Conrad Hackett
Senior Demographer at @PewResearch
Also posting at conradhackett.bsky.social
& sometimes at sciences.social/@conradhackett
Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Conrad Hackett
Islam was the world’s fastest-growing religion from 2010 to 2020
By Conrad Hackett Muslims grew faster than any other major religious group in the decade leading up to 2020, according to new Pew Research Center estimates. Muslims continued to be the second-largest religious group in the world after Christians. From 2010 to 2020, the number of Muslims increased by 347 million people to 2.0 billion people. Christians grew by 122 million to 2.3 billion.
Islam was the world’s fastest-growing religion from 2010 to 2020
Mail ByConrad Hackett Muslims grew faster than any other major religious group in the decade leading up to 2020, according to new Pew Research Center estimates. Muslims continued to be the second-largest religious group in the world after Christians. From 2010 to 2020, the number of Muslims increased by 347 million people to 2.0 billion people. Christians grew by 122 million to 2.3 billion.
5 facts about Buddhists in the United States
Buddhists seek blessings for the Lunar New Year as they welcome the Year of the Horse at Kwan Ying Vietnamese Buddhist Temple in Los Angeles on Feb. 17. (Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images) Buddhism has a long history in America. In the 1800s, Chinese migrants working in the gold rush and building railroads brought their Buddhist beliefs and practices with them.
Why is Buddhism shrinking worldwide? | Pew Research Center
1 hour ago Archaeologists in Hungary have uncovered a Roman sarcophagus that has remained untouched for roughly 1,700 years. They opened it, and given the current state of the world, it’s a little hard to tell if they’ve unleashed a curse or if things are just like this all the time now. Maybe things are so …
Why is Buddhism shrinking worldwide?
(pigphoto via Getty Images) Buddhists are the world’s only major religious group whose population shrank between 2010 and 2020, according to a recent Pew Research Center analysis of religion in 201 countries and territories. In 2010, an estimated 343 million people around the world identified as Buddhists. By 2020, that figure had fallen to 324 million. That’s a decline of roughly 5%. During this period, the global population grew by 12%.
5 facts about Buddhists in the United States
Buddhists seek blessings for the Lunar New Year as they welcome the Year of the Horse at Kwan Ying Vietnamese Buddhist Temple in Los Angeles on Feb. 17. (Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images) Buddhism has a long history in America. In the 1800s, Chinese migrants working in the gold rush and building railroads brought their Buddhist beliefs and practices with them.
Why I doubt a quiet revival among young adults in Britain
We may be seeing anecdotal evidence of some growing, lively churches, says Dr Conrad Hackett. But that doesn’t mean the data shows an increase in church attendance or people identifying as Christian. As a demographer, he explains why the survey methodology is as important as its findings It’s my job to assess religion data. And in my expert judgement, the evidence for a Christian resurgence among young adults in Britain is weak.
Why I doubt surveys suggesting a quiet revival among young adults in Britain
We may be seeing anecdotal evidence of some growing, lively churches, says Dr Conrad Hackett. But that doesn’t mean the data shows an increase in church attendance or people identifying as Christian. As a demographer, he explains why the survey methodology is as important as its findings It’s my job to assess religion data. And in my expert judgement, the survey evidence for a Christian resurgence among young adults in Britain is weak.
Has there been a Christian revival among young adults in the U.K.? Recent surveys may be misleading
Worshippers attend a service at Salisbury Cathedral in Salisbury, England, in March 2023. (Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images) Many recent surveys have pointed to a Christian resurgence among young adults in the United Kingdom. This narrative, however, may be misleading. These surveys canvass members of opt-in panels who have signed up to participate, often in response to website ads or email campaigns. Surveys using random samples of the population do not show clear evidence of a Christian resurgence.
Many religions are heavily concentrated in a few countries
The Pope Made Him A Bishop, But The Local Diocese Has Rejected Him A new church leader in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is facing opposition from local clergy and churchgoers who insist that a new bishop …
Many religions are heavily concentrated in a few countries
Half of the world’s population lives in just seven countries. But some of the world’s religious groups are even more concentrated than that. For many years, demographers at Pew Research Center have been studying the characteristics of religious groups, including Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, and the religiously unaffiliated (sometimes called “nones”).
The three stages of religious decline around the world - Nature Communications
Abstract Religiosity tends to decline across generations. However, religious decline is more pronounced in some countries and the diminishing aspects of religion vary by context. To explain such variation, we extend the general secular transition model, which proposes that countries undergo a similar process of secularization beginning at different points in time.
