Angina

Share of atheists in the world. The highest percentage of atheists in the world is recorded in China

10

49%
Population: 1 317 797
645 720

Christianity, which came to Estonia in the 11th century, did not take root among the common people. During Soviet times, religiosity was suppressed. When Estonia gained independence in 1991, there were few believers in the country. This situation remains to this day. True, the popularity of ancient Estonian beliefs is being revived.

9

Percentage of atheists/agnostics/non-believers: 52%
Population: 50 700 000
Number of atheists/agnostics/non-believers: 26 364 000

Only slightly less than half of South Koreans consider themselves to be supporters of any religion. Major religions in South Korea- traditional Buddhism and Christianity, which has recently penetrated into the country. In South Korea, so-called “new religions” such as Cheongdogyo are very strong. There is also a small Muslim minority.

8

Percentage of atheists/agnostics/non-believers: 54%
Population: 67 032 000
Number of atheists/agnostics/non-believers: 36 197 280

In France, a whole layer of Catholic traditions has still been preserved - the streets here still bear the names of saints, and churches rise everywhere. But atheism in France has a long tradition, and has become a kind of “ national treasure" Here, as in the United States, the separation of church and state was one of the main requirements of the revolution, as a result of which the current democratic state arose. In 1905, France passed a law on the separation of church and state, and since then the principles of secularism have become almost the main values of French society. In France, it is also prohibited by law to preach religion in schools.

7

Percentage of atheists/agnostics/non-believers: 60%
Population: 5 505 575
Number of atheists/agnostics/non-believers: 3 303 345

To late XIX centuries, Finns could profess only one of the state religions - either Lutheranism or Orthodoxy. It was only the law of 1889 that allowed Finns to practice another form of Christianity. The process of secularization proceeds especially quickly in major cities, and there are two leaders in this - Helsinki and Tempere. However, the process of secularization did not begin in Finland today, but after the Second World War it gained a truly gigantic scope.

6

Percentage of atheists/agnostics/non-believers: 61%
Population: 10 579 067
Number of atheists/agnostics/non-believers: 6 453 230

The population of many former socialist countries recent years rushed en masse to revive their previously banned religions, which suggests that promoting atheism in a commanding manner is not the best effective method. However, the Czech Republic turned out to be an exception to the rule. There is no trace of a rollback to religious beliefs, and only 21% of the population believes that religion plays a role important role in their lives. Unlike most eastern European countries, The Czech Republic occupies a fairly high place in the UN “index human development" This country is not as mired in the corruption and authoritarianism that prevail in other former socialist states - in Russia, for example.

5

Percentage of atheists/agnostics/non-believers: 65%
Population: 126 740 000
Number of atheists/agnostics/non-believers: 82 381 000

As in most countries of East Asia, religion in Japan has been preserved not so much as faith, but at the level of observance of national traditions. Therefore, only 25% of Japanese believe that religion occupies an important place in their lives. In Japan, it is not generally accepted that a person must belong to any church or necessarily profess any religion. Those Japanese who still profess the traditional Japanese religion - a mixture of Shintoism and Buddhism - practice religious cults in a form less formalized than in the monotheistic religions of the West, which creates an atmosphere of minimal social pressure on atheists - and the latter, accordingly, feel quite at ease in Japan .

4

Percentage of atheists/agnostics/non-believers: 72%
Population: 5 267 146
Number of atheists/agnostics/non-believers: 3 792 345

Since there is a strong correlation between the happiest and least religious countries, it is only natural that Norway tops both of these lists. The relationship between the happiness index and the level of religiosity of the population is somewhat more complex than it seems at first glance. On the one hand, people are indeed less religious when they have less need for something. On the other hand, atheism flourishes precisely in those countries where people traditionally trust their governments to pursue socially oriented policies and distribute economic benefits relatively fairly. If you have a high level of trust in your state and your fellow citizens, then faith in God fades into the background.

3

Percentage of atheists/agnostics/non-believers: 80%
Population: 5 756 170
Number of atheists/agnostics/non-believers: 4 604 936

Denmark opens the top three countries that have gotten rid of religious dogmas. This country even allowed public burning of Korans and Bibles. The kingdom's parliament explained that they do not see the need for special laws protecting faith from certain open statements. “Religion should not dictate what is allowed and what is not allowed to be stated publicly. This gives her a completely unfair priority in society.”

2

Percentage of atheists/agnostics/non-believers: 81%
Population: 92 700 000
Number of atheists/agnostics/non-believers: 75 087 000

Freedom of religion in Vietnam is formally enshrined in the constitution, but for many religious societies restrictions are imposed, especially if the state considers any of them a threat to the authority of the Communist Party. In 2007, Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Cao Dai, Hoa Hao were officially allowed, and the Baha'i faith received permission for religious activities along with two other religions and one sect. Despite the Vietnamese state's attempts to improve its image in the eyes of the international community through religious freedoms, several religious leaders have alleged continued discrimination. Religious freedom activist Nguyen Hong Quang was arrested in 2004 and his home was razed to the ground. Thuong Christians continue to be oppressed by the state. Vietnam's anti-religious policies have led to such a high percentage of non-believers.

