| Group | Where | Number of Adherents |
% of total pop. |
Number of congreg./ churches/ units |
Number of countries |
Year | Source | Quote/ Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunni | Kuwait | 930,000 | - | - | - | 1996 | 1997 Britannica Book of the Year. Pg. 781-783. | Table: "Religion ": Divided by nations, with 2 columns: "Religious affiliation " & "1996 pop. " [of that religion]. Based on best avail. figures, whether census data, membership figures or estimates by analysts, as % of est. 1996 midyear pop. |
| Sunni | Kuwait | 825,421 | 45.00% | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* CIA World Factbook web site (viewed Aug. 1998) | Muslim 85% (Shi'a 30%, Sunni 45%, other 10%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other 15%; Total population: 1,834,269 (July 1997 est.) note: includes 1,381,063 non-nationals (July 1997 est.) |
| unknown | Kuwait | - | 8.00% | - | - | 1992 | Goring, Rosemary (ed). Larousse Dictionary of Beliefs & Religions (Larousse: 1994) pg. 581-584. | Table: "Population Distribution of Major Beliefs "; "Figures have been compiled from the most accurate recent available information and are in most cases correct to the nearest 1% "; Listed as "Unspecified " |
| Baptist World Alliance | Kyrgyzstan | 3,118 | 0.07% | 33 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* Baptist World Alliance web site; page: "BWA Statistics " (viewed 31 March 1999). | "Figures are for BWA affiliated conventions/unions only (no independents included). "; Table with 3 columns: Country, "Churches ", & "Members "; "1997/1998 Totals "; [BWA stats. in individual countries are sum of figures for member bodies of BWA in the countries.]; [County population figures for 1998 from United Nations data available here.] |
| Baptists of Kyrgyzstan | Kyrgyzstan | 3,118 | - | 33 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* Baptist World Alliance web site; page: "BWA Statistics " (viewed 31 March 1999). | "Figures are for BWA affiliated conventions/unions only (no independents included). "; Table with 3 columns: Country, "Churches ", & "Members "; "1997/1998 Totals " |
| Catholic | Kyrgyzstan | 26,000 | 0.56% | - | - | 1995 | 1998 Catholic Almanac: Our Sunday Visitor: USA (1997), pg. 333-367. | Figures are as of Dec. 31, 1995. Number used for "congregations " is from number of Catholic parishes. |
| Islam | Kyrgyzstan | 3,160,000 | - | - | - | 1996 | 1997 Britannica Book of the Year. Pg. 781-783. | Table; Muslim is mostly Sunni; Location listed as "Krgyzstan " |
| Islam | Kyrgyzstan | 3,384,607 | 75.00% | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* CIA World Factbook web site (viewed Aug. 1998) | Muslim 75%, Russian Orthodox 20%, other 5%; Total population: 4,512,809. |
| Islam | Kyrgyzstan | - | 75.00% | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* web site: "Wholesome Words: Worldwide Missions " by Stephen Ross, "First Edition, 1998 "; [original sources: The World Book Encyclopedia, c1998.] | Table: "Major Muslim Countries of the World " |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | Kyrgyzstan | 3,490 | 0.08% | 31 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* Jehovah's Witnesses official web site; section: "Statistics "; web page: "Worldwide Report " (viewed 16 April 1999). | Table: "1998 Report of Jehovah's Witnesses Worldwide "; This adherent/member count is for "1998 Peak Witnesses " |
| Jehovah's Witnesses - Memorial attendance | Kyrgyzstan | 8,095 | 0.18% | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* Jehovah's Witnesses official web site; section: "Statistics "; web page: "Worldwide Report " (viewed 16 April 1999). | Table: "1998 Report of Jehovah's Witnesses Worldwide "; "Memorial attendance " column indicates attendance at yearly communion meeting. |
| Judaism | Kyrgyzstan | 4,500 | - | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* Jewish Communities of the World web site (1998) | Table: World Jewry. "collected our data from from demographic and other academic studies, community reports, and up-dates in the general media... consulted with experts to verify findings before reaching our assessments and estimates. " |
