National / Regional Profiles
Included Nations/Regions: Saint Kitts and Nevis [x], Caribbean [x], The World [x]
Saint Kitts and Nevis: Major World Religions (1900 - 2050) (World Religion Database, 2020)1
The following groups with less than 1% of the population were hidden from this graph: Baha'is, Muslims, New religionists.
Saint Kitts and Nevis: Largest Religious Groups (1900 - 2050) (World Religion Database, 2020)1
The following groups with less than 1% of the population were hidden from this graph: doubly-affiliated, Saktists, Shaivites, Shias, Sunnis, Vaishnavites.
Religious Adherents (World Religion Database 2020)1
| Religion | Saint Kitts and Nevis [x] |
Caribbean [x] |
The World [x] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baha'is | 0.49% | 0.17% | 0.11% |
| Buddhists | --- | 0.03% | 6.83% |
| --Mahayanists | --- | 0.03% | 4.89% |
| --Theravadins | --- | --- | 1.72% |
| --Lamaists | --- | --- | 0.23% |
| Chinese folk-religionists | --- | 0.09% | 5.98% |
| Christians | 94.62% | 84.11% | 32.16% |
| --unaffiliated Christians | 3.38% | 5.04% | 1.46% |
| --Orthodox | --- | 0.14% | 3.75% |
| --Catholics | 9.02% | 60.60% | 15.90% |
| --Protestants | 81.28% | 14.16% | 7.51% |
| --Independents | 8.70% | 6.24% | 5.00% |
| Daoists | --- | --- | 0.11% |
| Confucianists | --- | --- | 0.11% |
| Ethnic religionists | --- | 0.00% | 3.65% |
| Hindus | 1.50% | 0.91% | 13.58% |
| --Vaishnavites | 0.40% | 0.25% | 5.15% |
| --Shaivites | 0.55% | 0.30% | 4.86% |
| --Saktists | 0.55% | 0.36% | 3.57% |
| Jains | --- | --- | 0.08% |
| Jews | --- | 0.02% | 0.19% |
| Muslims | 0.25% | 0.27% | 24.20% |
| --Sunnis | 0.23% | 0.25% | 21.56% |
| --Shias | 0.02% | 0.02% | 2.44% |
| --Islamic schismatics | --- | 0.01% | 0.21% |
| New religionists | 0.28% | 0.04% | 0.85% |
| Shintoists | --- | --- | 0.04% |
| Sikhs | --- | --- | 0.34% |
| Spiritists | 1.27% | 6.60% | 0.19% |
| Zoroastrians | --- | --- | 0.00% |
| Non-Religious | 1.59% | 7.75% | 11.57% |
| --Agnostics | 1.59% | 6.44% | 9.65% |
| --Atheists | --- | 1.31% | 1.92% |
Religious demographics (Saint Kitts and Nevis)2
The country has an area of 104 square miles and a population of 46,000. Christianity is the dominant religion. An estimated 50 percent of the population adheres to Anglican beliefs, and 25 percent are Roman Catholic. Methodists, Moravians, Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Rastafarians, Muslims, and members of the Baha'i Faith are also present. Evangelical Christian groups are gaining followers. There is no organized Jewish community, although there is a Jewish cemetery on Nevis.
Summary Information |
Saint Kitts and Nevis [x] |
Caribbean [x] |
The World [x] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Region | Caribbean | The World | -- |
| Total Population3 | 55,572 | 43,199,297 | 7,335,774,068 |
| Area in square miles | 101 | 92,084 | 196,939,900 |
| Life Expectancy from birth, in years4 | -- | 75.2 | 71.9 |
| Gross National Income per capita, in current international dollars4 | 25,940.0 | 15,705.8 | 16,101.0 |
| Description of Polity Score5 | -- | -- | -- |
| Judicial Independence Composite Score, as average of scores for higher and lower courts6 | -- | -- | 0.8 |
| Official Religion(s)7 | Christianity | -- | -- |
Saint Kitts and Nevis - Google Map
Religion and the State
Constitutional Features [ View Excerpts]
Features of Constitution |
Saint Kitts and Nevis [x] |
|---|---|
| Is there a constitution?9 | Yes |
| Does the constitution state an official religion?10 | not stated |
| Does the constitution provide for freedom of religion?10 | yes [ Section 11 ] |
| Does the constitution protect religious equality/non-discrimination?10 | yes [ Sections 3, 15 ] |
Constitution |
Saint Kitts and Nevis [x] |
|---|---|
| Constitution Year10 | 1983 |
| Last Amended10 | (n/a) |
| Source10 | Organization of American States; |
| Translation10 | Original was written in English. |
| Current as of10 | July 14, 2018 |
Socio-Economic Measures
Government |
Saint Kitts and Nevis [x] |
|---|---|
| Freedom House Political Rights Score, scaled from 1 most free to 7 least free11 | 1 |
| Freedom House Civil Liberties Score, scaled from 1 most free to 7 least free11 | 1 |
Education |
Saint Kitts and Nevis [x] |
Caribbean [x] |
The World [x] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult Literacy Rate, in percentage of adult population12 | 98.0 | 86.3 | 86.2 |
| Net Primary School Enrollment Rate, in percentage of population of official school age4 | 78.4 | -- | 89.6 |
| Net Secondary School Enrollment Rate, in percentage of population of official school age4 | 82.4 | -- | 65.1 |
Economic Measures |
Saint Kitts and Nevis [x] |
Caribbean [x] |
The World [x] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Domestic Product, in billions of current U.S. Dollars4 | 0.9 | -- | 75,845.1 |
