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Religion in Oceania

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Christianity is the dominant religion in Oceania with 55 to 65% (2020 estimate).[1]

History[edit]

Prior to contact with Europeans, the different groups of the Pacific lived in systems of theocracy which generally utilised the widespread concept of tabu.[2] Various Christian missionary organisations arrived in Japan (1549), the Philippines (16th century) and the Aleutians (18th century), but European and American missions converted most of the islands of Oceania to Christianity in the course of the 19th century.[3]

Religious distribution[edit]

Australasia[edit]

Country Population Christian Muslim Irreligion Hindu Buddhist Folk religion Other religion Jewish
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
Australia Australia 25,422,800 11,148,800 43.90 813,392 3.20 9,887,000 38.90 684,002 2.70 615,800 2.40 325,400 1.30 178,160 0.80 100,350 0.40
New Zealand New Zealand 4,699,755 1,738,638 37.00 61,455 1.31 2,278,185 48.47 123,504 2.63 52,779 1.12 19,011 0.40 153,873 3.27 5,274 0.11
Total 30,122,555 12,887,438 42.78% 874,487 2.90% 12,165,185 40.39% 807,506 2.68% 668,579 2.22% 344,411 0.59% 479,273 1.59% 109,090 0.36%

Melanesia[edit]

Country Population Christian Muslim Irreligion Hindu Buddhist Folk religion Other religion Jewish
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
Fiji Fiji 860,820 553,840 64.40 58,400 6.40 6,880 0.80 239,941 27.90 0 0.00 0 0.00 4,300 0.50 0 0.00
New Caledonia New Caledonia 250,000 213,000 85.20 7,000 2.80 26,000 10.40 0 0.00 1,500 0.60 500 0.20 2,000 0.80 0 0.00
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea 6,860,000 6,805,120 99.20 2,020 0.003 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 27,440 0.40 13,720 0.20 0 0.00
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands 540,000 525,960 97.40 200 0.10 1,080 0.20 0 0.00 1,620 0.30 7,020 1.30 3,780 0.70 0 0.00
Vanuatu Vanuatu 240,000 223,920 93.30 1,000 0.10 2,880 1.20 0 0.00 0 0.00 9,840 4.10 3,360 1.40 0 0.00
Total 8,750,000 8,321,840 95.11% 61,180 0.70% 36,840 0.42% 239,940 2.74% 3,120 0.04% 44,800 0.51% 27,160 0.31% 0 0.00%

Micronesia[edit]

Country Population Christian Muslim Irreligion Hindu Buddhist Folk religion Other religion Jewish
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
Guam Guam 180,000 169,560 94.20 300 0.10 3,060 1.60 0 0.00 1,980 1.10 2,700 1.50 2,880 1.60 0 0.00
Kiribati Kiribati 101,120 97,000 97.00 500 0.20 800 0.80 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 2,200 2.00 0 0.00
Marshall Islands Marshall Islands 50,000 48,750 97.50 180 0.20 750 1.50 0 0.00 0 0.00 100 0.10 400 0.80 0 0.00
Federated States of Micronesia Micronesia 110,000 104,830 95.20 208 0.10 990 1.00 0 0.00 440 0.40 2,975 2.60 770 0.70 0 0.00
Nauru Nauru 10,000 7,900 79.00 20 0.01 450 4.50 0 0.00 110 1.10 810 8.10 740 7.40 0 0.00
Northern Mariana Islands Northern Mariana Islands 60,000 48,780 81.30 420 0.70 600 1.00 0 0.00 6,360 10.60 3,180 5.30 660 1.10 0 0.00
Palau Palau 20,000 17,340 86.80 240 0.10 240 1.20 0 0.00 160 0.80 160 0.80 2,080 10.20 0 0.00
Total 530,000 494,160 93.24% 420 0.08% 6,890 1.30% 0 0.00% 9,050 1.71% 9,970 1.88% 9,730 1.84% 0 0.00%

Polynesia[edit]

Country Population Christian Muslim Irreligion Hindu Buddhist Folk religion Other religion Jewish
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
American Samoa American Samoa 70,920 68,860 98.30 50 0.10 490 0.70 0 0.00 210 0.30 280 0.40 210 0.30 0 0.00
Cook Islands Cook Islands 20,000 19,200 96.00 0 0.00 640 3.20 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 160 0.80 0 0.00
French Polynesia French Polynesia 270,000 253,800 94.00 688 0.10 13,230 4.80 0 0.00 0 0.00 1,350 0.50 1,080 0.40 0 0.00
Niue Niue 2,000 1,928 96.40 50 0.10 66 3.20 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 4 0.20 0 0.00
Samoa Samoa 180,000 174,240 96.80 300 0.10 4,500 2.50 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 720 0.30 0 0.00
Tokelau Tokelau 1,414 1,397 99.80 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 3 0.20 0 0.00
Tonga Tonga 100,000 99,000 99.00 120 0.10 0 0.00 100 0.10 0 0.00 0 0.00 900 0.80 0 0.00
Tuvalu Tuvalu 11,000 10,800 99.80 200 0.20 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00
Wallis and Futuna Wallis and Futuna 13,000 12,662 97.40 0 0.00 78 0.60 0 0.00 0 0.00 156 1.20 104 0.80 0 0.00


Total 667,400 641,574 96.13% 1400 0.20% 19,147 2.87% 100 0.01% 210 0.03% 1,786 0.27% 3,390 0.51% 0 0.00%

Hyponyms[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life (December 2012), The Global Religious Landscape: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Major Religious Groups as of 2010 (PDF), Pew Research Center, retrieved 29 May 2020
  2. ^ Marett, Robert Ranulph (1922). "Tabu". In Hastings, James; Selbie, John Alexander; Gray, Louis Herbert (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics. Vol. 12: Suffering-Zwingli. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 182. ISBN 9780567065094. Retrieved 10 June 2024. [...] king, chiefs, priests, and the gods themselves, formed one undivided theocracy, whereof tabu constituted he chief instrument, at once spiritual and temporal in its nature and effects. [...] Primary connexion of Oceanic tabu with a theocratic system [...] Secondary developments of tabu in Oceania [...] whereas the essence ot tabu in its local signification consists [...] in a theocratic form of government, which in its turn may have developed by way of an apotheosis of landlordism, the ramifications of the notion are endless and cover the whole religion of Oceania [...]. The theocracy could consecrate a site, or devote a victim, or appropriate a house or canoe, or betroth a woman, or proclaim a rest-day for men or a close-time for game [...].
  3. ^ Storch, Tanya, ed. (2006). Religions and Missionaries Around the Pacific, 1500-1900. The Pacific World Series, No. 17: Lands, Peoples and History of the Pacific, 1500-1900. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 9780754606673. Retrieved 10 June 2024.

External links[edit]

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