| Kurds | Kyrgyzstan | 7,974 | - | - | - | 1970 | Chaliand, Gerard (ed). A People Without a Country: The Kurds and Kurdistan. New York: Olive Branch Press (1993 - revised first American edition), pg. 203. | "In Kazakhstan, the Kurds live in small communities at Tchimkent, in Jamboul and around Alma Ata. According to the 1970 Census, there were 12,313 of them, and a further 7,974 in the Kirghiz SSR, mainly in Oche. " |
| Orthodox (Eastern Christian) | Kyrgyzstan | 1,141,750 | 25.00% | - | - | 1989 | Shoemaker, M. Wesley. Russia, Eurasian States, and Eastern Europe 1997 (The World Today Series). Harpers Ferry, West Virginia: Stryker-Post Publications (1997), pg. 164. | "Population: 4,567,000 (1992 est.)... Principal Religion: Islam. About 25% of the people are nominally Orthodox Christian. " |
| other | Kyrgyzstan | 1,350,000 | - | - | - | 1996 | 1997 Britannica Book of the Year. Pg. 781-783. | Table; "other " = NOT Muslim; Other is "mostly nonreligious and Russian Orthodox "; Location listed as "Krgyzstan " |
| Russian Orthodox | Kyrgyzstan | 902,562 | 20.00% | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* CIA World Factbook web site (viewed Aug. 1998) | Muslim 75%, Russian Orthodox 20%, other 5%; Total population: 4,512,809. |
| Tatars | Kyrgyzstan | 91,340 | 2.00% | - | - | 1989 | Shoemaker, M. Wesley. Russia, Eurasian States, and Eastern Europe 1997 (The World Today Series). Harpers Ferry, West Virginia: Stryker-Post Publications (1997), pg. 164-165. | "Population: 4,567,000 (1992 est.)... Tatars (2%)... " |
| Brao | Laos | 10,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 3 - Asia & Oceania. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 539-540. | "The Brao tribes live in northeastern Cambodia and just across the border in Laos. The total Brao population is between 10,000 and 20,000, about evenly divided between Cambodia and Laos. " |
| Brethren | Laos | 1,000 | - | - | - | 1979 | *LINK* Nance Profiles web site (orig. source: OPERATION WORLD -1979 edition); (viewed Aug. 1998; now restricted.) | Largest Evangelical groups -- Evangelical Church (CMA) once 7,000 members; Brethren (Swiss, British and OMF) approx. 1,000 members. |
| Buddhism | Laos | - | 75.00% | - | - | 1979 | *LINK* Nance Profiles web site (orig. source: OPERATION WORLD -1979 edition); (viewed Aug. 1998; now restricted.) | Total pop.: 3,400,000. Buddhists 75% -- but a thin veneer over the older animistic religions. |
| Buddhism | Laos | - | 58.00% | - | - | 1992 | Goring, Rosemary (ed). Larousse Dictionary of Beliefs & Religions (Larousse: 1994) pg. 581-584. | Table: "Population Distribution of Major Beliefs "; "Figures have been compiled from the most accurate recent available information and are in most cases correct to the nearest 1% " |
| Buddhism | Laos | - | - | - | - | 1994 | *LINK* Library of Congress Country Studies | 1994 approximately 4.7 million [total pop.]. Provision for religious freedom in constitution; almost all Laotians Buddhist. Theravada Buddhism predominant among Lao Loum and some Lao Theung; animist beliefs widespread. |
| Buddhism | Laos | 2,900,000 | - | - | - | 1996 | 1997 Britannica Book of the Year. Pg. 781-783. | Table: "Religion ": Divided by nations, with 2 columns: "Religious affiliation " & "1996 pop. " [of that religion]. Based on best avail. figures, whether census data, membership figures or estimates by analysts, as % of est. 1996 midyear pop. |
| Buddhism | Laos | - | 70.00% | - | - | 1997 | Breuilly, Elizabeth, et al. Religions of the World: The Illustrated Guide to Origins, Beliefs, Traditions & Festivals. Facts on File Inc.: New York, NY (1997). Pg. 10-11. | "There are over 3 million Buddhists worldwide... More than 85% of the population of Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand is Buddhist, as is more than 70% of that in Cambodia, Laos, and Japan. " NOTE: The 3 million figure is obviously a typographical error. |
| Buddhism | Laos | 3,070,175 | 60.00% | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* CIA World Factbook web site (viewed Aug. 1998) | Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40%; Total pop.: 5,116,959. |
| Buddhism | Laos | 3,153,303 | - | - | - | 1998 | Ash, Russell. The Top 10 of Everything 1999. New York: DK Publishing (1998), pg. 76. | Table: "Top 10 Largest Buddhist Populations in the World "; Rank: #9 |
