North America

=== Religions ===
{{main|Religion in North America}}
{{see also|Religions of the world}}
[[File:North America Religious Belief.svg|thumb|The percentage of people who identify with a religion in North America, according to 2010–2012 data]]
[[Christianity]] is the largest religion in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. According to a 2012 [[Pew Research Center]] survey, 77% of the population considered themselves [[Christians]].<ref>[http://www.pewforum.org/files/2014/01/global-religion-full.pdf The Global Religious Landscape A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Major Religious Groups as of 2010] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924113632/http://www.pewforum.org/files/2014/01/global-religion-full.pdf |date=24 September 2015}} Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, p. 18</ref> Christianity also is the predominant religion [[List of sovereign states and dependent territories in North America|in the 23 dependent territories in North America]].<ref>[http://www.pewforum.org/files/2011/12/Christianity-fullreport-web.pdf Global Christianity A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Christian Population] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130805020311/http://www.pewforum.org/files/2011/12/Christianity-fullreport-web.pdf |date=5 August 2013}} Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, p. 15</ref> The U.S. has the [[Christianity by country|largest Christian population]] in the world, with nearly 247 million Christians (70%), although other countries have higher percentages of Christians among their populations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/ |title=America's Changing Religious Landscape |publisher=[[Pew Research Center]]: Religion & Public Life |date=12 May 2015 |access-date=18 July 2015 |archive-date=1 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201011958/https://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Mexico has the world's second-largest number of Catholics, surpassed only by [[Brazil]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_romcath.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000818085719/http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_romcath.html |archive-date=18 August 2000 |title=The Largest Catholic Communities |access-date=10 November 2007 |work=Adherents.com}}</ref>

According to the same study, the [[Irreligion|religiously unaffiliated]] (including [[agnostic]]s and [[atheist]]s) make up about 17% of the population of Canada and the U.S.<ref name="Religiously Unaffiliated">{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/global-religious-landscape-unaffiliated.aspx|title=Religiously Unaffiliated|date=18 December 2012|work=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project|access-date=22 February 2015|archive-date=30 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730043126/http://www.pewforum.org/global-religious-landscape-unaffiliated.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> Those with no religious affiliation make up about 24% of Canada's total population.<ref name="religion2011">{{cite web |url=http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/130508/dq130508b-eng.htm?HPA |title=Religions in Canada—Census 2011 |publisher=Statistics Canada/Statistique Canada |date=8 May 2013 |access-date=18 July 2015 |archive-date=19 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219142107/http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/130508/dq130508b-eng.htm?HPA |url-status=live }}</ref>

