People & places · 3 min read
Which countries are most religiously diverse? How to read the index
Learn what Pew’s religious diversity index measures, why Singapore ranks first in its 2020 data, and what national rankings leave out.
Singapore leads this particular comparison
Pew Research Center's Religious Diversity Around the World report, published in February 2026 using 2020 population estimates, places Singapore first. Its index measures how evenly populations are distributed across seven broad religious categories. That is a specific statistical definition of diversity, not a universal score for every aspect of religious life. [1][2]
Pew's 2020 estimates put Singapore's largest group, Buddhists, at 31% of the population, alongside substantial unaffiliated, Christian, Muslim and other communities. Suriname ranks second in the index. These examples help explain why the measure considers the size of groups as well as their presence. [1]
Evenness matters
The index uses the distribution across Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, people of other religions and the religiously unaffiliated. Its scale runs from zero to ten. A population concentrated in one category is less diverse under this method than a population more evenly spread across the categories. [2]
As a simplified illustration, compare two imaginary places with the same four categories. One has almost everyone in one category; the other divides its population evenly among all four. Counting categories alone would miss the difference that an evenness measure is designed to capture.
Broad categories conceal detail
The report's grouping places many different communities within broad categories. Christian denominations are not separate top-level groups in this index, and the “other religions” category contains distinct traditions. National averages also describe a different scale from the religious composition of a particular town or district. [1][2]
Use the index for the question it answers, then look for more detailed data when needed. If your question concerns differences within Christianity or diversity in a specific city, a seven-category national score cannot supply the full answer by itself.
Why a US headline needs qualification
Pew places the United States thirty-second overall and first among the ten most populous countries. Both statements can be true because they describe different comparison groups. Omitting the phrase about the most populous countries changes the meaning of the ranking. [1]
This is a useful general check for comparative headlines: first among which places, under which metric and in which year? A ranking becomes clearer when its denominator is visible. It becomes misleading when a restricted comparison is presented as a global one.
Diversity and pluralism are different ideas
Harvard's Pluralism Project distinguishes the fact of demographic diversity from pluralism understood as active engagement across differences. The statistical presence of multiple communities does not by itself establish how they relate to one another or how public institutions treat them. [3]
For a fuller picture, pair demographic evidence with sources suited to the additional question you are asking. Keep each conclusion attached to its own evidence. A population index can describe composition; claims about civic relationships require another kind of investigation.
Sources & further reading
The numbered links connect claims to the sources below. Sources checked October 13, 2026 by a separate AI fact-checking agent. This is not human or specialist review. Read our editorial approach.
- Religious Diversity Around the World ↗Pew Research Center · Accessed October 13, 2026
- Methodology ↗Pew Research Center · Accessed October 13, 2026
- From Diversity to Pluralism ↗The Pluralism Project, Harvard University · Accessed October 13, 2026
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