Eastern Orthodoxy by country

Based on the numbers of adherents, the Eastern Orthodox Church (also known as Eastern Orthodoxy) is the second largest Christian communion in the world after the Roman Catholic Church. The most common estimates of the number of Eastern Orthodox Christians worldwide is approximately 220 million baptised members,[1][2][3] The numerous Protestant groups in the world, if taken all together, substantially outnumber the Eastern Orthodox,[4] but they differ theologically and do not form a single communion.[5]

Distribution of Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Christians in the world by country
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Eastern Orthodox Church
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Eastern Orthodoxy is the largest single religious faith in the world's largest country by area: Russia (77%),[6][7][8] where roughly half of the Eastern Orthodox Christians live. It is the majority religion in Ukraine (65.4%[9]–77%),[10] Romania (82%),[11] Belarus (48%[12]–73%[13]) Greece (95%–98%),[11] Serbia (97%),[11] Bulgaria (88%),[11] Moldova (93%),[11] Georgia (84%),[11] North Macedonia (65%),[11] Cyprus (89%)[11] and Montenegro (72%),[11] and it is also predominant in the disputed territories of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transnistria.

Significant minorities, making up between 1 and 31 per cent of the population, are present in several European countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina (31%),[11] Latvia (18%), Estonia (14%), Albania (7%),[14] Lithuania (4%), Croatia (4%), Slovenia (2%), and Finland (1.5%). In Asia, around the former USSR, Eastern Orthodoxy constitutes the dominant religion in northern Kazakhstan, representing 23.9%,[15] of the population of the region, and is also a significant minority in Kyrgyzstan (17%), Turkmenistan (5%), Uzbekistan (5%), Azerbaijan (2%),[11] and Tajikistan (1%). In Lebanon, 8% are Eastern Orthodox.[16] In Syria, 5-8% were Eastern Orthodox prior to the war, and Eastern Orthodox Christians represent between 0.5% and 2.5% in Palestine,[17] and over 1% in Jordan. Recent immigration and missionary activity raised the numbers of the Eastern Orthodox community in Catholic and Protestant countries such as Australia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada and Switzerland to roughly 2% of the population in each.

The percentage of Christians in Turkey fell from 19 percent in 1914 to 2.5 percent in 1927,[18] due to events which had a significant impact on the country's demographic structure, such as the Armenian Genocide, the population exchange between Greece and Turkey,[19] and the emigration of Christians to foreign countries (mostly in Europe and the Americas).[20] Today there are more than 160,000 people of different Christian denominations.[21]

Eastern Orthodox population by country

The number of members of the Eastern Orthodox Church in each country has been subject to a lot of debate. Each study performed that seeks to discover the number of adherents in a country may use different criteria, and be submitted to different populations. As such, some numbers may be inflated, and therefore inaccurate. Examples of this are Greece and Russia, where estimates of adherence to Eastern Orthodoxy may reach 80-98%, but where surveys found lower percentages professing Eastern Orthodoxy or belief in God. The likely reason for this disparity is that many people in these majority Eastern Orthodox countries will culturally identify with the Eastern Orthodox Church, especially if they were baptized as children, even if they are not currently practicing. This includes those who may be irreligious, yet culturally identify with the Eastern Orthodox Church, or for whom Eastern Orthodox Christianity is listed on official state records. Other cases of incongruent data also might be due to counting ethnic groups from Eastern Orthodox countries rather than actual adherents. A case of this is the United States, which has large numbers of immigrants from Eastern Orthodox countries. The Eastern Orthodox jurisdictions often reported large numbers of members, which together would total 2-3 million across the country. However, a 2010 study by Alexei Krindatch sought data from each parish, with the specific criteria of annual participation. This study produced the "Atlas of American Orthodox Christian Churches", and discovered that there were only about 817,000 Eastern Orthodox Christians actively practicing their faith (that is to say, attending church services on a regular basis) in the United States. The study explained that such a difference was due to a variety of circumstances, for example the higher numbers having counted all people who self-identify as Eastern Orthodox on a census regardless of active participation, or all people belonging to ethnic groups originating in Eastern Orthodox countries. This study, while initially controversial, proved groundbreaking, and has since been officially approved for use by the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America.

