There are an estimated 4,200 religions in the world. The five major world religions according to adherents are Christianity (31%), Islam (23%), Hinduism (15%), Buddhism (7%) and Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist (16%).
Christianity is based on the belief in one God who created the world and sent his son, Jesus Christ, to save humanity from its sins. Christians believe in the Bible as the authoritative source of their religion. There are approximately 1.2 billion Christians in the world, divided into Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant denominations.
Islam is based on the belief in one God who created the world and sent Muhammad as his final prophet. Muslims believe in the Quran as their authoritative source and follow a strict code of conduct known as Sharia law. There are approximately 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, divided into Sunni and Shia sects.
Hinduism is based on a range of beliefs about Brahman, karma and reincarnation. Hindus believe that there is one supreme godhead that pervades everything in creation but can also be manifest through many different forms or avatars. Hindus have many sacred texts but no single authoritative book; instead they revere a number of scriptures including the Vedas, Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita . There are approximately 900 million Hindus worldwide .
Buddhism is based on Buddha’s teachings about suffering , impermanence and non-self . Buddhists strive for Nirvana , or a state of enlightenment , which is liberation from suffering . Buddhists do not believe in a personal creator god but some sects may venerate Bodhisattvas or Buddhas as enlightened beings who can offer guidance on the path to Nirvana . There are approximately 500 million Buddhists worldwide , with most followers living in Asia .
atheism From an atheist perspective, there can be no such thing as “atheism” since it would imply belief in something that doesn’t exist (i.e., gods). Atheism is simply absence of belief in deities – it isn’t a positive belief system like other religions so much as it’s lack thereof . This means that atheists don’t all share same set of beliefs or practices beyond disbelief in gods . Some may live their lives following ethical systems like humanism while others might not ascribe to any sort of morality beyond what society dictates . It’s estimated that