COVID-19 in Muslim vs. Non-Muslim Countries

A Comparative Study of 50 Muslim-Majority and 50 Richest Non-Muslim Countries

About Dataset

This dataset contains information on COVID-19 cases and deaths in 50 Muslim-majority countries compared to the 50 richest non-Muslim countries. The aim of the dataset is to investigate the differences in COVID-19 incidence between these two groups and to explore potential reasons for these disparities. The Muslim-majority countries in the sample had more than 50.0% Muslims, while the non-Muslim countries were selected based on their GDP, excluding any Muslim-majority countries listed. The data was collected on September 18, 2020, and includes information on the percentage of Muslim population per country, GDP, population count, and total number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. The dataset was transferred via an Excel spreadsheet on September 23, 2020 and analyzed using three different Average Treatment Methods (ATE) to validate the results. The dataset was published as a preprint and is associated with a manuscript titled "Fifty Muslim-majority countries have fewer COVID-19 cases and deaths than the 50 richest non-Muslim countries". The manuscript can be accessed via the following Link The sources of the data are also provided in the manuscript. The percentage of Muslim population per country was obtained from World Population Review and can be accessed at Link The GDP per country, population count, and total number of COVID-19 cases and deaths were obtained from Worldometers and can be accessed at Link

More Datasets

For more datasets, click here.

Columns

Research Ideas / Data Use

• Comparative analysis: Researchers can use this dataset to compare the COVID-19 cases and deaths between Muslim-majority and non-Muslim countries. This can help to identify any disparities or differences in the response to the pandemic.
• Trend analysis: Over time, this dataset can be used to track the changes in the COVID-19 cases and deaths in Muslim-majority and non-Muslim countries. This can help to identify trends and patterns that may inform future research.
• Geographical analysis: This dataset can be used to explore the geographical distribution of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Muslim-majority and non-Muslim countries. This can help to identify hotspots and areas that may require special attention.
• Demographic analysis: Researchers can use the data to explore the impact of demographic factors on the spread and severity of the pandemic in Muslim-majority and non-Muslim countries. This can help to identify any patterns or correlations that may inform future research and policy decisions.
• Economic analysis: The data can be used to explore the economic impact of the pandemic on Muslim-majority and non-Muslim countries. By comparing the GDP and other economic indicators in these countries, researchers can identify any patterns or trends that may inform economic policy decisions.

Acknowledgements

if this dataset was used in your work or studies, please credit the original source Please Credit ↑ ⠀

License

License: CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) - Public Domain Dedication No Copyright - You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. More Information

Dataset

This dataset was created by Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo

Contents

"Between October 2011 and November 2012, Pew Research Center, with generous funding from The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John Templeton Foundation, conducted a public opinion survey involving more than 30,000 face-to-face interviews in 26 countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The survey asked people to describe their religious beliefs and practices, and sought to gauge respondents; knowledge of and attitudes toward other faiths. It aimed to assess levels of political and economic satisfaction, concerns about crime, corruption and extremism, positions on issues such as abortion and polygamy, and views of democracy, religious law and the place of women in society.

"Although the surveys were nationally representative in most countries, the primary goal of the survey was to gauge and compare beliefs and attitudes of Muslims. The findings for Muslim respondents are summarized in the Religion & Public Life Project's reports The World's Muslims: Unity and Diversity and The World's Muslims: Religion, Politics and Society, which are available at www.pewresearch.org. [...] This dataset only contains data for Muslim respondents in the countries surveyed. Please note that this codebook is meant as a guide to the dataset, and is not the survey questionnaire." (2012 Pew Religion Worlds Muslims Codebook)

Religious Populations Worldwide

Religious Populations Worldwide by Year and Category

By Throwback Thursday [source]

About this dataset

The dataset includes data on Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Shintoism, Baha'i Faith, Taoism, Confucianism, Jainism and various other syncretic and animist religions. For each religion or denomination category, it provides both the total population count and the percentage representation in relation to the overall population.

