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back to Africa, Churches of Christ
| Group | Where | Number of Adherents |
% of total pop. |
Number of congreg./ churches/ units |
Number of countries |
Year | Source | Quote/ Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Churches of Christ | Africa | 392,965 | - | - | - | 1991 | *LINK* official organization web site: "A Brief History of the Churches of Christ in Africa " | Of the 609,000 members of the churches of Christ outside the borders of the United States, nearly two-thirds of them, or 392,965 are on the continent of Africa. (Campbellite) |
| Churches of Christ | Africa | 428,930 | 0.10% | 7,707 units |
- | 1995 | *LINK* official organization web site | table: "STATUS OF CHURCHES OF CHRIST IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA--1995 " (Campbellite) |
| Confucianism | Africa | 1,500 | - | - | - | 1981 | Popenoe, David. Sociology (5th Ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. (1983), pg. 433. [Orig. source: 1981 Britannica Book of the Year.] | Table: Membership in the Major Religions of the World " |
| Confucianism | Africa | 1,500 | 0.00% | - | - | 1982 | Robertson, Ian. Sociology (2nd ed.); New York, NY: Worth Publishers (1981) [2nd edition is updated since 1977 1st edition], pg. 405. [Orig. source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Book of the Year, 1982] | Table: "Estimated membership of the principal religions of the world " |
| Confucianism | Africa | 1,000 | 0.00% | - | - | 1995 | The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1997 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 646. [Source: 1996 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by 6 Continental Areas,1995 "; "Confucians: Non-Chinese followers of Confucius and Confucianism, mostly Koreans in Korea. " |
| Confucianism | Africa | 1,000 | 0.00% | - | - | 1996 | The World Almanac & Book of Facts 1998 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 654. [Source: 1997 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by 6 Continental Areas,1996 "; "Confucians: Non-Chinese followers of Confucius and Confucianism, mostly Koreans in Korea. " |
| Confucianism | Africa | 1,000 | 0.00% | - | - | 1996 | *LINK* web site: "The Geography of Religion Website " (assembled by the students of Morehead State University, under Prof. Timothy C. Pitts); web page: "The Geography of Confucianism " (viewed 2 March 1999); [Orig. source: Markham, Ian S., (Editor), A World Religions Reader. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers (1996), pp. 356-357.] | table with 3 columns: "Area "; "Adherents "; "Population Percentage " |
| Confucianism | Africa | 0 | 0.00% | - | - | 1998 | World Almanac and Book of Facts 2000. Mahwah, NJ: PRIMEDIA Reference Inc. (1999), pg. 695. [Source: 1999 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1998 "; "Confucians: Non-Chinese followers of Confucius and Confucianism, mostly Koreans in Korea. " |
| Council for World Mission | Africa | 4,090,000 | - | 4,802 units |
- | 1999 | *LINK* Web site: "Council for World Mission "; web page: "Churches " (viewed 31 May 1999). | Added up memberships of constituent member bodies in region: United Church of Zambia, United Congregational Church of Southern Africa, Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa, Churches of Christ in Malawi, & Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar. |
| Dyula | Africa | 300,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 1 - Africa. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 126-127. | "Dyula: Location: Mali, Burkina Faso, and Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast); Population: 300,000; Religion: Islam "; "The Dyula are all Muslim and have been ever since their arrival in their present location. " [NOTE: This count is for a tribal/ethnic affiliation, NOT a religion, as Dyula practice Islam.] |
| Eastern Orthodox | Africa | 13,306,000 | - | - | - | 1981 | Popenoe, David. Sociology (5th Ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. (1983), pg. 433. [Orig. source: 1981 Britannica Book of the Year.] | Table: Membership in the Major Religions of the World " |
| Eastern Orthodox | Africa | 13,106,000 | 2.71% | - | - | 1982 | Robertson, Ian. Sociology (2nd ed.); New York, NY: Worth Publishers (1981) [2nd edition is updated since 1977 1st edition], pg. 405. [Orig. source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Book of the Year, 1982] | Table: "Estimated membership of the principal religions of the world " |
