List of countries by Zoroastrian population

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A 2012 study featured in the FEZANA Journal, a quarterly publication of the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA), published a demographic picture of Zoroastrians around the world and a comparison with a similar study done in 2004.[1] The study gives a global estimate of 111,691-121,962 Zoroastrians,[1] roughly half of them in India (made up of the Parsi and Irani subgroups) and Iran.

A 2020 online survey by GAMAAN (Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran) surveying Iranians' attitude towards religion found that 7.7% of those who took part in the survey identified as being Zoroastrian.[2][3] This has been linked to growing discontent with Islam amongst Iranians, resulting in conversions to Zoroastrianism.[4][5]

As of 2019, it has been estimated that there are 100,000 to 200,000 Zoroastrians worldwide, with around 60,000 Parsis in India and 1,400 in Pakistan.[6] In 1994, it was estimated by the Zoroastrian Society of Ontario that there were 100-200 Zoroastrians in Afghanistan.[7]

Zoroastrianism gained official recognition in the Kurdistan Region in 2015 and three Zoroastrian temples have opened in the region, and the Zoroastrian community has claimed that thousands of people have recently converted to Zoroastrianism in the region.[8][9] In 2020, The Yasna association, a Zoroastrian advocacy group in the Kurdistan Region, which also functions as a representative of the faith within the Iraqi Kurdish government, claims that since 2014, about 15,000 people have registered with the organisation so far.[10] A Zoroastrian advocacy group has stated that there are more than 7,000 Zoroastrians in Uzbekistan.[11][12]

Zoroastrian fire temple in Baku, Azerbaijan
Country Population
India India 61,000[1]
Iran Iran 25,271[1][13]
Kurdistan Region Kurdistan Region, Iraq Iraq 15,000[10]
United States United States 14,405[1]
Uzbekistan Uzbekistan 7,000[14]
Canada Canada 6,442[1]
United Kingdom United Kingdom 5,500[1]
Australia Australia 2,577[1]
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan 2,000[1][15]
Arab states of the Persian Gulf 1,900[1]
Pakistan Pakistan 1,675[1]
New Zealand New Zealand 1,231[1]
Other European countries & Central Asia 1,000[1]
Singapore Singapore 372[1]
Hong Kong Hong Kong 204[1]
Afghanistan Afghanistan 100-200[7]
Estimation 145,777 (2020)
World 100,000-200,000 (2020)[6]
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1941 114,000—    
1971 91,266−0.74%
1981 71,630−2.39%
2004 124,000+2.41%
2012 121,962−0.21%
2014 138,000+6.37%
2020 145,777+0.92%
Source: [16][17][18]

Currently, Zoroastrianism is an officially recognized religion in Iraqi Kurdistan,[9] Iran, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan[19] and India.[citation needed]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Rivetna, Roshan. "The Zoroastrian World A 2012 Demographic Picture" (PDF). Fezana.org.
  2. ^ "IRANIANS' ATTITUDES TOWARD RELIGION: A 2020 SURVEY REPORT". گَمان - گروه مطالعات افکارسنجی ایرانیان (in Persian). 2020-09-09. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  3. ^ Maleki, Ammar; Arab, Pooyan Tamimi. "Iran's secular shift: new survey reveals huge changes in religious beliefs". The Conversation. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  4. ^ "A secular Iran? Study links political discontent with religious decline". TRT. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  5. ^ "Survey of 50,000 Iranians Finds Almost Half Are No Longer Religious". KAYHAN LIFE. 2020-11-05. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Editors, History com. "Zoroastrianism". HISTORY.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (1994-03-01). "Afghanistan: Information on the treatment of the Zoroastrian religious community in and around Kabul". Refworld. Retrieved 2021-02-12. Information on the treatment of the Zoroastrian community in Afghanistan could not be found among the sources currently available to the DIRB. However, according to a representative of the Zoroastrian Society of Ontario, there are only one or two hundred Zoroastrians living in Afghanistan (4 Mar. 1994). The source stated that the majority of Zoroastrians in Afghanistan live in "Khander" which he described as being "near the Iranian border" (ibid.). The source stated that to his knowledge, only a few Zoroastrians merchants live in Kabul (ibid.).
  8. ^ "Zoroastrian faith returns to Kurdistan in response to ISIL violence". Rudaw. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b "Iraqi Kurds turn to Zoroastrianism as faith, identity entwine". France 24. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b Bruneau, Charlotte; Omar, Kawa (2020-09-30). "Zoroastrians make a comeback in northern Iraq, but still face stigma". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-02-12. According to Awat Taieb, co-founder of the Yasna association that since 2014 has promoted Zoroastrianism in Kurdistan and also representative of the faith at the Kurdistan government, about 15,000 people registered with the organisation so far.
  11. ^ "Uzbakistan". vcn.bc.ca.
  12. ^ "UZBEKISTAN Zoroastrian Association Registered". Zoroastrians.net. August 21, 2013.
  13. ^ https://bazdeh.org/دین-زرتشت-جمعیت-زرتشتی/
  14. ^ https://zoroastrians.net/2013/08/21/uzbekistan-zoroastrian-association-registered/
  15. ^ https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/top-countries-of-the-world-by-zoroastrian-population.html
  16. ^ https://zoroastrians.net/2014/12/24/list-of-countries-with-zoroastrian-population/
  17. ^ https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/Parsi-population-dips-by-22-per-cent-between-2001-2011-study/article14508859.ece
  18. ^ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/06/last-of-the-zoroastrians-parsis-mumbai-india-ancient-religion
  19. ^ Colin Brock, Lila Zia Levers. Aspects of Education in the Middle East and Africa Symposium Books Ltd., 7 mei 2007 ISBN 1-873927-21-5 p. 99
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