Additionally, - Columns labeled with Population provide numeric values representing the total number of individuals belonging to a particular religion or denomination. - Columns labeled with Percent represent numerical values indicating the percentage of individuals belonging to a specific religion or denomination within a given population. - Columns that begin with ** indicate primary categories (e.g., Christianity), while columns that do not have this prefix refer to subcategories (e.g., Christianity - Roman Catholics).

In addition to providing precise data about specific religions or denominations globally throughout multiple years,this dataset also records information about geographical locations by including state or country names under StateNme.

This comprehensive dataset is valuable for researchers seeking information on global religious trends and can be used for analysis in fields such as sociology, anthropology studies cultural studies among others

How to use the dataset

Introduction:

• Understanding the Columns:

• Year: Represents the year in which the data was recorded.

• StateNme: Represents the name of the state or country for which data is recorded.

• Population: Represents the total population of individuals.

• Total Religious: Represents the total percentage and population of individuals who identify as religious, regardless of specific religion.

• Non Religious: Represents the percentage and population of individuals who identify as non-religious or atheists.

• Identifying Specific Religions: The dataset includes columns for different religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. Each religion is further categorized into specific denominations or types within that religion (e.g., Roman Catholics within Christianity). You can find relevant information about these religions by focusing on specific columns related to each one.

• Analyzing Percentages vs. Population: Some columns provide percentages while others provide actual population numbers for each category. Depending on your analysis requirement, you can choose either column type for your calculations and comparisons.

• Accessing Historical Data: The dataset includes records from multiple years allowing you to analyze trends in religious populations over time. You can filter data based on specific years using Excel filters or programming languages like Python.

• Filtering Data by State/Country: If you are interested in understanding religious populations in a particular state or country, use filters to focus on that region's data only.

Example - Extracting Information:

Let's say you want to analyze Hinduism's growth globally from 2000 onwards:

• Identify Relevant Columns:
• Year: to filter data from 2000 onwards.

• Hindu - Total (Percent): to analyze the percentage of individuals identifying as Hindus globally.

• Filter Data:

• Set a filter on the Year column and select values greater than or equal to 2000.

• Look for rows where Hindu - Total (Percent) has values.

• Analyze Results: You can now visualize and calculate the growth of Hinduism worldwide after filtering out irrelevant data. Use statistical methods or graphical representations like line charts to understand trends over time.

Conclusion: This guide has provided you with an overview of how to use the Rel

Research Ideas

• Comparing religious populations across different countries: With data available for different states and countries, this dataset allows for comparisons of religious populations across regions. Researchers can analyze how different religions are distributed geographically and compare their percentages or total populations across various locations.
• Studying the impact of historical events on religious demographics: Since the dataset includes records categorized by year, it can be used to study how historical events such as wars, migration, or political changes have influenced religious demographics over time. By comparing population numbers before and after specific events, resea...

Global Religious Demographics

Global religious demographics over time

By Throwback Thursday [source]

About this dataset

The dataset contains information on a wide range of religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Shintoism, Baha'i Faith, Taoism, Confucianism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Syncretic Religions (religious practices that blend elements from multiple faiths), Animism (belief in spiritual beings in nature), Non-Religious individuals or those without any religious affiliation.

For each religion and region/country combination recorded in the dataset we have the following information:

• Total population: The total population of the region or country.
• Religious affiliation percentages: The percentages of the population that identify with specific religious affiliations.
• Subgroup populations/percentages: The populations or percentages within specific denominations or sects of each religion.

The dataset also provides additional variables like Year and State Name (for regional data) for further analysis.

How to use the dataset

• Understanding the Columns

  The dataset contains several columns with different categories of information. Here's a brief explanation of some important columns:

  • Year: The year in which the data was recorded.
  • Total Population: The total population of a country or region.
  • State Name (StateNme): The name of the state or region.

  Each religion has specific columns associated with it, such as Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Taoism, Shintoism etc., representing its percentage and population for each category/denomination within that religion.