Religion in Europe
By Conrad Hackett,Marcin Stonawski,Yunping Tong,Stephanie Kramer,Anne ShiandDalia Fahmy As of 2020, Europe has about 753 million inhabitants, only 2% more than in 2010. Roughly two-thirds of Europeans in 2020 are Christians, and a quarter are religiously unaffiliated. Around 6% of Europe’s residents are Muslims. In many European countries, there has been a decades-long pattern of religious “switching,” with people who were raised as Christians becoming religiously unaffiliated.
Cómo cambió el panorama religioso en el mundo entre 2010 y 2020
La población mundial se expandió de 2010 a 2020, al igual que la mayoría de los grupos religiosos, según un análisis del Pew Research Center de más de 2.700 censos y encuestas. Los cristianos siguieron siendo el grupo religioso más grande del mundo. Pero los cristianos (de todas las denominaciones, contados como un solo grupo) no mantuvieron el ritmo del crecimiento global de la población de 2010 a 2020.
Islam was the world’s fastest growing religion from 2010 to 2020
Now Pakistan boosts military spending amid India tensions Pakistan has boosted defense spending despite battling severe economic challenges. The military has seen a surge in popularity since recent clashes … 2 hours ago What is Ethiopian philosophy? ‘I was born in the land of the priests of Aksum,’ ZeraYacob is believed to have written in the 17th century.
How demographics, religious switching drove global religious change, 2010-2020
On a global level, religious groups expand and shrink due to a mix of factors. Demographic factors, such as age structure, fertility and mortality (or life expectancy), tell us whether people in various religious categories are generally young and bearing many children, or whether they are older and likely past their prime childbearing years.
Countries with the most Christians & global Christian population change, 2010-2020
Christians are the world’s largest religious group, and they are a majority in every region except the Asia-Pacific and Middle East-North Africa regions. But they are shrinking as a share of the global population, as large numbers of Christians around the world “switch” out of religion to become religiously unaffiliated. Sub-Saharan Africa has surpassed Europe as the region with the largest number of Christians.
Countries with the most Muslims & global Muslim population change, 2010-2020
Muslims are the world’s second-largest religious group and the fastest-growing major religion. They make up the vast majority of the population in the Middle East-North Africa region. In all other regions, Muslims are a religious minority, including in the Asia-Pacific region, which is home to the greatest number of Muslims. The number of Muslims around the world grew 21% between 2010 and 2020, from 1.7 billion to 2.0 billion.
Countries with the most people with no religion & global unaffiliated population change, 2010-2020
The religiously unaffiliated population – often called religious “nones” – is the world’s third-largest religious category, after Christians and Muslims. This group includes people who in surveys and censuses answer a religious identity question by saying they do not have any religion or that they are atheist or agnostic. Between 2010 and 2020, religiously unaffiliated people grew more than any group except Muslims.
Countries with the most Hindus & global Hindu population change, 2010-2020
Hindus are the fourth-largest religious category, after Christians, Muslims and religiously unaffiliated people. The Asia-Pacific region is home to 99% of the global Hindu population, with around 95% of all Hindus living in India. Hindus are the largest religious group in India, Nepal and Mauritius. The number of Hindus worldwide grew 12% from 2010 to 2020, rising from a little less than 1.1 billion to nearly 1.2 billion.
Countries with the most Buddhists & global Buddhist population change, 2010-2020
Buddhists are the only group in this report whose number declined worldwide between 2010 and 2020. This was due both to religious disaffiliation among Buddhists in East Asia and to a relatively low birth rate among Buddhists, who tend to live in countries with older populations. Most of the world’s Buddhists (98%) reside in the Asia-Pacific region, the birthplace of Buddhism. Outside Asia, only North America and Europe have more than 1 million Buddhists each.
Why we revised our 2010 estimates of religious groups’ global populations
Our 2010 estimates of the size of religious groups differ from the 2010 estimates we published in previous reports, including “The Global Religious Landscape” (2012), “The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050” (2015) and “The Changing Global Religious Landscape” (2017). We revised estimates for 2010 to reflect advances in our methodology, including new approaches to measuring religion in China and categorizing adherents of folk religions.
How the Global Religious Landscape Changed From 2010 to 2020
3 hours ago Republicans quietly slip 'religious freedom' clause into funding bill House Republicans have inserted anti-LGBTQ language into a $66 billion must-pass funding bill for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, … 4 hours ago Report counters Trump's claims on immigration data Citing his previous research, Warren said, "If that decline continues, overstaying temporary visas will likely again become the primary contributor … 1 hour ago Rep.
The World’s Religious Groups: How Their Sizes Changed from 2010 to 2020
How we did this This report describes the world’s religious makeup in 2020 and how it changed from 2010. We focus on seven categories: Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, people who belong to other religions, and those who are religiously unaffiliated. The “other religions” category includes Baha’is, Daoists, Jains, Shintoists, Sikhs, Wiccans, Zoroastrians and many small groups, some of which can be described as folk or traditional religions.
