To Index| Group | Where | Number of Adherents |
% of total pop. |
Number of congreg./ churches/ units |
Number of countries |
Year | Source | Quote/ Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tijaniyya | Africa | - | - | - | - | 1850 | 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. 722-723. | "Devotion to Sufism and militant anti-colonialism also characterized several nineteenth century African revivalists, from Usman dan Fodio of the traditional Qadiriyya to al-Hajj 'Umar Tal of the neo-Sufi Tijaniyya. " |
| Tuareg | Africa | 1,000,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 1 - Africa. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 432-433. | "Tuaregs: Location: Saharan and Sahelian Africa (mostly Niger, Mali, Algeria, Libya, and Burkina Faso); Population: About 1 million; Language: Tamacheq; Religion: Islam, combined with traditional beliefs and practices "; "The Tuareg, a seminomadic, Islamic people, are best-known for their men's practice of veiling the face with a blue, indigo-dyed cloth. Hence, early travel accounts often referred to them as 'the Blue Men' of the Sahara Desert... "; Pg. 433: "Most Tuareg are Muslim, adhering to Islam. But their pre-Islamic belief system, with its own worldview and rituals, interweaves and overlaps with official Islam.. " |
| Tutsi | Africa | - | - | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 1 - Africa. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 443, 445. | "Tutsi: Location: Rwanda, Burundi, northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire); Population: About Approximately 13 million; Religion: Christianity (with aspects of traditional belief) "; Pg. 445: "Most people in modern-day Rwanda and Burundi are Christians, but aspects of traditional belief survive. " [NOTE: This statistic is a measure of tribal/ethnic affiliation and not how many people practice traditional Tutsi religion.] |
| Unity Church | Africa | - | - | 38 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official organization web site (viewed 1998) | Counted the churches in their directory. |
| Yoruba | Africa | 5,248,340 | - | - | - | 1963 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 1 - Africa. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 464. | "Yoruba: Location: West Africa (primarily Nigeria; also Benin and Togo); Population: 5,248,340 "; "The Yoruba people live in West Africa, primarily in the country of Nigeria, but with some scatterred groups in Benin and Togo. According to the 1963 census, out of a total Yoruba population of 5.3 million, 4.1 million lived in the five states of Oyo, Ibadan, Abeokuta, Ijebu, and Ondo. " [NOTE: This statistic is count of tribal/ethnic affiliation -- how many Yorubas there are -- not how many currently practice Yoruba traditional religion.] |
| Yoruba religion | Africa | - | - | - | - | 1993 | Willis, Roy (ed.). World Mythology. New York: Henry Holt & Co. (1993), pg. 264. | "With the spread of Islam and Christianity, and modern economic developments, Africa's indigenous religions have declined. But many peoples, such as the Yoruba, have tenaciously preserved their beliefs... " |
| Zoroastrianism | Africa | 650 | - | - | - | 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 " |
| Zoroastrianism | Africa | 700 | 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 " |
| Zoroastrianism | Africa | 1,000 | 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 " |
| Unification Church - full-time | Africa & South America | 1,000 | - | - | - | 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. 152. | "It is difficult to assess accurately the full-time membership for the rest of the world, but there are some tens of thousands in Asia (nearly all in Japan and South Korea) and perhaps a further thousand in Africa and South America. " |
| Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Africa & South Pacific | 500,000 | - | - | - | 1997 | *LINK* web site (1998): "Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry "; web page: "The Mormon Church Statistics " | "As of 1997, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints... claims membership of a little more than 10 million worldwide. US: 5 Million; Latin America: 3 Million; Asian: 2 Million; South Pacific & Africa: 1/2 Million " |
| Christianity | Africa - blacks | - | 57.00% | - | - | 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... " |
| African indigenous churches | Africa - East | - | - | - | - | 1986 | East Africa (series: Library of Nations). By the editors of Time-Life Books. Amsterdam: Time-Life Books (1986), pg. 136. | "In addition to their Catholic and Protestant communities, East African cities have also witnessed a remarkable flowering of independent Christian churches, formed almost entirely by charismatic preachers who have split away from the missions. They offer a form of Christianity geared towards traditional African life. They often accept polygamous marriages... Rejecting Western culture, they often avoid the prosperous city centres... " |