| Buddhism | Laos | 4,229,600 | 85.00% | - | - | 1999 | Zickgraf, Ralph. Laos (series: Major World Nations). Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers (1999), pg. 9-10. | "Population: 4,975,000... Religions: Buddhism, 85%; tirbal, 15% "; Pg. 63: "Buddhism... provides the foundation of basic beliefs, values, and philisophy for most of the people of Laos. The Lao Lum and the Lao Tai practice Theravada Buddhism... Despite the efforts of the ruling Communist party to de-emphasize religion, Buddhism remains one of the most important social forces in Laos. " |
| Catholic | Laos | - | 1.00% | - | - | 1979 | *LINK* Nance Profiles web site (orig. source: OPERATION WORLD -1979 edition); (viewed Aug. 1998; now restricted.) | Total pop.: 3,400,000. Roman Catholics 1% -- majority among the Vietnamese. |
| Catholic | Laos | - | 1.00% | - | - | 1992 | Goring, Rosemary (ed). Larousse Dictionary of Beliefs & Religions (Larousse: 1994) pg. 581-584. | Table: "Population Distribution of Major Beliefs "; "Figures have been compiled from the most accurate recent available information and are in most cases correct to the nearest 1% " |
| Catholic | Laos | 36,000 | 0.70% | 31 units |
- | 1995 | 1998 Catholic Almanac: Our Sunday Visitor: USA (1997), pg. 333-367. | Figures are as of Dec. 31, 1995. Number used for "congregations " is from number of Catholic parishes. |
| Christian and Missionary Alliance | Laos | 7,000 | - | - | - | 1979 | *LINK* Nance Profiles web site (orig. source: OPERATION WORLD -1979 edition); (viewed Aug. 1998; now restricted.) | Largest Evangelical groups -- Evangelical Church (CMA) [It appears this refers to the Christian and Missionary Alliance] once 7,000 members; Brethren (Swiss, British and OMF) approx. 1,000 members. |
| Christianity | Laos | 57,000 | 1.50% | - | - | 1988 | Diamond, Judith. Laos (series: Enchantment of the World). Chicago: Childrens Press (1989), pg. 120. | "Population: Estimated 1988 population - 3,800,000... Religion: About 95% of the people adhere to Therevada Buddhism. Animism is practiced among the Lao Theng, and 1.5% are Christian. " |
| Evangelical | Laos | - | 0.30% | - | - | 1979 | *LINK* Nance Profiles web site (orig. source: OPERATION WORLD -1979 edition); (viewed Aug. 1998; now restricted.) | Total pop.: 3,400,000. Protestants 0.3% (?) -- possible community of 12,000 and membership 4,000 (about half the Christians have fled to Thailand since June 1975). Evangelicals 0.3%. |
| Hmong | Laos | 100,000 | 2.63% | - | - | 1988 | Diamond, Judith. Laos (series: Enchantment of the World). Chicago: Childrens Press (1989), pg. 85. | "It is believed that now there are only 100,000 Hmong left in Laos. " |
| Hmong | Laos | 100,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 3 - Asia & Oceania. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 261-262. | "There are about 350,000 in north Vietnam, 230,000 in north and central Laos, and around 100,000 in northern Thailand... " |
| Hmong | Laos | 230,000 | 5.00% | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 3 - Asia & Oceania. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 261-262. | "There are about 350,000 in north Vietnam, 230,000 in north and central Laos, and around 100,000 in northern Thailand... The Hmong make up two-thirds of the upland Lao population and about 5% of the total population of Laos, the only country where they are a significant minority. " |
| Islam | Laos | - | 1.00% | - | - | 1992 | Goring, Rosemary (ed). Larousse Dictionary of Beliefs & Religions (Larousse: 1994) pg. 581-584. | Table: "Population Distribution of Major Beliefs "; "Figures have been compiled from the most accurate recent available information and are in most cases correct to the nearest 1% " |
| Islam | Laos | 1,000 | - | - | - | 1996 | RISEAP. Muslim Almanac - Asia Pacific. | Table: Muslim Population in Asia Pacific Region (1996) |
| Islam | Laos | 57,000 | 1.00% | - | - | 2000 | K. F. Bin Mohd Noor. "Muslims Statistics... for Year 2000 " [orig. src: Barrett. World Christian Encyclopedia, 1982] | Table |
| Kammu | Laos | 500,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 3 - Asia & Oceania. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 367-368. | "Kammu; Location: Laos; Population: About 500,000; Language: Kammu "; "The Kammu are mostly animists, people who believe in spirits, although a few are Buddhist or Christian... " |