Eastern Orthodox Church religious adherence by country
Country Total Population % Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodox total
 Albania (details) 2,621,977 6.75% (as per census, number likely upwards of 20%) 148,992 [22] (census unreliable, deemed corrupt, number is expected to be much higher)
 Armenia (details) 3,262,200 92.5% 3,017,535 (include Armenians Apostolic)
 Australia (details) 23,824,600 2.6% 563,100[23]
 Austria (details) 8,773,000 6% 500,000
 Azerbaijan (details) 9,624,900 2.5% 240,000
 Belarus (details) 9,481,000 73% 4,590,000[12]
 Bosnia & Herzegovina (details) 3,502,227 31%[11] 1,086,733
 Brazil (details) 210,147,125 0.064% 135,000[24]
 Bulgaria (details) 7,348,328[25] 59.4%[26] 4,374,135
 Canada (details) 33,476,688 1.7% 550,690[27]
 China (details) 1,386,000,000 0.001% 15,000
 Croatia (details) 4,284,889 4.44%[28] 195,969
 Cyprus (details) 838,897 89.1%[11] 781,900
 Czech Republic (details) 10,538,275 0.2% 20,533
 Egypt (details) 100,075,480 15% 15,000,000 (includes Copts)
 Estonia (details) 1,294,486 13.66% 176,773[29][30]
 Ethiopia (details) 114,000,000 54% 61,560,000
 Eritrea (details) 3,214,000 47% 2,530,000
 France (details) 67,150,000 1% 500,000-700,000[31]
 Fiji (details) 912,241 0.022% 200+[32]
 Finland (details) 5,477,359 1.10%[33] 70,000
 Georgia (details) 3,729,635 82.1% 3,550,000
 Germany (details) 80,716,000 1.87% 1,500,000
 Greece (details) 10,423,054 90%[34] 9,380,749
 Grenada (details) 107,317 0.1% 100[35]
 Guatemala (details) 17,263,239 3% 200,000-550,000
 Indonesia (details) 267,670,543 0.001% 6000 [36]
 Israel (details) 9,010,050[11] 0.67%[11] 100,000
 Italy (details) 60,795,612 1.5% 900,000[37]
 Japan (details) 126,880,000 0.03% 30,000[38]
 Jordan (details) 9,531,712 2-4.5% 150,000-350,000
 Kazakhstan (details) 17,948,816 23.9% 4,300,000 [15]
 Korea, South (details) 51,413,925 0.01% 6,000
 Kenya (details) 53,771,400 2% 1,000,000[39]
 Kosovo (details) 1,433,842 1.48% (as per census) 25,837 (census boycotted by Northern Kosovo, and by a part of Serbs in the south)
 Kyrgyzstan (details) 5,895,100 17%[40] 1,000,000
 Latvia (details) 2,027,000 17.9% 370,000[41]
 Lebanon (details) 4,525,247 9% 330,000
 Lithuania (details) 2,966,954 4.2 125,189[42]
 Madagascar (details) 26,262,313 0.057% 15,000[43]
 Mexico (details) 121,736,809 0.00012% 15,000
 Moldova (details) 3,383,332 93.3% 3,158,015
 Montenegro (details) 629,320 81.0% 509,749[44]
 New Zealand (details) 4,599,327 0.3% 13,883[15]
 North Macedonia (details) 2,022,547 69.8% 1,610,184[45]
 Norway (details) 5,328,212 0.41% 21,993[46]
 Palestine (details) 4,550,368 2.50%[17] 100,000
 Philippines (details) 100,980,000 0,2%[47] 200,000[48]
 Poland (details) 38,386,000 1.4% 504,400[49]
 Romania (details) 20,121,641 81.1% 16,321,389 [50]
 Russia (details) [51] 145,500,000 72.0%[6][7] 101,450,000[52]-104,000,000[53][54]
 Rwanda (details) 11.260.000 0,7%[55] 300.000[56]
 Serbia (details) 8,740,680 97.06% 8,478,459[57]
 Slovakia (details) 5,397,036 0.9% 49,133[58]
 Slovenia (details) 2,055,496 2.2% 45,000
 Spain (details) 46,464,053 3.10% 1,500,000
 Sweden (details) 9,775,572 1.5% 145,279[59]
  Switzerland (details) 8,211,700 1.7% 140,000[60]
 Syria (details) 22,457,336 8% 1,800,000 (include Syriacs)
 Tajikistan (details) 8,208,000 2% 160,000
 Transnistria (details) 505,153 91%[61] 460,000
 Tanzania (details) 55.57.000 0,4%[62] 200.000[63]
 Turkey (details) 84,277,439 1.0% 180,000 (include Syriacs)
 Turkmenistan (details) 5,171,643 5%[64] 410,000
 Uganda (details) 42,729,036 0.7% 300,000[65]
 Ukraine (details) 40,000,000 65.4%-76.6%[10] 27,802,000[9]-34,850,000[10]
 United States (details) 321,163,157 1.55% 5,000,000[66]
 Uzbekistan (details) 29,559,100 5%[67] 1,000,000
TOTAL NA NA ~340 million [10]

Eastern Orthodox Church by jurisdiction

Autocephalous Orthodox Churches

The Eastern Orthodox Church is organized as a union of several autocephalous subdivisions, which are also called "Churches" (or, sometimes, "jurisdictions"). Some are associated with a specific country, while others are not. This table presents some known data regarding individual jurisdictions. "NA" means that data is not available.

Eastern Orthodox Church by jurisdiction
Jurisdiction Bishops Priests Monastics Monasteries Parishes
Constantinople 125 NA 1,800 [Note 1] 142 648
Alexandria 41 NA NA NA NA
Antioch 36 NA NA NA NA
Jerusalem 20 NA NA NA NA
Russia 217 30,675 NA 807 30,142
Serbia 45 NA NA 286 3,100
Romania 53 15,068 7,605 359 15,717
Bulgaria 15 1,500 NA 120 2,600
Georgia 37 437 NA NA 600
Cyprus 16 NA NA 67 NA
Greece 101 10,000 3,541 [68] 646 [68] 9146 [69]
Poland 12 NA NA NA 400
Albania 6 135 NA 150 909
Czech Lands & Slovakia 6 NA NA NA 172
Orthodox Church in America 50 2700 NA 100 1200
Ukraine NA NA NA NA 7,000 [70][71]
Total 743 54,382 12,946 2,256 61,939

Notes
  1. This is including Mount Athos

References
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