Index| Group | Where | Number of Adherents |
% of total pop. |
Number of congreg./ churches/ units |
Number of countries |
Year | Source | Quote/ Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catholic | Caroline Islands | 64,089 | - | 21 units |
- | 1996 | 1998 Catholic Almanac: Our Sunday Visitor: USA (1997); pg. 432-437. | Tables: "Catholic Population of the United States " and "Percentage of Catholics in Total Population in U.S. ". Figures are as of Jan. 1, 1997. |
| Catholic | Cayman Islands | 4,000 | 13.79% | 1 unit |
- | 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. |
| Catholic | Central African Republic | - | 36.00% | - | - | 1979 | *LINK* Nance Profiles web site (orig. source: STL Publications, P. O. Box 48, Bromley, Kent, England 1979); (viewed Aug. 1998; now restricted.) | Total Population: 2,370,000. Roman Catholics 36%. |
| Catholic | Central African Republic | - | 33.00% | - | - | 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 | Central African Republic | 622,000 | 18.80% | 112 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. |
| Catholic | Central African Republic | 820,000 | - | - | - | 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. |
| Catholic | Central African Republic | 835,513 | 25.00% | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* CIA World Factbook web site (viewed Aug. 1998) | indigenous beliefs 24%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15%, other 11% note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority; Total population: 3,342,051. |
| Catholic | Central African Republic | 792,000 | 24.00% | - | - | 1997 | Dostert, Pierre Etienne. Africa 1997 (The World Today Series). Harpers Ferry, West Virginia: Stryker-Post Publications (1997); pg. 69. | Estimates of % of population in principal religions, & est. 1997 total pop. |
| Catholic | Central African Republic | 1,120,000 | 35.00% | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 1 - Africa. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998); pg. 81-82. | "Location: Central African Republic; Population: 3.2 million "; "Most Central Africans profess to being Christian, with 35% of the population being Protestant and 18% being Catholic. " |
| Catholic | Chad | 116,000 | - | - | - | 1970 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 1 - Africa. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998); pg. 88-89. | "Catholics number about 116,000 (1970), most of whom live around the Pala diocese in Mayo-Kebbi. " |
| Catholic | Chad | - | 21.00% | - | - | 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 | Chad | 433,000 | 6.80% | 98 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. |
| Catholic | Chad | 1,330,000 | - | - | - | 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. |
| Catholic | Chile | - | - | 784 units |
- | 1977 | *LINK* web site: "Religion in Latin America " (Providence College); web page: "Statistics " (viewed 14 Aug. 1999). [Orig. source: Catholic Almanac (various years) | Table 5: "Catholic Bishops and Parishes in South America " |
| Catholic | Chile | - | - | 803 units |
- | 1982 | *LINK* web site: "Religion in Latin America " (Providence College); web page: "Statistics " (viewed 14 Aug. 1999). [Orig. source: Catholic Almanac (various years) | Table 5: "Catholic Bishops and Parishes in South America " |
| Catholic | Chile | - | - | 815 units |
- | 1987 | *LINK* web site: "Religion in Latin America " (Providence College); web page: "Statistics " (viewed 14 Aug. 1999). [Orig. source: Catholic Almanac (various years) | Table 5: "Catholic Bishops and Parishes in South America " |
| Catholic | Chile | - | 81.00% | - | - | 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 | Chile | - | - | 849 units |
- | 1992 | *LINK* web site: "Religion in Latin America " (Providence College); web page: "Statistics " (viewed 14 Aug. 1999). [Orig. source: Catholic Almanac (various years) | Table 5: "Catholic Bishops and Parishes in South America " |
| Catholic | Chile | 7,497,425 | 76.70% | - | - | 1993 | *LINK* Library of Congress Country Studies | In 1992 census, population segment aged fourteen years and older (totaling 9,775,222), 76.7% declared Roman Catholic, 13.2% Evangelical or Protestant, 7% indifferent or atheist, and 4.2% other, including small Jewish, Muslim, and Christian Orthodox. |
