Index| Group | Where | Number of Adherents |
% of total pop. |
Number of congreg./ churches/ units |
Number of countries |
Year | Source | Quote/ Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunni | Algeria | 28,430,000 | - | - | - | 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 | Algeria | 29,532,066 | 99.00% | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* CIA World Factbook web site (viewed Aug. 1998) | Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%; Total population: 29,830,370. |
| Sunni | Algeria | 30,175,986 | 99.00% | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* CIA World Factbook 1998 (viewed June 24, 1999) | Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%; Total population: 30,480,793. |
| Sunni | Algeria | 32,500,000 | - | - | - | 2000 | *LINK* Library of Congress Country Studies | [Total pop.] estimated at 27.4 million in 1993, increasing at an annual rate of 2.8 percent and expected to reach 32.5 million by 2000. Islam official state religion; observance of Sunni Islam nearly universal. |
| Sunni | Azerbaijan | - | 26.10% | - | - | 1991 | Roberts, Elizabeth. Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Brookfield, Connecticut: The Millbrook Press (2nd printing 1993; 1st printing 1992); pg. 13. | "Today 70 percent of Azeri Muslims are Shi'ite, and 30 percent are Sunnis. "; [Other sources indicate about 87% of the population of Azerbaijan was 87% at this time.] |
| Sunni | Azerbaijan | 2,005,524 | 26.10% | - | - | 1994 | *LINK* Library of Congress Country Studies | Mid-1994 estimate [total pop.] 7,684,456. In 1989 Muslim 87 percent (about 70 percent of which Shia), Russian Orthodox 5.6 percent, and Armenian Apostolic 5.6 percent (much less in early 1990s). |
| Sunni | Bahrain | 124,320 | 24.00% | - | - | 1992 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 3 - Asia & Oceania. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998); pg. 67-68. | "Location: Bahrainis; Population: 518,000 (1992 estimate) "; "At least 94% of the Bahraini population is Muslim. About 70% are Shi'ite, and 24% Sunni. " |
| Sunni | Bahrain | - | 34.00% | - | - | 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% " |
| Sunni | Bahrain | 140,250 | 25.50% | - | - | 1992 | *LINK* Library of Congress Country Studies | About 550,000 [total pop.] in early 1992. Population 85 percent Muslim, including about 70 percent Shia and 30 percent Sunni. Non-Muslim foreigners include 7.3 percent Christians and 7.7 percent Hindus and others. |
| Sunni | Bahrain | 150,000 | - | - | - | 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 | Bahrain | 150,830 | 25.00% | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* CIA World Factbook web site (viewed Aug. 1998) | Shi'a Muslim 75%, Sunni Muslim 25%; Total Population: 603,318 (July 1997 est.) note: includes 221,182 non-nationals (July 1997 est.) |
| Sunni | Bahrain | 220,000 | 40.00% | - | - | 1997 | Russell, Malcom B. The Middle East and South Asia 1997 (The World Today Series). Harpers Ferry, West Virginia: Stryker-Post Publications (1997); pg. 42. | Estimates of % of population in principal religions, & est. 1997 total pop.; "Population: 550,000, including 150,000 expatriates... Principal Religion: Islam, about 60% Shi'a and 40% Sunni " |
| Sunni | Bahrain | - | 30.00% | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* Bahrain Human Rights Organization web page | RELIGIONS: Muslim (Shi`a 70%, Sunni 30%). |
| Sunni | Bahrain | 154,086 | 25.00% | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* CIA World Factbook 1998 (viewed June 24, 1999) | "Population: 616,342 (July 1998 est.); note: includes 224,640 non-nationals (July 1998 est.)... Shi'a Muslim 75%, Sunni Muslim 25% " |
| Sunni | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1,410,000 | - | - | - | 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 | Cocos (Keeling) Islands | 352 | 57.00% | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* CIA World Factbook web site (viewed Aug. 1998) | Sunni Muslim 57%, Christian 22%, other 21% (1981 est.); Total population: 617 (1997 est.). |
