How many Orthodox in the world. World Christianity. Orthodox Christians

One of the most common questions related to statistics on Orthodox faith in Russia and the world, concerns the number of Orthodox believers. Why is it so important? Most likely, people are interested in knowing the number, and it’s also just nice to once again make sure that they belong to one of the most common faiths in the world.

As for the question - how many Orthodox Christians live in Russia, it is not possible to answer it unambiguously. An accurate count of the number of adherents of a particular religion in our country is difficult for several reasons. Firstly, we do not have a specific mechanism by which we would classify a person as a believer Orthodox Church. Take, for example, the Catholic countries of Europe: the calculation is simplified in them, since people who regularly pay state tax for needs are considered Catholics here. catholic church. In countries that profess Islam, a person is automatically considered a Muslim if he was born within that country. That is why the countries mentioned can state the number of their believers with relative accuracy. In Russia and other Orthodox states, the statistical error fluctuates within several million people.

How is the number of Orthodox people counted in the Russian Federation?

Certainly the most in a simple way to determine how many Orthodox people live in Russia, is the All-Russian population census. It would seem that it would be easier to include the “religion” item in the census form and get the desired result, especially since the Russian Orthodox Church insisted on this. However, at the most recent census, which took place in 2010, this idea was not supported due to massive speculation about possible religious harassment. And again, even in the highest church circles, no compromise was found on the issue of determining whether a Russian citizen belongs to Orthodox believers. Of all the options offered:

a) upon the fact of baptism in the Orthodox Church;
b) due to heredity (that is, a person himself may be cool about religion, but comes from a hereditary Orthodox family);
c) on the basis of constant and active attendance Orthodox church, participation in Orthodox sacraments and rituals;
d) due to the fact that a person himself, voluntarily, relates himself to the Orthodox culture (in this case, he may not even go to church) - not a single one was adopted unanimously.

Thus, one can still only guess how many Orthodox Christians there are in Russia.

The number of Orthodox believers in Russia and in the world - figures and facts

Despite this, today it is still safe to say that Russia is the largest country in terms of the number of Orthodox believers, that is, people who in one way or another identify themselves with Orthodoxy, and if we take the three largest Orthodox countries in the world - Russia, Ukraine and Romania, then together they will amount to more than 50% of the total number of Orthodox Christians in the world.

To the question, how much orthodox people in Russia, various sources give the figure from 50 to 110 million people, and in the world - approximately 1.6 billion people. The most "saturated" Orthodox believers in the state after Russia is Ukraine (there are about 20 million Orthodox), about the same

"Diaspora":

Missions: South Africa 38,000 Kenya - 400,000
Service Orthodoxe de Presse / Orthodoxy 2000 (translated from French)

So, as you can see, I have given Orthodox data on their estimated number. It is completely incomprehensible what kind of situation the majority of local Orthodox churches are in, that it is impossible to calculate the number of Orthodox. For example, why is it impossible to count the number of Orthodox in Russia? Or why is it harder to do than, say, in the US? Here's why. Orthodox Christians deliberately inflate data on their numbers in Russia. Any sociological polls, however, show that the number of Orthodox in Russia is much less than the given figure and, at best, make up 15-20% of the population of Russia, which in absolute terms corresponds to 22-30 million. This is if you count not only the "churched" - there are hardly more than 1 of them -

2 millions - but also "sympathizers", i.e. persons who do not perform church rites, but call themselves Orthodox under the pressure of religious propaganda. Naturally, such a small number of believers does not allow us to talk about " Orthodox Russia", and prevents Orthodoxy from claiming the role of a state religion. Therefore, an attempt to determine the number of Orthodox equal to 80 million absolutely without any reason has only one goal - to "prove" an absolutely false statement that the majority of Orthodox in Russia.

The classification of "countries geographically and culturally oriented towards Orthodoxy" looks even more absurd. Where did Estonia and Albania come from on this list? Why all of a sudden, the always Catholic 40 millionth Poland, suddenly geographically and culturally oriented towards Orthodoxy? Is it not because of one million Orthodox supposedly living there? Or maybe because of their alphabet? Or because of the Pope?
And Turkey? Why is the most powerful Muslim country, in which Orthodox Christians make up only 0.008% (!!!) according to Orthodox estimates, turned out to be geographically and culturally oriented towards Orthodoxy? Or, in this case, by "geographical and cultural orientation" do Orthodox analysts understand the countless bloody conflicts with Turkey, in which millions of Russians, Bulgarians and Armenians have died in the last two centuries alone?

Even a cursory analysis of the above data shows that they are completely false. The motives for this falsification are also understandable - Orthodoxy needs data on the basis of which it could justify its position not only in Russia, but throughout the world.
This state of affairs requires serious, independent and public statistical studies of the number of adherents of different religions in Russia, where such studies have practically not been conducted in the last 10 years.

. Copyright: Demi an © 2000. / Copyright: Dimyan, 2000.
The article can be replicated and distributed by any publishing house or individual, provided that the integrity and invariance of the text is preserved. In all other cases, the permission of the author or his direct representatives is required.