Countries with the most people from other religions & global change in this population, 2010-2020
There are many religious groups around the world that are not presented separately in this report due to their relatively small size and the limitations of national censuses and other data sources. These groups include Baha’is, Jains, Shintoists, Sikhs, Daoists (also spelled Taoists), Wiccans, Zoroastrians and numerous others, some of which are commonly described as folk or traditional religions.
Methodology
This section describes the methods used to estimate religious composition at the country level, regionally and globally; our procedures for measuring religious groups’ demographic characteristics and their religious “switching” rates; as well as methodological challenges that we considered in some countries. The final section lists the 201 countries and territories that make up each of the six regions in our analysis.
How religious groups' sizes changed in sub-Saharan Africa, 2010-2020
Between 2010 and 2020, the population of sub-Saharan Africa grew by 31% to 1.1 billion. As of 2020, most people living in the region are Christians (62%), while Muslims make up about a third of the population. Religiously unaffiliated people and followers of other religions (which include African traditional religions) each account for roughly 3% of the overall population.
Religious groups' changing sizes in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2010-2020
As of 2020, roughly 650 million people live in the Latin America-Caribbean region, an increase of about 10% since 2010. The region is overwhelmingly Christian; almost every country in the region has a Christian majority. The lone exception is Uruguay, where more than half the population is religiously unaffiliated. As in North America, Europe, and parts of the Asia-Pacific region, disaffiliation drove much of the religious change that has occurred across Latin America and the Caribbean since 2010.
Countries with the most Jews & global Jewish population change, 2010-2020
Jews are the smallest religious group analyzed separately in this report, accounting for 0.2% of the global population. Most Jews live either in North America (primarily in the United States) or in the Middle East-North Africa region (almost exclusively in Israel). Jews make up less than 2% of the overall population in each of those regions. Challenges of measuring Jewish identity Estimating the size of the world’s Jewish population is complicated.
How religious groups' sizes changed in Asia and the Pacific, 2010-2020
As of 2020, the Asia-Pacific region is home to 4.5 billion people, 10% more than in 2010. This large and religiously diverse region – where no single religious group constitutes a majority of the population – includes more than 1 billion each of Hindus, Muslims and religiously unaffiliated people. The region also has hundreds of millions of Buddhists, Christians and people in the “other religions” umbrella category.
10. Religion in Europe
As of 2020, Europe has about 753 million inhabitants, only 2% more than in 2010. Roughly two-thirds of Europeans in 2020 are Christians, and a quarter are religiously unaffiliated. Around 6% of Europe’s residents are Muslims. In many European countries, there has been a decades-long pattern of religious “switching,” with people who were raised as Christians becoming religiously unaffiliated.
Religious groups' changing sizes in the Middle East and North Africa, 2010-2020
As of 2020, the Middle East-North Africa region – the birthplace of Judaism, Christianity and Islam – is home to 440 million people, up 24% since 2010. Muslims make up the vast majority of the region’s population (94%). There is no other major geographic region with such a high concentration of a single religion. While most of the world’s Muslims live elsewhere, the Middle East-North Africa region is the only large region with a Muslim majority.
How religious groups' sizes changed in North America, 2010-2020
North America – comprised in this report of the United States and Canada – had 378 million inhabitants in 2020, a 9% increase since 2010. Christians are by far the largest religious group in the region (63%), followed by religiously unaffiliated people (30%). All other groups, including Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus, each account for less than 2% of the population.
Acknowledgments
This report was produced by Pew Research Center as part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures project, which analyzes religious change and its impact on societies around the world. Funding for the Global Religious Futures project comes from The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John Templeton Foundation (grant 62287). Find related reports online at https://www.pewresearch.org/globalreligiousfutures.
Religion in China: How Can We Measure Change?
Get full access to this article View all access and purchase options for this article. References Aikman David. 2006. Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity Is Transforming China and Changing the Global Balance of Power. Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing. Bays Daniel H. 2012. A New History of Christianity in China. Chichester, UK; Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. Bian Yanjie, Li Lulu. 2012. “The Chinese General Social Survey (2003-8): Sample Designs and Data Evaluation.”Chinese Sociological Review 45(1):70–97.
The Growth of Christianity in China May Have Come to an End
Abstract Christianity in China grew rapidly in the decades following the end of the Cultural Revolution. Some scholars and journalists claim that Christianity in China is still expanding in the twenty-first century. In this study, the authors contrast evidence for such claims with the results from two decades of survey data.
Global population skews male, but UN projects parity between sexes by 2050
Globally, the number of males has exceeded the number of females since the mid-1960s. But by 2050, the worldwide sex ratio is expected to even out, according to recently released population projections from the United Nations. As of 2021, there were about 44 million more males than females in the global population. But that difference is expected to disappear as a result of several different demographic trends.
