To Index| Group | Where | Number of Adherents |
% of total pop. |
Number of congreg./ churches/ units |
Number of countries |
Year | Source | Quote/ Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| unknown | Iran | - | 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% "; Listed as "Unspecified " |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran | - | - | - | - | -700 B.C.E. | Stack, Peggy Fletcher. A World of Faith. USA: Signature Books (1998), pg. 55. | "Zoroastrians... A long time before Muhammad, Jesus, or even Buddha, the prophet Zoroaster lived in Persia (now Iran)... " |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran | - | - | - | - | -550 B.C.E. | Jacobs, Louis. Oxford Concise Companion to the Jewish Religion. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press (1999), pg. 321. | "Zoroastrianism: The religion founded by the Iranian prophet Zarathustra in the sixth century BCE. The third century CE, the period of stormy conflicts between Persia and Rome... " [Lengthy article, pg. 321-322.] |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran | - | - | - | - | -486 B.C.E. | Cavendish, Richard (ed.). Man, Myth & Magic: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural (vol. 14). New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp. (1970), pg. 1862. | "The exact period of [Zoroaster's] life is uncertain; at the latest it was about 550 BC, perhaps considerably earlier... After Darius, who died in 486 BC, the Persian kings were Zoroastrians. But the aristocracy probably contintinued to be attached to Mithras and the old gods... In the 4th century BC the Kings Artaxerxes II and III mentioned Mithra... in their inscriptions. But by this time, Zoroastrianism was the dominant factor in the blending of the two religions... " |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran | - | - | - | - | -247 B.C.E. | Cavendish, Richard (ed.). Man, Myth & Magic: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural (vol. 16). New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp. (1970), pg. 2144. | "A very important question concerning the Parthian attitude towards the many religions current in their empire is that of their policy towards Zoroastrianism. This native Iranian religion, which was to be vigorously supported by the Sassanians, had existed in Iran since the 6th century BC. It seems to have been accepted in a modified form by the Achaemenian rulers, whose imperial dynasty was overthrown by Alexander the Great. The defeat of this native dynasty and the Hellenizing policy of Alexander and the Seleucids seem likely to have imperilled Zoroastrianism, or at least hindered its progress. The rise to power, therefore, of an Iranian dynasty, such as the Parthian Arsacids, would appear to have been providential for Zoroastrianism. The issue, unfortunately, remains obscure, for the original native religion of the Parthians is unknown, and the position of Zoroastrianism at this time is uncertain. " |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran | - | - | - | - | 651 C.E. | Bishop, Peter & Michael Darton (editors). The Encyclopedia of World Faiths: An Illustrated Survey of the World's Living Faiths. New York: Facts on File Publications (1987), pg. 66-67. | "Zoroastrianism remained the state religion of the third Iranian empire, that of the Sasanians (from 224 to 651 CE)... Zoroastrians remained a considerable part of the population until the ninth century. Thereafter successive congquestsof Iran by Muslim Turks and the Mongols hastened their reduction there until, by the late thirteenth century, only a persecuted minoriy survived mainly around the desert cities of Yazd and Kerman. " |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran | 10,000 | - | - | - | 1945 | Ferm, Vergilius (ed.). An Encyclopedia of Religion; Westport, CT: Greenwood Press (1976), pg. 293. [1st pub. in 1945 by Philosophical Library. 1976 reprint is unrevised.] | "Gabars or Ghebers: The popular name for Zoroastrians residing in Persia in contrast to those known in India as Parsis... A small group of Gabars, perhaps 10,000 survive today. " |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran | 10,000 | - | - | - | 1969 | Hutchinson, John A. Paths of Faith; New York: McGraw-Hill (1969), pg. 316. | "The Iranian Zoroastrians have clung tenaciously to their faith... Estimates vary concerning their numbers, but the total is probably not more than 10,000. Of this number some 2,000 live by trade, while the balance [are farmers]. " |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran | 25,000 | - | - | - | 1976 | Eliade, Mircea & Ioan P. Couliano. The Eliade Guide to World Religions. Harper Collins: New York (1991). Pg. 254. | "According to a 1976 