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Religions of Ghana


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Christianity is the country's largest religion, and predominates in southern areas and parts of the northern regions, while Islam is more widespread in parts of the northern regions.
Christian–Muslim relations in Ghana are peaceful, tolerant and bilateral, without the sectarian violence of neighboring countries with similar regional divides such as Ivory Coast. A declining percentage of the population practice traditional African religions.
Christianity is practiced by some 69 percent of the population, according to the 2000 census. Christianity was introduced by Europeans on the coast of Ghana in the fourteenth century, and spread with them. Christian denominations include Catholicism, Methodism, Anglicanism, Presbyterianism, Lutheranism, Seventh-Day Adventism, Pentecostalism, and Baptists.
Islam is the faith of 16% of the population. It was introduced northern Ghana by the Soninke and Dyula in the 15th century. There are four primary branches of Islam in the country: the largest group are Sunnis of the traditional Maliki school, followed by the Ahmadiyya (Ghana has the largest percentage of Ahmadis by single country in the world), and then by the Sufi Tijani-brotherhood, who are also Sunni Malikis, and a small number of Shia in urban areas in the south. Ghana has a unique syncretistic faith, Zetahil, which combines elements of Christianity and Islam.
Traditional religion is practiced by 8.5%. There are also syncretistic groups which combine elements of Christianity or Islam with traditional beliefs.
Hinduism is administered by Ghana's Hindu Monastery headed by Swami Ghananand Saraswati. Hindu denominations include Hare Krishna, Sat Sang, and Sri Sathya Sai Baba Sera. As of 2009 there were about 10,000 African Hindus in Ghana. Hinduism is the fastest growing religion followed by Buddhism.
There are small numbers of other religions in Ghana, including Ninchiren Shoshu Sōka Gakkai, Shintoism,
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