| Lao Theung | Laos | 1,140,000 | 30.00% | - | - | 1988 | Diamond, Judith. Laos (series: Enchantment of the World). Chicago: Childrens Press (1989), pg. 75. | "Lao Theung... [ethnic group] make up between 20 to 30 percent of the Lao population. "; Pg. 77: "The spirits of Lao Theung worship--the Khmu call them hrooy--are powerful and mischievous like the phi... The sorceror and the village chief hold the most respected positions in the village... " |
| Meo | Laos | 400,000 | 10.53% | - | - | 1988 | Diamond, Judith. Laos (series: Enchantment of the World). Chicago: Childrens Press (1989), pg. 78-79. | "The Hmong, Yao (Mien), and Man tribes are the 'people of the mountain,' the Lao Soung... The Meo are by far the largest group of Lao Soung, estimated at about 400,000. Meo in Lao means 'barbarian.' The tribe's own name, Hmong, means 'free people.' They have a tradition of independence, of strength, and of willingness to fight to maintain their freedom... The majority of Hmong live in the northeastern plateau of Xieng Khouang Province... " |
| Mien | Laos | 30,000 | - | - | - | 1975 | The Peoples and Cultures of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, Washington, D.C.: Center for Applied Linguistics/Language and Orientation Resource Center (1981), pg. 49, 52. | Pg. 49: "30,000 or more have been in Laos and 20,000 in Thailand. The Mien refugees in the U.S. fled Laos in 1975... "; pg. 52: "Mien practice animism, with a host of gods and nature spirits. Ancestor spirit rituals are central to Mien philosophy. The living and the dead are interdependent, the well-being of each resting with the other. " |
| Nonreligious | Laos | - | 5.00% | - | - | 1992 | Goring, Rosemary (ed). Larousse Dictionary of Beliefs & Religions (Larousse: 1994) pg. 581-584. | Table: "Population Distribution of Major Beliefs "; "Figures have been compiled from the most accurate recent available information and are in most cases correct to the nearest 1% " |
| other | Laos | 430,000 | - | - | - | 1996 | 1997 Britannica Book of the Year. Pg. 781-783. | Table; "other " = NOT Buddhism or primal-indigenous |
| primal-indigenous | Laos | - | 24.00% | - | - | 1979 | *LINK* Nance Profiles web site (orig. source: OPERATION WORLD -1979 edition); (viewed Aug. 1998; now restricted.) | Total pop.: 3,400,000. Animists 24% -- more among the tribal and Meo peoples. |
| primal-indigenous | Laos | 1,690,000 | - | - | - | 1996 | 1997 Britannica Book of the Year. Pg. 781-783. | Table; listed as "traditional beliefs " |
| primal-indigenous | Laos | 746,400 | 15.00% | - | - | 1999 | Zickgraf, Ralph. Laos (series: Major World Nations). Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers (1999), pg. 9-10. | "Population: 4,975,000... Religions: Buddhism, 85%; tirbal, 15% " |
| Protestant | Laos | 12,000 | 0.30% | - | - | 1979 | *LINK* Nance Profiles web site (orig. source: OPERATION WORLD -1979 edition); (viewed Aug. 1998; now restricted.) | Total pop.: 3,400,000. Protestants 0.3% (?) -- possible community of 12,000 and membership 4,000 (about half the Christians have fled to Thailand since June 1975). Evangelicals 0.3%. |
| Protestant | Laos | - | 1.00% | - | - | 1992 | Goring, Rosemary (ed). Larousse Dictionary of Beliefs & Religions (Larousse: 1994) pg. 581-584. | Table: "Population Distribution of Major Beliefs "; "Figures have been compiled from the most accurate recent available information and are in most cases correct to the nearest 1% "; Protestant "includes all non-Roman Catholic denominations " |
| Seventh-day Adventist | Laos | - | 0.00% | - | - | 1993 | *LINK* web site: "Adventist Images "; web page: "Membership Density " (viewed 25 June 1999); "Copyright 1996 - Pacific Union Conference of Seventh Day Adventists " | "Adventist Believers - High and Low Density "; Table: "Ratio of church membership to country population "; Ratio: 1:125,000 |
| Tenrikyo | Laos | - | - | 1 unit |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official Tenrikyo web site; page: "A Statistical Review of Tenrikyo: 1 of 2 " (viewed 10 Dec. 1999) | Table: "A Statistical Review of Tenrikyo 1998 ". Church-supplied data. 1 mission stations |
