In this article, we will look at the 8 most educated religions in the world. If you want to skip our detailed analysis, you can directly go to the 5 Most Educated Religions in the World.

What is the Fastest Growing Religion?

The global religious landscape is rapidly changing due to the differences in fertility rates and the population size of various countries. According to statistics from the Pew Research Center, the Muslim population is expected to grow at the fastest rate of 73% by 2050. Currently, Christianity is the largest religion in the world, comprising approximately 31.4% of the world’s population. According to projections, Christianity is expected to remain the world’s largest religion. However, Islam will be the fastest-growing religion, with Muslims projected to make up nearly 29.7% of the global population by 2050. The growth of Islam as a religion is driven by factors including high fertility rates among young women, a high percentage of the young population in Muslim-majority countries, and high conversion rates. To read more about Islamic countries, you can look at the 15 Most Powerful Islamic Countries in the World. 

Economic and Population Growth of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is one of the Muslim-majority countries, with almost 90% of the total population adhering to Islam. Saudi Arabia is also one of the leading economies of the world. According to a report by the Saudi Central Bank, the country’s real GDP grew by 8.7% in 2022, against a 3.9% growth in 2021. Economic growth is attributed to significant structural reforms in Saudi Arabia’s economic and fiscal policy. Notable reforms include measures to drive the non-oil sector development, widening the non-oil tax base, and social liberalization to support consumer demand in the market. To read more about emerging economies, you can take a look at the 25 Fastest Growing Economies in the Last 50 Years and the 25 Largest Economies in the World by 2100.

Concerning the population growth rate, the country’s population is growing steadily. According to the United Nations Population Fund data, the total population of Saudi Arabia was 36.9 million in 2023, with approximately 71% of the population aged 15 to 64 years. Moreover, the population is expected to grow at an annual rate of 2.08% to reach 73.8 million in the next 5 decades.

Major Players Driving the Economy of Saudi Arabia

Some of the major players leading the economy of Saudi Arabia include Saudi Arabian Oil Co (TADAWUL:2222), Saudi Telecom Company SJSC (TADAWUL:7010), and Riyad Bank SJSC (TADAWUL:1010). 

Saudi Arabian Oil Co (TADAWUL:2222) is one of the leading chemical and energy companies in Saudi Arabia. The company operates in the exploration, processing, and production of hydrocarbon products, including crude oil and natural gas. Saudi Arabian Oil Co (TADAWUL:2222) also leads in the distribution of oil and natural gas through its vast network of pipelines, refineries, refueling plants, and terminals. Moreover, the company also has various international partnerships with Europe, the United States, and other regions.  On March 1, Saudi Arabian Oil Co (TADAWUL:2222) reported the successful acquisition of Esmax, a leading fuel and lubricants retailer in Chile. The company has a national presence in Chile and operates through its retail stores, terminals, lubricant blending plants, and Airport operations. The transaction was first announced in September 2023 and is Saudi Arabian Oil Co’s (TADAWUL:2222) first downstream retail investment in South America. 

Saudi Telecom Company SJSC (TADAWUL:7010) is one of the largest telecommunication companies based in Saudi Arabia. The company provides integrated mobile, fixed, and broadband services to over 160 million customers around the globe. Over the past few years, Saudi Telecom Company SJSC (TADAWUL:7010) has expanded its operations beyond the local borders and is now present in Kuwait, India, Turkey, South Africa, Malaysia, and Bahrain. On March 7, Saudi Telecom Company SJSC (TADAWUL:7010) announced signing a term sheet agreement between its wholly owned subsidiary, Solutions by STC, and Nile, a US-based Network as a Service (NaaS) company. The partnership between the two companies will lead to strategic expansion to enhance the market presence and service offerings to (NaaS) customers in Saudi Arabia and the MEA region. 

Riyad Bank SJSC (TADAWUL:1010) is a Saudi banking and investment services company. The bank operates through 4 segments: retail, investment and brokerage, corporate, and treasury and investment. Through these segments, Riyad Bank SJSC (TADAWUL:1010) provides various services, including credit, debit, investment products, asset management, and money-making trading to its customers in Saudi Arabia. On January 24, Riyad Bank SJSC (TADAWUL:1010) signed an agreement with the National Developmental Housing Foundation (Sakan) to finance housing for homeless families. The memorandum of understanding was signed while the officials from Riyad Bank SJSC (TADAWUL:1010) were attending the Future of Real Estate Forum 2024 held in Riyadh.  