| Sunni | Comoros | 62,566 | 14.00% | - | - | 1991 | *LINK* Library of Congress Country Studies | Total pop. (1991) 446,817. Sunni Muslim, 86 percent; Roman Catholic, 14 percent |
| Sunni | Comoros | 384,334 | 86.00% | - | - | 1991 | *LINK* Library of Congress Country Studies | Total pop. (1991) 446,817. Sunni Muslim, 86 percent; Roman Catholic, 14 percent |
| Sunni | Comoros | - | 100.00% | - | - | 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% " |
| Sunni | Comoros | 558,000 | - | - | - | 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 | Comoros | 454,848 | 86.00% | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* CIA World Factbook web site (viewed Aug. 1998) | Sunni Muslim 86%, Roman Catholic 14%; Total population: 528,893. |
| Sunni | Croatia | 60,000 | - | - | - | 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 | Cyprus | 126,000 | 18.00% | - | - | 1997 | Russell, Malcom B. The Middle East and South Asia 1997 (The World Today Series). Harpers Ferry, West Virginia: Stryker-Post Publications (1997); pg. 56. | "Population: 700,000 (estimates)... Ethnic Background: The people are divided by language and tradition into Greeks (about 78%); Turks (about 18%); Armenian and other (about 4%)... Principal Religions: Most Greek Cypriots profess Greek Orthodox Christianity; most Turkish Cypriots profess Sunni Islam, but tiny religious minorities also found. " |
| Sunni | Djibouti | - | 94.00% | - | - | 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% " |
| Sunni | Djibouti | 568,000 | - | - | - | 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 | Egypt | 34,200,000 | 90.00% | - | - | 1975 | Nyrop, Richard F., et al. Area Handbook for Egypt (3rd Ed.). Washington, D.C.: Foreign Area Studies of The American University (1976; research completed 1975); pg. vii. | "Population: Possibly 38 million by late 1975... Sunni Islam is the state religion and faith of about 90% of population. " |
| Sunni | Egypt | 40,827,600 | 90.00% | - | - | 1983 | Tarr, David R. & Bryan R. Daves (editors). The Middle East (6th Ed.); Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. (1986); pg. 138-139. | "Population: 45,364,000. Religion: 93% Moslem, 7% Coptic Christian and others... Most Egyptians--about 90%--are Sunni Muslims. " |
| Sunni | Egypt | - | 90.00% | - | - | 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% " |
| Sunni | Egypt | 47,250,000 | 90.00% | - | - | 1995 | *LINK* Library of Congress Country Studies | Estimated at more than 52.5 million in mid 1990. Almost 90 percent Sunni Muslims, 8.5 percent Coptic Christians, 1.5 percent other Christians. |
| Sunni | Egypt | 54,810,000 | - | - | - | 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 | Egypt | 54,000,000 | 90.00% | - | - | 1997 | Russell, Malcom B. The Middle East and South Asia 1997 (The World Today Series). Harpers Ferry, West Virginia: Stryker-Post Publications (1997); pg. 63. | Estimates of % of population in principal religions, & est. 1997 total pop. |
| Sunni | Ethiopia | 8,400,000 | 99.00% | - | - | 1990 | *LINK* Library of Congress Country Studies | Est. 8.4 million [Total pop.] (1990). Former Somali state officially Islamic; overwhelming majority of nationals Sunni Muslims (less than 1 percent Christian). Activist Islamism increasing in some areas. |
| Sunni | Georgia (country) | 590,000 | - | - | - | 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 | Georgia (country): Abkhazia - Abkhazians | 30,000 | 30.00% | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* Gamming, Jenny. They have a flag-but no country " in Swedish Expressen, 17 Aug. 1997. (Viewed 16 Aug. 1999). Unrepresented Nations & Peoples Organisation web site. Translated by SSF/Goran Hansson. | "In Abkhazia... lives about 525,000 inhabitants of which 100,000 are ethnic Abkhasians. 70% are Orthodox Christians and 30% Sunni Muslims " |
| Sunni | Germany | 2,800,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* web site: "Religionswissenschaftlicher Medien- und Informationsdienst e.V. " [REMID: Religious Studies Media and Information Service, Marburg, Germany]; web page: "Informationen und Standpunkte " (viewed 2 Aug. 1999). | Table: "Religious communities in Germany: Numbers of members " [data published July, 1999]; Listed as "Islamische Bewegungen insgesamt " in table. Source: Spuler-Stegemann.; In comments column: "darunter ca. 75% türkische Muslime " [ "among them approx. 75% Turkish Muslims "]; Listed in 'Islam' section. |