poll, the total number of Zoroastrians in the world reached 130,000, of which 77,000 lived in India, 25,000 in Iran, 5,000 in Pakistan, and 23,000 in the United States. " |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran | 20,000 | - | - | - | 1978 | Rice, Edward. Ten Religions of the East. New York: Four Winds Press (1978), pg. 40. | "Today there still is a small group, estimated at some 20,000, centered on the town of Yazd, who follow the religion of Ahura Mazda. " |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran | 19,000 | - | - | - | 1979 | *LINK* Nance Profiles web site (orig. source: OPERATION WORLD, 1979 edition); (viewed Aug. 1998; now restricted.) | Zoroastrians 19,000 - the religion of the ancient Persian Empire. |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran | 30,000 | 0.05% | - | - | 1980 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 3 - Asia & Oceania. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 305, 308. | "Location: Iran; Population: 64,073,000 (1996 estimate) "; Pg. 308: "About 30,000 Zoroastrians lived in Iran in 1980, but it is thought that many of them have since left the country. " |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran | 30,000 | 0.10% | - | - | 1981 | Crim, Keith (ed.). The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions. San Francisco: Harper Collins (1989). Reprint; originally pub. as Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions, 1981; pg. 270. | "The Zoroastrians of Iran, numbering fewer than thirty thousand by even the most generous estimates, constitute only about one-tenth of one percent of Iran's population... " |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran | - | 0.10% | - | - | 1981 | Crim, Keith (ed.). The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions. San Francisco: Harper Collins (1989). Reprint; originally published as Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions, 1981; pg. 827. | "Nonetheless, the Zoroastrians today, though members of a minority that numbers less than one in a thousand in the population of Iran and only about one in ten thousand in India, are highly educated and enjoy an influence out of all proportion to their numbers. " |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran | 17,000 | - | - | - | 1982 | Eerdman, William B., Eerdman's Handbook to the World's Religions. Lion Publishing (1982): Herts, England. Pg. 221. | "The faithful few (approximately 17,000) in present-day Iran, who have survived over 1000 years of persecution, are now a tolerated religios group. " |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran | 11,000 | - | - | - | 1983 | Berger, Gilda. Religion: A Reference First Book. New York: Franklin Watts (1983), pg. 96. | "Only about 11,000 adherents of Zoroastrianism remain in Iran today. The Parsis (or Parsees) of India, who number around 100,000, are members of a Zoroastrian sect. " |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran | 10,000 | - | - | - | 1983 | Carmody, Denise Lardner & John Tully Carmody. Western Ways to the Center: An Introduction to Western Religions; Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Co. (1983), pg. 29 [also pg. 33]. | "True enough, less than 10,000 Zoroastrians remain in Iran (perhaps 100,000 in India). " |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran | 11,000 | - | - | - | 1983 | Hopfe, Lews M. Religions of the World, Macmillan Publishing Co.: New York (1983) [3rd edition], pg. 313. | "Today the religion... is kept by an insignificant minority (approx. 11,000) in Iran known as Gabars..., by a larger minority (approx. 100,000) in India, and in other small communities around the world totaling approximately 254,000. " |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran | 15,000 | - | - | - | 1986 | Pastva, Loretta. Great Religions of the World; Winona, Minnesota: Saint Mary's Press, Christian Brothers Publications (1995) [9th printing. 1st printing in 1986], pg. 142. | "...today only about 15,000 followers of Zoroaster still live in Iran. " |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran | 18,000 | - | - | - | 1990 | Noss., David S. & John B. Noss. A History of the World's Religions. Macmillian (1990). pg. 371. | "The number about eighteen thousand now, being found principally in Yazd, Kerman, and Tehran. " |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran | - | 0.04% | - | - | 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% |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran | - | - | - | - | 1996 | Occhiogrosso, Peter. The Joy of Sects: A Spirited Guide to the World's Religious Traditions. New York: Doubleday (1996), pg. 74. | "Only small pockets of Zoroastrians remain in Iran, where it