New Delhi: Religion is no longer confined to places of worship. In 2025, faith lives loudly and visibly online, across search engines, social media feeds, and video platforms. A study from December 2025 examining religious influence on the internet revealed that belief systems are shaping digital conversations and curiosity worldwide.
According to the study by religious jewellery retailer MyCross, Islam currently leads global online interest, while Christianity dominates social media activity. The research analysed how the world’s major religions perform online, offering a snapshot of how faith is experienced, shared, and explored in the digital era.
“Faith has always been about connection, and today that connection is increasingly digital,” said a spokesperson for MyCross.
“From social media and video platforms to informational websites, religious communities are finding new ways to make their traditions accessible and visible to younger generations,” the spokesperson added.
To rank religious influence, the study evaluated five key indicators: global follower demographics, Google search volume for religions and their holy texts, Instagram hashtag usage, and YouTube Visibility Index (measuring video reach and engagement).
Together, these metrics paint a picture of both curiosity and participation, how often people search for religious knowledge and how actively followers express their faith online.
Also Read: ‘Nones’ were 3rd largest group globally after Christians, Muslims in 2010-2020, finds Pew survey
Most searched religion
Islam emerged as the most influential religion online. The study showed that in 2025, each month, over 36 million people looked up information about Islamic teachings, with another 8.8 million researching the Quran and related texts. Almost 9.4 million Instagram posts capture daily prayers, Ramadan moments, and community life, while YouTube content on Islam earns the platform’s highest visibility index score of 99. From Quranic interpretation to historical education, Islamic content continues to thrive across digital platforms.
Christianity ranks second overall but leads in social media participation over Islam. Christians shared more than 11 million Instagram posts, documenting worship services, rituals, and expressions of faith. Around 21 million people searched for information about Christianity each month, and interest in the Bible remains unmatched, with 47 million monthly searches, making it the most-researched religious text in the world.
Hinduism follows next, supported by a vast global population of over one billion followers. Roughly 3.4 million people explored Hindu philosophy and traditions online every month. On YouTube, Hindu creators maintain strong visibility and engagement, while Instagram features more than 200,000 posts highlighting festivals, ceremonies, and daily worship.
Though Buddhism stands behind Hinduism, it has surpassed the religion’s online curiosity, as more than 7.7 million users searched for Buddhist teachings monthly. Sikhism featured as the fifth most popular religion online, with 5.7 million people searching for its history online.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)