New Study: Singapore,u.s. Are Most Religiously Diverse Countries

 Singapore is the most religiously  diverse country in the world,  while the U.S. ranks first in religious diversity among the world's most  popular nations, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center, the Christian Daily website reports today (March3, 2026).

The report examines the religious composition of 201 countries and  territories as of 2020. It divides populartions into seven categories -- Christians, Muslims. Hindus. Buddhists, Jews, adherents of other religions, and religiously unaffiliated -- and calculates a Religious Diversity Index (RDI) score based on how evenly those groups are represented in each country. 

While Christianity remains the majority faith in many regions, believers increasingly  live in religiously plural societies where engagement with neighbors or other faiths -- or none -- is part of daily life.

With an RDI score of 9.3 out of a posssible 10,  Singapore comes closest  to an even distribution of the seven religious categories analyzed, Pew reported.

Buddhists make up 31% of Singapore's population. The religiously unaffiliated acccount for 20%, Christians 19% Muaslims 16%, Hindus 5% and Adherents of other religions 9%.  No single group holds a majority.

Although the U.S.ranks 32nd  overall, it leads in religious diversity among the 10  most populous  nations, each with at least 120 million residents.

 

Among the world's largest countriethes , the U.S. has the highest RDI score at 5.8, followed by Nigeria, Russsia,India, and Brazil, according to Pew.

Christians make up an estimated 64%of the U.S. population as of 202 0. Religiously unaffiliated people account for  about 30%, while  Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists,Jews, and adherents of other religions together comprise roughly 6%, with each group representing about 1% to2%. 

Nigeria, Africa's  most populous country,  is the second--most religiously diverse among the 10 largest nations. Christians and Muslims  each account for more than 40%of the population, making  Nigeria one of the  countries most evenly divided between  two major  religious groups.