| Catholic | Africa - East | - | - | - | - | 1974 | Bokenkotter, Thomas. A Concise History of the Catholic Church. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co. (1977), pg. 343. | "Phenomenal gains have been made in the East African countries of Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, an dthe South African Country of Zambia, according to a recent report of their bishops. Between 1949 and 1974 the number of Catholics in the five countries, whose total population now stands at 45 million, rose from just above 2.5 million to 9.93 million--a 290 per cent increase. " |
| Christianity | Africa - East | - | 40.00% | - | - | 1986 | East Africa (series: Library of Nations). By the editors of Time-Life Books. Amsterdam: Time-Life Books (1986), pg. 135. | "Perhaps 10% of East Africans today profess the Islamic faith, and about 40% are Christian. " |
| Church of Christ in Africa | Africa - East | - | - | - | - | 1986 | East Africa (series: Library of Nations). By the editors of Time-Life Books. Amsterdam: Time-Life Books (1986), pg. 136. | "...the Church of Christ in Africa, one of the largest independent churches, built its cathedral on the outskirts of Nairobi, and draws most of its congregation from among the poor. In such parts of the cities, where modern health and education facilities are almost nonexistent, the CCA and other independent churches provide traditional education and health care--curing with ancient medicines of bark and herbs. " |
| Islam | Africa - East | - | 10.00% | - | - | 1986 | East Africa (series: Library of Nations). By the editors of Time-Life Books. Amsterdam: Time-Life Books (1986), pg. 135. | "Perhaps 10% of East Africans today profess the Islamic faith, and about 40% are Christian. " |
| Maasai | Africa - East | - | - | - | - | 1970 | Cavendish, Richard (ed.). Man, Myth & Magic: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural (vol. 13). New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp. (1970), pg. 1753. | "A nomadic people occupying most of Central Kenya and Tanzania, the Masai once romaed freely all over the plains of East Africa with their cattle. "; Pg. 1754: "Even during the British colonial period, the Masai managed to remain aloof and independent, despite the efforts of administrators, missionaries, schoolmasters, tax-collectors, and all those who sought to change their way of life. Today, their problems are the inroads of civilization, the shrinkage of available pasturage, and the determination of the new states to abolish the old tribal patterns of African society. " |
| polygamy | Africa - East | - | - | - | - | 1986 | East Africa (series: Library of Nations). By the editors of Time-Life Books. Amsterdam: Time-Life Books (1986), pg. 136. | "In addition to their Catholic and Protestant communities, East African cities have also witnessed a remarkable flowering of independent Christian churchs, formed almost entirely by charismatic preachers who have split away from the missions. They offer a form of Christianity geared towards traditional African life. They often accept polygamous marriages... " |
| Quaker | Africa - East | 32,000 | - | - | - | 1969 | Bacon, Margaret H. The Quiet Rebels: The Story of the Quakers in America; New York: Basic Books (1969), pg. 178. | "The effort was so startlingly successful that today there are some 32,000 Quakers in East Africa, chiefly in Kenya, with seventy-six monthly and fourteen quarterly meetings. East Africa Yearly Meeting is the largest in the world. " |
| Legio Maria | Africa - Luo | 250,000 | 8.33% | - | - | 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. " |
| polygamy | Africa - Luo | 900,000 | 30.00% | - | - | 1998 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 1 - Africa. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998), pg. 264, 266. | "Luo: Location: Western Province and Nyanza Province in Kenya; Tanzania; Population: Over 3 million; Religion: Christianity... (Anglican church, Roman Catholicism, and independent Christian churches) "; "Perhaps as many as 30% of Luo homesteads are polygynous (in which a man has more than one wife). This contributes to solidarity between a mother and her children, and between children born of the same mother, within the context of polygynous extended families... polygyny is commonly accepted by both men and women, provided traditional ideas and regulations are maintained. " |