| Imports, in million current-year U.S. dollars13 | 514.3 | -- | 20,150,355.0 |
| Exports, in million current-year U.S. dollars13 | 518.5 | -- | 20,790,015.7 |
| Economic Freedom Index, scaled from 0 min to 100 max14 | -- | 67.0 | 62.9 |
| Human Development Index15 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| 2013 Gender Inequality Index (GII)16 | -- | -- | 0.4 |
| Gross National Income per capita, in current international dollars4 | 25,940.0 | 15,705.8 | 16,101.0 |
Military Measures |
Saint Kitts and Nevis [x] |
Caribbean [x] |
The World [x] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Composite Index of National Capability, in fraction of 117 | 0.00000147 | 0.000258963 | 0.005162584 |
| 2012 Military expenditure (% of GDP)4 | -- | 1.1 | -- |
Demographic and Health Measures |
Saint Kitts and Nevis [x] |
Caribbean [x] |
The World [x] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Population3 | 55,572 | 43,199,297 | 7,335,774,068 |
| Life Expectancy from birth, in years4 | -- | 75.2 | 71.9 |
| 2012 Net Migration Rate (migrants per 1,000 population)4 | -- | -639.5 | -- |
| Urban Percentage of Total Population13 | 32.2 | -- | 54.3 |
| Urban Population Growth, by percentage13 | 1.3 | -- | 2.0 |
| Fertility Rate, in total births per woman13 | -- | -- | 2.5 |
| Infant Mortality Rate, in deaths per 1000 live births13 | 7.6 | -- | 30.5 |
| HIV Prevalence, in percentage of population ages 15-49 with HIV13 | -- | -- | 0.8 |
Other Measures on Religion, State, and Society
Constitution Clauses Related to Religion
Constitution Excerpts (clauses that reference religion) (Saint Kitts and Nevis)10
Preamble
WHEREAS the People of Saint Christopher and Nevis
(a) declare that the nation is established on the belief in Almighty God ...
...
Section 3. Fundamental rights and freedoms.
Whereas every person in Saint Christopher and Nevis is entitled to the fundamental rights and freedoms, that is to say, the right, whatever his or her ... creed ..., but subject to respect for the rights and freedoms of others and for the public interest, to each and all of the following, namely,
[Here follow enumerated rights]
Section 11. Protection of freedom of conscience.
(1) Except with his or her own consent, a person shall not be hindered in the enjoyment of his or her freedom of conscience, including freedom of thought and of religion, freedom to change his or her religion or belief and freedom, either alone or in community with others, and both in public and in private, to manifest and propagate his or her religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.
(2) Except with his or her own consent (or, if he or she is a person under the age of eighteen years, the consent of a person who is his or her parent or guardian) a person attending any place of education, detained in any prison or corrective institution or serving in a defence force shall not be required to receive religious instruction or to take part in or attend any religious ceremony or observance if that instruction, ceremony or observance relates to a religion that is not his or her own.
(3) Every religious community shall be entitled, at its own expense, to establish and maintain places of education and to manage any place of education that it wholly maintains and such a community shall not be prevented from providing religious instruction for persons of that community in the course of any education that it wholly maintains or in the course of any education that it otherwise provides.
(4) A person shall not be compelled to take any oath that is contrary to his or her religion or belief or to take any oath in a manner that is contrary to his or her religion or belief.
(5) Nothing contained in or done under the authority of any law shall be held to be inconsistent with or in contravention of this section to the extent that the law in question makes provision that is reasonably required
(a) in the interests of defence, public safety, public order, public morality or public health;
(b) for the purpose of protecting the rights and freedoms of other persons, including the right to observe and practise any religion without the unsolicited intervention of members of any other religion; or
(c) for the purpose of regulating educational institutions in the interests of the persons who receive or may receive instruction in them; and except so far as that provision or, as the case may be, the thing done under the authority thereof is shown not to be reasonably justifiable in a democratic society.
(6) References in this section to a religion shall be construed as including references to a religious denomination, and cognate expressions shall be construed accordingly.