| Sunni | India | 79,000,000 | - | - | - | 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 | Iran | 2,082,892 | 4.90% | - | - | 1983 | Tarr, David R. & Bryan R. Daves (editors). The Middle East (6th Ed.); Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. (1986); pg. 188. | "Population: 42,508,000. Religion: 98% Moslem, with a great majority members of the Shi'ite sect; 5% of Sunni sect... " |
| Sunni | Iran | 3,854,480 | 8.00% | - | - | 1986 | *LINK* Library of Congress Country Studies | 48,181,463 [total pop.] (1986). Shia Islam official religion with at least 90 percent adherence. Also approximately 8 percent Sunni Muslims and smaller numbers of Bahais, Armenian and Assyrian Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians. |
| Sunni | Iran | - | 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% " |
| Sunni | Iran | - | 12.00% | - | - | 1994 | *LINK* Nance Profiles web site (orig. source: November, 1994 issue of GLOBAL PRAYER DIGEST); (viewed Aug. 1998; now restricted.) | Total Population: 56,585,000. MUSLIM: 99%: Shi'ite branch, 87%; Sunni branch 12%. BAHA'I: 0.5%. 300,000. JEWS: 0.1%. ZOROASTRIAN: O.04%. CHRISTIAN: 0.4% |
| Sunni | Iran | 3,520,000 | - | - | - | 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 | Iran | 6,754,000 | 10.00% | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* CIA World Factbook web site (viewed Aug. 1998) | Shi'a Muslim 89%, Sunni Muslim 10%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 1%; Total population: 67,540,002 (July 1997 est.) note: includes 917,078 non-nationals (July 1997 est.). |
| Sunni | Iran | 3,200,000 | 5.00% | - | - | 1997 | Russell, Malcom B. The Middle East and South Asia 1997 (The World Today Series). Harpers Ferry, West Virginia: Stryker-Post Publications (1997); pg. 92. | Estimates of % of population in principal religions, & est. 1997 total pop. |
| Sunni | Iran | 3,305,000 | 5.00% | - | - | 1999 | Lyle, Garry. Iran (series: Major World Nations), Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers (1999); pg. 9. | "Population: 66,100,000... Religions: Shiite Muslims (93%); Sunni Muslim (5%); other, including Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, and Baha'is (2%). " |
| Sunni | Iran: Kurdistan | - | 73.50% | - | - | 1993 | Chaliand, Gerard (ed). A People Without a Country: The Kurds and Kurdistan. New York: Olive Branch Press (1993 - revised first American edition); pg. 97. | "The population of Iranian Kurdistan is 98% Muslim... Most of the Muslims are Sunnis (75%); the Shiites are mainly concentrated in Kermanshah and Luristan. " |
| Sunni | Iraq | - | 36.48% | - | - | 1982 | *LINK* Nance Profiles web site (orig. source: WORLD CHRISTIAN ENCYCLOPEDIA, edited by David B. Barrett, and published by Oxford Press, Oxford, New York, 1982); (viewed Aug. 1998; now restricted.) | Islam was established in Iraq in the 7th century. Shias form a majority of the population (62% of the 96% who are Muslims), but the influence exercised by Sunnis of both the Hanafite and Shafiite rites is preponderant. |
| Sunni | Iraq | 5,697,300 | 35.00% | - | - | 1987 | *LINK* Library of Congress Country Studies | 16,278,000 [total pop.] (1987). 95+% Muslim. Govrnmt. gives number of Shias as 55% but prob. 60 to 65% is reasonable. Most Iraqi Shias are Arabs. Almost all Kurds, approx. 19% of pop., are Sunnis, together with about 13% Sunni Arabs. Total Arab pop.= 76%. |
| Sunni | Iraq | 7,240,000 | 40.00% | - | - | 1990 | Bratvold, Gretchen (ed). Iraq ...in Pictures (Visual Geography Series). Minneapolis, Minnesota: Lerner Publications Co. (1990); pg. 40, 44. | "Iraq's population of 18.1 million people... "; "Sunnis, who compose a majority in most other Arab countries, make up about 40% of Iraq's religious population. " |
| Sunni | Iraq | - | 42.00% | - | - | 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% " |