| Theravada Buddhism | Laos | 3,610,000 | 95.00% | - | - | 1988 | Diamond, Judith. Laos (series: Enchantment of the World). Chicago: Childrens Press (1989), pg. 120. | "Population: Estimated 1988 population - 3,800,000... Religion: About 95% of the people adhere to Therevada Buddhism. Animism is practiced among the Lao Theng, and 1.5% are Christian. " |
| Theravada Buddhism | Laos | - | - | - | - | 1994 | *LINK* Library of Congress Country Studies | 1994 approximately 4.7 million [total pop.]. Provision for religious freedom in constitution; almost all Laotians Buddhist. Theravada Buddhism predominant among Lao Loum and some Lao Theung; animist beliefs widespread. |
| miscellaneous regional info | Laos | - | - | - | - | 1981 | The Peoples and Cultures of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, Washington, D.C.: Center for Applied Linguistics/Language and Orientation Resource Center (1981), pg. 31. | "The majority of Lao is Buddhist, while other traditions, including Christianity, Islam and Confucianism, are practiced by very small minorities. Buddhism has existed in Laos for approximately 200 years. " |
| Christian Fundamentalist | Laos - Hmong | 20,000 | 20.00% | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 3 - Asia & Oceania. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 261-263. | "Hmong: Location: Southern China; Viet Nam; Laos; Thailand; Population: About 4 to 6 million; Religion: Animism; some fundamentalist Protestant Christianity "; Pg. 262: "There are... 230,000 [Hmong] in north and central Laos, and around 100,000 in northern Thailand... "; Pg. 263: "In Thailand and Laos, 10-20% of the hmong have responded to missionaries and adopted fundamentalist Protestant Christianity. This is seen by other Hmong as a threat to clan solidarity, since Christians destroy their spirit altars, refuse to sacrifice at funerals, and feel less bound by clan ties. " |
| Christian Fundamentalist | Laos - Hmong | 46,000 | 20.00% | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 3 - Asia & Oceania. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 261-263. | "Hmong: Location: Southern China; Viet Nam; Laos; Thailand; Population: About 4 to 6 million; Religion: Animism; some fundamentalist Protestant Christianity "; Pg. 262: "There are... 230,000 [Hmong] in north and central Laos, and around 100,000 in northern Thailand... "; Pg. 263: "In Thailand and Laos, 10-20% of the hmong have responded to missionaries and adopted fundamentalist Protestant Christianity. This is seen by other Hmong as a threat to clan solidarity, since Christians destroy their spirit altars, refuse to sacrifice at funerals, and feel less bound by clan ties. " |
| Anglican | Latin America | 1,153,000 | 0.25% | - | - | 1995 | The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1997 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 646. [Source: 1996 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1995 " |
| Anglican | Latin America | 1,089,000 | 0.22% | - | - | 1996 | The World Almanac & Book of Facts 1998 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 654. [Source: 1997 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1996 " |
| Anglican | Latin America | 853,000 | 0.17% | - | - | 1998 | World Almanac and Book of Facts 2000. Mahwah, NJ: PRIMEDIA Reference Inc. (1999), pg. 695. [Source: 1999 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1998 " |
| Atheism | Latin America | 3,200,000 | - | - | - | 1994 | *LINK* web site: New Religious Movements (University of Virginia) (viewed 1998) [Orig. source: 1994 World Almanac] | |
| Atheism | Latin America | 2,977,000 | 0.64% | - | - | 1995 | The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1997 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 646. [Source: 1996 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1995 "; "Atheists: Persons professing atheism, skepticism, disbelief, or irreligion, including antireligious (opposed to all religion). " (Sep. figures for "Nonreligious ") |
| Atheism | Latin America | 3,010,000 | 0.61% | - | - | 1996 | The World Almanac & Book of Facts 1998 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 654. [Source: 1997 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1996 "; "Atheists: Persons professing atheism, skepticism, disbelief, or irreligion, including antireligious (opposed to all religion). " (Sep. figures for "Nonreligious ") |