was the dominant religion until the coming of Islam in the 7th century. " |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran | 17,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* web page: "Frequently asked questions on Zoroastrianism and the Avesta " (viewed 27 Feb. 1999) | "Last figure I saw was around 140,000. Largest populations are in India & Iran. J Hinnells' booklet Zoroastrianism and the Parsis (p.8) has 17,000 in Iran and 92,000 in India. North American Zoroastrians: around 5,000. " |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran | - | - | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* web site: "Planet Perv " (personal web site of Pervez J. Mistry); web page: "Zoroastrianism " (viewed 1 March 1999) | "There are a few scatttered villages in Iran that are still predominantly Zoroastrian and where there are temples. Our most sacred Fire Temple is in the Gujarat village of Udvada... " |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran | 17,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* web site: Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance (viewed circa Nov. 1998); web page: "Zoroastrianism " | "When followers of Islam invaded Persia in 650 AD, most of the Zoroastrians fled to India where they are concentrated today. Those who remained behind have survived centuries of persecution and now number about 17,000. " |
| miscellaneous regional info | Iran | - | - | - | - | 100 C.E. | Cavendish, Richard (ed.). Man, Myth & Magic: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural (vol. 16). New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp. (1970), pg. 2144. | "Besides such evidence of the syncretizing of Iranian, Semitic and Greek religious traditions in Parthia, there are also indications of even wider tolerance of foreign faiths. In eastern Partha there were sympathetic contacts with Buddhism and Hindu [groups], while in the western parts Jewish communities flourished, which were permitted to proselytize. Christianity also was established early in Parthian lands, and there are even legendary letters rom Christ to Abgar V, ruler of Edessa. " |
| Shiite | Iran: Azerbaijan | 12,000,000 | - | - | - | 1994 | Halm, Heinz. Shi'a Islam: From Religion to Revolution. Princeton, NJ: Markus Wiener Publishers (1997). Translated from German by Allison Brown. (German version pub. 1994 in Munich by Verlag C.H. Beck). Page ix. | "More than five million Azeris in the now independent, former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan (three-quarters of the population) and twelve million Azeris in the Azerbaijan province in northern Iran are Shi'ites. " |
| Kurds | Iran: Khorassan | 400,000 | - | - | - | 1975 | Chaliand, Gerard (ed). A People Without a Country: The Kurds and Kurdistan. New York: Olive Branch Press (1993 - revised first American edition), pg. 96. [Original Sources: National Census of Population and Housing, November 1966, Tehran; Monthly Bulletin of Statistics, November 1971, UN, New York.] | "On the other hand, there is a tight community of 400,000 Kurds in the Province of Khorassan, notably in Gutshan and Dorgaz. " |
| Armenian Apostolic Church | Iran: Kurdistan | - | - | - | - | 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. The remaining 2% is made up of Armenian and Assyrian Christians and some Jews. " |
| Assyrian Orthodox | Iran: Kurdistan | - | - | - | - | 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. The remaining 2% is made up of Armenian and Assyrian Christians and some Jews. " |
| Azerbaijanis | Iran: Kurdistan | 470,000 | 12.80% | - | - | 1975 | Chaliand, Gerard (ed). A People Without a Country: The Kurds and Kurdistan. New York: Olive Branch Press (1993 - revised first American edition), pg. 96. [Original Sources: National Census of Population and Housing, November 1966, Tehran; Monthly Bulletin of Statistics, November 1971, UN, New York.] | "Table 1: The Kurdish Population in Iran "; 1975: Kurds in Iran: 5,514,800; % of Kurds in the Iranian Population: 16.; "Of the people living in Iranian Kurdistan, 12.8% are Azerbaijanis (470,000) and Persians (235,000). On the other hand, there is a tight community of 400,000 Kurds in the Province of Khorassan, notably in Gutshan and Dorgaz. " |
| Christianity | Iran: Kurdistan | - | 2.00% | - | - | 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. The remaining 2% is made up of Armenian and Assyrian Christians and some Jews. " |
| Islam | Iran: Kurdistan | - | 98.00% | - | - | 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. The remaining 2% is made up of Armenian and Assyrian Christians and some Jews. Most of the Muslims are Sunnis (75%); the Shiites are mainly concentrated in Kermanshah and Luristan. " |