| Sunni | Iraq | 7,390,000 | - | - | - | 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 | Iraq | 8,221,137 | 37.00% | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* CIA World Factbook web site (viewed Aug. 1998) | Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%; Total population: 22,219,289. |
| Sunni | Iraq | 8,000,000 | 40.00% | - | - | 1997 | Russell, Malcom B. The Middle East and South Asia 1997 (The World Today Series). Harpers Ferry, West Virginia: Stryker-Post Publications (1997); pg. 104. | Estimates of % of population in principal religions, & est. 1997 total pop. |
| Sunni | Iraq | 7,968,350 | 41.00% | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 3 - Asia & Oceania. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998); pg. 312, 314. | "Location: Iraq; Population: 19,435,000 "; Pg. 314: "The majority of Iraqis, about 95%, are Muslim. Of these, 54% are Shi'ite and 41% are Sunni. " |
| Sunni | Israel | 608,377 | 13.86% | - | - | 1987 | *LINK* Library of Congress Country Studies | Officially estimated in October 1987 at 4,389,600 [total pop.], of whom about 82 percent Jews. Substantial Sunni Muslim (about 77 percent of non-Jewish population) and smaller Christian and Druze communities also present. |
| Sunni | Israel - Arabs | 1,748,000 | 92.00% | - | - | 1994 | Lindsey, Hal. Planet Earth - 2000 A.D.. Palos Verdes, California: Western Front, Ltd. (1994); pg. 178. | "About 1.9 million Arabs live within the bordres of Israel. About 92% of them are Sunni Muslims, while the other 8% are Christian. But that minority is shrinking all the time--victims of harassment and persecution by the Muslim majority. " |
| Sunni | Jordan | 3,468,400 | 92.00% | - | - | 1983 | Tarr, David R. & Bryan R. Daves (editors). The Middle East (6th Ed.); Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. (1986); pg. 204. | "Population: Estimated 3,770,000 in 1984-85, including approximately 972,000 under Israeli occupation on the West Bank. Religion: 92% Sunni Moslem, 8% Christian. " |
| Sunni | Jordan | 2,340,000 | 90.00% | - | - | 1985 | Bratvold, Gretchen (ed). Jordan ...in Pictures (Visual Geography Series). Minneapolis, Minnesota: Lerner Publications Co. (1988); pg. 49. | "The vast majority of Jordan is Muslim--over 90% of the population is made up of Sunni Muslims... " |
| Sunni | Jordan | 2,610,000 | 90.00% | - | - | 1987 | *LINK* Library of Congress Country Studies | 2.9 million [total pop.] (1987). Mostly Sunni Muslim; about 2,000 Shia Muslims. Christians (Eastern Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholics, Roman Catholics, a few Protestants) are 5 to 8 % of population. Also: small groups, such as Druzes, Bahais. |
| Sunni | Jordan | - | 93.00% | - | - | 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% " |
| Sunni | Jordan | 3,990,000 | - | - | - | 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 | Jordan | 3,978,667 | 92.00% | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* CIA World Factbook web site (viewed Aug. 1998) | Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 8%; Total population: 4,324,638. |
| Sunni | Jordan | 3,549,000 | 91.00% | - | - | 1997 | Russell, Malcom B. The Middle East and South Asia 1997 (The World Today Series). Harpers Ferry, West Virginia: Stryker-Post Publications (1997); pg. 134. | Estimates of % of population in principal religions, & est. 1997 total pop. |
| Sunni | Jordan | 3,600,000 | 90.00% | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 3 - Asia & Oceania. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998); pg. 350. | "Location: Jordan; Population: 4 million "; "More than 90% of Jordanians are Sunni Muslim... " |
| Sunni | Jordan | 4,180,000 | 95.00% | - | - | 1999 | Camerapix. Spectrum Guide to Jordan. Brooklyn, NY: Interlink Books (1999); pg. 313. | "The majority of the population (95%) are Sunni Muslim. " |
| Sunni | Jordan | - | - | - | - | 1999 | Camerapix. Spectrum Guide to Jordan. Brooklyn, NY: Interlink Books (1999); pg. 60. | Pg. 60: "Jordan's population of 4.4 million (not including the West Bank)... The vast majority of inhabitants are of Arab origin, most of whom follow Islam and are of the Sunni branch. " |