| Catholic | Chile | 11,330,000 | 79.80% | 892 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. |
| Catholic | Chile | 11,030,000 | - | - | - | 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. |
| Catholic | Chile | 11,278,800 | 78.00% | - | - | 1996 | Caistor, Nick. Chile: A Guide to the People, Politics and Culture (In Focus series), Brooklyn, New York: Interlink Books (1998); pg. 81. | "Population... 1996 estimate 14.46 million... Religion: 78% Roman Catholic; 10% estimated Evangelicals; 10% other Christian denominations " |
| Catholic | Chile | 12,912,261 | 89.00% | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* CIA World Factbook web site (viewed Aug. 1998) | Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, Jewish; Total population: 14,508,158. |
| Catholic | Chile | - | - | 919 units |
- | 1997 | *LINK* web site: "Religion in Latin America " (Providence College); web page: "Statistics " (viewed 14 Aug. 1999). [Orig. source: Catholic Almanac (various years) | Table 5: "Catholic Bishops and Parishes in South America " |
| Catholic | Chile | - | 89.00% | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* Nazarene web site: Nazarene World Mission Society; (major source: Johnstone's Operation World) | Table "Religions " |
| Catholic | Chile | - | 57.50% | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* Nazarene web site: Nazarene World Mission Society; (major source: Johnstone's Operation World) | Table "Religions " |
| Catholic | Chile | - | 89.00% | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* web site: "Wholesome Words: Worldwide Missions " by Stephen Ross, "First Edition, 1998 "; [original sources: The World Book Encyclopedia, c1998.] | Table: "Major Roman Catholic Countries of the World " |
| Catholic | China | 200,000 | - | - | - | 1700 | Ferm, Vergilius (ed). An Encyclopedia of Religion; Westport, CT: Greenwood Press (1976; 1st ed. pub. 1945 by Philosophical Library); pg. 146. | "By the end of the 17th century, [the Jesuits] had about 200,000 followers. They promoted Confucianism and approved the worship of Heaven & ancestors... in the 18th C. the Dominicans & Franciscans objected to this Confucian tendency... " |
| Catholic | China | 500,000 | - | - | - | 1890 | Bokenkotter, Thomas. A Concise History of the Catholic Church. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co. (1977); pg. 337. | "...by 1890 some 500,000 baptized Catholics could be counted, including 369 Chinese priests. " |
| Catholic | China | 2,000,000 | - | - | - | 1922 | Bokenkotter, Thomas. A Concise History of the Catholic Church. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co. (1977); pg. 338. | "All of this was accompanied, as might be expected, by a great weakening of the traditional religions: Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and polytheism... The Roman Catholics numbered nearly two million by 1922 and showed a significant increase in native clergy. " |
| Catholic | China | 3,000,000 | - | - | - | 1937 | Bokenkotter, Thomas. A Concise History of the Catholic Church. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co. (1977); pg. 338. | "Nevertheless, until the Japanese invasion of 1937, the [Catholic] Church continued to grow and had reached nearly three million members. " |
| Catholic | China | 3,262,678 | - | - | - | 1945 | Ferm, Vergilius (ed). An Encyclopedia of Religion; Westport, CT: Greenwood Press (1976; 1st ed. pub. 1945 by Philosophical Library); pg. 146. | "Today there are 3,262,678 Chinese Catholics. They operate 438 orphanages, 315 hospitals, 20,520 schools, including 3 [colleges]... Foreign priests number 2,980, while Chinese priests total 2,073... " |
| Catholic | China | 4,000,000 | 0.70% | - | - | 1949 | 1998 Catholic Almanac: Our Sunday Visitor: USA (1997); pg. 333-367. | "No Catholic statistics are available. In 1949 there were between 3,500,000-4,000,000 Catholics, about .7 per cent of the total population. " |