| Carthaginian religion | Africa - North | - | - | - | - | -814 B.C.E. | Cavendish, Richard (ed.). Man, Myth & Magic: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural (vol. 16). New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp. (1970), pg. 2184. | "...Phoenician colonists took their... religion... to North Africa, and it formed the fundamental pattern of Carthaginian religion. Some differences... did develop at Carthage, [esp.] with regard to the status or character of certain gods. Thus, although Melkart, the patron god of Tyre, was accorded a special position in the daughter city... two other deities had greater prominence at Carthage. They were Baal Hammon and Tanit Pene Baal. The orign of the former is obscure... The goddess Tanit... had precedence over Baal Hammon... Tanit was undoubtedly the Carthaginian counterpart of the Phoenician fertility godddess Astarte... In Roman Carthage Tanit was identified with Juno Caelestis... The topheth of Tanit has provided grim evidence of the longevity of the [child sacrifice] rite at Carthage, in fact from the 8th century BC to the Roman destruction of the city in 146 BC... other Phoenician gods worshiped at Carthage were Eshmun of Sidon and Reshef. " |
| Christianity | Africa - North | - | - | - | - | 300 C.E. | Bokenkotter, Thomas. A Concise History of the Catholic Church. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co. (1977), pg. 67. | "By the year 300, North Africa was largely Christian. " |
| Darqawiyya | Africa - North | - | - | - | - | 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. 723. | "During the twentieth century... there are isolated manifestations of the traditional [Sufi] forms of authority and teaching in some orders: Ahmad al-'Alawi of the North African Darqawiyya, for instance, has influenced many Europeans, including the British orientalist M. Lings... " |
| Donatists | Africa - North | - | - | - | - | 316 C.E. | Walker, Williston. A History of the Christian Church (3rd ed., revised by Robert T. Handy; 1st ed. 1918). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons (1970), pg. 106. | "His successor, in 316, was the able Donatus the Great, from whom the schismatics received the name Donatists. In 313, Constantine made grants of money to the 'Catholic' clergy of North Africa. In these the Donatists did not share, and appealed to the Emperor. A synod helped in Rome the same year decided against them, but the quarrel was only the more embittered... Heretical baptism was recognized, and the Roman date of Easter was approved. The Donatists appealed to the Emperor, who once more decided against them, in 316, and as they refused to yield, now proceeded to close their churches and banish their bishops... North Africa was in turmoil... these schismatics... grew rapidly, claiming to be the only true church possessed of a clergy free from 'deadly sins' and of the only valid sacraments. Not till the Mohammedan conquest did the Donatists disappear. " |
| Donatists | Africa - North | - | - | - | - | 350 C.E. | *LINK* Hexham, Irving. Concise Dictionary of Religion. Carol Stream, USA: InterVarsity Press (1994). (v. online 6 Oct. 1999) | "DONATISM: a religious movement which developed during the fourth century in North Africa characterized by terrorist activity and exclusivistic BELIEFS. It was strongly opposed by AUGUSTINE who emphasized the CATHOLICITY of the CHURCH. " |
| Donatists | Africa - North | - | - | - | - | 400 C.E. | Bokenkotter, Thomas. A Concise History of the Catholic Church. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co. (1977), pg. 76. | "The victory of Christianity in Africa dated back to the latter half of the third century. By the time of Augustine there were more than 300 sees in Africa. But--sadly--the Church in Africa was torn by dissension between catholics and Donatists, a schism that dated back to the time of Constantine... In spite of Constantine's efforts to pressure the Donatists back into union with the Catholics, the schism lasted, and by Augustine's time the two Churches faced each other in almost every town. " |
| Donatists | Africa - North | - | - | - | - | 400 C.E. | Occhiogrosso, Peter. The Joy of Sects: A Spirited Guide to the World's Religious Traditions. New York: Doubleday (1996), pg. 386. | "Donatists: North African separatists of the 4th-5th century, followers of Donatus, who disavowed those bishops known as traditors ('betrayers') accused of collaborating with the Romans during their persecution of the early Christians. The Donatists formed their own church, replete with martyrs killed by the Roman church. Their main 'heresy' was their belief that the validity of the sacraments and episcopal power was predicated on personal sinlessness, so that a traditor did not qualify to be a bishop. " |
| Donatists | Africa - North | - | - | - | - | 650 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. 229. | "Donatism. A schismatic North African movement (early fourth - mid-seventh centuries A.D.) stressing the purity of the clergy as the guarantee of valid sacraments, opposing cooperation with secular authorities, and emphasizing martyr ideals. Named after an early leader of the group. " |