Islam and Christianity are also among the most educated religions in the world and are accompanied by other religions as well. With this context, let’s look at the 8 most educated religions in the world.

Our Methodology

To compile the list of the 8 most educated religions in the world, we looked at various data sources. First, we used the CIA World Factbook to identify the eight most widely practiced religions. Our list is categorized into two categories, with religions ranked 8 to 6, denoting minority religions. On the other hand, religions ranked 5 to 1 are the majority religions. We used the Pew Research Center report “Religion and Education Around the World” to find data on average years of formal schooling for the major religious groups. Whereas for minority religions, due to a lack of data on average years of schooling, we relied on various surveys and academic studies to find literacy rates for these religions and rank them accordingly.    

Please note that religions ranking 8 to 6 are ranked in ascending order of the literacy rate, whereas religions ranking 5 to 1 are ranked in ascending order of the average years of formal schooling. Also note that in cases where two or more religions had the same average, the gender gap in education served as a tiebreaker. A smaller gender gap indicates a higher ranking.

Please note that our list does not reflect our opinions and is not exhaustive as it is based on surveys and studies available publicly, which again, are very limited.

8 Most Educated Religions in the World

8. Sikhism

Literacy rate: 67.5% (2011)

Founded by Guru Nanak, Sikhism believes in God’s eternal and supreme power and true devotion to God to escape human reincarnation. Sikhs follow the teachings of Guru Nanak and the nine subsequent gurus. Guru Granth Sahib is considered the living and final authority for the Sikh faith. The majority of the Sikh population resides in India, making up 1.7% of the total Indian population. Sikh migrants are spread in Canada, the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. According to the Canadian consensus conducted in 2022, Sikhs accounted for approximately 2.1% of the total population in Canada. India and Canada have 76% and 99% literacy rates for people aged 15 and above, respectively. Moreover, according to data from the Consensus of India in 2011, as reported by The Wire in 2016, Sikhism had a literacy rate of 67.5%. Gender-wise, Sikh females in India were found to be more literate, with a literacy rate of 36.7%, compared to 28.7% of Sikh men. 

7. Jainism 

Literacy rate: 84.7% (2011)

Originating from India, Jainism rests on the Jain spiritual philosophy of the eternal human soul. The religion believes in compassion for all, enlightenment as a source of liberation from human soul reincarnation, and personal responsibility for all human actions. Moreover, the Jain philosophy teaches non-violence and promotes a vegetarian diet for monks and laity. According to the Pew Research Center, around 0.4% of the Indian Population identifies as Jain. Moreover, Jains are also considered one of the most highly educated and wealthy people in India, with approximately 34% of Jain adults having at least a college degree, against 9% of the general population in India, according to data from Pew Research Center. According to a report by The Wire in 2016 quoting the data from the Indian Census 2011, the literacy rate of Jain followers was 84.7%. According to the consensus data, this was among the highest literacy percentages, followed by 74.3% literacy rates amongst Christians residing in India.

6. Zoroastrianism

Literacy rate: 97.9 (2001)

Zoroastrianism is an ancient pre-Islamic religion that was born in Iran. It is regarded as one of the oldest monotheistic religions and was initiated by the Iranian prophet and religious reformer Zarathushtra before the 6th century BCE. The key belief systems of the religion include God as the creator and the concept of free will. Currently, Zoroastrians are found in Iran and India. According to a survey conducted in 2020 by The Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran (GAMAAN) on Iranian attitudes toward religion, 7.7% of the Iranian population identified themselves as Zoroastrian. Moreover, as per the World Bank, Iran has a literacy rate of 89% for people aged 15 and above. In addition, according to Zoroastrian Heritage by K. E. Eduljee, Indian Zoroastrians had a literacy rate of 97.9% in 2001, whereas India’s national average literacy rate for the year was 64.8%. The same research found that more than 96.1% of the Zoroastrian followers resided in urban cities of India against the national average of 27.8% in 2001. Thus making Zoroastrianism one of the most highly educated religions among other ethnic groups in India and leading to its inclusion among the most educated religions worldwide.

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Disclosure: None. 8 Most Educated Religions in the World is originally published on Insider Monkey.