The Growth of Non-Christian Religious Adherents in the United States

Adherents Year
1900		 % of
total
pop.		 Mid-
1970		 % of
total
pop.		 Mid-
1990		 % of
total
pop.		 Mid-
1995		 % of
total
pop.		 (Projected)
mid-
2000		 % of
total
pop.
Total 2,724,800 3.6 20,789,000 9.9 37,079,000 14.6 39,077,000 14.6 41,054,000 14.8
Atheists 1,000 0.0 200,000 0.1 770,000 0.3 874,000 0.3 925,000 0.3
Baha'is 2,800 0.0 138,000 0.1 600,000 0.2 683,000 0.3 750,000 0.3
Buddhists 30,000 0.0 200,000 0.1 1,680,000 0.7 1,864,000 0.7 2,000,000 0.7
Chinese folk religionists 70,000 0.1 90,000 0.0 76,000 0.0 74,000 0.0 70,000 0.0
Hindus 1,000 0.0 100,000 0.0 650,000 0.3 795,000 0.3 950,000 0.3
Jews 1,500,000 2.0 6,700,000 3.2 5,535,000 2.2 5,518,000 2.1 5,500,000 2.0
Muslims 10,000 0.0 800,000 0.4 3,600,000 1.4 3,767,000 1.4 3,950,000 1.4
  Black Muslims 0 0.0 200,000 0.1 1,250,000 0.5 1,400,000 0.5 1,650,000 0.6
New-Religionists 0 0.0 110,000 0.1 575,000 0.2 603,000 0.2 675,000 0.2
Nonreligious 1,000,000 1.3 11,730,000 5.6 22,233,000 8.7 23,394,000 8.8 24,554,000 8.8
Sikhs 0 0.0 1,000 0.0 160,000 0.1 190,000 0.1 220,000 0.1
Tribal religionists 100,000 0.1 70,000 0.0 280,000 0.1 305,000 0.1 350,000 0.1
Other religionists 10,000 0.0 650,000 0.3 920,000 0.4 1,010,000 0.4 1,110,000 0.4

Non-Christians: Followers of non-Christian religions or of no religion; the 12 largest such varieties are listed. Jews: Core Jewish population relating to Judaism, excluding Jewish persons professing a different religion but including immigrants from the former U.S.S.R., Eastern Europe, Israel, and other areas. Figures for A.D. 2000 are projections based on current long-term trends. Source: Reprinted with permission from 1998 Britannica Book of the Year. © 1998 Encyclopędia Britannica, Inc.