List of countries by Zoroastrian population

The Faravahar, one of the most prominent symbols used to represent Zoroastrianism

In 2012, a study by the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA) published a demographic picture of Zoroastrianism around the world, in comparison with an earlier study from 2004.[1] It projected a global Zoroastrian population of 111,691–121,962 people, with roughly half of this figure residing in just two countries: India and Iran. These numbers indicated a notable population decline in comparison with the earlier projection of 124,953 people.[1]

The larger part of the Zoroastrian population comprises the Parsis, a community standing at around 50,000 people in India according to the 2011 census and around 2,348 in Pakistan according to the 2023 census.[2][3][4][5][6][7] In 1994, the Zoroastrian Society of Ontario estimated that there were around 100–200 Zoroastrians residing in Afghanistan.[8]

In 2015, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) granted official recognition to the Zoroastrian religion and also proceeded with the opening of three new Zoroastrian temples. The KRI's Zoroastrian community has claimed that thousands of people residing in the autonomous territory have recently converted to Zoroastrianism from Islam.[9][10] In 2020, a KRI-based Zoroastrian advocacy group known as the Yasna Association, which also functions as a representative of the faith within the KRI's government, claimed that about 15,000 people had been registered with the organization as of 2014[update].[11] However, 2024 estimates showed a smaller figure of nearly 5,000 living in the region, primarily in Sulaymaniah Governorate.[12] A 2020 social media-based survey by Gamaan found a much larger percentage of Iranians identifying as Zoroastrians at 7.7% while two 2022 surveys from Gamaan found 1 to 5% Identifying as Zoroastrian.[13][14][15] The survey is however questionable as it used self-selecting participants, reached through social media and chain referrals.[16] The Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America put the number of Zoroastrians in Iran at up to 25,271 in 2012,[17] equivalent to 0.03% of an 87.6 million population.[18][19][20]

Zoroastrian fire temple in the city of Baku, Azerbaijan (2016) Country/Region  | Population  | Year

|
|

India | 50,000 | 2011 (Indian census)[21][22]
Iran | 15,000–25,271 | 2012[1]
Kurdistan Region of Iraq | 5,000 | 2024[23]
United States | 14,405 | 2012[1]
Canada | 7,285 | 2021 (Canadian census)[24][1]
Uzbekistan | 1,000 | 2023[25]
Australia | 2,577 | 2012[1]
Pakistan | 2,348 | 2023 (Pakistani census)[26]
Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and
United Arab Emirates (GCC)  | 1,900 | 2012[1]
New Zealand | 1,231 | 2012[1]
Europe | 500 | 2012[1]
Rest of Central Asia | 500 | 2012[1]
Singapore | 372 | 2012[1]
Hong Kong | 204 | 2012[1]
World |  121,962  | 2012[1]

## See also

[edit]

* Iranian religions
* Zoroastrianism
* Muslim conquest of Persia
* Persecution of Zoroastrians

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rivetna, Roshan. "The Zoroastrian World A 2012 Demographic Picture" (PDF). Fezana.org.
2. ^ https://www.dw.com/en/how-can-india-turn-around-the-parsi-communitys-dwindling-demographics/a-62822568
3. ^ "TABLE 9 : POPULATION BY SEX, RELIGION AND RURAL/URBAN, CENSUS - 2023" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
4. ^ Chaubey, Gyaneshwer; Ayub, Qasim; Rai, Niraj; Prakash, Satya; Mushrif-Tripathy, Veena; Mezzavilla, Massimo; Pathak, Ajai Kumar; Tamang, Rakesh; Firasat, Sadaf; Reidla, Maere; Karmin, Monika; Rani, Deepa Selvi; Reddy, Alla G.; Parik, Jüri; Metspalu, Ene (14 June 2017). ""Like sugar in milk": reconstructing the genetic history of the Parsi population". Genome Biology. 18 (1): 110. doi:10.1186/s13059-017-1244-9. ISSN 1474-760X. PMC 5470188. PMID 28615043.
5. ^ "Zoroastrianism — Parsi". Daily Times. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
6. ^ Yousafzai, Arshad (29 April 2019). "Two decades from now, Pakistan will have no Parsis". The News International. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
7. ^ "Zoroastrianism". History.
8. ^ Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (1 March 1994). "Afghanistan: Information on the treatment of the Zoroastrian religious community in and around Kabul". Refworld. Retrieved 12 February 2021. "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.)."
9. ^ "Zoroastrian faith returns to Kurdistan in response to ISIL violence". Rudaw. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
10. ^ "Iraqi Kurds turn to Zoroastrianism as faith, identity entwine". France 24. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
11. ^ Bruneau, Charlotte; Omar, Kawa (30 September 2020). "Zoroastrians make a comeback in northern Iraq, but still face stigma". Reuters. Retrieved 12 February 2021. "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."
12. ^ https://shafaq.com/en/Kurdistan/Kurdistan-celebrates-birth-of-Zoroaster
13. ^ Stausberg, Michael; Tamimi Arab, Pooyan; Maleki, Ammar (2023). "Survey Zoroastrians: Online Religious Identification in the Islamic Republic of Iran". Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 62 (4): 823–844\. doi:10.1111/jssr.12870. hdl:11250/3094992. ISSN 1468-5906.
14. ^ "Iranians' Attitudes Toward Religion: A 2020 Survey Report". Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran (GAMAAN). Retrieved 24 March 2024.
15. ^ Maleki, Ammar; Arab, Pooyan Tamimi (10 September 2020). "Iran's secular shift: new survey reveals huge changes in religious beliefs". The Conversation. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
16. ^ Maleki, Ammar; Arab, Pooyan Tamimi (August 2020). "Iranian's attitudes toward religion - A 2020 survey report" (PDF). GAMAAN.
17. ^ Rivetna, Roshan. "The Zarathushti World, a 2012 Demographic Picture" (PDF). Fezana.org.
18. ^ "Iran", The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 13 March 2024, retrieved 24 March 2024
19. ^ "Iranians' Attitudes Toward Religion: A 2020 Survey Report". گَمان - گروه مطالعات افکارسنجی ایرانیان (in Persian). 9 September 2020. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
20. ^ Maleki, Ammar; Arab, Pooyan Tamimi. "Iran's secular shift: new survey reveals huge changes in religious beliefs". The Conversation. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
21. ^ "Indian Parsis try to turn around demographic decline – DW – 08/16/2022". dw.com. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
22. ^ Alan Davidson. National & Regional Styles of Cookery: Proceedings : Oxford Symposium 1981. Oxford Symposium. p. 71.
23. ^ https://shafaq.com/en/Kurdistan/Kurdistan-celebrates-birth-of-Zoroaster
24. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (26 October 2022). "Religion by visible minority and generation status: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with parts". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
25. ^ https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/547499_UZBEKISTAN-2023-INTERNATIONAL-RELIGIOUS-FREEDOM-REPORT.pdf
26. ^ "TABLE 9 : POPULATION BY SEX, RELIGION AND RURAL/URBAN, CENSUS - 2023" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2024.

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