There is no reliable, comparable top-ten ranking of the world’s religions by wealth. Religious traditions are not single financial entities, and the figures that are available often describe one institution, fund or budget—not all the assets associated with a faith. Here are several documented examples, with what each figure does and does not measure.
Why religions cannot be ranked like companies
A religion may include legally and financially separate national churches, dioceses, religious orders, schools, hospitals and charitable organizations. Some traditions have a central authority; others are more decentralized. There is no common reporting boundary that consolidates all of these bodies into one balance sheet for each religion.
The figures that do get reported also measure different things. An endowment’s market value, an institution’s net assets, customer assets held in custody, and an annual budget are not interchangeable. Assets entrusted to a financial institution may belong to its customers, while property held for charitable, religious or heritage purposes may not be freely spendable. A meaningful comparison needs to identify the reporting entity, measure, control or custody status, organizational scope, currency and reporting date.
What published figures actually show
| Reporting entity | Reported figure | What it covers—and what it does not |
|---|---|---|
| Church Commissioners for England | £11.1 billion endowment value at the end of 2024; 10.3% investment return during 2024 | The Commissioners’ in-perpetuity fund. The Church of England said it contributes around 20% of the church’s annual running costs. It is not a total for all Anglican or Christian assets worldwide. Source: Church Commissioners for England, 2025. |
| Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR) | €5.7 billion in total customer assets managed and €731.9 million in net assets, for 2024 | Two distinct measures reported by the IOR. Customer assets include deposits, managed assets and securities under custody; they are not the IOR’s own net assets. Neither figure is a consolidated total for Catholic institutions worldwide. Source: IOR 2024 financial statements. |
| Holy See central government | €770 million projected budget for 2022 | A budget figure, not a balance-sheet valuation or a total for global Catholic organizations. The Associated Press reported it in 2025 as the last consolidated Holy See budget it had identified. |
The Church Commissioners’ endowment
The Church Commissioners’ figure is useful because it is dated and tied to a named fund. The Commissioners said the endowment supports the Church of England, contributing around a fifth of its annual running costs. That defined role does not make the fund a proxy for every Anglican body or for Christianity as a whole.
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IOR figures are not a Catholic Church total
The IOR’s 2024 financial statements were prepared under IAS-IFRS. Its stated mission is “to provide for the custody and administration of movable and immovable assets transferred or entrusted to it by natural or legal persons, and intended for works of religion or charity”. That custody and administration role helps explain why customer assets managed and the institution’s own net assets are separate figures.
A Holy See budget is not a global asset valuation
The Holy See’s central-government budget has a narrower scope than the worldwide finances and property of Catholic dioceses, religious orders, hospitals, schools and other institutions. The €770 million figure is the projected budget for 2022 identified by the Associated Press, not a valuation of those assets.
Why common claims about Catholic and LDS wealth can mislead
Catholic wealth estimates often combine unlike institutions
A claim about “the Catholic Church’s wealth” needs to specify which organizations and assets it includes. The IOR’s customer assets are not its own net assets, and the Holy See’s budget is not a global Catholic balance sheet. Neither figure can be used alone to establish a total for Catholicism.
LDS investment disclosures do not establish churchwide wealth
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints identifies Ensign Peak Advisors as its affiliated investment manager. Its statement on the SEC settlement explains that Form 13F filings disclose certain public equity holdings for investment managers that meet applicable requirements. Those securities filings do not, by themselves, establish a consolidated valuation of church property, operating organizations and investments. An unaudited estimate should not be presented as a verified churchwide total.
How to assess a “richest religion” claim
- Identify the entity: Is the number for a national church, central authority, financial institution, fund or a group of organizations?
- Check the measure: Does it report net assets, an endowment, customer assets under management or custody, revenue, or a budget?
- Check ownership and purpose: Are assets owned by the institution, entrusted by customers, or held for restricted religious or charitable uses?
- Check the boundary: Does the figure cover one country or institution, or claim to include a whole tradition worldwide?
- Check the date and currency: Figures from different reporting years are not a contemporaneous comparison, even before their different measures are considered.
Because the available examples have different scopes, measures and reporting dates, they cannot be ordered into a defensible list of the ten richest religions. The evidence supports comparisons between clearly identified institutions on the same financial measure—not a ranking of entire faiths.
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