 From its origins in the Persian and Ottoman Empires , by the early 20th century there were a number of converts in South and South East Asia , Europe , and North America . During the 1950s and 1960s , vast travel teaching efforts brought the religion to almost every country and territory of the world . By the 1990s , Bahá 'ís were developing programs for systematic consolidation on a large scale , and the early 21st century saw large influxes of new adherents around the world . The Bahá 'í Faith is currently the largest religious minority in Iran , Panama , and Belize ; the second largest international religion in Bolivia , Zambia , and Papua New Guinea ; and the third largest international religion in Chad and Kenya . 