| Catholic | China | - | - | - | - | 1970 | Occhiogrosso, Peter. The Joy of Sects: A Spirited Guide to the World's Religious Traditions. New York: Doubleday (1996); pg. 191-192. | "the People's Republic of China was established along Communist lines in 1949. The Marxist government discouraged religion but did not ban it outright; that prohibition occurred during the disastrous period of the Great Cultural Revolution, 1966-78. Then, many Buddhist and Taoist temples and shrines were closed or destroyed and the clergy forced into labor. The same thing happened to the Catholic, Protestant, and Islamic clergy and places of worship that had been established in China. " |
| Catholic | China | 3,000,000 | 0.40% | - | - | 1972 | Kinmond, William. The First Book of Communist China. New York: Franklin Watts (1972, revised edition); pg. 4, 74. | Pg. 4: "No one really knows how many Chinese there are because distances are so great... roughly 750,000,000... "; Pg. 74: "There are approx. 100 million Chinese Buddhists, 10 million Moslems, 3 million Catholics, 700,000 Protestants, and 20,000 Taoist priests and nuns. " |
| Catholic | China | - | - | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* Zenit. "DOSSIER: BRAZIL AND MEXICO HAVE LARGEST NUMBER OF CATHOLICS " on "Zenit News Agency " web site (online Catholic news); Archives: 13 June 1999 (ZE99061302). (Viewed 19 June 1999). | "The Statistical Yearbook [for 1997 figures]... However, it cannot give information on the Church in continental China (except for Hong Kong) or North Korea because there is virtually no data. The number of dioceses and ecclesiastical districts in both these countries is 146. " |
| Catholic | China | 10,200,000 | 1.00% | - | - | 1998 | "A Tale of China's Two Churches " in Christianity Today (July 13, 1998). [Source: Amity News Service, Operation World]; pg. 33. | Chart |
| Catholic | China | 7,000,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | "Chinese at worship " (caption of photo} in Christian Century (Jan. 7-14, 1998); pg. 11. | "Beijing has 70,000... roughly 1 percent of China's 7 million Catholics... " |
| Catholic | China | 12,000,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | "Chinese bishop released, under house arrest " in Christian Century (June 17-24, 1998); pg. 606. | "The official Catholic Church has about 4 million members. Some observers contend that the underground Catholic Church has about twice that number. " |
| Catholic | China | 10,000,000 | - | - | - | 1999 | *LINK* Wickery, Philip L. "China's Catholics: Tragedy and Hope in an Emerging Civil Society " in The Christian Century (Chicago; Feb 24, 1999, Volume: 116, Issue: 6, pg. 222, ISSN: 00095281); review of: China's Catholics: Tragedy and Hope in an Emerging Civil Society. By Richard Madsen. University of California Press; (viewed online 26 Feb. 1999) | "To complicate matters further, churches, religious orders and other Catholic groups overseas maintain their own relationships with China's estimated 10 million Catholics. " |
| Catholic | China: Beijing | 40,000 | - | - | - | 1989 | Lambert, Tony. The Resurrection of the Chinese Church; Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers (1994); pg. 177-178. | "The table below, based mainly on official government and CPA [Catholic Patriotic Association] estimates, gives a minimum figure for Catholics in the provinces. " [Technically, some may consider CPA Catholic, but not Roman Catholic.] |
| Catholic | China: Fujian | 210,000 | - | - | - | 1989 | Lambert, Tony. The Resurrection of the Chinese Church; Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers (1994); pg. 177-178. | "The table below, based mainly on official government and CPA [Catholic Patriotic Association] estimates, gives a minimum figure for Catholics in the provinces. " [Technically, some may consider CPA Catholic, but not Roman Catholic.] |
| Catholic | China: Gansu | 50,000 | - | - | - | 1989 | Lambert, Tony. The Resurrection of the Chinese Church; Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers (1994); pg. 177-178. | "The table below, based mainly on official government and CPA [Catholic Patriotic Association] estimates, gives a minimum figure for Catholics in the provinces. " [Technically, some may consider CPA Catholic, but not Roman Catholic.] |
