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Religious diversity (fractionalization index)

Name: Religious diversity (fractionalization index)
Creator: Alesina et al. (2003), « Fractionalization », Journal of Economic Growth, via Wikipédia

What this indicator measures

Measures the probability that two people randomly drawn in the country do not belong to the same religious group. Calculation published by Alesina and coauthors (2003) from sources such as the Encyclopædia Britannica; the groups used are those of these sources and the data date from different periods depending on the country.

How to read this?

Between 0 (a single group) and 1 (very many groups of equal size). The higher the value, the more the population is spread across many religious groups of comparable size.

Ranking : ranked from highest to lowest

Ctrl + scroll: zoom · drag: pan

204countries with data

0.86maximum · South Africa

0.47median

0minimum · Yemen

2003data year(s)

In brief

The "Religious diversity (fractionalization index)" ranking covers 204 countries and territories. Lowest value: Yemen (0). Highest value: South Africa (0.86). Median: 0.47 (data: 2003). The top 10% of countries exceed 0.71, while the bottom 10% stay below 0.12. By continent, the median is highest in Oceania (0.62) and lowest in South America (0.22).

Median by continent

Lower Higher

Oceania 0.62 (19)
Africa 0.55 (51)
North America 0.5 (27)
Europe 0.43 (44)
Asia 0.42 (49)
South America 0.22 (12)

Why this indicator matters

This index shows whether a country's population is spread across several religions or concentrated around a single one. It makes it possible to compare the religious diversity of countries.

What makes this indicator vary

It depends on the country's religious history, migration and how sources classify religions and their branches.

Reading precautions

The groups counted depend on the starting sources and the definitions chosen. The data date from different periods and do not track recent changes. The index says nothing about how the groups live together.

