List of countries by Zoroastrian population

This article consists of a list of countries and autonomous regions ranked by their Zoroastrian population, from largest to smallest.

In 2012, a study featured in the FEZANA Journal of the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA) published a demographic picture of Zoroastrians around the world and a comparison with an earlier study from 2004.[1] The FEZANA study projected a Zoroastrian population figure of 111,691–121,962, with roughly half of this number residing in India (see Parsis and Iranis) and Iran; FEZANA's estimate of the global Zoroastrian population in 2004 was 124,953 people.[1]

As of 2018, estimates show that there are some 100,000 to 200,000 Zoroastrians worldwide, with the notable Parsi community comprising a large part of this figure and numbering at around 60,000 in India and 1,400 in Pakistan.[2] In 1994, it was estimated by the Zoroastrian Society of Ontario that there were 100–200 Zoroastrians residing in Afghanistan.[3]

Currently, Zoroastrianism is an officially-recognized religion in India, Iran,[4] Iraqi Kurdistan,[5] the United States, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.

Zoroastrianism gained official recognition in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in 2015, after which three Zoroastrian temples opened in the region. The local Zoroastrian community has claimed that thousands of people have recently converted to Zoroastrianism in the autonomous region.[6][5] In 2020, a Zoroastrian advocacy group in the Kurdistan Region known as the Yasna Association, 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 organization so far.[7] An Uzbek Zoroastrian society association stated in 2013 that there were more than 7,000 Zoroastrians in Uzbekistan.[8][9] In a 2020 online survey by the Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran (GAMAAN) which recorded the attitude of Iranian citizens towards religion, 7.7 percent of those who took part in the survey identified as Zoroastrian.[10][11] There have been some recent reports of significant conversions from Islam to Zoroastrianism in Iran.[12][13]

Zoroastrian fire temple in Baku, Azerbaijan
Country Population Year
 India61,0002012[1]
 Iran15,000–25,2712012[1]
 Iraqi Kurdistan15,0002020[7]
 United States14,4052012[1]
 Uzbekistan7,0002013[9]
 Canada6,4422012[1]
 United Kingdom5,5002012[1]
 Tajikistan2,7002021[14]
 Australia2,5772012[1]
Arab states of the Persian Gulf1,9002012[1]
 Pakistan1,6752012[1]
 New Zealand1,2312012[1]
Other countries in Europe and Central Asia1,0002012[1]
 Singapore3722012[1]
 Hong Kong2042012[1]
 Afghanistan100–2001994[3]
World100,000–200,0002018[2]

See also

References
  1. Rivetna, Roshan. "The Zoroastrian World A 2012 Demographic Picture" (PDF). Fezana.org.
  2. "Zoroastrianism". HISTORY.
  3. 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.).
  4. 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
  5. "Iraqi Kurds turn to Zoroastrianism as faith, identity entwine". France 24. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  6. "Zoroastrian faith returns to Kurdistan in response to ISIL violence". Rudaw. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  7. 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.
  8. "Uzbakistan". vcn.bc.ca.
  9. "Uzbekistan Zoroastrian Association Registered". Zoroastrians.net. August 21, 2013.
  10. "Iranians' Attitudes Toward Religion: A 2020 Survey Report". گَمان - گروه مطالعات افکارسنجی ایرانیان (in Persian). 2020-09-09. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  11. Maleki, Ammar; Arab, Pooyan Tamimi. "Iran's secular shift: new survey reveals huge changes in religious beliefs". The Conversation. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  12. "A secular Iran? Study links political discontent with religious decline". TRT. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  13. "Survey of 50,000 Iranians Finds Almost Half Are No Longer Religious". KAYHAN LIFE. 2020-11-05. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  14. "Parsee in Tajikistan". Joshua Project.
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