| Catholic | China: Guangdong | 110,000 | - | - | - | 1989 | Lambert, Tony. The Resurrection of the Chinese Church; Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers (1994); pg. 177-178. | "The table below, based mainly on official government and CPA [Catholic Patriotic Association] estimates, gives a minimum figure for Catholics in the provinces. " [Technically, some may consider CPA Catholic, but not Roman Catholic.] |
| Catholic | China: Guangxi | 30,000 | - | - | - | 1985 | Lambert, Tony. The Resurrection of the Chinese Church; Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers (1994); pg. 177-178. | "The table below, based mainly on official government and CPA [Catholic Patriotic Association] estimates, gives a minimum figure for Catholics in the provinces. " [Technically, some may consider CPA Catholic, but not Roman Catholic.] |
| Catholic | China: Hainan | 3,000 | - | - | - | 1989 | Lambert, Tony. The Resurrection of the Chinese Church; Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers (1994); pg. 177-178. | "The table below, based mainly on official government and CPA [Catholic Patriotic Association] estimates, gives a minimum figure for Catholics in the provinces. " [Technically, some may consider CPA Catholic, but not Roman Catholic.] |
| Catholic | China: Hebei | 800,000 | - | - | - | 1994 | Lambert, Tony. The Resurrection of the Chinese Church; Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers (1994); pg. 177-178. | "The table below, based mainly on official government and CPA [Catholic Patriotic Association] estimates, gives a minimum figure for Catholics in the provinces. " [Technically, some may consider CPA Catholic, but not Roman Catholic.] |
| Catholic | China: Heilongjiang | 35,000 | - | - | - | 1989 | Lambert, Tony. The Resurrection of the Chinese Church; Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers (1994); pg. 177-178. | "The table below, based mainly on official government and CPA [Catholic Patriotic Association] estimates, gives a minimum figure for Catholics in the provinces. " [Technically, some may consider CPA Catholic, but not Roman Catholic.] |
| Catholic | China: Hubei | 50,000 | - | - | - | 1988 | Lambert, Tony. The Resurrection of the Chinese Church; Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers (1994); pg. 177-178. | "The table below, based mainly on official government and CPA [Catholic Patriotic Association] estimates, gives a minimum figure for Catholics in the provinces. " [Technically, some may consider CPA Catholic, but not Roman Catholic.] |
| Catholic | China: Inner Mongolia | 200,000 | - | - | - | 1986 | Lambert, Tony. The Resurrection of the Chinese Church; Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers (1994); pg. 177-178. | "The table below, based mainly on official government and CPA [Catholic Patriotic Association] estimates, gives a minimum figure for Catholics in the provinces. " [Technically, some may consider CPA Catholic, but not Roman Catholic.] |
| Catholic | China: Jiangsu | 170,000 | - | - | - | 1983 | Lambert, Tony. The Resurrection of the Chinese Church; Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers (1994); pg. 177-178. | "The table below, based mainly on official government and CPA [Catholic Patriotic Association] estimates, gives a minimum figure for Catholics in the provinces. " [Technically, some may consider CPA Catholic, but not Roman Catholic.] |
| Catholic | China: Jiangxi | 10,000 | - | - | - | 1988 | Lambert, Tony. The Resurrection of the Chinese Church; Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers (1994); pg. 177-178. | "The table below, based mainly on official government and CPA [Catholic Patriotic Association] estimates, gives a minimum figure for Catholics in the provinces. " [Technically, some may consider CPA Catholic, but not Roman Catholic.] |
| Catholic | China: Jilin | 40,000 | - | - | - | 1987 | Lambert, Tony. The Resurrection of the Chinese Church; Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers (1994); pg. 177-178. | "The table below, based mainly on official government and CPA [Catholic Patriotic Association] estimates, gives a minimum figure for Catholics in the provinces. " [Technically, some may consider CPA Catholic, but not Roman Catholic.] |