| Fatimid Islam | Africa - North | - | - | - | - | 909 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. 254. | "Fatimid. Ismaili dynasty (A.D. 909-1171) which ruled in North Africa and later in Egypt after the decline of Abbasid power. The dynasty, which takes its name from Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad, or perhaps from al-Husayn's daughter Fatima, was founded by a certain 'Ubayd Allah (d. 933), who claimed to be the Mahdi... Fatima played a distinctly esoteric role in Isma'iliyya, linking the Fatimid caliphs to Shi'ite esotericism. This created a dynamic social and intellectual movement that led to the establishment of the Fatimids as a Shi'ite caliphate under a legitimate 'Commander of the Faithful,' and providing a position of leadership for the entire Islamic world. " |
| Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa | Africa - North | - | - | - | - | 1999 | *LINK* Ecumenical News International. "Religion around the world ", title of subsection: "COUNCIL SEEKING SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS IN AFRICA " in Desert News, Saturday, March 20, 1999 (viewed online 14 May 1999). | "NAIROBI, Kenya -- Faced with a series of devastating conflicts, a group of churches and Christian councils in the Great Lakes region and the Horn of Africa have set up an organization 'to actively participate in seeking and facilitating peaceful solutions to the region's problems.' The Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa (FECCLAHA) was established March 3 at the end of a four-day meeting of officials from Christian councils and churches in Nairobi. " |
| Ibadhi Muslim | Africa - North | - | - | - | - | 1992 | Ovendale, Ritchie. The Longman Companion to The Middle East since 1914. London & New York: Longman (1992), pg. 217. | "Ibadis:... They survive today mainly in Oman, where Ibadism is the state religion, and North Africa. " |
| Islam | Africa - North | - | - | - | - | 1986 | Kleeberg, Irene Cumming. Ethiopia. New York: Franklin Watts (1986), pg. 47. | "Most people in North Africa are Moslems. " |
| Phoenician | Africa - North | - | - | - | - | -814 B.C.E. | Cavendish, Richard (ed.). Man, Myth & Magic: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural (vol. 16). New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp. (1970), pg. 2184. | "Carthage, which was destined to become Rome's great rival in the Mediterranean world, was traditionally founded in 814 BC by colonists from Tyre; it was one of many Phoenician settlements on the western Mediterranean coasts. Its position, in command of the straits between North Africa and Sicily, was one of great strategic opportunity, which it exploited to build up a commercial empire. Carthage steadily outgrew the mother city in size and importance... The Phoenician colonists took their native religion with them to North Africa, and it formed the fundamental pattern of Carthaginian religion. " |
| Qarmatians | Africa - North | - | - | - | - | 1021 C.E. | Occhiogrosso, Peter. The Joy of Sects: A Spirited Guide to the World's Religious Traditions. New York: Doubleday (1996), pg. 434. | "The Qarmatians gave rise to the Fatimid caliphs, who claimed descent from Fatima and Ali. They flourished in the 10th century in North Africa and later in EgyptŠ In 1021Š the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim declared that he was God incarnateŠ " |
| Vandal | Africa - North | - | - | - | - | 450 C.E. | Occhiogrosso, Peter. The Joy of Sects: A Spirited Guide to the World's Religious Traditions. New York: Doubleday (1996), pg. 325. | "Arianism. Arius (c. 256-366)... Vandals in North Africa, Visigoths in Spain and lower Gaul, Ostrogoths in Italy were Arians. " |
| Islam | Africa - Northwest | - | 90.00% | - | - | 1974 | Hallett, Robin. Africa Since 1875: A Modern History; Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press (1974), pg. 194. | "Today the only non-Muslims in Northwest Africa are to be found among the old-established Jewish communities of Europeans... Thus well over 90% of the population of the region is Muslim in religion. " |
| Ambo | Africa - South | - | - | - | 1 country |
1995 | Haskins, J. From Afar to Zulu. New York: Walker Pub. (1995), pg. 191-7. | Table: Add'l African Cultures; location listed in table as "Southern Africa " |
| Hottentot | Africa - South | 100,000 | - | - | - | 1600 | Pinney, Roy. Vanishing Tribes. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co. (1968), pg. 29. | "The Hottentot at one time occupied a territory covering more than 100,000 square miles of southwest Africa and roamed the plains with their flocsk of sheep and horned cattle. They were discovered by the Dutch, who were the first to explore South Africa from the Cape of Good Hope. Those early explorers' records tell us of seven tribes with an estimated population of 100,000. " |
