianity”), while others list denominations separately (e.g., “Baptist,” “Lutheran”). That choice changes totals drastically.

Q: Do atheist or unaffiliated people count as a religion?
A: They’re usually categorized as “non-religious” in demographic studies rather than a religion, but they remain an important global group for comparison.

Q: Will the number keep changing after 2025?
A: Yes. New movements form, older traditions decline or merge, and recognition of indigenous faiths grows—so the landscape evolves continually.