Several
religions in Nigeria exist, helping to accentuate regional and ethnic distinctions. All religions represented in Nigeria were practiced in every major city in 1990. However, Islam dominated the north and held strong numbers in the South Western, Yoruba part of the country. Protestantism and local syncretic Christianity are also in evidence in Yoruba areas, while Catholicism dominates the Igbo and closely related areas. Both Protestantism and Catholicism dominated in the Ibibio, Annang, and the Efik
kiosa lands. The 1963 census indicated that 47 percent of Nigerians
were Muslim, 35 percent Christian, and 18 percent members of local
indigenous congregations. If accurate, this indicated a sharp increase
since 1953 in the number of Christians (up 13 percent); a slight decline
among those professing indigenous beliefs, compared with 20 percent;
and only a modest (4 percent) rise of Muslims. There has been growth in
the Christ Apostolic Church (the first Aladura Movement in Nigeria) and the Aladura Church, an indigenous Christian sect that was especially strong in the Yoruba areas, and of evangelical churches in general, spilling over into adjacent and southern areas of the middle belt.
In general, however, the country should be seen as having a dominant
Muslim north, a mixed Christian and Muslim Southwest and Middle belt, a
non-Muslim, primarily Christian South East and South-South, with each as
a minority faith in the other's region.
In terms of Nigeria's major ethnic groups religious affiliations, the Hausa
ethnic group in the North is 95% Muslims and 5% Christians, the West
which is the Yoruba tribe is 60% Christians and 30% Muslim with 10%
going to adherents of other African religions while the Igbos in the East and the Ijaw in the South are 99% Christians(Catholics).
The middle belt
of Nigeria contains the largest number of minority ethnic groups in
Nigeria and they are mostly Christians and members of traditional
religions with few Muslim converts.
| Religion |
Year Reported |
Number of Adherents
(Based on 2009 survey.)
|
Percentage of Total Population |
|---|
| Islam |
2009 |
78 056 000 |
50.4% |
| Christianity |
2009 |
76 281 000 |
48.2% |
| Other |
2009 |
(Not Given) |
1.4% |