| Pondo | Africa - South | - | - | - | 1 country |
1995 | Haskins, J. From Afar to Zulu. New York: Walker Pub. (1995), pg. 191-7. | Table: Add'l African Cultures |
| Tembu | Africa - South | - | - | - | 1 country |
1995 | Haskins, J. From Afar to Zulu. New York: Walker Pub. (1995), pg. 191-7. | Table: Add'l African Cultures |
| Islam | Africa - Spanish North Africa | 20,100 | 6.90% | - | - | 2000 | K. F. Bin Mohd Noor. "Muslims Statistics... for Year 2000 " [orig. src: Barrett. World Christian Encyclopedia, 1982] | Table |
| African indigenous churches | Africa - sub-Saharan | 15,000,000 | 6.75% | - | - | 1980 | 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. 178. | "By 1980 there were about 100 million Christians in sub-Saharan Africa... Christians now number between 40 and 45 percent of the total population of this area. The fastest growing churches are called 'African Independent Churches' because their origins lie within Africa rather than outside. These churches now account for 10 to 15 percent of all Christians south of the Sahara and must be seen in part as a product of the ambiguous colonial alliance of cross and sword. On the one hand are those Independent Churches with nationalist origins which separated from mission churches because the foreign missionary personnel resisted the relinquishing of power to African leadership. These churches retain many characteristics of missionary Christianity. More numerous, on the other hand, are those Independent Churches which resulted from prophetic visions on the part of extraordinary African personalities. " |
| Christianity | Africa - sub-Saharan | 500,000 | - | - | - | 1875 | 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. 178. | "In 1875, after several decades of missionary activity, there were fewer than half a million Christians in sub-Saharan Africa. Most of these were freed slaves or misfits and rejects from traditional society who found comfort and release in tiny Christian communities and mission stations. " |
| Christianity | Africa - sub-Saharan | 5,000,000 | 3.00% | - | - | 1925 | 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. 178. | "By 1925 their number [Christians] had swelled to five million or 3 percent of the total population. " |
| Christianity | Africa - sub-Saharan | 100,000,000 | 45.00% | - | - | 1980 | 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. 178. | "By 1980 there were about 100 million Christians in sub-Saharan Africa with an annual growth rate of more than 5 percent, or twice the growth rate of the population. This meant that Christians now number between 40 and 45 percent of the total population of this area. " |
| Christianity | Africa - sub-Saharan | - | 40.00% | - | - | 1991 | Russell, Chandler. Racing Toward 2001; Zondervan Publishing House: Grand Rapids, MI (1992), pg. 224. [Orig. source: J. Lee Grady, "New Missions Strategies for a Rapidly Changing World, " National & International Religion Report 5, no. 3, 28 Jan. 1991] | "The church in Africa is adding about 20,000 people daily. Below the Sahara, the continent is believed to be about 40% Christian. " |
| Islam | Africa - sub-Saharan | 31,000,000 | - | - | - | 1950 | Zehavi, A.M. (editor) Handbook of the World's Religions. New York: Franklin Watts (1973), pg. 135. | "Islam... In most areas there are no exact censuses, but approximate figures for the mid-20th century are as follows, by major groups: in Arab lands (Arabia, the Fertile Crescent, Egypt, Sudan and North Africa); in the rest of Africa, 31,000,000... " |
| Islam | Africa - sub-Saharan | 140,000,000 | - | - | - | 1993 | Clarke, Peter B. (editor), The Religions of the World: Understanding the Living Faiths, Marshall Editions Limited: USA (1993); pg. 112. | "As many as 140 million Muslims, about one-sixth of the total world Muslim population, live in sub-Saharan Africa. " |
| Catholic | Africa - sub-Saharan - black | 13,000,000 | 10.00% | - | - | 1957 | 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... Of the total Black population estimated at the time as being 130 million in Africa south of the Sahara, 28 million were Muslim, 13 million were Catholic, 4 million were Protestants and 85 million still followed their own indigenous religions, even though some of these traditionalists were nominally Muslim or Christian. " |
| Islam | Africa - sub-Saharan - black | 28,000,000 | 21.54% | - | - | 1957 | 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... Of the total Black population estimated at the time as being 130 million in Africa south of the Sahara, 28 million were Muslim... " [13 mil. Catholic, 4 mil. Protestants, 85 mil.] "indigenous religions, even though some of these traditionalists were nominally Muslim or Christian. " |
