In 2024, Nigeria had the largest Muslim population in Africa, with around 105 million people who belonged to an Islamic denomination. Egypt and Algeria followed with 90.4 million and 39.4 million Muslims, respectively. Muslims have a significant presence in Africa, with an estimated 50 percent of the continent's population identifying as Muslim. The spread of Islam in Africa began in the 7th century with the arrival of Arab traders, and it continued through Islamic scholars and missionaries.

A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the Qur'an—which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad—and, with lesser authority than the Qur'an, the teachings and practices of Muhammad as recorded in traditional accounts, called hadith. "Muslim" is an Arabic word meaning "one who submits to God". (Wikipedia)

Prior to the civil war in the 1990’s ethnic tension caused many rivalries between groups. This was common between the Temne, with their allies the Limba, and the Mende, with their allies the Sherbro, Kissi, and Gola groups. Even with this history of ethnic conflict it does not appear to be a significant factor that contributed to the civil war as the war focused on control of diamond mines. With the civil war over for more than a decade the country is relatively peaceful. There are no serious ethnic conflicts or rivalries. Limba – Limba populations are found in other West African countries although 90% reside in Sierra Leone. The majority are Muslim, having been introduced to Islam in the late nineteenth century. This is much later than their neighbors. To prevent too much Westernization, the Limba often send their children to Islamic schools. Mande – The Mande are a large ethnic group in West Africa that is comprised of many smaller groups. The Mande people speak a variety of Mande languages. Most practice agriculture, animal husbandry, and trade. They practice a patrilineal society having the eldest male serve as lineage head. With so many Mande groups spread over West Africa there is much variation among language and culture. Mel – The Mel within Sierra Leone are comprised of the Gola and the Kissi. Similar to other West Africa groups, the Gola participate in secret societies. The most important occurs around the age of puberty and these societies seek to socialize youth with Gola culture. The Kissi are increasingly becoming culturally influenced by the Mende people. Soso - The Soso were introduced to Islam in the seventeenth century and they are now overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim, of the Maliki School. Many still perform ritual ceremonies from indigenous religions. They are often influenced by neighboring groups. Temne – The Temne are one of the largest ethnic groups in the country. While the capital of Freetown is home to many groups, the largest number of people belong to the Temne ethnicity. The majority are Muslim, having been introduced to Islam in the seventeenth century. Some Temne still practice indigenous religions or incorporate them into their practice of Islam. Similar to other groups in the country, the Temne also have secret socieites. The Temne use these socieites to learn about the Temne culture. Although many have convertered to Islam or Christianity, it is common to incorporate indigenous religious beliefs. Attribute Table Field DescriptionsISO3-International Organization for Standardization 3-digit country codeADM0_NAME-Administration level zero identification / namePEOPLEGP_1-People Group level 1PEOPLEGP_2-People Group level 2PEOPLEGP_3-People Group level 3PEOPLEGP_4-People Group level 4PEOPLEGP_5-People Group level 5ALT_NAMES-Alternative names or spellings for a people groupCOMMENTS-Comments or notes regarding the people groupSOURCE_DT-Source one creation dateSOURCE-Source oneSOURCE2_DT-Source two creation dateSOURCE2-Source twoCollectionThis feature class was constructed by referencing and combining information from Murdock’s Map of Africa (1959) with other anthropological literature pertaining to Sierra Leone ethnicity. The information was then processed through DigitalGlobe’s AnthropMapper program to generate more accurate ethnic coverage boundaries. Anthromapper uses geographical terrain features, combined with a watershed model, to predict the likely extent of ethnic and linguistic influence.Metadata and data pertaining to the feature class was collected from the review of Murdock’s Map of Africa (1959) in conjunction with information from anthropological research pertaining to ethnicity in northern Africa. While efforts were made to secure the accuracy of the geographic location of existing ethnicities, many are transient in nature and continue to migrate. Further, it should be stressed that ethnic groups listed represent the prominent people groups in Sierra Leone; however, numerous subgroups may exist below this tier. The data included herein have not been derived from a registered survey and should be considered approximate unless otherwise defined. While rigorous steps have been taken to ensure the quality of each dataset, DigitalGlobe is not responsible for the accuracy and completeness of data compiled from outside sources.Sources (HGIS)Anthromapper. DigitalGlobe, September 2014.Gonen, Amiram. The Encyclopedia of the Peoples of the World. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1993.Levinson, David. Encyclopedia of World Cultures: Africa and the Middle East. Boston: G.K. Hall and Co., 1995.Murdock, George Peter. Tribal Map of Africa from Africa: Its Peoples and Their Culture History. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., January 1959.Olson, James S. The Peoples of Africa: An Ethnohistorical Dictionary. Westport: Greenworod Press, 1996.The Diagram Group. Encyclopedia African Peoples. London: Diagram Visual Information, 2000.Yakan, Mohamad Z. Almanac of African Peoples and Nations. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 1999.Sources (Metadata)Gonen, Amiram. The Encyclopedia of the Peoples of the World. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1993.Levinson, David. Encyclopedia of World Cultures: Africa and the Middle East. Boston: G.K. Hall and Co., 1995.Murdock, George Peter. Tribal Map of Africa from Africa: Its Peoples and Their Culture History. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., January 1959.Notholt, Stuart A. Fields of Fire: An atlas of ethnic conflict. London: Stuart Notholt Communications Ltd, 2008.Olson, James S. The Peoples of Africa: An Ethnohistorical Dictionary. Westport: Greenworod Press, 1996.The Diagram Group. Encyclopedia African Peoples. London: Diagram Visual Information, 2000.University of Iowa Museum of Art, “Sierra Leone; Gola or Vai peoples, Lansana Ngumoi”. January 2006. Accessed December 2014. http://uima.uiowa.edu.Yakan, Mohamad Z. Almanac of African Peoples and Nations. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 1999.

Christianity is the major religion in numerous African countries. As of 2024, around 96 percent of the population of Zambia was Christian, representing the highest percentage on the continent. Seychelles and Rwanda followed with roughly 95 percent and 94 percent of the population being Christian, respectively. While these countries present the highest percentages, Christianity was also prevalent in many other African nations. For instance, in South Africa, Christianity was the religion of nearly 85 percent of the people, while the share corresponded to 71 percent in Ghana. Religious variations across Africa Christianity and Islam are the most practiced religions in Africa. Christian adherents are prevalent below the Sahara, while North Africa is predominantly Muslim. In 2020, Christians accounted for around 60 percent of the Sub-Saharan African population, followed by Muslims with a share of roughly 30 percent. In absolute terms, there were approximately 650 million Christians in the region, a number forecast to increase to over one billion by 2050. In contrast, Islam is most prevalent in North Africa, being the religion of over 90 percent of the population in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya. Christianity in the world As opposed to other religions, Christianity is widely spread across continents worldwide. In fact, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Europe each account for around 25 percent of the global Christian population. By comparison, Asia-Pacific and North America make up 13 percent and 12 percent of Christians worldwide, respectively. In several regions, Christians also suffer persecution on religious grounds. Somalia and Libya presented the most critical situation in Africa in 2021, reporting the strongest suppression of Christians worldwide just after North Korea and Afghanistan.