Vatican: 'Islam now world's largest religion'

The Vatican acknowledged today that Islam has surpassed Roman Catholicism as the world’s largest religion.

Vittorio Formenti, who compiles the Vatican’s yearbook, said that Roman Catholics account for 17.4% of the world population – a stable percentage - while Muslims are on the rise at 19.2%.

Mr Formenti, in comments to Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano published today, said the data referred to 2006.

The figures on Muslims have been put together by Muslim countries and then provided to the United Nations.

Mr Formenti said that when considering all Christians and not just Catholics, they make up 33% of the world population.