countries
CAMBRIDGE DICTIONARY OF CHRISTIANITY
Daniel Patte, General Editor
Editorial Board | Preparing Contextual, Conceptual-Theological and Historical, and Methodological Entries | CDC@vanderbilt.edu

NATION:  SOUTH AFRICA

1.0 STATISTICS (based on World Christian Encyclopedia)

1.1 CHRISTIANS IN OVERALL POPULATION:
1.11 Overall Population
1970: 22,087,123
2000: 40,377,000
1.12 Christians in Overall Population
1970: 17,035,000; 77.1%
2000: 33,563,902; 83.1%

1.2 RELIGIOUS MAKE-UP OF THE REST OF THE POPULATION:

Bahaís: [1970] 15,300; 0.1%
________  [2000] 255,775; 0.6%
Buddhists: [1970] 2,250; 0%
__________     [2000] 46,628; 0.1%
Ethnoreligionists: [1970] 4,039,210; 18.3%
_____________     [2000] 3,375,777; 8.4%
Folk-religionists: [1970] 1,640; 0%
_________________ [2000] 3,190; 0%
Hindus: [1970] 433,100; 2.0%
_______    [2000] 959,356; 2.4%
Jews: [1970] 119,600; 0.5%
_____   [2000] 156,984; 0.4%
Muslims: [1970] 269,900; 1.2%
________     [2000] 947,148; 2.4%
Sikhs: [1970] 4,000; 0%
_______ [2000] 8,560; 0%

Other Religionists: [1970] 10,000; 0.1%
__________________       [2000] 18,169; 0.1%

Atheists: [1970] 5,000; 0%
___________[2000] 81,862; 0.2%
Nonreligious: [1970] 150,000; 0.7%
_________________[2000] 956,006; 2.4%

1.3 SUBDIVISIONS OF CHRISTIANS:

Unaffiliated Christians: [1970] 3,025,389; 13.7%
___________________________   [2000] 1,763,113; 4.4%
Affiliated Christians: [1970] 14,009,611; 63.4%
__________________________ [2000] 31,800,789; 78.8%
Anglicans: [1970] 1,235,946; 5.6%
_____________ [2000] 2,660,000; 6.6%
Orthodox: [1970] 30,000; 0.1%
____________ [2000] 150,000; 0.4%
Protestants: [1970] 6,465,743; 29.3%
______________ [2000] 12,410,000; 30.7%
Roman Catholics: [1970] 1,588,674; 7.2%
______________________ [2000] 3,350,000; 8.3%
Independents: [1970] 4,607,156; 20.9%
_________________ [2000] 18,500,000; 45.8%
Marginal Christians: [1970] 82,092; 0.4%
_________________________ [2000] 190,000; 0.5%
Doubly-affiliated: [1970] %
_____________________ [2000] -5,459,211; -13.5%

TRANS-MEGABLOC GROUPINGS
Evangelicals: [1970] 2,330,000; 10.6%
________________ [2000] 4,522,000; 11.2%
Pentecostals / Charismatics: [1970] 4,000,000; 18.1%
__________________________________ [2000] 21,200,000; 52.5%
Great Commission Christians: [1970] 4,042,000; 18.3%
____________________________________ [2000] 7,717,095; 19.1%