Data source: The Association of Religion Data Archives
The World Religion Dataset (WRD) aims to provide detailed information about religious adherence worldwide since 1945. It contains data about the number of adherents by religion in each of the states in the international system. These numbers are given for every half-decade period (1945, 1950, etc., through 2010). Percentages of the states' populations that practice a given religion are also provided. (Note: These percentages are expressed as decimals, ranging from 0 to 1, where 0 indicates that 0 percent of the population practices a given religion and 1 indicates that 100 percent of the population practices that religion). Some of the religions are divided into religious families. To the extent data are available, the breakdown of adherents within a given religion into religious families is also provided.
The project was developed in three stages. The first stage consisted of the formation of a religion tree. A religion tree is a systematic classification of major religions and of religious families within those major religions. To develop the religion tree a comprehensive literature review was prepared, the aim of which was (i) to define a religion, (ii) to find tangible indicators of a given religion of religious families within a major religion, and (iii) to identify existing efforts at classifying world religions. (Please see the original survey instrument to view the structure of the religion tree). The second stage consisted of the identification of major data sources of religious adherence and the collection of data from these sources according to the religion tree classification. This created a dataset that included multiple records for some states for a given point in time. It also contained multiple missing data for specific states, specific time periods and specific religions. The third stage consisted of cleaning the data, reconciling discrepancies of information from different sources and imputing data for the missing cases.
The National Religion Dataset: The observation in this dataset is a state-five-year unit. This dataset provides information regarding the number of adherents by religions, as well as the percentage of the state's population practicing a given religion.
The data were downloaded from the Association of Religion Data Archives, www.theARDA.com, and were collected by Zeev Maoz and Errol A. Henderson.
When using this dataset, please cite as:
(Maoz & Henderson,
2013)
(Maoz & Henderson,
2019)
Browse variables and select them for download.
arda_angenpct
Animist religions: Total (% Adherents).
arda_bumahpct
Buddhism: Mahayana (% Adherents).
arda_buthrpct
Buddhism: Theravada (% Adherents).
arda_changpct
Christianity: Anglican (% Adherents).
arda_chcatpct
Christianity: Roman Catholics (% Adherents).
arda_chgenpct
Christianity: Total (% Adherents).
arda_chortpct
Christianity: Eastern Orthodox (% Adherents).
arda_chothpct
Christianity: Other (% Adherents).
arda_chprtpct
Christianity: Protestants (% Adherents).
arda_cogenpct
Confucianism: Total (% Adherents).
arda_isahmpct
Islam: Ahmadiyya (% Adherents).
arda_isnatpct
Islam: Nation of Islam (% Adherents).
arda_jdcnpct
Judaism: Conservative (% Adherents).
arda_jdorpct
Judaism: Orthodox (% Adherents).
arda_norelpct
Non-religious: Total (% Adherents).
arda_otgenpct
Other religions: Total (% Adherents).
arda_sygenpct
Syncretic religions: Total (% Adherents).
arda_zogenpct
Zoroastrian: Total (% Adherents).