Full ranking

ranked from highest to lowest

Rank	Country	Value	Year
1er	🇿🇦 South Africa	0.86	2003
2e	🇺🇸 United States	0.82	2003
3e	🇦🇺 Australia	0.82	2003
4e	🇲🇼 Malawi	0.82	2003
5e	🇳🇿 New Zealand	0.81	2003
6e	🇬🇭 Ghana	0.8	2003
7e	🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago	0.79	2003
8e	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	0.79	2003
9e	🇸🇷 Suriname	0.79	2003
10e	🇱🇧 Lebanon	0.79	2003
11e	🇬🇾 Guyana	0.79	2003
12e	🇼🇸 Samoa	0.79	2003
13e	🇰🇪 Kenya	0.78	2003
14e	🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire	0.76	2003
15e	🇳🇬 Nigeria	0.74	2003
16e	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	0.74	2003
17e	🇿🇲 Zambia	0.74	2003
18e	🇨🇲 Cameroon	0.73	2003
19e	🇳🇱 Netherlands	0.72	2003
20e	🇱🇸 Lesotho	0.72	2003
21e	🇵🇼 Palau	0.71	2003
22e	🇧🇲 Bermuda	0.71	2003
23e	🇻🇺 Vanuatu	0.7	2003
24e	🇻🇨 St. Vincent & Grenadines	0.7	2003
25e	🇨🇩 Congo - Kinshasa	0.7	2003
26e	🇫🇷 France	0.7	2003
27e	🇨🇦 Canada	0.7	2003
28e	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	0.69	2003
29e	🇧🇧 Barbados	0.69	2003
30e	🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina	0.69	2003
31e	🇹🇼 Taiwan	0.68	2003
32e	🇦🇬 Antigua & Barbuda	0.68	2003
33e	🇧🇸 Bahamas	0.68	2003
34e	🇲🇿 Mozambique	0.68	2003
35e	🇰🇼 Kuwait	0.67	2003
36e	🇸🇧 Solomon Islands	0.67	2003
37e	🇬🇦 Gabon	0.67	2003
38e	🇲🇾 Malaysia	0.67	2003
39e	🇨🇳 China	0.66	2003
40e	🇨🇬 Congo - Brazzaville	0.66	2003
41e	🇳🇦 Namibia	0.66	2003
42e	🇰🇳 St. Kitts & Nevis	0.66	2003
43e	🇰🇷 South Korea	0.66	2003
44e	🇹🇬 Togo	0.66	2003
45e	🇨🇿 Czechia	0.66	2003
46e	🇩🇪 Germany	0.66	2003
47e	🇸🇬 Singapore	0.66	2003
48e	🇬🇪 Georgia	0.65	2003
49e	🇫🇲 Micronesia	0.65	2003
50e	🇹🇩 Chad	0.64	2003
51e	🇦🇸 American Samoa	0.64	2003
52e	🇲🇺 Mauritius	0.64	2003
53e	🇹🇿 Tanzania	0.63	2003
54e	🇺🇬 Uganda	0.63	2003
55e	🇦🇴 Angola	0.63	2003
56e	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	0.62	2003
57e	🇹🇴 Tonga	0.62	2003
58e	🇳🇷 Nauru	0.62	2003
59e	🇯🇲 Jamaica	0.62	2003
60e	🇺🇦 Ukraine	0.62	2003
61e	🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau	0.61	2003
62e	🇧🇾 Belarus	0.61	2003
63e	🇨🇭 Switzerland	0.61	2003
64e	🇧🇷 Brazil	0.61	2003
65e	🇧🇼 Botswana	0.6	2003
66e	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	0.6	2003
67e	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	0.59	2003
68e	🇬🇩 Grenada	0.59	2003
68e	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	0.59	2003
70e	🇧🇿 Belize	0.58	2003
70e	🇵🇫 French Polynesia	0.58	2003
72e	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	0.58	2003
73e	🇫🇯 Fiji	0.57	2003
74e	🇸🇰 Slovakia	0.57	2003
75e	🇲🇩 Moldova	0.56	2003
76e	🇱🇻 Latvia	0.56	2003
77e	🇧🇯 Benin	0.55	2003
78e	🇰🇮 Kiribati	0.55	2003
79e	🇧🇭 Bahrain	0.55	2003
80e	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	0.55	2003
81e	🇲🇴 Macao SAR China	0.55	2003
82e	🇯🇪 Jersey	0.55	2003
83e	🇳🇨 New Caledonia	0.55	2003
84e	🇱🇦 Laos	0.55	2003
85e	🇯🇵 Japan	0.54	2003
86e	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	0.54	2003
87e	🇭🇺 Hungary	0.52	2003
88e	🇲🇭 Marshall Islands	0.52	2003
89e	🇲🇬 Madagascar	0.52	2003
90e	🇧🇮 Burundi	0.52	2003
91e	🇻🇳 Vietnam	0.51	2003
92e	🇷🇼 Rwanda	0.51	2003
93e	🇨🇺 Cuba	0.51	2003
94e	🇪🇪 Estonia	0.5	2003
95e	🇵🇷 Puerto Rico	0.5	2003
96e	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	0.49	2003
97e	🇰🇵 North Korea	0.49	2003
98e	🇱🇷 Liberia	0.49	2003
99e	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	0.49	2003
100e	🇮🇶 Iraq	0.48	2003
101e	🇲🇵 Northern Mariana Islands	0.48	2003
102e	🇮🇲 Isle of Man	0.47	2003
103e	🇦🇱 Albania	0.47	2003
104e	🇭🇹 Haiti	0.47	2003
105e	🇩🇲 Dominica	0.46	2003
106e	🇬🇱 Greenland	0.46	2003
107e	🇦🇲 Armenia	0.46	2003
108e	🇪🇸 Spain	0.45	2003
109e	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	0.45	2003
110e	🇭🇷 Croatia	0.44	2003
111e	🇸🇿 Eswatini	0.44	2003
112e	🇧🇳 Brunei	0.44	2003
113e	🇷🇺 Russia	0.44	2003
114e	🇴🇲 Oman	0.43	2003
115e	🇸🇾 Syria	0.43	2003
116e	🇸🇩 Sudan	0.43	2003
117e	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	0.43	2003
118e	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	0.43	2003
119e	🇪🇷 Eritrea	0.43	2003
120e	🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China	0.42	2003
121e	🇦🇹 Austria	0.41	2003
122e	🇱🇹 Lithuania	0.41	2003
123e	🇦🇼 Aruba	0.41	2003
124e	🇬🇺 Guam	0.41	2003
125e	🇨🇾 Cyprus	0.4	2003
126e	🇵🇰 Pakistan	0.38	2003
127e	🇨🇱 Chile	0.38	2003
128e	🇧🇹 Bhutan	0.38	2003
129e	🇬🇹 Guatemala	0.38	2003
130e	🇸🇻 El Salvador	0.36	2003
131e	🇺🇾 Uruguay	0.35	2003
132e	🇮🇱 Israel	0.35	2003
133e	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	0.34	2003
134e	🇱🇮 Liechtenstein	0.33	2003
135e	🇵🇦 Panama	0.33	2003
136e	🇱🇨 St. Lucia	0.33	2003
137e	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	0.33	2003
138e	🇮🇳 India	0.33	2003
139e	🇫🇴 Faroe Islands	0.31	2003
140e	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	0.31	2003
141e	🇵🇭 Philippines	0.31	2003
142e	🇲🇨 Monaco	0.3	2003
143e	🇮🇹 Italy	0.3	2003
144e	🇸🇮 Slovenia	0.29	2003
145e	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	0.27	2003
146e	🇬🇳 Guinea	0.26	2003
147e	🇫🇮 Finland	0.25	2003
148e	🇹🇻 Tuvalu	0.25	2003
149e	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	0.24	2003
150e	🇷🇴 Romania	0.24	2003
151e	🇭🇳 Honduras	0.24	2003
152e	🇸🇪 Sweden	0.23	2003
153e	🇮🇩 Indonesia	0.23	2003
154e	🇩🇰 Denmark	0.23	2003
155e	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	0.23	2003
156e	🇦🇩 Andorra	0.23	2003
157e	🇸🇨 Seychelles	0.23	2003
158e	🇦🇷 Argentina	0.22	2003
159e	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	0.21	2003
160e	🇧🇪 Belgium	0.21	2003
161e	🇵🇾 Paraguay	0.21	2003
162e	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	0.21	2003
163e	🇧🇴 Bolivia	0.21	2003
164e	🇳🇴 Norway	0.2	2003
165e	🇳🇪 Niger	0.2	2003
166e	🇵🇪 Peru	0.2	2003
167e	🇪🇬 Egypt	0.2	2003
168e	🇸🇲 San Marino	0.2	2003
169e	🇲🇲 Myanmar (Burma)	0.2	2003
170e	🇮🇸 Iceland	0.19	2003
171e	🇸🇹 São Tomé & Príncipe	0.19	2003
172e	🇲🇱 Mali	0.18	2003
173e	🇲🇽 Mexico	0.18	2003
174e	🇵🇱 Poland	0.17	2003
175e	🇮🇪 Ireland	0.16	2003
176e	🇬🇷 Greece	0.15	2003
177e	🇸🇳 Senegal	0.15	2003
178e	🇨🇴 Colombia	0.15	2003
179e	🇵🇹 Portugal	0.14	2003
180e	🇪🇨 Ecuador	0.14	2003
180e	🇳🇵 Nepal	0.14	2003
182e	🇻🇪 Venezuela	0.14	2003
183e	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	0.13	2003
184e	🇲🇹 Malta	0.12	2003
185e	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	0.12	2003
186e	🇮🇷 Iran	0.12	2003
187e	🇹🇭 Thailand	0.1	2003
188e	🇬🇲 Gambia	0.1	2003
189e	🇰🇭 Cambodia	0.1	2003
190e	🇶🇦 Qatar	0.1	2003
191e	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	0.09	2003
192e	🇲🇳 Mongolia	0.08	2003
193e	🇨🇻 Cape Verde	0.08	2003
194e	🇯🇴 Jordan	0.07	2003
195e	🇱🇾 Libya	0.06	2003
196e	🇩🇯 Djibouti	0.04	2003
197e	🇲🇷 Mauritania	0.01	2003
198e	🇰🇲 Comoros	0.01	2003
199e	🇹🇳 Tunisia	0.01	2003
200e	🇩🇿 Algeria	0.01	2003
201e	🇹🇷 Türkiye	0	2003
202e	🇲🇦 Morocco	0	2003
203e	🇸🇴 Somalia	0	2003
204e	🇾🇪 Yemen	0	2003