| Eastern Orthodox | Africa | 29,645,000 | 4.07% | - | - | 1995 | The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1997 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 646. [Source: 1996 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1995 " |
| Eastern Orthodox | Africa | 25,215,000 | 3.37% | - | - | 1996 | The World Almanac & Book of Facts 1998 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 654. [Source: 1997 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1996 " |
| Eastern Orthodox | Africa | 28,549,000 | 4.20% | - | - | 1996 | *LINK* web site: "The Geography of Religion Website " (assembled by the students of Morehead State University, under Prof. Timothy C. Pitts); web page: "The Geography of Eastern Orthodoxy " (viewed 2 March 1999); [Orig. source: Markham, Ian S., (Editor), A World Religions Reader. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers (1996), pp. 356-357.] | table with 3 columns: "Area "; "Adherents "; "Population Percentage " |
| Evangelical | Africa | - | 13.20% | - | - | 1993 | Johnstone. Operation World. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1993, p. 21. | Table. "Affiliated Evangelical " |
| Friends United Meeting | Africa | 45,000 | - | - | - | 1978 | 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. 267. | "Of the nearly 200,000 Friends in the world in 1978, 121,000 were in the U.S., 20,000 in Great Britain, 45,000 in Africa (F.U.M. converts)... " |
| Fulani | Africa | 6,000,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 1 - Africa. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 169. | "Fulani: Location: From the western part of West Africa (Senegambia) to Chad in the east (some groups reaching as far as the Nile river in the countries of Sudan and Ethiopia); largest concentrations in Nigeria, Senegal, and Guinea; Population: More than 6 million; Religion: Islam "; [NOTE: This statistic is a measure of tribal/ethnic affiliation, NOT a distinct religion, as the Fulani are Muslim.] |
| Hausa | Africa | 20,000,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 1 - Africa. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 206-207. | "Hausa: Location: Hausaland in West Africa (northwestern Nigeria and in adjoining southern Niger); Population: more than 20 million; Religion: Islam, small native cults "; "Hausa is the most widely spoken language in West Africa... Since the penetration of Islam into Hausaland in the mid-14th century, most Hausa have become extremely devoted to the Islamic faith. " [This statistic, then, is a count of ethnic affiliation, NOT a distinct religious group.] |
| Hinduism | Africa | 490,500 | - | - | - | 1977 | Edmonds, I.G. Hinduism; New York: Franklin Watts (1979), pg. 51. | "The 1977 estimate... South America has 533,000 [Hindus]; Europe 350,000; Africa 490,500; and Oceania (islands of the Pacific) 640,000. " |
| Hinduism | Africa | 1,179,800 | - | - | - | 1981 | Popenoe, David. Sociology (5th Ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. (1983), pg. 433. [Orig. source: 1981 Britannica Book of the Year.] | Table: Membership in the Major Religions of the World " |
| Hinduism | Africa | 1,379,800 | 0.29% | - | - | 1982 | Robertson, Ian. Sociology (2nd ed.); New York, NY: Worth Publishers (1981) [2nd edition is updated since 1977 1st edition], pg. 405. [Orig. source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Book of the Year, 1982] | Table: "Estimated membership of the principal religions of the world " |
| Hinduism | Africa | 1,535,000 | 0.21% | - | - | 1995 | The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1997 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 646. [Source: 1996 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1995 "; "Hindus. 70% Vaishnavites, 25% Shaivites, 2% new-Hindus and reform Hindus. " |
| Hinduism | Africa | 1,986,000 | 0.27% | - | - | 1996 | The World Almanac & Book of Facts 1998 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 654. [Source: 1997 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1996 "; "Hindus. 70% Vaishnavites, 25% Shaivites, 2% new-Hindus and reform Hindus. " |
| Hinduism | Africa | 1,475,000 | 0.20% | - | - | 1996 | *LINK* web site: "The Geography of Religion Website " (assembled by the students of Morehead State University, under Prof. Timothy C. Pitts); web page: "The Geography of Hinduism " (viewed 2 March 1999); [Orig. source: Markham, Ian S., (Editor), A World Religions Reader. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers (1996), pp. 356-357.] | table with 3 columns: "Area "; "Adherents "; "Population Percentage " |