| Atheism | Latin America | 3,224,000 | 0.70% | - | - | 1996 | *LINK* web site: "The Geography of Religion Website " (assembled by the students of Morehead State University, under Prof. Timothy C. Pitts); web page: "The Geography of Humanism " (viewed 2 March 1999); Markham, Ian S., (Editor), A World Religions Reader. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers (1996), pp. 356-357. | table with 3 columns: "Area "; "Adherents "; "Population Percentage "; "Secular Humanists are sometimes hard to classify, and perhaps even more difficult to obtain demographic data about. The following distribution lists two groups: Nonreligious and Atheists. Nonreligious are defined as persons professing no religion, nonbelievers, agnostics, freethinkers, and dereligionized secularists indifferent to all religion. Atheists are defined as persons professing atheism, skepticism, disbelief, or irreligion, including antireligious (opposed to all religion). " |
| Atheism | Latin America | 2,673,000 | 0.54% | - | - | 1998 | World Almanac and Book of Facts 2000. Mahwah, NJ: PRIMEDIA Reference Inc. (1999), pg. 695. [Source: 1999 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1998 "; "Atheists. Persons professing atheism, skepticism, disbelief, or irreligion, including antireligious (opposed to all religion). " |
| Aztec | Latin America | - | - | - | - | 1531 C.E. | Moulton, Kristen (AP). "An education from cradle to college " in Dallas Morning News, 28 Aug. 1999; pg. 3G. | "Juan Diego was an Aztec Indian credited with persuading a bishop to build a temple after he witnessed an apparition of the Virgin Mary in 1531. Eight million Aztecs were soon converted to Roman Catholicism. " |
| Bahai Faith | Latin America | 719,000 | 0.16% | - | - | 1995 | The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1997 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 646. [Source: 1996 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1995 " |
| Bahai Faith | Latin America | 722,000 | 0.15% | - | - | 1996 | The World Almanac & Book of Facts 1998 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 654. [Source: 1997 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1996 " |
| Bahai Faith | Latin America | 825,000 | 0.17% | - | - | 1998 | World Almanac and Book of Facts 2000. Mahwah, NJ: PRIMEDIA Reference Inc. (1999), pg. 695. [Source: 1999 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1998 " |
| Baptist | Latin America | 1,585,000 | - | - | - | 1994 | *LINK* Statistics from Baptists Around the World, by Albert W. Wardin | Location is listed as "Middle & South America " in table. |
| Buddhism | Latin America | 569,000 | 0.12% | - | - | 1995 | The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1997 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 646. [Source: 1996 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1995 " |
| Buddhism | Latin America | 569,000 | 0.12% | - | - | 1996 | The World Almanac & Book of Facts 1998 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 654. [Source: 1997 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1996 " |
| Buddhism | Latin America | 541,000 | 0.10% | - | - | 1996 | *LINK* web site: "The Geography of Religion Website " (assembled by the students of Morehead State University, under Prof. Timothy C. Pitts); web page: "The Geography of Buddhism " (viewed 2 March 1999); Markham, Ian S., (Editor), A World Religions Reader. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers (1996), pp. 356-357. | table with 3 columns: "Area "; "Adherents "; "Population Percentage " |
| Buddhism | Latin America | 622,000 | 0.12% | - | - | 1998 | World Almanac and Book of Facts 2000. Mahwah, NJ: PRIMEDIA Reference Inc. (1999), pg. 695. [Source: 1999 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1998 " |
| Catholic | Latin America | 279,000,000 | 90.00% | - | - | 1977 | Bokenkotter, Thomas. A Concise History of the Catholic Church. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co. (1977), pg. 416. | "The impact of these words has been felt most strikingly in Latin America, where Catholics from [sic] the vast majority (90 per cent) of its 310 million people and where oppressive military regimes linked tightly with one another virutally control the whole continent. " |