| primal-indigenous | Africa - sub-Saharan - black | 85,000,000 | 65.38% | - | - | 1957 | 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... Of the total Black population estimated at the time as being 130 million in Africa south of the Sahara, 28 million were Muslim, 13 million were Catholic, 4 million were Protestants and 85 million still followed their own indigenous religions, even though some of these traditionalists were nominally Muslim or Christian. " |
| Protestant | Africa - sub-Saharan - black | 4,000,000 | 3.08% | - | - | 1957 | 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... Of the total Black population estimated at the time as being 130 million in Africa south of the Sahara, 28 million were Muslim, 13 million were Catholic, 4 million were Protestants and 85 million still followed their own indigenous religions, even though some of these traditionalists were nominally Muslim or Christian. " |
| Cherubim and Seraphim | Africa - West | - | - | - | - | 1926 | Cavendish, Richard (ed.). Man, Myth & Magic: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural (vol. 15). New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp. (1970), pg. 1981. | "...'spiritual Churches'. The term spiritual refers to the belief in the continued operation of spiritual power in the Church, and the expectation of revelations to the congregation at large through its inspired agents. Among bodies which prefer to be collectively known by this term is the... Cherubim and Seraphim movement, which is also found in other West African countries besides Nigeria, where it originated. " |
| Christianity | Africa - West | 50,000 | - | - | - | 1875 | Hallett, Robin. Africa Since 1875: A Modern History; Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press (1974), pg. 335. | "In 1875, the number of West African Christians, gathered around mission stations--none more than 70 years old, the majority of much more recent foundation--could hardly have exceeded 50,000. " |
| Christianity | Africa - West | 10,000,000 | - | - | - | 1965 | Hallett, Robin. Africa Since 1875: A Modern History; Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press (1974), pg. 335. | "By the 1960's West Africa was reckoned to possess a Christian population numbering 10 million. " |
| Church of the Lord Aladura | Africa - West | - | - | - | - | 1970 | Cavendish, Richard (ed.). Man, Myth & Magic: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural (vol. 15). New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp. (1970), pg. 1981. | "...Aladura Church of the Lord, founded by J. A. Ositelu... Today that Church has branches in various West African countries, working under an elaborate written constitution, with a well-regulated hierarchy of officials from its Primate down to local 'Captains' and ministers. The insistence on prophecy is underlined by the institution of the office of 'Prophet' and 'Assistant Prophet'. The thousands who attend Aladura services regard themselves as Christians, but emphasize that they belong to 'spiritual Churches'. The term spiritual refers to the belief in the continued operation of spiritual power in the Church, and the expectation of revelations to the congregation at large through its inspired agents. " |
| Islam | Africa - West | 20,000,000 | - | - | - | 1960 | Hallett, Robin. Africa Since 1875: A Modern History; Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press (1974), pg. 335. | "By 1960 West Africa contained more than twenty million Muslims. " |
| Kissi | Africa - West | - | - | - | 1 country |
1995 | Haskins, J. From Afar to Zulu. New York: Walker Pub. (1995), pg. 191-7. | Table: Add'l African Cultures; Location listed in table as "West Africa " |
| Krim | Africa - West | - | - | - | 1 country |
1995 | Haskins, J. From Afar to Zulu. New York: Walker Pub. (1995), pg. 191-7. | Table: Add'l African Cultures; Location listed in table as "West Africa " |
| Limba | Africa - West | - | - | - | 1 country |
1995 | Haskins, J. From Afar to Zulu. New York: Walker Pub. (1995), pg. 191-7. | Table: Add'l African Cultures |
| Loko | Africa - West | - | - | - | 1 country |
1995 | Haskins, J. From Afar to Zulu. New York: Walker Pub. (1995), pg. 191-7. | Table: Add'l African Cultures |