| Hinduism | Africa | 2,411,000 | 0.31% | - | - | 1998 | World Almanac and Book of Facts 2000. Mahwah, NJ: PRIMEDIA Reference Inc. (1999), pg. 695. [Source: 1999 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1998 " |
| Hutu | Africa | 10,000,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 1 - Africa. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 211-212. | "Hutu: Location: Rwanda, Burundi; Population: Approximately 10 million; Religion: Christianity with aspects of traditional belief, spirit cults "; Pg. 212: "Today most people in Rwanda and Burundi are Christians, but aspects of traditional belief survive... Non-Christian religious expression is not uniform. A variety of distint spirit cults exist, with separate forms of worship, some including elaborate initiation procedures. " [NOTE: This statistic is for tribal/ethnic affiliation, NOT a distinct religion or measure of how many practice traditional Hutu religion.] |
| Islam | Africa | 34,500,000 | 32.00% | - | - | 1900 | Mbiti, John S. Introduction to African Religion (Second Edition), Heinemann Educational Books: Portsmouth, New Hampshire (1991), pg. 33. | statistics cited |
| Islam | Africa | 40,000,000 | - | - | - | 1931 | Mazrui, Ali A. The Africans: A Triple Heritage. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company (1986), pg. 135. | In 1957 "the Paris Academy of Political and Moral Sciences received some pertinent estimates... Between 1931 and 1951 the number of Muslims in the whole of Africa had risen from 40 million to 80 million in comparison with a Roman Catholic rise from 5 million to 15 million. " |
| Islam | Africa | 44,000,000 | - | - | - | 1945 | Ferm, Vergilius (ed.). An Encyclopedia of Religion; Westport, CT: Greenwood Press (1976), pg. 502. [1st pub. in 1945 by Philosophical Library. 1976 reprint is unrevised.] | "Mohammedans number about 160,000,000 in Asia, 44,000,000,000 in Africa, 5,000,000 in Europe and 20,000 in North America, a total of approximately 209,020,000. " |
| Islam | Africa | 80,000,000 | - | - | - | 1951 | Mazrui, Ali A. The Africans: A Triple Heritage. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company (1986), pg. 135. | In 1957 "the Paris Academy of Political and Moral Sciences received some pertinent estimates... Between 1931 and 1951 the number of Muslims in the whole of Africa had risen from 40 million to 80 million in comparison with a Roman Catholic rise from 5 million to 15 million. " |
| Islam | Africa | - | 40.00% | - | - | 1957 | Mazrui, Ali A. The Africans: A Triple Heritage. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company (1986), pg. 135-136. | In 1957 "the Paris Academy of Political and Moral Sciences received some pertinent estimates... Islam in Africa as a whole, including Arab Africa, commanded the allegiance of approximately 40% of the continent's population. " |
| Islam | Africa | 60,000,000 | 28.04% | - | - | 1957 | Welles, Sam. The World's Great Religions, New York: Time Incorporated (1957), pg. 120. | "Today Moslems are from other ethnic groups. About three quarters of them live in Asia and most of the remainder in Africa where about 60 million, out of a total population of some 214 million, have already embraced Islam. " |
| Islam | Africa | 140,000,000 | - | - | - | 1971 | 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. 11. | "It has been estimated that in 1971 there were in Africa about 75 million Christians, 140 million Muslims, and 120 million adherents of traditional religions. " |
| Islam | Africa | - | 33.00% | - | - | 1980 | Hopfe, Lews M. Religions of the World, Macmillan Publishing Co.: New York (1983) [3rd edition], pg. 461. | "The Muslim missionaries have been so effective in Africa in the past fifty years that it was estimated in 1980 that perhaps one-third of the inhabitants of Africa are Muslim. " |
| Islam | Africa | 145,214,704 | - | - | - | 1981 | Popenoe, David. Sociology (5th Ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. (1983), pg. 433. [Orig. source: 1981 Britannica Book of the Year.] | Table: Membership in the Major Religions of the World " |
| Islam | Africa | 145,714,704 | 30.17% | - | - | 1982 | Robertson, Ian. Sociology (2nd ed.); New York, NY: Worth Publishers (1981) [2nd edition is updated since 1977 1st edition], pg. 405. [Orig. source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Book of the Year, 1982] | Table: "Estimated membership of the principal religions of the world " |
