World Religions Compared
World Religions Compared is a structured history & culture dataset with 13 entries. Its fields include Religion, Founded, Followers (approx). The source values are preserved as a structured reference table.
Every row is shown below and is also available as CSV, JSON, or Excel.
Dataset details
- Table scope
- All 13 rows
- Fields
- 5 columns
- Source
- Community curated
- Data updated
- Mar 20, 2026
Included fields: Religion, Founded, Followers (approx), Core Text, Known For.
The table contains every record in this dataset; the same records are available in each download format.
Preview observations
No reliable range or grouping can be calculated from the loaded rows without interpreting the source data.
Useful for
- Comparing Religion, Founded, and Followers (approx) across history & culture entries
- Building reference tables, charts, or analyses from 13 downloadable records
Religion↕ | Founded↕ | Followers (approx)↕ | Core Text↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Christianity | ~30 AD, Judea | 2.4 billion | The Bible (Old + New Testament) | World's largest religion — from persecuted sect to Roman state religion to global faith, Jesus' teachings of love and forgiveness, split into Catholic/Protestant/Orthodox, shaped Western civilization, Christmas and Easter are global holidays |
Islam | 610 AD, Mecca | 1.9 billion | Quran | Fastest growing religion — five pillars (shahada, prayer, fasting, charity, hajj), Quran recited in Arabic worldwide, preserved Greek knowledge during European Dark Ages, Sunni-Shia split after Prophet Muhammad's death, Ramadan observed globally |
Hinduism | ~2000-1500 BC (no single founder) | 1.2 billion | Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita | Oldest living religion — no single founder or single god (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva trinity), karma and reincarnation, caste system controversy, yoga originated here, incredibly diverse (330 million deities), Diwali festival of lights |
Buddhism | ~500 BC, Nepal/India | 500 million | Tripitaka (Pali Canon) | Siddhartha Gautama sat under a tree and found enlightenment — Four Noble Truths (life is suffering, desire causes it), Eightfold Path, meditation, non-violence (ahimsa), spread across Asia, Zen and Theravada and Tibetan are main branches |
Judaism | ~2000 BC, Canaan | 15 million | Torah (first 5 books), Talmud | Parent of Christianity and Islam — first major monotheistic religion, covenant with God, 613 commandments, survived 4,000 years of persecution including Holocaust, Israel founded as Jewish state 1948, disproportionate Nobel laureates |
Sikhism | 1469, Punjab (Guru Nanak) | 30 million | Guru Granth Sahib | Equality and service baked into the religion — langar (free community kitchen feeds anyone regardless of faith), 5 Ks (kesh, kangha, kara, kachera, kirpan), Golden Temple in Amritsar, warrior-saint tradition, smallest world religion with outsized influence |
Taoism (Daoism) | ~400 BC, China (Lao Tzu) | 20 million (formally) | Tao Te Ching | Go with the flow, literally — yin-yang symbol everyone recognizes, 'the Tao that can be spoken is not the true Tao,' wu wei (effortless action), influenced Chinese medicine and martial arts, water metaphor (soft overcomes hard) |
Shinto | Prehistoric Japan (no founder) | 4 million (formally) | Kojiki, Nihon Shoki | Japan's indigenous spirituality — kami (spirits) in everything, shrines with torii gates, purity rituals, coexists with Buddhism (most Japanese practice both), New Year shrine visits, nature worship, emperor was considered divine until 1945 |
Confucianism | ~500 BC, China (Confucius) | 6-7 million (formally) | Analects | Philosophy that became quasi-religion — shaped East Asian culture for 2,500 years, filial piety (respect parents), social harmony, education revered, civil service exams, not technically a religion (no god), Confucius is world's most influential teacher |
Zoroastrianism | ~1500-1000 BC, Persia | 100,000-200,000 | Avesta | World's first monotheistic religion (arguably) — influenced Judaism, Christianity, Islam, heaven/hell and angels concepts originated here, fire temples, Freddie Mercury was Zoroastrian (Parsi), nearly extinct, Parsi community in India preserves it |
Bahá'í Faith | 1844, Iran | 8 million | Kitáb-i-Aqdas | Unity of all religions — teaches all major religions come from same God, equality of sexes and races, no clergy, Bahá'í House of Worship in each continent, persecuted in Iran (birthplace), youngest independent world religion |
Jainism | ~600 BC, India (Mahavira) | 5 million | Agamas | Most nonviolent religion in existence — ahimsa (non-violence) to extreme (monks sweep path to avoid stepping on insects), strict vegetarianism (some won't eat root vegetables), influenced Gandhi, wealthiest community per capita in India |
Indigenous / Animist Traditions | Prehistoric (global) | 400+ million (combined) | Oral traditions | The original religions — spirits in nature (animals, rivers, mountains), shamanism, ancestor worship, every continent has them, suppressed by colonialism, modern revival and recognition, Australian Dreamtime is 60,000+ years old |
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Frequently asked questions
How is World Religions Compared organized?
The table starts in the source data's default order. You can sort and filter the loaded rows by the displayed fields.
How much data is available on this page?
This dataset contains 13 entries, and every row is available in the table and in the downloadable files.
Can I download the complete dataset?
Yes. CSV, JSON, and Excel downloads contain all 13 rows. Before republishing the data, review the source and any usage terms listed on this page; dtbse does not replace the original source's licensing terms.
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