Section 15. Protection from discrimination on grounds of race, etc.
(1) ... no law shall make any provision that is discriminatory either of itself or in its effect.
(2) ... a person shall not be treated in a discriminatory manner by any person acting by virtue of any written law or in the performance of the functions of any public office or any public authority.
(3) In this section the expression "discriminatory" means affording different treatment to different persons attributable wholly or mainly to their respective descriptions by ... creed whereby persons of one such description are subjected to disabilities or restrictions to which persons of another such description are not made subject or are accorded privileges or advantages that are not accorded to persons of another such description.
[Technical exceptions follow. However:]
(5) Nothing contained in any law shall be held to be inconsistent with or in contravention of subsection (1) to the extent that it makes provision with respect to standards or qualifications (not being standards or qualifications specifically relating to ... creed ...) to be required of any person who is appointed to or to act in any office under the Crown, any office in the service of a local government authority or any office in a body corporate established by law for public purposes.
...
Section 28. Disqualifications for elected and nominated members.
(1) A person shall not be qualified to be elected or appointed as a member if he or she
...
(b) is a minister of religion;
...
(6) In this section
...
"minister of religion" means any person in holy orders and any other person the principal functions of whose occupation include teaching or preaching in any congregation for religious worship.
...
Sources
1 Todd M. Johnson and Brian J. Grim, eds. World Religion Database (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2022).2 The U.S. State Department's International Religious Freedom Report is submitted to Congress annually by the Department of State in compliance with Section 102(b) of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998. This report supplements the most recent Human Rights Reports by providing additional detailed information with respect to matters involving international religious freedom. It includes individual country chapters on the status of religious freedom worldwide. A dataset with these and the other international measures highlighted on the country pages can be downloaded from this website. These State Department reports are open source.
3 The Religious Characteristics of States Dataset Project: Demographics reports the estimates of religious demographics, both country by country and region by region. The RCS was created to fulfill the unmet need for a dataset on the religious dimensions of countries of the world, with the state-year as the unit of observation. It estimates populations and percentages of adherents of 100 religious denominations including second level subdivision within Christianity and Islam. The RCS Data Project would like to acknowledge, recognize, and express our deepest gratitude for the significant contributions of Todd M. Johnson the co-principal investigator of the World Religion Database.
4 Relying on agencies from each country, as well as a synthesis of data from United Nations divisions, Eurostate Demographic statistics, the U.S. Census international database, and its own data collection, the World Bank's Open Data site offers free and open access to data about development in countries around the globe.
5 The Center for Systemic Peace (CSP) is engaged in innovative research on the problem of political violence within the structural context of the dynamic global system. The Center supports scientific research and quantitative analysis in many issue areas related to the fundamental problems of violence in both human relations and societal-systemic development processes. The Center continually monitors political behavior in each of the world's major states and reports on emerging issues and persisting conditions related to the problems of political violence and "state failure." A dataset with these and other international measures can be downloaded from here. Used with permission. *Note: Polity Scores range from -10 to 10 and include the following categories: -10 to -9: strongly autocratic, -8 to -7 autocratic, -6 to -4 weakly autocratic, -3 to +3 anocratic, +4 to +6 weakly democratic, +7 to +8 democratic, +9 to +10 strongly democratic.
6 Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) is a new approach to conceptualizing and measuring democracy. V-Dem provides a multidimensional and disaggregated dataset that reflects the complexity of the concept of democracy as a system of rule that goes beyond simple presence of elections. The V-Dem project distinguishes between seven high-level principles of democracy: electoral, liberal, participatory, deliberative, egalitarian, majoritarian, and consensual, and collects data to measure these principles. A dataset with these and other international measures can be downloaded from here. Used with permission.
7 The Religious Characteristics of States Dataset Project: Government Religious Preference (GRP) measures government-level favoritism toward, and disfavor against, 30 religious denominations. A series of ordered categorical variables index the state's institutional favoritism in 28 different ways. The variables are combined to form five composite indices for five broad components of state-religion: official status, religious education, financial support, regulatory burdens, and freedom of practice. The five components' composites in turn are further combined into a single composite score, the GRP score. The RCS Data Project would like to acknowledge, recognize, and express our deepest gratitude for the significant contributions of Todd M. Johnson, the principal investigator of the World Christian Database, the co-principal investigator of the World Religion Database, and co-author of the World Christian Encyclopedia series.
8 The Religion and State (RAS) Project is a university-based project located at Bar Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel and is directed by Jonathan Fox. Round 3 of the RAS includes all countries with populations of 250,000 or more as well as a sampling of smaller states and offers annual measures from 1990 to 2014. The methods used for conducting the RAS3 collection and the complete codebook can be reviewed online. Or, the codebook and data file can be downloaded free of charge here. For details on how the RAS indexes reported on the ARDA’s National Profiles were coded, constructed, and placed into categories, click here.
