| Religion | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buddhism | 27.0 | 31.2 | 42.5 | 33.3 |
| Christianity | 10.1 | 12.7 | 14.6 | 18.3 |
| No religion | 13.0 | 14.1 | 14.8 | 17.0 |
| Islam | 15.7 | 15.3 | 14.9 | 14.7 |
| Taoism/Chinese traditional beliefs | 30.0 | 22.4 | 8.5 | 10.9 |
| Hinduism | 3.6 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 5.1 |
| Other religions | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 |
Singapore generally allows religious freedom, although some religious sects are restricted or banned, such as Jehovah's Witness, due to its opposition of National Service. The majority of Malays are Muslim, the plurality of Chinese practise Buddhism and syncretic Chinese folk traditions. Christianity is growing among the Chinese, having overtaken Taoism as second most important religion among this ethnic group. Indians are mostly Hindus though many others are Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians. People who practice no religion form the third largest group in Singapore.
Religions of the main ethnic groups (2000):
Source: Census 2000.
Read more about this topic: Singaporean People
Famous quotes containing the word religion:
“Intolerance respecting other people’s religion is toleration itself in comparison with intolerance respecting other people’s art.”
—Wallace Stevens (1879–1955)
“Religion is an attempt to get an irrefragably safe investment, and this cannot be got, no matter how low the interest, which in the case of religion is about as low as it can be.”
—Samuel Butler (1835–1902)
“The only human beings I have thoroughly admired and respected in the world have been those who carried the load of the world with a smile, and who, in the face of anxieties that would have knocked me clean out, never showed a tremor. Such men and women end by owning us, soul and body, and our allegiance can never be shaken. We are only too glad to be owned. Religion is nothing but this.”
—Henry Brooks Adams (1838–1918)