| Kurds | Iran: Kurdistan | 4,809,800 | 87.00% | - | - | 1975 | Chaliand, Gerard (ed). A People Without a Country: The Kurds and Kurdistan. New York: Olive Branch Press (1993 - revised first American edition), pg. 96. [Original Sources: National Census of Population and Housing, November 1966, Tehran; Monthly Bulletin of Statistics, November 1971, UN, New York.] | "Table 1: The Kurdish Population in Iran "; 1975: Kurdistan in Iran: 5,514,800; Kurds in Iran: 5,514,800; % of Kurds in the Iranian Population: 16.; "Of the people living in Iranian Kurdistan, 12.8% are Azerbaijanis (470,000) and Persians (235,000). On the other hand, there is a tight community of 400,000 Kurds in the Province of Khorassan, notably in Gutshan and Dorgaz. " |
| Shiite | Iran: Kurdistan | - | 24.50% | - | - | 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 | 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. " |
| Mashhadi Jews | Iran: Mashhad | 2,000 | - | - | - | 1946 | Ross, Dan. Acts of Faith: A Journey to the Fringes of Jewish Identity. New York: St. Martin's Press (1982), pg. 78-79. | "1946... That was the last straw for Mashhad's Jews. More than a century after they had been forced to become Jadidis they gave up on that city. Over the next few years, more than two thousand left, mostly going to Teheran and Tel Aviv. No more than a dozen families were left by the mid-1950s... " |
| Mashhadi Jews | Iran: Mashhad | 50 | - | - | - | 1955 | Ross, Dan. Acts of Faith: A Journey to the Fringes of Jewish Identity. New York: St. Martin's Press (1982), pg. 78-79. | "1946... That was the last straw for Mashhad's Jews. More than a century after they had been forced to become Jadidis they gave up on that city. Over the next few years, more than two thousand left, mostly going to Teheran and Tel Aviv. No more than a dozen families were left by the mid-1950s... " |
| Mashhadi Jews | Iran: Mashhad | 25 | - | - | - | 1975 | Ross, Dan. Acts of Faith: A Journey to the Fringes of Jewish Identity. New York: St. Martin's Press (1982), pg. 78-79. | "That was the last straw for Mashhad's Jews... Over the next few years, more than two thousand left, mostly going to Teheran and Tel Aviv. No more than a dozen families were left by the mid-1950s; by the 1970s perhaps half that many remained, none of whom still lived in the old Jewish quarter. " |
| Mashhadi Jews | Iran: Tehran | 3,000 | - | 6 units |
- | 1979 | Ross, Dan. Acts of Faith: A Journey to the Fringes of Jewish Identity. New York: St. Martin's Press (1982), pg. 79. | "Teheran became the new mecca for Mashhadis, until the shah was overthrown in 1979... Some two to three thousand Mashhadis lived in Teheran before the revolution. They supported six synagogues of their own: a grand synagogue in a wealthy suburb and smaller ones in older neighborhoods in the city. " |
| Zoroastrianism | Iran: Tehran | 15,000 | - | - | - | 1981 | Crim, Keith (ed.). The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions. San Francisco: Harper Collins (1989). Reprint; originally pub. as Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions, 1981; pg. 270. | "The Zoroastrians of Iran, numbering fewer than thirty thousand by even the most generous estimates... in modern times many have migrated to the nearby cities of Yazd and Kitman and from there to Tehran, the capital, where half the Iranian Zoroastrians now live. " |
| Arab | Iraq | 13,575,000 | 75.00% | - | - | 1990 | Bratvold, Gretchen (ed). Iraq ...in Pictures (Visual Geography Series). Minneapolis, Minnesota: Lerner Publications Co. (1990), pg. 40. | "Iraq's population of 18.1 million people includes several ethnic groups. Arabs make up about 75% of the total, and Kurds--the largest non-Arab group--compose about 20%. " |
| Arab | Iraq | 16,000,000 | 80.00% | - | - | 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 ethnic (NOT religious) backgrounds, & est. 1997 total pop. |
| Assassins | Iraq | - | - | - | - | 1200 C.E. | Cavendish, Richard (ed.). Man, Myth & Magic: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural (vol. 11). New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp. (1970), pg. 1472. | "Ismailis... the Fatimid rulers of Egypt from the 10th century were Ismailis and so were the Assassins... of Persia and Syria in the 12th and 13th centuries... " |
| Assyrian Evangelical | Iraq | - | - | 2 units |
- | 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.) | There are 2 Assyrian Evangelical churches in Baghdad and Mosul which are independent of each other and in 1973 were without pastoral leadership. |