| Islam | Africa | 145,000,000 | 32.37% | - | - | 1983 | Hopfe, Lews M. Religions of the World, Macmillan Publishing Co.: New York (1983) [3rd edition], pg. 60. | "Today it is estimated that there are approximately 145 million Muslims in Africa " [out of a total of 448 million] |
| Islam | Africa | 211,000,000 | 41.00% | - | - | 1984 | Mbiti, John S. Introduction to African Religion (Second Edition), Heinemann Educational Books: Portsmouth, New Hampshire (1991), pg. 34. | statistics cited |
| Islam | Africa | 300,316,992 | 41.25% | - | - | 1995 | The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1997 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 646. [Source: 1996 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1995 "; "Muslims. 83% Sunni Muslims, 16% Shia Muslims (Shiites), 1% other schools. " |
| Islam | Africa | 308,660,000 | 41.26% | - | - | 1996 | The World Almanac & Book of Facts 1998 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 654. [Source: 1997 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1996 "; "Muslims. 83% Sunni Muslims, 16% Shia Muslims (Shiites), 1% other schools. " |
| Islam | Africa | 278,250,816 | 40.80% | - | - | 1996 | *LINK* web site: "The Geography of Religion Website " (assembled by the students of Morehead State University, under Prof. Timothy C. Pitts); web page: "The Geography of Islam " (viewed 2 March 1999); [Orig. source: Markham, Ian S., (Editor), A World Religions Reader. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers (1996), pp. 356-357.] | table with 3 columns: "Area "; "Adherents "; "Population Percentage " |
| Islam | Africa | 315,000,000 | 40.43% | - | - | 1998 | World Almanac and Book of Facts 2000. Mahwah, NJ: PRIMEDIA Reference Inc. (1999), pg. 695. [Source: 1999 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1998 " |
| Islam | Africa | 300,000,000 | 40.00% | - | - | 1999 | *LINK* Chambers, Steve (Religion News Service). "Can Christianity, Islam Co-Exist in Africa? " in Salt Lake Tribune, 28 Aug. 1999 (viewed online 28 Aug. 1999). | "Roughly 300 million of Africa's 750 million people are Muslims, another 350 million of them Catholics and Protestants. Neither camp is having much success winning converts from the other, drawing instead from a once-bountiful pool of followers of traditional religions. " |
| Islam | Africa | 326,000,000 | - | - | - | 2000 | Bokenkotter, Thomas. A Concise History of the Catholic Church. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co. (1977), pg. 344. | "According to some calculations, black Africa will by 57% Christian by the year 2000, and in Africa as a whole, Christians (175 million Catholics, 176 million Protestants) will surpass the 326 million Moslems. " |
| Islam | Africa | 339,000,000 | 41.40% | - | - | 2000 | Mbiti, John S. Introduction to African Religion (Second Edition), Heinemann Educational Books: Portsmouth, New Hampshire (1991), pg. 34. | statistics cited; projection to year 2000 done in or before 1991 |
| Islam | Africa | 300,000,000 | - | - | - | 2000 | *LINK* Tucker, Neely (Knight Ridder). "Growth of Christianity Is Exploding in Africa " in Salt Lake Tribune (15 Jan 2000). | "Islam, strongest around the edges of the Sahara, counts 300 million adherents [in Africa]. " |
| Jainism | Africa | 58,000 | 0.01% | - | - | 1995 | The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1997 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 646. [Source: 1996 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1995 " |
| Jainism | Africa | 59,000 | 0.01% | - | - | 1996 | The World Almanac & Book of Facts 1998 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 654. [Source: 1997 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1996 " |
| Jainism | Africa | 53,000 | 0.00% | - | - | 1996 | *LINK* web site: "The Geography of Religion Website " (assembled by the students of Morehead State University, under Prof. Timothy C. Pitts); web page: "The Geography of Jainism " (viewed 2 March 1999); [Orig. source: Markham, Ian S., (Editor), A World Religions Reader. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers (1996), pp. 356-357.] | table with 3 columns: "Area "; "Adherents "; "Population Percentage " |
| Jainism | Africa | 65,000 | 0.01% | - | - | 1998 | World Almanac and Book of Facts 2000. Mahwah, NJ: PRIMEDIA Reference Inc. (1999), pg. 695. [Source: 1999 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1998 " |
