Religion in Burkina Faso - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Exact statistics on religion in Burkina Faso are approximate because Islam and Christianity are consistently practiced in tandem with indigenous religious beliefs, the Government of Burkina Faso stated in its most recent census (2006) that 60.5% of the population practice Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

, and that the majority of this group belong to the Sunni branch, while a growing minority adheres to the Shi'a branch. A significant numbers of Sunni Muslims identify with the Tijaniyah Sufi order. The Government also estimated that 19 percent practices Catholicism

Catholicism

Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....

, 15.3% follow Traditional indigenous beliefs

African Traditional Religion

The traditional religions indigenous to Africa have, for most of their existence, been orally rather than scripturally transmitted. They are generally associated with animism. Most have ethno-based creations stories...

, 4.2% are members of various Protestant denominations, 0.6% have other religions and 0.4% have none.

Statistics

This shows the large level of acceptance of the various religions amongst each other. Even for Muslims and Christians, ancient animist rites are still highly valued. The Great Mosque of Bobo-Dioulasso

Bobo-Dioulasso

Bobo-Dioulasso is a city with a population of about 435,543 , the second largest city in Burkina Faso, Africa, after Ouagadougou, the nation's capital. The name means literally, "home of the Jula who speak Bobo," and is possibly a creation of the French who misunderstood the identity complexities...

was built by people of all faiths working together.

Statistics on religious affiliation are approximate because Syncretism

Syncretism

Syncretism is the combining of different beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought. The term means "combining", but see below for the origin of the word...

, incorporating traditional indigenous beliefs and practices, is widespread among both Christians and Muslims. The majority of citizens practice traditional indigenous religious beliefs to varying degrees, and strict adherence to Christian and Muslim beliefs is often nominal. Almost all citizens are believers and atheism

Atheism

Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...

is virtually nonexistent.

Geography

Muslims reside largely around the northern, eastern, and western borders, while Christians live in the center of the country. People practice traditional indigenous religious beliefs throughout the country, especially in rural communities. Ouagadougou

Ouagadougou

Ouagadougou is the capital of Burkina Faso and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic center of the nation. It is also the country's largest city, with a population of 1,475,223 . The city's name is often shortened to Ouaga. The inhabitants are called ouagalais...

, the capital, has a mixed Muslim and Christian population; however, Bobo-Dioulasso

Bobo-Dioulasso

, the country's second largest city, is mostly Muslim. Small Syrian and Lebanese

Lebanese people

The Lebanese people are a nation and ethnic group of Levantine people originating in what is today the country of Lebanon, including those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state....

immigrant communities reside in the 2 largest cities and are overwhelmingly (more than 90 percent) Christian.

Ethnicity

There are more than 60 different ethnicities in the country. Most ethnic groups are religiously heterogeneous, although the Fula

Fula people

Fula people or Fulani or Fulbe are an ethnic group spread over many countries, predominantly in West Africa, but found also in Central Africa and Sudanese North Africa...

and Dioula communities are majority Muslim.

Statistics

Geography

Ethnicity

See also