• Selecting Specific Data

  If you are interested in exploring data related to a particular religion or geographic location:

  • To filter data by Religion: Identify relevant columns associated with that religion such as 'Christianity', 'Buddhism', 'Islam', etc., and extract their respective percentage and population values for analysis.

    Example: If you want to analyze Christianity specifically, extract columns related to Christianity like 'Christianity (Percent)', 'Christianity (Population)', etc.

    Note: There might be multiple columns related to a specific religion indicating different categories or denominations within that religion.

  • To filter data by Geographic Location: Utilize the 'State Name' column ('StateNme') to segregate data corresponding to different states/regions.

    Example: If you want to analyze religious demographics for a particular state/region like California or India:

    i) Filter out rows where State Name is equal to California or India.

    ii) Extract relevant columns associated with your selected religion as mentioned above.

• Finding Trends and Insights

  Once you have selected the specific data you are interested in, examine patterns and trends over time or across different regions.

  • Plotting data using visualizations: Use graphical tools such as line charts, bar charts, or pie charts to visualize how religious demographics have changed over the years or vary across different regions.

  • Analyzing population proportions: By comparing the percentage values of different religions for a given region or over time, you can gather insights into changes in religious diversity.

• Comparing Religions

  If you wish to compare multiple religions:

Research Ideas

• Comparing religious affiliations across different countries or regions: With data on various religions such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, etc., researchers can compare the religious affiliations of different countries or regions. This can help in understanding the cultural and religious diversity within different parts of the world.
• Exploring the growth or decline of specific religions: By examining population numbers for specific religions such as Jainism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, etc., this dataset can be used to investigate the growth or decline of these religious groups over time. Researchers can analyze factors contributing to their popularity or decline in particular regions or countries

Acknowledgements

If you use this dataset in your research, please credit the original authors. Data Source

License

See the dataset description for more information.

Columns

File: ThrowbackDataThursday 201912 - Religion.csv | Column name...

Mexico: Muslims as percent of the total population: The latest value from is percent, unavailable from percent in . In comparison, the world average is 0.0 percent, based on data from countries. Historically, the average for Mexico from to is percent. The minimum value, percent, was reached in while the maximum of percent was recorded in .

Spain has a long history of Islamic tradition under its belt. From cuisine to architecture, the southern European country has been linked to the North of Africa through many common elements. At the end of 2023, there were approximately 2.41 million Muslims in Spain, most of them of Spanish and Moroccan nationality, with upwards of eight hundred thousand believers in both cases. With a Muslim population of more than 660,000 people, Catalonia was home to the largest Muslim community in Spain as of the same date.

The not so Catholic Spain

Believers of a religion other than Catholicism accounted for approximately 3 percent of the Spanish population, according to the most recent data. Although traditionally a Catholic country, Spain saw a decline in the number of believers over the past years. Compared to previous years, when the share of believers accounted for slightly over 70 percent of the Spanish population, the Catholic community lost ground, while still being the major religion for the foreseable future.

A Catholic majority, a practicing minority

Going to mass is no longer a thing in Spain, or so it would seem when looking at the latest statistics about the matter: 50 percent of those who consider themselves Catholics almost never attend any religious service in 2024. The numbers increased until 2019, from 55.5 percent of the population never attending religious services in 2011 to 63.1 percent in 2019. The share of population that stated to be practicing believers and go to mass every Sunday and on the most important holidays accounted for only 15.5 percent.

Saudi Arabia Imports: Value: Non Arab Islamic Countries: Others data was reported at 1,113.991 SAR mn in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 94.000 SAR mn for 2016. Saudi Arabia Imports: Value: Non Arab Islamic Countries: Others data is updated yearly, averaging 275.500 SAR mn from Dec 1984 (Median) to 2017, with 34 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,113.991 SAR mn in 2017 and a record low of 3.000 SAR mn in 2006. Saudi Arabia Imports: Value: Non Arab Islamic Countries: Others data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by General Authority for Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Saudi Arabia – Table SA.JA019: Imports: by Country.