| Judaism | Africa | 219,000 | - | - | - | 1800 | Breuilly, Elizabeth, et al. Religions of the World: The Illustrated Guide to Origins, Beliefs, Traditions & Festivals. Facts on File Inc.: New York, NY (1997). Pg. 41. | 1800 Chart and accompanying text: "In 1800 there were approximately 3 million Jews worldwide, distributed as shown below... These numbers represent individuals who have identified themselves as being religious Jews. "; 7.3% of 3 million. |
| Judaism | Africa | 176,400 | - | - | - | 1981 | Popenoe, David. Sociology (5th Ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. (1983), pg. 433. [Orig. source: 1981 Britannica Book of the Year.] | Table: Membership in the Major Religions of the World " |
| Judaism | Africa | 174,000 | - | - | - | 1981 | Unterman, Alan. "Judaism " in Hinnells, John R. (ed). A Handbook of Living Religions, Penguin Books: New York (1991) [reprint; 1st published in 1984], pg. 25. | Map: "Figure 1.4: Main centres of Jewish population, 1981 " |
| Judaism | Africa | 176,900 | 0.04% | - | - | 1982 | Robertson, Ian. Sociology (2nd ed.); New York, NY: Worth Publishers (1981) [2nd edition is updated since 1977 1st edition], pg. 405. [Orig. source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Book of the Year, 1982] | Table: "Estimated membership of the principal religions of the world " |
| Judaism | Africa | 153,600 | - | - | - | 1993 | O'Brien, J. & M. Palmer. The State of Religion Atlas. Simon & Schuster: New York (1993). Pg 28-29. | 1.2% of 12.8 million total world Jews. |
| Judaism | Africa | 163,000 | 0.02% | - | - | 1995 | The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1997 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 646. [Source: 1996 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1995 " |
| Judaism | Africa | 165,000 | 0.02% | - | - | 1996 | The World Almanac & Book of Facts 1998 (K-111 Reference Corp.: Mahwah, NJ) pg. 654. [Source: 1997 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1996 " |
| Judaism | Africa | 337,000 | 0.05% | - | - | 1996 | *LINK* web site: "The Geography of Religion Website " (assembled by the students of Morehead State University, under Prof. Timothy C. Pitts); web page: "The Geography of Judaism " (viewed 2 March 1999); [Orig. source: Markham, Ian S., (Editor), A World Religions Reader. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers (1996), pp. 356-357.] | table with 3 columns: "Area "; "Adherents "; "Population Percentage " |
| Judaism | Africa | 230,000 | 0.03% | - | - | 1998 | World Almanac and Book of Facts 2000. Mahwah, NJ: PRIMEDIA Reference Inc. (1999), pg. 695. [Source: 1999 Encyc. Britannica Book of the Year] | Table: "Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-1998 "; "Jews: Adherents of Judaism " |
| Kimbanguist Church | Africa | 4,000,000 | - | - | - | 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. 407. | "Kimbanguism... the most influential Independent Church on the continent of Africa, with a membership of over four million in Zaire and several neighboring countries. " |
| Kimbanguist Church | Africa | 3,000,000 | - | - | - | 1984 | Turner, Harold W. "New Religious Movements in Primal Societies " in Hinnells, John R. (ed). A Handbook of Living Religions, Penguin Books: New York (1991) [reprint; 1st published in 1984], pg. 449. | "The largest [syncretistic new religious movement in Africa] is the Kimbanguist Church and the 3 million adherents claimed for it may not be too inaccurate. " |
| Kimbanguist Church | Africa | - | - | - | - | 1994 | *LINK* Hexham, Irving. Concise Dictionary of Religion. Carol Stream, USA: InterVarsity Press (1994). (v. online 6 Oct. 1999) | "KIMBANGU, Simon (19-?-1951)... his church spread until it is one of the largest in Africa and a member of the WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES. " |
| Kimbanguist Church - active | Africa | 300,000 | - | - | - | 1986 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 1 - Africa. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 41-42. | "Bakongo: Alternate Names: Kongo; Location: Congo River region (Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo); Population: 3.3 million "; "Eventually Kimbanguism gained legal recognition from the state, and its church became a staunch supporter of the mobutu regime. Presently, some 300,000 active members belong to the church, most of them living in the Lower Congo. " [The 300,000 figure is quite different from other contemporary estimates. It is perhaps from a dated source. The bibliography lists sources for this article ( "Bakongo ") from 1965, 1985, and 1986. Alternatively, the author means there are 300,000 active members, and higher figures are of a total, but not entirely active membership. Adherents.com does not know.] |