| Mali | Africa - West | - | - | - | - | 1650 | Haskins, Jim & Joann Biondi. From Afar to Zulu: A Dictionary of African Cultures. New York: Walker Publishing Co. (1995), pg. 188. | "Africa's Lost Cultures... Mali: While there are few written records that detail the ancient culture of Mali, it is believed that the empire was established by the leader Sundiata in the early 1200s. During its prosperous days the empire encompassed the areas of modern-day Mali, Mauritania, and Senegal. Mali contained the former empire of Ghana and was larger than all of Europe... Mali included the famed ancient city of Timbuktu... With a population of 50,000, Timbuktu during the Mali empire was a bustling center of commerce... The Mali people spoke Mande and Arabic, and they practiced both indigenous African and the Muslim religions... Byt he late 1400s, Timbuktu was taken over by the Songhai people, and by the mid-1600s, the remaining Mali territories were conquered... Mali culture was absorbed by the Mandinka kingdoms. " |
| Sherbo | Africa - West | - | - | - | 1 country |
1995 | Haskins, J. From Afar to Zulu. New York: Walker Pub. (1995), pg. 191-7. | Table: Add'l African Cultures |
| Soso | Africa - West | - | - | - | 1 country |
1995 | Haskins, J. From Afar to Zulu. New York: Walker Pub. (1995), pg. 191-7. | Table: Add'l African Cultures |
| Advent Christian Church | Alabama | 225 | 0.01% | 6 units |
- | 1990 | Glenmary Research Center (Mars Hill, NC). Churches & Church Membership in U.S., 1990. Courtesy of American Religion Data Archive. | By-county org. reports, figures from 'Churches' & inclusive 'Adherents' columns. More exclusive 'members' column: 183. [Listed as 'Advent Christian Church.'] |
| affiliated | Alabama | - | 32.90% | - | - | 1850 | Finke, Roger & Rodney Stark. The Churching of America, 1776-1990. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press (1992; 3rd printing 1997), pg. 68. | Figure 3.3: "Religious Adherents per 1,000 Population, 1850 " |
| African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church | Alabama | 160,167 | 3.96% | 308 units |
- | 1990 | Glenmary Research Center (Mars Hill, NC). Churches & Church Membership in U.S., 1990. Courtesy of American Religion Data Archive. | By-county org. reports, figures from 'Churches' & inclusive 'Adherents' columns. More exclusive 'members' column: 134,305. [Listed as 'African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.'] |
| Agnostic | Alabama | - | 0.20% | - | - | 1990 | Kosmin, B. & S. Lachman. One Nation Under God: Religion in Contemporary American Society; Harmony Books: New York (1993), pg. 88-93. | Table 3-1: Religious Composition of State Populations, 1990 (%). Self-identification of religious loyalty, phone survey w/ 113,000 people; by City U. of New York. |
| American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. | Alabama | 2,568 | 0.06% | 3 units |
- | 1990 | Glenmary Research Center (Mars Hill, NC). Churches & Church Membership in U.S., 1990. Courtesy of American Religion Data Archive. | By-county org. reports, figures from 'Churches' & inclusive 'Adherents' columns. More exclusive 'members' column: 2,025. [Listed as 'American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A.'] |
| Apostolic Christian Churches of America | Alabama | 90 | 0.00% | 1 unit |
- | 1990 | Glenmary Research Center (Mars Hill, NC). Churches & Church Membership in U.S., 1990. Courtesy of American Religion Data Archive. | By-county org. reports, figures from 'Churches' & inclusive 'Adherents' columns. More exclusive 'members' column: 50. [Listed as 'Apostolic Christian Church of America.'] |
| Apostolic Faith Mission Church of God | Alabama | - | - | 1 unit |
1 country |
1910 | Melton, J. Gordon (ed.). The Encyclopedia of American Religions: Vol. 1. Tarrytown, NY: Triumph Books (1991), pg. 261. | "Apostolic Faith Mission Church of God... Birmingham, AL [H.Q.]... moved to Mobile, Alabama, where a revival occurred under his ministry. Among those converted was an entire congregation of the Primitive Baptist Church. The members gave him their building as the first meeting house for the new mission parish. The church was organized on July 10, 1906. In 1915 Bishop Williams became one of the first to adopt the Oneness or non-Trinitarian theology which had been espoused through Pentecostal circles. He broke with Seymour and renamed his church the Apostolic Faith Mission Church of God. He incorporated the new church on October 9, 1915... Intoxicants, especially tobacco, alcohol and drugs are forbidden... " |
| Assemblies of God | Alabama | 53,228 | 1.32% | 372 units |
- | 1990 | Glenmary Research Center (Mars Hill, NC). Churches & Church Membership in U.S., 1990. Courtesy of American Religion Data Archive. | By-county org. reports, figures from 'Churches' & inclusive 'Adherents' columns. More exclusive 'members' column: 38,442. [Listed as 'Assemblies of God.'] |
| Assemblies of God | Alabama | - | 1.20% | - | - | 1990 | Kosmin, B. & S. Lachman. One Nation Under God: Religion in Contemporary American Society; Harmony Books: New York (1993), pg. 88-93. | Table 3-1: Religious Composition of State Populations, 1990 (%). Self-identification of religious loyalty, phone survey w/ 113,000 people; by City U. of New York. |
