Pew Research Center has recently released a report on the findings of their 2023-2024 Religious Landscape Study. The RLS survey has been conducted three times over the past 17 years and includes data on the representation of Black Americans in different religious groups and practices.
Among all major racial groups, there has been a steady decline in people who identify as Christian and an increase in those who are religiously unaffiliated. In 2007, 85 percent of Black Americans identified as Christian, compared to 73 percent in 2024. In contrast, 12 percent of Black Americans said they were religiously unaffiliated in 2007, compared to 22 percent in 2024. Black Americans currently represent 1 percent of the Jewish population, 20 percent of the Muslim population, 3 percent of the Buddhist population, and less than 1 percent of the Hindu population in the United States.
Black Americans’ overall share of the Christian population has remained virtually unchanged over the past two decades. In 2007, they represented 12 percent of all American Christians, compared to 13 percent in 2024. Additionally, the share of Black Americans affiliated with historically Black churches has remained around 92 percent over the same time period. Women currently represent 64 percent of Christians who attend historically Black churches.