Global population projected to exceed 8 billion in 2022; half live in just seven countries
The world’s population will cross 8 billion in November, according to recently released projections from the United Nations. And more than half of all people live in just seven countries. China has the world’s largest population (1.426 billion), but India (1.417 billion) is expected to claim this title next year. The next five most populous nations – the United States, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria and Brazil – together have fewer people than India or China.
Measuring age differences among different-sex couples: Across religions and 130 countries, men are older than their female partners
Cross-national studies of age patterns among couples have tended to compare the ages at which men and women first marry, but few have analysed age differences between current spouses or cohabiting partners (i.e. partner age gaps). We address this gap in the literature by using recent census and survey data to analyse age differences between current partners in 130 countries. Worldwide, men are an average of 4.2 years older than their wives or cohabiting partners.
How Religious Composition Around the World Differs between Younger and Older Populations
Demography is transforming the world’s religious makeup (Hackett, Connor, et al. 2015). Muslims, for example, have the highest total fertility rate among major religious groups (2.9 children per woman), fueling projections that their number will increase 70 percent between 2015 and 2060, which is more than twice the amount of growth expected (32 percent) among the general population (Hackett, Stonawski, and McClendon 2017).
Comparing the RELTRAD and Born‐Again/Evangelical Self‐Identification Approaches to Measuring American Protestantism
The RELTRAD Approach In an influential 2000 article in Social Forces, sociologists Brian Steensland, Jerry Park, Mark Regnerus, Lynn Robinson, W. Bradford Wilcox, and Robert Woodberry proposed a new method for categorizing the religious identification of respondents in the General Social Survey (Steensland et al. 2000).
What's the only country in the world where men claim they're more religious than women? | Opinion
Among scholars of religion in Europe and North America, it has long been conventional wisdom that women are more religious than men. That’s because survey results show that women in many countries pray more often, attend religious services more frequently, and are more likely to view religion as very important to their lives. These patterns are most prevalent among Christians.
Which 7 countries hold half the world's population?
People at a water park in China, which is home to the world’s largest population. Half of the world’s population lives in just seven countries. (VCG via Getty Images) As of this month, the world’s population is 7.63 billion, according to the United Nations, which celebrates World Population Day today. More than half of all people around the globe (3.97 billion) live in just seven countries, according to the UN’s estimates.
Economics may limit Muslim women's education more than religion
Yemeni students attend class in 2014. (Mohammed Hamoud/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) Muslim societies have sometimes faced criticism for failing to adequately educate women. Boko Haram’s kidnapping of schoolgirls in Nigeria and the Taliban’s attack on Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai have contributed to this perception, raising the question of whether Islam itself hampers women’s education.
Where Men Appear More Religious Than Women: Turning a Gender Lens on Religion in Israel
Past research, typically focused on Christians in Christian nations, has found that women tend to be more religious than men. This study uses original nationally representative data (N = 5,601) with strategic oversamples of minority groups to examine variation in how religion and gender intersect across ethnoreligious identities in Israel. We demonstrate that Israel diverges from the typical pattern of women appearing more religious than men.
Women's Education in the Muslim World
Forgot your password? Enter your email address below. If your address has been previously registered, you will receive an email with instructions on how to reset your password. If you don't receive an email, you should register as a new user Please check your email for your password reset instructions.
Meditation is common across many religious groups in the U.S.
In popular culture, meditation often is associated with Eastern spirituality and its secular offshoots, such as mindfulness. But substantial shares of Americans of nearly all religious groups – as well as those who have no religious affiliation at all – say they meditate at least once a week. Americans tend to say they meditate regularly (40% do so at least weekly) or rarely, if at all (45% seldom or never do).
Meditation is common across many religious groups in the U.S.
In popular culture, meditation often is associated with Eastern spirituality and its secular offshoots, such as mindfulness. But substantial shares of Americans of nearly all religious groups – as well as those who have no religious affiliation at all – say they meditate at least once a week. Americans tend to say they meditate regularly (40% do so at least weekly) or rarely, if at all (45% seldom or never do).
5 facts about the Muslim population in Europe
Muslims are a relatively small minority in Europe, making up roughly 5% of the population. However, in some countries, such as France and Sweden, the Muslim share of the population is higher. And, in the coming decades, the Muslim share of the continent’s population is expected to grow – and could more than double, according to Pew Research Center projections.
Why Muslims are the world’s fastest-growing religious group
In the next half century or so, Christianity’s long reign as the world’s largest religion may come to an end, according to a just-released report that builds on Pew Research Center’s original population growth projections for religious groups. Indeed, Muslims will grow more than twice as fast as the overall world population between 2015 and 2060 and, in the second half of this century, will likely surpass Christians as the world’s largest religious group.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Conrad
Contact Conrad, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack