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List of countries by Zoroastrian population

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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 published a demographic picture of Zoroastrianism around the world, which was compared 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]

As of 2018, estimates show that there are some 100,000–200,000 Zoroastrians worldwide. The larger part of the population comprises Parsis, a community standing at around 70,000 people in India and around 1,000 in Pakistan. There is an estimated 4,000 Parsis in the United Kingdom.[2][3][4][5] In 1994, the Zoroastrian Society of Ontario estimated that there were around 100–200 Zoroastrians residing in Afghanistan.[6]

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 from Islam to Zoroastrianism.[7][8] 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.[9] Additionally, the Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran (GAMAAN) conducted an online survey in 2020 to record the religious attitudes of Iranians, and approximately 7.7 percent of respondents identified as Zoroastrian.[10][11]

Zoroastrian fire temple in the city of Baku, Azerbaijan (2016)
Country/Region Population Year
 India 50,000 2011 (Indian census)[12][13]
 Iran 15,000–25,271 2012[1]
 Kurdistan Region 15,000 2020[9]
 United States 14,405 2012[1]
 Canada 7,285 2021 (Canadian census)[14][1]
 Uzbekistan 7,000 2013[15][16][non-primary source needed]
 United Kingdom 4,000 2021
 Tajikistan 2,700 2021[17][better source needed]
 Australia 2,577 2012[1]
 Pakistan 2,348 2023 (Pakistani census)[18]
 Azerbaijan 2,000 2006[19][better source needed]
 Afghanistan 2,000 2020[20]
Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and
United Arab Emirates (Gulf Countries) 		1,900 2012[1]
 New Zealand 1,231 2012[1]
Other countries in Europe and Central Asia 1,000 2012[1]
 Singapore 372 2012[1]
 Hong Kong 204 2012[1]
World 100,000–200,000 2019[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rivetna, Roshan. "The Zoroastrian World A 2012 Demographic Picture" (PDF). Fezana.org.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "Zoroastrianism — Parsi". Daily Times. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  4. ^ Yousafzai, Arshad (29 April 2019). "Two decades from now, Pakistan will have no Parsis". The News International. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Zoroastrianism". History.
  6. ^ 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.).
  7. ^ "Zoroastrian faith returns to Kurdistan in response to ISIL violence". Rudaw. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  8. ^ "Iraqi Kurds turn to Zoroastrianism as faith, identity entwine". France 24. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  9. ^ a b 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.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ Maleki, Ammar; Arab, Pooyan Tamimi. "Iran's secular shift: new survey reveals huge changes in religious beliefs". The Conversation. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  12. ^ "Indian Parsis try to turn around demographic decline – DW – 08/16/2022". dw.com. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  13. ^ Alan Davidson. National & Regional Styles of Cookery: Proceedings : Oxford Symposium 1981. Oxford Symposium. p. 71.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ "Uzbakistan". vcn.bc.ca.
  16. ^ "Uzbekistan Zoroastrian Association Registered". Zoroastrians.net. 21 August 2013.
  17. ^ "Parsee in Tajikistan". Joshua Project.
  18. ^ "TABLE 9 : POPULATION BY SEX, RELIGION AND RURAL/URBAN, CENSUS - 2023" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  19. ^ "Zoroastrian Demographics & Group Names". heritageinstitute.com. 24 December 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  20. ^ "Why the Afghan city Balkh is important to Zoroastrianism". 7 April 2020.
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