9 Data under the "Features of Constitution" heading are drawn from coding of the U.S. State Department's 2008 International Religious Freedom Reports conducted by researchers at the Association of Religion Data Archives. The article by Brian Grim and Roger Finke describes the coding of the International Religious Freedom reports. A dataset with these and the other international measures highlighted on the country pages can be downloaded from this website. Used with permission.
10 Text from country constitutions was copied from primary documents obtained online using a variety of sources, including the Constitute Project, World Constitutions Illustrated, and government sources. When the text was in a language other than English, it was translated to English by ARDA staff or with web-based translation utilities such as Google Translate. Emphases were added to the text by ARDA staff to differentiate religious content from non-religious content. Text is current to the date listed in the "Current as of" field shown above. Please contact us at
11 Freedom House is an independent non-governmental organization that offers measures of the extent to which governments are accountable to their own people; the rule of law prevails; and freedoms of expression, association, belief and respect for the rights of minorities and women are guaranteed. A dataset with these and the other international measures highlighted on the country pages can be downloaded from this website. Used with permission.
12 The CIA's World Factbook was created as an annual summary and update to the now defunct National Intelligence Survey (NIS) studies. The first classified Factbook was published in August 1962, and the first unclassified version was published in June 1971. The NIS program was terminated in 1973 except for the Factbook, map, and gazetteer components. The 1975 Factbook was the first to be made available to the public with sales through the US Government Printing Office (GPO). The year 2010 marks the 67th year of the World Factbook and its predecessor programs. The maps and flags are also from the World Factbook, which is an open source.
13 Relying on agencies from each country, as well as a synthesis of data from United Nations divisions, Eurostate Demographic statistics, the U.S. Census international database, and its own data collection, the World Bank's Open Data site offers free and open access to data about development in countries around the globe.
14 The Heritage Foundation/Wall Street Journal Index of Economic Freedom is a systematic, empirical measurement of economic freedom in countries throughout the world. A set of objective economic criteria are used to study and grade various countries for the annual publication of the Index of Economic Freedom. A dataset with these and the other international measures highlighted on the country pages can be downloaded from this website. Used with permission.
15 The United Nations Human Development Reports provide data and statistical analysis in various areas of human development. The Human Development Report (HDR) presents two types of statistics: the human development indicator tables, which provide a global assessment of country achievements in different areas of human development, and thematic statistical analysis. A dataset with these and the other international measures highlighted on the country pages can be downloaded from this website. Used with permission.
16 The 2013 Gender Inequality Index is a composite measure reflecting inequality in achievements between women and men in three dimensions: reproductive health, empowerment and the labor market. It varies between zero (when women and men fare equally) and one (when men or women fare poorly compared to the other in all dimensions). The health dimension is measured by two indicators: maternal mortality ratio and the adolescent fertility rate. The empowerment dimension is also measured by two indicators: the share of parliamentary seats held by each sex and by secondary and higher education attainment levels. The labor dimension is measured by women’s participation in the work force. Source: The United Nations Human Development Reports provide data and statistical analysis in various areas of human development. The Human Development Report (HDR) presents two types of statistics: the human development indicator tables, which provide a global assessment of country achievements in different areas of human development, and thematic statistical analysis. A dataset with these and the other international measures highlighted on the country pages can be downloaded from this website. Used with permission.
17 Military data is drawn from the National Material Capabilities (v4.0) dataset, which is a component of and hosted by the Correlates of War Project. The Correlates of War Project seeks to facilitate the collection, dissemination, and use of accurate and reliable quantitative data in international relations. Correlates of War data may be accessed through the above link. Used with permission.
18 The article by Brian Grim and Roger Finke describes the coding of the U.S. State Department's International Religious Freedom reports. The 2003, 2005, and 2008 reports were coded by researchers at the Association of Religion Data Archives. The GRI, GFI and SRI values reported on the National Profiles are averages from the 2003, 2005, and 2008 International Religious Freedom reports, while the Religious Persecution measure is an average from the 2005 and 2008 reports. All other measures derived from the International Religious Freedom reports were coded from the reports 2008. A data file with all of the 2008 coding, as well as data files with other cross national collections are available for preview and download from the data archive on this site. Used with permission.
19 The Cingranelli-Richards (CIRI) Human Rights Dataset contains standards-based quantitative information on government respect for 15 internationally recognized human rights for 202 countries, annually from 1981-2011. It is designed for use by scholars and students who seek to test theories about the causes and consequences of human rights violations, as well as policy makers and analysts who seek to estimate the human rights effects of a wide variety of institutional changes and public policies including democratization, economic aid, military aid, structural adjustment, and humanitarian intervention. The full CIRI Human Rights Dataset can be accessed through the above link. Used with permission.