| Assyrian Orthodox | Iraq | 85,000 | - | - | - | 1987 | Bishop, Peter & Michael Darton (editors). The Encyclopedia of World Faiths: An Illustrated Survey of the World's Living Faiths. New York: Facts on File Publications (1987), pg. 84. | "Independent Churches of Eastern Christianity... The two main Nestorian Churches are the Assyrian or East Syrian Church, with about 170,000 adherents, more than half of whom live in Iraq, the rest being scattered throughout the Middle East, the Malabar coast of India and the USA; and the Chaldean Church... " |
| Bahai Faith | Iraq | - | - | - | - | 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.) | BAHA'I has a history of over 120 years in Iraq, but due to severe repression and confiscations, and banning by decree in 1970, only a handful of scattered assemblies remain. |
| Batini Ismailis | Iraq | - | - | - | - | 760 C.E. | Crim, Keith (ed.). The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions. San Francisco: Harper Collins (1989). Reprint; originally pub. as Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions, 1981; pg. 337. | "Ikhwan al-Safa... arose in the tenth century at Basra, in Iraq. They were associated with the Batini Ismailis, who had engaged in secret political propaganda since the death of their Imam, Ismai'il ibn Jafar al-Sadiq, in A.D. 760. " |
| Bedouin | Iraq | - | - | - | - | 1990 | Bratvold, Gretchen (ed). Iraq ...in Pictures (Visual Geography Series). Minneapolis, Minnesota: Lerner Publications Co. (1990), pg. 40-41. | "Two minority groups--the Madan and the Bedouin--stand out among Iraq's Arabs... [Bedouin] These desert wanderers travel through the hot zones of Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Jordan on a seasonal search for water and grass for livestock. Iraq and Saudi Arabia each gave up a piece of their desert territory to form a neutral zone to ease the movements of the Bedouin between the two countries. In recent years, however, many Bedouin have adopted more settled ways of life. " |
| Catholic | Iraq | 621,000 | 3.00% | 92 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 | Iraq | 262,000 | 1.19% | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* Religious News Service. "Pope Meets Iraqi Catholic, Muslim Leaders. Papal Visit Now More Likely " in Salt Lake Tribune. Saturday, 15 May 1999 (viewed online 15 May 1999). | "About 5% of officially secular but overwhelmingly Muslim Iraq's 22 million people are Christian. There are about 262,000 Catholics in Iraq, the most numerous being those associated with the Chaldean rite, according to the 1999 Catholic Almanac. " |
| Catholic - Armenian Catholic | Iraq | 2,000 | - | - | - | 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.) | "The Armenian Catholics belong to the archdiocese of Baghdad and number 2,000. " |
| Catholic - Chaldean Catholic Church | Iraq | 242,000 | - | - | - | 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.) | "Chaldean Catholics now number 242,000 divided into 10 dioceses served by 10 bishops and 102 priests " |
| Catholic - Chaldean Catholic Church | Iraq | - | - | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* Religious News Service. "Pope Meets Iraqi Catholic, Muslim Leaders. Papal Visit Now More Likely " in Salt Lake Tribune. Saturday, 15 May 1999 (viewed online 15 May 1999). | "About 5% of officially secular but overwhelmingly Muslim Iraq's 22 million people are Christian. There are about 262,000 Catholics in Iraq, the most numerous being those associated with the Chaldean rite, according to the 1999 Catholic Almanac. " |
| Christianity | Iraq | - | - | - | - | 1990 | Bratvold, Gretchen (ed). Iraq ...in Pictures (Visual Geography Series). Minneapolis, Minnesota: Lerner Publications Co. (1990), pg. 45. | "A small percentage of Iraqis are Christians, and most follow sects of the Catholic religion. The Assyrians are members of the Nestorian Church, which was founded in Iran in the fifth century. Armenians make up a smaller proportion of Iraq's Christians, and there are also minority communities of Syrian and Chaldean Catholics. " |
| Christianity | Iraq | - | 4.00% | - | - | 1994 | Fluehr-Lobban, Carolyn. Islamic Society in Practice; Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida (1994), pg. 86. | "Christian minority groups exist in significant numbers in Egypt, where the Coptic minority is 10% of the pop.; in Syria & Iraq, with 13% & 4% minorities, respectively... " |
| Christianity | Iraq | 600,000 | 3.00% | - | - | 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.; "Chaldeans, Assyrians and Armenians " |
| Christianity | Iraq | 777,400 | 4.00% | - | - | 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. The remainder of the population is Christian (4%) and other faiths, such as a very small Jewish population. " |