Saudi Arabia Imports: Value: Non Arab Islamic Countries: Indonesia data was reported at 6,272.088 SAR mn in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 6,296.000 SAR mn for 2016. Saudi Arabia Imports: Value: Non Arab Islamic Countries: Indonesia data is updated yearly, averaging 1,575.000 SAR mn from Dec 1984 (Median) to 2017, with 34 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9,559.238 SAR mn in 2015 and a record low of 215.000 SAR mn in 1985. Saudi Arabia Imports: Value: Non Arab Islamic Countries: Indonesia data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by General Authority for Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Saudi Arabia – Table SA.JA019: Imports: by Country.

Saudi Arabia Exports: Value: Non Arab Islamic Countries: Indonesia data was reported at 9,963.000 SAR mn in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 8,285.000 SAR mn for 2016. Saudi Arabia Exports: Value: Non Arab Islamic Countries: Indonesia data is updated yearly, averaging 3,936.500 SAR mn from Dec 1984 (Median) to 2017, with 34 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 20,949.000 SAR mn in 2014 and a record low of 255.000 SAR mn in 1986. Saudi Arabia Exports: Value: Non Arab Islamic Countries: Indonesia data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by General Authority for Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Saudi Arabia – Table SA.JA006: Exports: by Country.

Saudi Arabia Exports: Value: Non Arab Islamic Countries: Gabon data was reported at 3.850 SAR mn in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 5.684 SAR mn for 2015. Saudi Arabia Exports: Value: Non Arab Islamic Countries: Gabon data is updated yearly, averaging 5.684 SAR mn from Dec 2004 (Median) to 2016, with 13 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 311.000 SAR mn in 2013 and a record low of 0.000 SAR mn in 2005. Saudi Arabia Exports: Value: Non Arab Islamic Countries: Gabon data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by General Authority for Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Saudi Arabia – Table SA.JA006: Exports: by Country.

The Comparative Values Survey of Islamic Countries is a subset of the "https://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/wvs.jsp" Target="_blank">World Values Survey that was conducted from 1999 to 2006 and examines the beliefs, attitudes and behaviors of individuals in fifteen nations with Islamic majorities. Representative samples of each nation's population are surveyed on their opinions regarding religion, politics, gender roles, well-being and numerous other issues concerning social values and morality.

Sweden: Muslims as percent of the total population: The latest value from is percent, unavailable from percent in . In comparison, the world average is 0.0 percent, based on data from countries. Historically, the average for Sweden from to is percent. The minimum value, percent, was reached in while the maximum of percent was recorded in .

Saudi Arabia Exports: Value: Non Arab Islamic Countries: Senegal data was reported at 99.469 SAR mn in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 124.847 SAR mn for 2015. Saudi Arabia Exports: Value: Non Arab Islamic Countries: Senegal data is updated yearly, averaging 74.000 SAR mn from Dec 2004 (Median) to 2016, with 13 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 166.000 SAR mn in 2013 and a record low of 0.000 SAR mn in 2009. Saudi Arabia Exports: Value: Non Arab Islamic Countries: Senegal data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by General Authority for Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Saudi Arabia – Table SA.JA006: Exports: by Country.

This dataset contains Food Prices data for Iran (Islamic Republic of), sourced from the World Food Programme Price Database. The World Food Programme Price Database covers foods such as maize, rice, beans, fish, and sugar for 98 countries and some 3000 markets. It is updated weekly but contains to a large extent monthly data. The data goes back as far as 1992 for a few countries, although many countries started reporting from 2003 or thereafter.

Japan: Muslims as percent of the total population: The latest value from is percent, unavailable from percent in . In comparison, the world average is 0.0 percent, based on data from countries. Historically, the average for Japan from to is percent. The minimum value, percent, was reached in while the maximum of percent was recorded in .

