South Sudan

=== Religion ===
{{Main|Religion in South Sudan}}
[[File:Yirol Church.jpg|thumb|[[Catholic Church in South Sudan|Holy Cross Cathedral]] in [[Lakes State]].]]
Religions followed by the [[South Sudanese]] include traditional [[indigenous religion]]s, [[Christianity]] and [[Islam]].<ref>{{cite news|title=South Sudan's Muslims welcome secession|url=http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=169306|newspaper=The Daily Star|date=9 January 2011|access-date=16 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024203009/http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=169306|archive-date=24 October 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=South Sudan profile|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14069082|newspaper=BBC News|date=8 July 2011|access-date=9 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708021732/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14069082|archive-date=8 July 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> The last [[census]] to mention the religion of southerners dates back to 1956 where a majority were classified as following traditional beliefs or were [[Christians|Christian]] while 18% were [[Muslim]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=169306|title=South Sudan's Muslims welcome secession|publisher=[[Agence France-Presse]]|access-date=15 August 2011|date=8 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024203009/http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=169306|archive-date=24 October 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> 

The [[Federal Research Division]] of the US [[Library of Congress]] states that "in the early 1990s possibly no more than 10% of southern Sudan's population was Christian".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/sdtoc.html|title=Sudan: A Country Study; Ethnicity, Regionalism and Ethnicity|publisher=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress|access-date=10 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110114012212/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/sdtoc.html|archive-date=14 January 2011|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> In the early 1990s, official records of Sudan claimed that the population of what was then included as South Sudan, 25% of people followed traditional religions and 5% were Christians.<ref>{{cite book|title=Geographica. The Complete Illustrated Atlas of the world| year=1999|page= 336}}</ref> 

Scholarly<ref>{{cite book|first=Eric|last=Kaufmann|title=Rethinking ethnicity: majority groups and dominant minorities|publisher=Routledge|year= 2004|page=45|isbn=978-0-203-56339-7|author-link=Eric Kaufmann}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Minahan, J.|title=Encyclopedia of the Stateless Nations: S-Z|publisher= Greenwood Press|year= 2002|page=1786|isbn=978-0-313-32384-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Arnold, G|title=Book Review: Douglas H. Johnson, The Root Causes of Sudan's Civil Wars| journal=African Journal of Political Science|volume=8|year=2003| page=147|issue=1}}</ref> and some [[United States Department of State|U.S. Department of State]] sources<ref name="US_State_Dept">{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5424.htm|title=Sudan|publisher=State.gov|access-date=21 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802172914/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5424.htm|archive-date=2 August 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> stated that a majority of southern Sudanese maintained traditional indigenous ([[Animism|animist]]) beliefs at the start of the century, with those following Christianity in a minority. 

According to the ''[[World Christian Encyclopedia]]'', the [[Catholic Church]] is the largest single Christian body in Sudan since 1995, with 2.7 million Catholics mainly concentrated in South Sudan.<ref>{{cite book|title=World Christian Encyclopedia|editor-first1= David|editor-last1= Barrett|editor-first2= George|editor-last2= Kurian|editor-first3= Todd|editor-last3= Johnson|place=Oxford|publisher= Oxford University Press|year= 2001| pages= 699–700}}</ref> The [[Episcopal Church (United States)|US Episcopal Church]] claims the existence of large numbers of [[Anglican Communion|Anglican adherents]] from the [[Episcopal Church of South Sudan]] with 2 million members in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fwepiscopal.org/downloads/howmanyanglicans.pdf|title=How many Anglicans are there in the Anglican Church in North America?|access-date=2 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073614/http://www.fwepiscopal.org/downloads/howmanyanglicans.pdf|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Presbyterian Church in Sudan]] is the third largest denomination in South Sudan. It has about one million members in 500 congregations in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oikoumene.org/gr/member-churches/regions/africa/south-sudan/presbyterian-church-of-the-sudan.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120520124842/http://www.oikoumene.org/gr/member-churches/regions/africa/south-sudan/presbyterian-church-of-the-sudan.html|archive-date=20 May 2012|title=Presbyterian Church of the Sudan|date=20 May 2012|access-date=21 December 2013}}</ref>

An 18 December 2012 report on religion and public life by the [[Pew Research Center]] states that in 2010, 60.5% of South Sudan's population was Christian, 32.9% were followers of traditional African religion and 6.2% were Muslim.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://features.pewforum.org/grl/population-percentage.php|title=Global Religious Landscape Table&nbsp;— Percent of Population&nbsp;— Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life|publisher=Features.pewforum.org|date=18 December 2012|access-date=21 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130101080244/http://features.pewforum.org/grl/population-percentage.php|archive-date=1 January 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Some publishers described the conflicts prior to partition as a Muslim-Christian war, but others reject this notion, claiming Muslim and Christian sides sometimes overlapped.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Pat|first1=Mr|title=Christians Under Siege|date=2009|page=105}}</ref>

Speaking at [[St. Theresa Cathedral, Juba|St Theresa Cathedral]] in [[Juba]] in 2011, the new [[South Sudanese]] [[President of South Sudan|President]] [[Salva Kiir Mayardit|Kiir]], a Roman Catholic, said that South Sudan would be a nation that respects [[freedom of religion]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sudanradio.org/south-sudan-respect-freedom-religion-says-goss-president|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712011904/http://www.sudanradio.org/south-sudan-respect-freedom-religion-says-goss-president|archive-date=12 July 2011|title=South Sudan To Respect Freedom of Religion Says GOSS President|work=Sudan Radio Service, Sudanradio.org|date=21 February 2011|access-date=9 July 2011}}</ref> At the creation of the new country, most Christians were [[Catholic]] or [[Anglican Church|Anglican]] and [[Animism|animist]] beliefs were often [[Religious syncretism|blended]] with [[Christian]] beliefs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/sdtoc.html|title=Sudan : Country Studies&nbsp;— Federal Research Division, Library of Congress|publisher=Lcweb2.loc.gov|date=22 March 2011|access-date=21 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023212053/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/sdtoc.html#sd0065|archive-date=23 October 2013|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref>

====2020s====
In 2022 the majority of the population (60.5%) adhered to Christianity, while 33% followed indigenous religions and 6% followed Islam.<ref name=US2022>[https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/south-sudan US State Dept 2022 report]</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Hurd|first=Emma|url=http://news.sky.com/story/835953/southern-sudan-votes-to-split-from-north|title=Southern Sudan Votes To Split From North|publisher=News.sky.com|date=8 February 2011|access-date=21 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031042419/http://news.sky.com/story/835953/southern-sudan-votes-to-split-from-north|archive-date=31 October 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

Most Christians were Catholic; in 2020, Catholics made up 52% of the country's population.<ref>[https://www.catholicsandcultures.org/south-sudan  Catholics and Culture website, retrieved 2023-08-08]</ref>

In 2022 the new Catholic bishop of [[Rumbek]], [[Christian Carlassare]], stated that "More than half the population of South Sudan is Christian, only 8% are Muslim. Other groups live on the margins, and have not drawn close to the Gospel. However, we live in a country where Christianity is often no more than skin deep, it hasn't grown roots in the life of the population".<ref>{{Cite web|last=ACN|date=2022-04-04|title=New bishop in South Sudan: "We must get back on our feet and give hope to the people"|url=https://acninternational.org/new-bishop-in-south-sudan-attacked/|access-date=2022-11-15|website=ACN International|language=en-US}}</ref>