| Catholic | China: Ningxia | 5,500 | - | - | - | 1989 | Lambert, Tony. The Resurrection of the Chinese Church; Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers (1994); pg. 177-178. | "The table below, based mainly on official government and CPA [Catholic Patriotic Association] estimates, gives a minimum figure for Catholics in the provinces. " [Technically, some may consider CPA Catholic, but not Roman Catholic.] |
| Catholic | China: Shaanxi | 180,000 | - | - | - | 1989 | Lambert, Tony. The Resurrection of the Chinese Church; Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers (1994); pg. 177-178. | "The table below, based mainly on official government and CPA [Catholic Patriotic Association] estimates, gives a minimum figure for Catholics in the provinces. " [Shaanxi really is listed separately from Shanxi. This is not a typo.] |
| Catholic | China: Shandong | 130,000 | - | - | - | 1982 | Lambert, Tony. The Resurrection of the Chinese Church; Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers (1994); pg. 177-178. | "The table below, based mainly on official government and CPA [Catholic Patriotic Association] estimates, gives a minimum figure for Catholics in the provinces. " [Technically, some may consider CPA Catholic, but not Roman Catholic.] |
| Catholic | China: Shanghai | 120,000 | - | - | - | 1988 | Lambert, Tony. The Resurrection of the Chinese Church; Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers (1994); pg. 177-178. | "The table below, based mainly on official government and CPA [Catholic Patriotic Association] estimates, gives a minimum figure for Catholics in the provinces. " [Technically, some may consider CPA Catholic, but not Roman Catholic.] |
| Catholic | China: Sichuan | 300,000 | - | - | - | 1988 | Lambert, Tony. The Resurrection of the Chinese Church; Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers (1994); pg. 177-178. | "The table below, based mainly on official government and CPA [Catholic Patriotic Association] estimates, gives a minimum figure for Catholics in the provinces. " [Technically, some may consider CPA Catholic, but not Roman Catholic.] |
| Catholic | China: Tianjin | 90,000 | - | - | - | 1989 | Lambert, Tony. The Resurrection of the Chinese Church; Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers (1994); pg. 177-178. | "The table below, based mainly on official government and CPA [Catholic Patriotic Association] estimates, gives a minimum figure for Catholics in the provinces. " [Technically, some may consider CPA Catholic, but not Roman Catholic.] |
| Catholic | Colombia | 18,000,000 | 90.00% | - | - | 1969 | Carpenter, Allan & Jean Currens Lyon. Colombia (series: Enchantment of the World). Chicago: Childrens Press (1969); pg. 57. | "The Colombian population of 20,000,000... Ninety percent of the people are Roman Catholic... " |
| Catholic | Colombia | - | 91.00% | - | - | 1970 | Landry, Lionel. The Land and People of Colombia; Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Co. (1970); pg. 66. | "The Roman Catholic Church, which commands the loyalty of an overwhelming majority of Colombia's people--91%--is in deep disarray. " |
| Catholic | Colombia | - | - | 1,972 units |
- | 1977 | *LINK* web site: "Religion in Latin America " (Providence College); web page: "Statistics " (viewed 14 Aug. 1999). [Orig. source: Catholic Almanac (various years) | Table 5: "Catholic Bishops and Parishes in South America " |
| Catholic | Colombia | - | - | 2,216 units |
- | 1982 | *LINK* web site: "Religion in Latin America " (Providence College); web page: "Statistics " (viewed 14 Aug. 1999). [Orig. source: Catholic Almanac (various years) | Table 5: "Catholic Bishops and Parishes in South America " |
| Catholic | Colombia | - | - | 2,367 units |
- | 1987 | *LINK* web site: "Religion in Latin America " (Providence College); web page: "Statistics " (viewed 14 Aug. 1999). [Orig. source: Catholic Almanac (various years) | Table 5: "Catholic Bishops and Parishes in South America " |
| Catholic | Colombia | - | 95.00% | - | - | 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% " |