For several years now, the international charitable human rights organization Open Doors has annually published the World Watch List, which contains a list of countries in which the rights of Christians are most often persecuted and violated. According to the organization, today over 100 million people suffer in many countries due to the fact that they profess the Christian faith. We talk about 10 countries in which Christians have the worst.

10. Libya

More or less free to attend churches in Libya can only foreigners and migrant workers. Local residents converted from Islam are forced to hide this fact, otherwise they risk their lives. It is forbidden to preach Christianity in the country, it is also forbidden to import the text of the Bible into the country. Frequent cases of violence against the Christian minority usually take place with the full connivance of local authorities.

9. Iran

Christianity in Iran is practiced by about 169 thousand people, which is about 0.5% of the total population. Despite the fact that Iran has much more liberal laws regarding religion than other Middle Eastern countries, the local Christian population often suffers from all kinds of oppression. Churches are under constant government control and are frequently inspected.

8. Sudan

The first list of countries where religious rights are violated was published in 1999. Sudan was already on that list and hasn't left it since. In the country, conversion from Islam to another religion is punishable by death. And the authorities simply turn a blind eye to the killing of Christians by Muslims. Many Christians accused of spreading their faith were arrested. Those who were more fortunate were simply deported from the country. Others were tortured and often sentenced to death for refusing to renounce their faith.

7. Somalia

According to the reports of international organizations, the pressure on Christians in this country is increasing every year. Islamic leaders and government officials have publicly and openly declared that there is no place for Christians in Somalia. Many charities are banned in the country because they are described by authorities as "Western spies and Christian crusaders". Unlike official authorities, radical groups are much tougher, many of them aim to destroy all local Christians and their communities.

6. Pakistan

Pakistan's constitution explicitly and unconditionally establishes Islam as the state religion, while nominally guaranteeing citizens the right to freedom of religion. The Federal Sharia Court of Pakistan has the power to overturn any law in the country that is contrary to Islam. Christinas in Pakistan are just over 1% of the total population and are often treated as second-class people in the country. Few christian churches and temples are under the complete control of the authorities and are often the targets of attacks.

5. Syria

Christians in Syria are about 20% of the population. At least that was before the start of the civil war in 2011. Since then, accurate calculations have been somewhat difficult. According to various sources, up to 700 thousand Christians managed to escape from the country during this time. How many of those who remained in the country and were subjected to harassment is almost impossible to say. But in recent times, cases of kidnappings and murders of Christians are very frequent.

4. Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, Christianity is traditionally perceived as a "Western religion". The number of Christians in the country is negligible and amounts to less than 1% of the total population of the country. People who keep their faith are forced to keep it a secret, risking being disowned by their relatives, and with general publicity, far more serious consequences are possible. There are no churches in the country, all Christian communities are secret. Even foreign Christians working in the country cannot feel safe there. For example, in 2014, several employees of the international organization Christian Aid were killed in Afghanistan.

3. Eritrea

Eritrea is a state on the Red Sea coast, which was formed only in 1993, having gained independence from Ethiopia. Unlike Afghanistan, for example, where the proportion of Christians is extremely small, in Eritrea, about half of the population are Christians of various denominations. In 2002, the government required the registration of religious groups and, under the pretense of registration, outlawed all but the four main religions - Islam, the Eritrean Orthodox Church, the Evangelical Church of Eritrea, and the Roman Catholic Church. Since then, the state has been actively interfering in spiritual affairs in an attempt to take full control of all the religious institutions of the country. In August 2005, the role of the Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church became purely ceremonial, and the management of church affairs passed to a state-appointed layman. A year later, the patriarch was deposed by the Holy Synod of Eritrea, allegedly under pressure from the government, and placed under house arrest.

2. Iraq

Under the Iraqi Constitution of 2005, Christians are equal in rights with Muslims and enjoy freedom to fulfill their religious needs. But at the same time, the Iraqi Constitution contains statements prohibiting the adoption of laws that are contrary to Sharia. Today, Christians of all denominations make up about 3% of the Iraqi population. Since 2003, their numbers have dwindled severalfold due to increased attacks by insurgents and religious extremists.

1. North Korea

This list is headed by North Korea for the 14th year in a row and so far there is no reason to assume that the situation of Christians in the country will somehow improve in the future. Kim Jong-un continues to consolidate all power in the country in his own hands, believing that citizens should worship only him and his predecessors, and not some gods. The official government of North Korea, in principle, has a negative attitude towards any religions, and Christianity is generally considered something Western and hostile from an ideological point of view. The few Christian believers in North Korea are forced to meet only in secret and dare not share their faith even with family members for fear of arrests and labor camps. Observers estimate that up to 70,000 Christians are imprisoned in North Korean camps. They are usually charged in courts with attempting to overthrow the government through religious activities in order to achieve maximum sentences or even public execution.

On the number of Orthodox Christians in the world, presented by an American research group The Pew Research Center. According to her calculations, there are 260 million 380 thousand adherents of Orthodoxy on the planet.

Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Romania, Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, Egypt, Ethiopia are named in the list of ten countries with the largest Orthodox population. "Interfax-Religion" .

Three countries from the list - Russia (101,405 thousand Orthodox inhabitants), Ukraine (34,850 thousand Orthodox) and Belarus (5900 thousand Orthodox) - are included in the canonical territory of the Russian Church. The Orthodox population of these states is 54.7% of the number of Orthodox around the world.

In total, the Russian Church provides care to the Orthodox inhabitants of 14 states. Along with Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, this number includes Moldova, the countries of Central Asia and the Baltic states, China and Japan. In addition, communities of the Moscow Patriarchate exist in many countries of the world where the Russian-speaking diaspora lives.

Recall that in December 2012 The Pew Research Center conducted a study, the results of which indicate that the majority of the inhabitants of the planet - almost 6 billion people - are followers of any religious teaching.

Having studied population census data and opinion polls in more than 200 countries, experts found that Christianity is still the most widespread religion: 2.2 billion people consider themselves Christians.

The followers of Islam take the second place. This religion is practiced by 1.6 billion believers. About a billion people identify themselves as Hindus, 500 million as Buddhists.

According to The Pew Research Center in 2011, there were 2.18 billion Christians in the world, which is almost a third of the world's population. As noted in this study, Christians are so "geographically dispersed" in more than 200 states that no single continent or region can unquestionably be considered "the center of global Christianity."

One of the trends noted in the report at the time was the declining proportion of Christians living in Europe. So, by 2010, about a quarter of all Christians (26%) lived in it, while a hundred years ago, in 1910, two-thirds of all adherents of this religion, and if in 1910 95% of Europeans were Christians, now - only 76%.

In addition, according to the study, more than a third of Christians (37%) live in the Americas and the Caribbean, 24% in sub-Saharan Africa, and 13% in the Asia-Pacific region.

As scientists have noted, over the past century, the number of Christians in the world has more than tripled: from 600 million people in 1910 to 2.18 billion people in 2011. However, the population has also grown at a rapid pace, from 1.8 billion to 6.9 billion in the past hundred years. Thus, the share of Christians in the world population has remained practically at the same level as a hundred years ago.

At the same time, the rapid growth of Christianity was taking place in sub-Saharan Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, where there were relatively few adherents of this faith at the beginning of the 20th century. So, in 1910, only 9% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa were Christians, in 2010 - 63%. For example, Nigeria twice overtook Germany, the birthplace of the Protestant Reformation, in terms of the number of Christians.

According to a Pew Research Center study, about half of all Christians are Catholics. Protestantism is professed by 37% of Christians, Orthodoxy - 12%.

Thus, Christianity remains the most numerous religion on the planet, followed by Islam, whose adherents are 1.5 billion people - just under a quarter of the world's population.

The study also showed that almost half of Christians live in 10 countries: the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Germany, the Philippines, China, Nigeria, DRC and Ethiopia.

The smallest concentration of Christians is observed in the region of the Middle East and North Africa. Where the religion of Christ originated, Christians now make up only 4% of the population.

The Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate has published data on the number of Orthodox Christians in the world, presented by the research group The Pew Research Center.

According to her calculations, there are 260 million 380 thousand adherents of Orthodoxy on the planet, Religion in Ukraine reports with reference to Newsru.

The list of ten countries with the largest Orthodox population includes Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Romania, Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, Egypt, Ethiopia.

Three countries from the list - Russia (101,405 thousand Orthodox inhabitants), Ukraine (34,850 thousand Orthodox) and Belarus (5900 thousand Orthodox) - are included in the modern canonical territory of the Russian Church. The Orthodox population of these states is 54.7% of the number of Orthodox around the world.

In total, the Russian Church provides care for the Orthodox inhabitants of 14 states. Along with Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, this number includes Moldova, the countries of Central Asia and the Baltic states, China and Japan. In addition, communities of the Moscow Patriarchate exist in many countries of the world where the Russian-speaking diaspora lives.

In December 2012, The Pew Research Center conducted a study, the results of which indicate that the majority of the world's inhabitants - almost 6 billion people - are followers of some kind of religious teaching.

The followers of Islam take the second place. This religion is practiced by 1.6 billion believers. About a billion people identify themselves as Hindus, 500 million as Buddhists.

According to The Pew Research Center in 2011, there were 2.18 billion Christians in the world, which is almost a third of the world's population. As noted in this study, Christians are so “geographically dispersed,” spread over more than 200 states, that no single continent or region can unquestionably be considered the “center of global Christianity.”

According to a Pew Research Center study, about half of all Christians are Catholics. Protestantism is professed by 37% of Christians, Orthodoxy - 12%.

The study also showed that almost half of Christians live in 10 countries: the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Germany, the Philippines, China, Nigeria, DRC and Ethiopia. The smallest concentration of Christians is observed in the region of the Middle East and North Africa. Where the religion of Christ originated, Christians now make up only 4% of the population.

Tags: Religion, sociologists, Orthodoxy