Canada, the U.S., and Mexico host communities of [[Jews]] (6 million or about 1.8%),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-jew/ |title=The Global Religious Landscape: Jews |access-date=18 December 2012 |work=pewforum |date=18 December 2012 |archive-date=18 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518052016/https://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-jew/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Buddhists]] (3.8 million or 1.1%)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-buddhist/ |title=The Global Religious Landscape: Buddhists |access-date=18 December 2012 |work=pewforum |date=18 December 2012 |archive-date=18 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180418052913/http://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-buddhist/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Muslims]] (3.4 million or 1.0%).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-muslim/ |title=The Global Religious Landscape: Muslims |access-date=18 December 2012 |publisher=Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life |date=18 December 2012 |archive-date=21 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321144033/https://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-muslim/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The largest number of Jews can be found in the U.S. (5.4 million),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishdatabank.org/Studies/downloadFile.cfm?FileID=2941|title=World Jewish Population, 2012|access-date=18 July 2015|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031023/http://www.jewishdatabank.org/Studies/downloadFile.cfm?FileID=2941|url-status=live}}</ref> Canada (375,000)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jewishdatabank.org/studies/downloadFile.cfm?FileID=3113 |title=World Jewish Population, 2013 |first=Sergio |last=DellaPergola |author-link=Sergio DellaPergola |editor1-first=Arnold |editor1-last=Dashefsky |editor1-link=Arnold Dashefsky |editor2-first=Ira |editor2-last=Sheskin |date=2013 |work=Current Jewish Population Reports |publisher=North American Jewish Data Bank |location=[[Storrs, Connecticut]] |format=PDF |access-date=18 July 2015 |archive-date=5 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005011011/http://www.jewishdatabank.org/Studies/downloadFile.cfm?FileID=3113 |url-status=live }}</ref> and Mexico (67,476).<ref name="INEGI">{{cite web|title=Panorama de las religiones en México 2010 |url=http://www.inegi.org.mx/prod_serv/contenidos/espanol/bvinegi/productos/censos/poblacion/2010/panora_religion/religiones_2010.pdf |publisher=[[INEGI]] |access-date=2 March 2015 |page=3 |language=es |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151021230003/http://www.inegi.org.mx/prod_serv/contenidos/espanol/bvinegi/productos/censos/poblacion/2010/panora_religion/religiones_2010.pdf |archive-date=21 October 2015 }}</ref> The U.S. hosts the largest Muslim population in North America with 2.7 million or 0.9%,<ref name="pew2015">{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/|title=America's Changing Religious Landscape|publisher=The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life|access-date=12 May 2015|date=12 May 2015|archive-date=1 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201011958/https://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Islam in the United States">{{cite web|url=http://www.euro-islam.info/country-profiles/united-states|title=Demographics|date=22 October 2008 |access-date=2 May 2013|archive-date=26 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130426035056/http://www.euro-islam.info/country-profiles/united-states/|url-status=live}}</ref> while Canada hosts about one million Muslims or 3.2% of the population.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=01&Data=Count&SearchText=Canada&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&A1=Religion&B1=All&Custom=&amp;TABID=1|title=National Household Survey (NHS) Profile, 2011|date=8 May 2013|access-date=29 January 2022|archive-date=13 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180813191748/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=01&Data=Count&SearchText=Canada&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&A1=Religion&B1=All&Custom=&TABID=1|url-status=live}}</ref> In Mexico there were 3,700 Muslims in 2010.<ref name="2010-census">{{cite web |url=http://www3.inegi.org.mx/sistemas/TabuladosBasicos/Default.aspx?c=27302&s=est |title=Censo de Población y Vivienda 2010 – Cuestionario básico |author=Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía |year=2010 |publisher=INEGI |access-date=4 March 2011 |archive-date=24 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224211325/http://www3.inegi.org.mx/sistemas/TabuladosBasicos/Default.aspx?c=27302&s=est%20 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2012, ''[[U-T San Diego]]'' estimated U.S. practitioners of Buddhism at 1.2 million people, of whom 40% are living in [[Southern California]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Rowe |first=Peter |date=16 April 2012 |title=Dalai Lama facts and figures |url=http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/apr/16/all-about-dalai-lama |journal=U-T San Diego |access-date=15 January 2015 |archive-date=8 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120608082954/http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/apr/16/all-about-dalai-lama/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The predominant religion in Mexico and Central America is Christianity (96%).<ref name="Christianity in its Global Context">{{cite web|url=http://wwwgordonconwell.com/netcommunity/CSGCResources/ChristianityinitsGlobalContext.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815184022/http://wwwgordonconwell.com/netcommunity/CSGCResources/ChristianityinitsGlobalContext.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 August 2013|title=Christianity in its Global Context|access-date=30 December 2016}}</ref> Beginning with the Spanish colonization of Mexico in the 16th century, [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]] was the only religion permitted by Spanish crown and Catholic church. A vast campaign of religious conversion, the so-called "spiritual conquest", was launched to bring the indigenous peoples into the Christian fold. The [[Mexican Inquisition|Inquisition]] was established to assure orthodox belief and practice. The Catholic Church remained an important institution, so that even after political independence, Roman Catholicism remained the dominant religion. Since the 1960s, there has been an increase in other Christian groups, particularly [[Protestantism]], as well as other religious organizations, and individuals identifying themselves as having no religion. Christianity is also the predominant religion in the Caribbean (85%).<ref name="Christianity in its Global Context"/> Other religious groups in the region are [[Hinduism]], [[Islam]], [[Rastafari]] (in Jamaica), and [[Afro-American religions]] such as [[Santería]] and [[Haitian Vodou|Vodou]].