| Kush | Africa | - | - | - | - | 200 C.E. | Haskins, Jim & Joann Biondi. From Afar to Zulu: A Dictionary of African Cultures. New York: Walker Publishing Co. (1995), pg. 184. | "Africa's Lost Cultures... Kush: The ancient kingdom of Kush centered on a city called Napata in what is now Sudan. Although not much is known about the population or culture of the Kush, historians believe they were a wealthy and powerful people as far back as the ninth century B.C. The Kush civilization thrived for almost 1,000 years... By the eighth century B.C., Kushite armies conquered most of Egypt, and for almost 100 years dominated much of the African continent. But during the seventh century B.C., the powerful Assyrians invaded their territory, forcing the Kush to retreat up the Nile River and resettle inthe ancient city of Meroe. From 500 B.C. to A.D. 200 the Kushites controlled a wide empir that was known throughout Africa for its iron tools and weapons. " |
| Legio Maria | Africa | 250,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 1 - Africa. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 264-265. | "Luo: Location: Western Province and Nyanza Province in Kenya; Tanzania; Population: Over 3 million [total Luo] "; "The Legio Maria is another prominent Luo independent church, with 250,000 members. This church practices the Latin Roman Catholic Mass. The Legio Maria is also tolerant of the levirate. Compared to mainstream churches, women play an important role in this church, and there is a pronounced devotion to Mary, the mother of Jesus. " |
| Leopard Society | Africa | - | - | - | - | 1985 | Davis, Wade. The Serpent and the Rainbow. New York: Simon & Schuster (1985), pg. 270. | "Leopard Society: The secret society of the Efik of Old Calabar [West Africa]. " |
| Luo | Africa | 3,000,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 1 - Africa. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 264-265. | "Luo: Location: Western Province and Nyanza Province in Kenya; Tanzania; Population: Over 3 million "; "Christianity has had a major impact on Luo religious beliefs and practices. Today there are a variety of religious communities drawing on beliefs from indigenous practices and Christianity. The Anglican Church, known as the CPK, and the Roman Catholic Church are very significant among the Luo... Many people, however, do not draw sharp distinctions between religious practices which have European origins and those with African origin. " |
| Lutheran | Africa | 1,900,000 | - | - | - | 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. 114. | "[Lutheran] present-day distribution by continents is: 60,400,000 in Europe; 8,900,000 in North America; 2,300,000 in Asia; 1,900,000 in South America; 1,900,000 in Africa; and 500,000 in Australasia. " |
| Lutheran | Africa | 6,200,000 | - | - | - | 1994 | *LINK* [Orig. source: Barrett, David B. World Christian Encyclopedia (1994 Update)] | There are 6.2 million Lutherans in Africa, the place where the Lutheran Church is growing most rapidly today, and 4.6 million Lutherans in Asia. |
| Lutheran | Africa | 7,900,000 | - | - | - | 1995 | *LINK* Evangelical Lutheran Church in America web site; web page: "January 25, 1996 News Releases " (viewed 9 July 1999). Story: "More than 60 Million Lutherans Worldwide " [96-01-003-FI] | "Almost all of Africa's 7.9 million Lutherans are members of the [LWF] federation. " |
| Lutheran | Africa | 7,940,742 | - | - | - | 1995 | *LINK* Evangelical Lutheran Church in America web site; web page: "January 25, 1996 News Releases " (viewed 9 July 1999). Story: "More than 60 Million Lutherans Worldwide " [96-01-003-FI] | Table: "Lutheran World Federation 1995 Membership Figures Summary " |
| Lutheran | Africa | 8,600,000 | - | - | - | 1996 | "Lutherans by the numbers " in Christian Century (March 4, 1998), pg. 228. | "The total number of African Lutherans increased to 9 million, from just under 8.6 million in 1996. " |
| Lutheran | Africa | 9,000,000 | - | - | - | 1997 | "Lutherans by the numbers " in Christian Century (March 4, 1998), pg. 228. | "The total number of African Lutherans increased to 9 million, from just under 8.6 million in 1996. " |
| Lutheran - non-LWF | Africa | 67,455 | - | - | - | 1995 | *LINK* Evangelical Lutheran Church in America web site; web page: "January 25, 1996 News Releases " (viewed 9 July 1999). Story: "More than 60 Million Lutherans Worldwide " [96-01-003-FI] | Table: "Lutheran World Federation 1995 Membership Figures Summary " |
