# Oriental Orthodoxy by country

Oriental Orthodox Churches are the churches descended from those that rejected the Council of Chalcedon in 451. Despite the similar name, they are therefore a different branch of Christianity from the Eastern Orthodox. Oriental Orthodoxy consists of several autocephalous and autonomous jurisdictions holding a single set of beliefs and united in full communion. However, they each have their own separate rites, and there are significant differences between their respective practices. Thus, there is more internal diversity of practice among the Oriental Orthodox than among the Eastern Orthodox.

## Distribution

Oriental Orthodoxy is the dominant religion in Armenia (94%), and Ethiopia (44%, the total Christian population being roughly 67%).
Oriental Orthodoxy is especially the dominant religion in the two Ethiopian regions of Amhara (82%) and Tigray (95%), as well as the chartered city of Addis Ababa (75%). It is also important in Oromia Region (31%).
Oriental Orthodoxy is also one of two dominant religions in Eritrea (47%), especially in its highland regions Maekel Region (87%) and Debub Region (86%).
It is a significant minority religion in Egypt (10%), Sudan (5%, the total Christian population being 15%), Syria (3%, the total Christian population being 10-11% the rest being Greek Orthodox, Catholic and Church of the East), and Lebanon (5%, the total Christian population being 40%) . In India, Oriental Orthodox Christians are almost entirely concentrated in the state of Kerala. They constitute less than 1 % of overall Indian population. Indian Christians comprised less than 3 % of overall Indian population, while the total Christian population of just Kerala itself is around 18%.

## Predominantly Oriental Orthodox Christian countries

Oriental Orthodoxy is the largest single religious faith in:
* Armenia
* Ethiopia
* Eritrea
Countries with a high percentage of Oriental Orthodox Christians include:
* Egypt
* Sudan
* Syria
* Lebanon
* India
* Iraq

## Oriental Orthodox Churches in full communion

* The Coptic Orthodox Church
** The British Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom
** The French Coptic Orthodox Church in France
* The Armenian Apostolic Church
** The Holy See of Cilicia
** The Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople
** The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem
* The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
* The Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church
* The Syriac Orthodox Church
** The Jacobite Syrian Christian Church in India
* The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church

## Statistics

| Country | Oriental Orthodox population | (%) Oriental Orthodox |
| Armenia | 2,796,519 | 92.60 |
| Australia | 51,010 | 0.2 |
| Canada | 36,070 | 0.1 |
| Egypt | 10,309,500 | 10-12% |
| Eritrea | 2,530,000 | 47 |
| Ethiopia | 47,353,560 | 43.8 |
| Georgia | 109,042 | 2.9 |
| Germany | 1,140,000 | 1.5 |
| Guatemala | 350,000 | 2.5 |
| India | 3,800,059 | 0.4 |
| Iran | 250,000-300,000 | 0.1 |
| Iraq | 629,340 | 2 |
| Israel | 38,000 | 0.4 |
| Jordan | 310,656 | 4.8 |
| Kuwait | 74,000 | 2.18 |
| Palestine | 118,057 | 3 |
| Sweden | 69,656 | 0.7 |
| Sudan | 500,000 | 1 |
| Syria | 1,800,400 | 8 |
| Tajikistan | 80,000 | 1.18 |
| Turkey | 180,000 | 0.1 |
| United Kingdom | 41,200 | 0.1 |
| United States | 492,000 | 0.1 |