| Christianity | Iraq | 1,100,000 | 5.00% | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* Religious News Service. "Pope Meets Iraqi Catholic, Muslim Leaders. Papal Visit Now More Likely " in Salt Lake Tribune. Saturday, 15 May 1999 (viewed online 15 May 1999). | "About 5% of officially secular but overwhelmingly Muslim Iraq's 22 million people are Christian. There are about 262,000 Catholics in Iraq, the most numerous being those associated with the Chaldean rite, according to the 1999 Catholic Almanac. " |
| Ikhwan al-Safa | Iraq | - | - | - | - | 950 C.E. | Crim, Keith (ed.). The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions. San Francisco: Harper Collins (1989). Reprint; originally pub. as Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions, 1981; pg. 337. | "Ikhwan al-Safa. (Arab.; lit. 'brethren of purity'). A secret philosophical-religious society which arose in the tenth century at Basra, in Iraq. They were associated with the Batini Ismailis... The Brethren injected into this propaganda a new scientific and philosophical spirit and dedicated themselves to enlightening and spiritually purifying themselves. " |
| Islam | Iraq | 11,100,000 | 95.00% | - | - | 1978 | Welch, Alford T. "Islam " in Hinnells, John R. (ed). A Handbook of Living Religions, Penguin Books: New York (1991) [reprint; 1st published in 1984], pg. 164-165. [Original src: Weeks, R. (ed.), "Muslim Peoples: A World Ethnographic Survey " (1978).] | Table: "Approximate Muslim populations and percentages of total populations " |
| Islam | Iraq | - | 96.00% | - | - | 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. |
| Islam | Iraq | 14,073,600 | 96.00% | - | - | 1983 | Tarr, David R. & Bryan R. Daves (editors). The Middle East (6th Ed.); Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. (1986), pg. 196. | "Population: 14,660,000. Religion: 96% Moslem, 4% other. " |
| Islam | Iraq | 14,500,000 | 95.00% | - | - | 1986 | *LINK* Web site: "Arabic Paper "; web page: "Muslim Countries of the World " (viewed 15 June 1999). [Written 1998.] | [NOTE: Unreliable statistical methodology.] "In 1986... Muslim Education Trust organization [U.K.] obtained... 1971 census & [info. from] Embassies of the respective countires... 1971 census showed the Independent Muslim countries pop. was around 784.5 Million. "; "...add (784.5M + 308M [minority Muslim countries]) = 1092.5 Million Muslims in 1971 "; Table shows country, "population " [number of Muslims in the country], & % Muslim. Total adds up to 896,080,000, so these figures are apparently intended to be estimates for 1986. |
| Islam | Iraq | 15,464,100 | 95.00% | - | - | 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%. |
| Islam | Iraq | 16,866,300 | 95.00% | - | - | 1991 | Foster, Leila Merrell. Iraq (series: Enchantment of the World). Chicago: Childrens Press (1992), pg. 115. | "Religion: Muslims make up about 95% of the population. While more than 50% of Muslims are Shiites, the leaders of the party in power since 1968 are mostly Sunnis. There is a very small Jewish population... Population: Approximately 17,754,000 (mid-1991 estimate)... " |
| Islam | Iraq | - | 96.00% | - | - | 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 | Iraq | 21,552,710 | 97.00% | - | - | 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. |
| Islam | Iraq | 18,463,250 | 95.00% | - | - | 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. " |
| Islam | Iraq | - | 97.00% | - | - | 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 " |
| Islam | Iraq | 23,444,900 | 95.90% | - | - | 2000 | K. F. Bin Mohd Noor. "Muslims Statistics... for Year 2000 " [orig. src: Barrett. World Christian Encyclopedia, 1982] | Table |
| Judaism | Iraq | 135,000 | - | - | - | 1948 | Gilbert, Martin (ed.) The Illustrated Atlas of Jewish Civilization: 4,000 Years of Jewish History. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co. (1990), pg. 211. | Map: "Iraq in the Twentieth Century "; "Jewish Population: 1948 - 135,000; 1971 - 2500; 1974 - 400 " |
| Judaism | Iraq | 2,500 | - | - | - | 1971 | Gilbert, Martin (ed.) The Illustrated Atlas of Jewish Civilization: 4,000 Years of Jewish History. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co. (1990), pg. 211. | Map: "Iraq in the Twentieth Century "; "Jewish Population: 1948 - 135,000; 1971 - 2500; 1974 - 400 " |
| Judaism | Iraq | 400 | - | - | - | 1974 | Gilbert, Martin (ed.) The Illustrated Atlas of Jewish Civilization: 4,000 Years of Jewish History. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co. (1990), pg. 211. | Map: "Iraq in the Twentieth Century "; "Jewish Population: 1948 - 135,000; 1971 - 2500; 1974 - 400 " |
| Judaism | Iraq | 600 | - | - | - | 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.) | At end of Word War II, Iraqi Jews numbered 250,000. After 1950 began to emigrate massively to Israel. In 1972 only 600 remained, decreasing rapidly. |
