South Africa

=== Religion ===
{{Main|Religion in South Africa}}
{{bar box
|title=Religion in South Africa (2010)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/south-africa#/?affiliations_religion_id=11&affiliations_year=2010&region_name=All+Countries&restrictions_year=2015|title=Religions in South Africa – PEW-GRF|website=www.globalreligiousfutures.org|access-date=9 December 2017|archive-date=10 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180710102511/http://globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/south-africa#/?affiliations_religion_id=11&affiliations_year=2010&region_name=All+Countries&restrictions_year=2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
|titlebar= #Fcd116
|left1=religion
|right1=percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Protestantism]]|#B57EDC|73.2}}
{{bar percent|[[Irreligion|No religion]]|black|14.9}}
{{bar percent|[[Catholic Church in South Africa|Catholicism]]|darkblue|7.4}}
{{bar percent|[[Islam]]|green|1.7}}
{{bar percent|[[Hinduism]]|darkorange|1.1}}
{{bar percent|Other faith|silver|1.7}}
}}

According to the 2001 census, Christians accounted for 79.8% of the population, with a majority of them being members of various [[Protestantism|Protestant]] [[Christian denomination|denominations]] (broadly defined to include [[Syncretism|syncretic]] [[African-initiated church]]es) and a minority of [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]] and other Christians. Christian category includes [[Zion Christian Church|Zion Christian]] (11.1%), [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]] ([[Charismatic movement|Charismatic]]) (8.2%), [[Catholic Church in South Africa|Roman Catholic]] (7.1%), [[Methodist Church of Southern Africa|Methodist]] (6.8%), [[Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa (NGK)|Dutch Reformed]] (6.7%), and [[Anglican Church of Southern Africa|Anglican]] (3.8%). Members of remaining Christian churches accounted for another 36% of the population. [[Islam in South Africa|Muslims]] accounted for 1.5% of the population, [[Hinduism in South Africa|Hindus]] 1.2%,<ref name="state.gov" /> [[traditional African religions]] 0.3% and Judaism 0.2%. 15.1% had no religious affiliation, 0.6% were "other" and 1.4% were "unspecified."<ref name=factbook /><ref name="state.gov">{{cite web|url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51496.htm|title=South Africa&nbsp;– Section I. Religious Demography|publisher=U.S. Department of State|access-date=15 July 2006|archive-date=14 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614133513/https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51496.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=South Africa |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/south-africa/ |access-date=2023-12-07 |website=United States Department of State |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first1=Wessel|last1=Bentley|author2=Dion Angus Forster|title=Methodism in Southern Africa: A Celebration of Wesleyan Mission|year=2008|publisher=AcadSA|isbn=978-1-920212-29-2|pages=97–98|chapter=God's mission in our context, healing and transforming responses}}</ref>

African-initiated churches formed the largest of the Christian groups. It was believed that many of the persons who claimed no affiliation with any organised religion adhered to a traditional African religion. There are an estimated 200,000 [[Traditional healers of Southern Africa|traditional healers]], and up to 60% of South Africans consult these healers,<ref>{{cite book|author=van Wyk, Ben-Erik|author2=van Oudtshoorn, Gericke N|year=1999|title=Medicinal Plants of South Africa|location=Pretoria|publisher=Briza Publications|isbn=978-1-875093-37-3|page=10}}</ref> generally called {{lang|bnt|sangoma}} ('diviner') or {{lang|bnt|inyanga}} ('herbalist'). These healers use a combination of [[Veneration of the dead|ancestral spiritual beliefs]] and a belief in the spiritual and medicinal properties of local fauna, flora, and funga commonly known as [[Traditional African medicine|{{lang|bnt|muti|nocat=true}}]] ('medicine'), to facilitate healing in clients. Many peoples have syncretic religious practices combining Christian and indigenous influences.<ref name="DoS">{{cite web|url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71325.htm|title=South Africa|publisher=State.gov|date=15 September 2006|access-date=30 October 2011|archive-date=14 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614154706/https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71325.htm|url-status=live }}</ref>

South African Muslims comprise mainly Coloureds and Indians. They have been joined by black or white South African converts as well as those from other parts of Africa.<ref name=csmonitor /> South African Muslims describe their faith as the fastest-growing religion of conversion in the country, with the number of black Muslims growing sixfold, from 12,000 in 1991 to 74,700 in 2004.<ref name=csmonitor>{{cite journal|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0110/p13s1-woaf.html|title=In South Africa, many blacks convert to Islam / The Christian Science Monitor|journal=The Christian Science Monitor|date=10 January 2002 |access-date=30 October 2011|archive-date=30 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730173053/http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0110/p13s1-woaf.html|url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9398/muslims-say-their-faith-growing-fast-in-africa|title=Muslims say their faith growing fast in Africa|date=15 November 2004 |publisher=Religionnewsblog.com|access-date=7 November 2010|archive-date=1 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101001060330/http://www.religionnewsblog.com/9398/muslims-say-their-faith-growing-fast-in-africa|url-status=live }}</ref>

There is a substantial [[History of the Jews in South Africa|Jewish population]], descended from [[History of the Jews in Europe|European Jews]] who arrived as a minority among other European settlers. This population peaked in the 1970s at 118,000, though only around 75,000 remain today, the rest having emigrated, mostly to Israel.<ref>[https://www.sajbd.org/index.php?p=pages/sa-jewish-history SA Jewish history] South African Jewish Board of Deputies</ref> Even so, these numbers make the Jewish community in South Africa the twelfth largest in the world.