Saudi Arabia Exports: Value: Non Arab Islamic Countries: Turkey data was reported at 9,532.097 SAR mn in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 8,582.000 SAR mn for 2016. Saudi Arabia Exports: Value: Non Arab Islamic Countries: Turkey data is updated yearly, averaging 5,101.500 SAR mn from Dec 1984 (Median) to 2017, with 34 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16,187.000 SAR mn in 2012 and a record low of 667.000 SAR mn in 1988. Saudi Arabia Exports: Value: Non Arab Islamic Countries: Turkey data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by General Authority for Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Saudi Arabia – Table SA.JA006: Exports: by Country.

Saudi Arabia Exports: Value: Non Arab Islamic Countries: Gambia data was reported at 11.457 SAR mn in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 13.718 SAR mn for 2015. Saudi Arabia Exports: Value: Non Arab Islamic Countries: Gambia data is updated yearly, averaging 8.000 SAR mn from Dec 2004 (Median) to 2016, with 13 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 23.000 SAR mn in 2013 and a record low of 4.000 SAR mn in 2009. Saudi Arabia Exports: Value: Non Arab Islamic Countries: Gambia data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by General Authority for Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Saudi Arabia – Table SA.JA006: Exports: by Country.

The Hajj to Mecca in Saudi Arabia is considered among the world’s largest human gatherings, with over **** million pilgrims in 2025. The Saudi government restricted Hajj to residents in Saudi Arabia only during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The number of Hajj pilgrims dropped to about **** thousand in 2021. Like other religious pilgrimages, Hajj is considered an annual rite of passage to renew one's moral and spiritual connection. Approximately a quarter of the human population identify themselves as Muslims. According to their faith of Islam, it is one of their five religious duties to perform the Hajj at least once in their lifetime. Who are the pilgrims? According to Islamic tradition, any Muslim who has reached maturity is due to perform the Hajj. During the last Hajj season before the COVID-19 pandemic, about two thirds of the pilgrims to Mecca came from outside of the Saudi Arabian Kingdom. The government of Saudi Arabia issues each years’ Hajj visas on a country quota system, based on the size of the Muslim population .     Financial aspects   One main condition for a mature Muslim to qualify to perform the Hajj is to be free of debt and other financial and social obligations. Many Muslims around the world spend a significant amount of their life-savings to be able to make this spiritual journey. As an example, the cost of performing Hajj for a Malaysian Muslim was calculated at about ***** thousand Malaysian ringgits. For first time Hajj pilgrims, the Malaysian government subsidizes more than half of that amount. Some Muslims who can’t afford the financial or physical challenges of the Hajj sometimes perform the smaller Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca called Umrah, which can be attempted all year round.

WorldPop produces different types of gridded population count datasets, depending on the methods used and end application. Please make sure you have read our Mapping Populations overview page before choosing and downloading a dataset.

A description of the modelling methods used for age and gender structures can be found in "https://pophealthmetrics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1478-7954-11-11" target="_blank"> Tatem et al and Pezzulo et al. Details of the input population count datasets used can be found here, and age/gender structure proportion datasets here.
Both top-down 'unconstrained' and 'constrained' versions of the datasets are available, and the differences between the two methods are outlined here. The datasets represent the outputs from a project focused on construction of consistent 100m resolution population count datasets for all countries of the World structured by male/female and 5-year age classes (plus a <1 year class). These efforts necessarily involved some shortcuts for consistency. The unconstrained datasets are available for each year from 2000 to 2020.
The constrained datasets are only available for 2020 at present, given the time periods represented by the building footprint and built settlement datasets used in the mapping.
Data for earlier dates is available directly from WorldPop.

WorldPop (www.worldpop.org - School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton; Department of Geography and Geosciences, University of Louisville; Departement de Geographie, Universite de Namur) and Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University (2018). Global High Resolution Population Denominators Project - Funded by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1134076). https://dx.doi.org/10.5258/SOTON/WP00646