Frequently asked questions

Which country has the highest value for "Religious diversity (fractionalization index)"?

The highest value is in South Africa, at 0.86 (2003).

Which country has the lowest value for "Religious diversity (fractionalization index)"?

The lowest value is in Yemen, at 0 (2003).

What is the world median value of "Religious diversity (fractionalization index)"?

The world median is 0.47, calculated across 204 countries: half of the countries are above it, the other half below.

What is the value of "Religious diversity (fractionalization index)" for France?

France scores 0.7 (2003), ranking 26 out of 204 countries (ranked from highest to lowest).

Where does the "Religious diversity (fractionalization index)" data come from?

It comes from Alesina et al. (2003), « Fractionalization », Journal of Economic Growth, via Wikipédia. Site last updated: November 8, 2026. Each country is shown with the year of its most recent value.

How do I read the religious diversity index?

It is the probability that two people drawn at random do not have the same religion. It ranges from 0 to 1.

Does this index measure religious practice?

No, only the distribution among religions. For practice, see the indicators on the importance of religion and attendance at places of worship.

Source and update

Source : Alesina et al. (2003), « Fractionalization », Journal of Economic Growth, via Wikipédia. Site last updated: November 8, 2026.

Settings

Religious diversity (fractionalization index)

What this indicator measures

How to read this?

In brief

Median by continent

Why this indicator matters

What makes this indicator vary

Reading precautions

Full ranking

Frequently asked questions

Source and update

Indicators in the same category : Origins, languages and religions