1

Percentage of atheists/agnostics/non-believers: 85%
Population: 10 046 200
Number of atheists/agnostics/non-believers: 8 539 270

Sweden is one of the most secular countries in the world. Swedes, accustomed to order, often view baptism and church weddings as a tradition and obligation, a symbol of belonging to the state. Because of this, the Church of Sweden is often called the “church of unbelievers” - only 15% of its members believe in Jesus Christ. According to statistics compiled by Phil Zuckerman, 85% of Swedes consider themselves non-believers. This is one of the most high performance“disbelief” recorded on Earth. Phil Zuckerman made another interesting finding: most of the most secular countries are characterized by high living standards, well-educated populations and personal freedom, while the least secular countries are characterized by low living standards, oppression of women and a lack of personal freedom.

According to the new sociological research Gallup International found that Chinese society has the highest proportion of atheists in the world, reports The Christian Post.

Gallup polls were conducted in 68 countries around the world, involving more than 66 thousand people.

According to research, 70% of the world's population professes one faith or another. At the same time, China has the highest proportion of non-believers - it reaches 67%, while only 9% of Chinese are believers.

Following China on the list is Japan, where 29% of the population does not believe in God; in third place in terms of level of disbelief is Slovenia (28%), then Czech Republic(25%) and South Korea (23%).

The polls also refuted the popular misconception that faith is declining in Europe. It turned out that in Belgium and France only 21% of citizens consider themselves non-believers; in Sweden there are 18% of them, and in Iceland - 17%. In Thailand, unbelief is considered very rare - 98% of the population there believe in God.

In general, 62% of the world's population professes one faith or another. Moreover, 74% of respondents believe that every person has a soul; 71% believe in one God; 56% believe in the existence of the Kingdom of Heaven; 54% believe in life after death and 49% believe in the existence of hell.

According to Gallup International Acting President Vilma Scarpino, religion remains " the most important element human life values, spirituality and culture around the world."

“At the same time, the perception of spiritual values is significantly influenced by the history of each specific country, general level education of the population and some other factors,” the publication quotes her as saying.

It is noted that, with the still high overall percentage unbelief, the number of Christians and underground Christian home churches in China is currently growing rapidly and persistently, despite the constant arrests of parishioners by the authorities and public policy persecution of Christians.

“The country's top leadership is concerned about the rapid spread and growth of influence Christian faith in China, its growing presence in public life. Communist Party China is appalled by the fact that the number of Christians in the country has long since far outnumbered the number of party members,” Bob Fu, president of the Christian charity ChinaAid, was quoted as saying by The Christian Post.

In the fight against the growing influence christian church, the authorities raid underground home churches, arrest priests, knock down crosses from the walls and domes of authorized churches, and harass and interrogate Christian human rights activists.

Atheism

Atheism in a broad sense is the rejection of belief in the existence of God; in a narrower sense, it is the belief that God does not exist. In relation to religion, atheism is a worldview that denies religion as a belief in the supernatural.

Atheism is characterized by a belief in the self-sufficiency of the natural world (nature) and in the human (not supernatural) origin of all religions. Many who consider themselves atheists are skeptical of all supernatural beings, phenomena and forces, pointing out the lack of evidence of their existence. Others argue for atheism using philosophy, sociology, or history. Most atheists are supporters of secular philosophies such as humanism and naturalism. There is no single ideology or pattern of behavior that is common to all atheists.

The term "atheism" originated as a pejorative epithet applied to any person or doctrine that was in conflict with an established religion. And only later did this word come to mean a certain philosophical position. With the spread of freedom of belief, freedom of thought and conscience, scientific skepticism and criticism of religion, this term began to acquire a more specific meaning and began to be used by atheists to designate themselves.

The term "atheism" originated in 16th-century France, but there is evidence that ideas that would be considered atheistic today were already present in Sumerian times. Ancient Egypt, Vedic civilization and Antiquity.

A 2005 study by Encyclopædia Britannica found that approximately 11.9% of people are non-religious and about 2.3% are atheists.

In 2005, the Pew Research Center examined American attitudes toward representatives of various faiths and worldviews. Sociologists have found that atheists are the least respected. 35% of Americans have a positive view of them, 53% have a negative view.

According to a 2012 Pew Research Center survey, over the past five years, the share of US citizens who do not associate themselves with any religion has increased from 15% to 20%. Share of atheists in the period 2007-2012 increased from 1.6% to 2.4%, agnostics - from 2.1% to 3.3%. Two-thirds of US citizens believe that religion in general is losing its influence on American life.

In November - December 2006, a survey of citizens of the United States and five European countries, published in the Financial Times, showed that Americans are more likely than Europeans to believe in anything supernatural (73%). Among European adults, Italians are the most religious (62%), while the French are the least religious (27%). In France, 32% of respondents called themselves atheists and another 32% - agnostics.

An official survey of the European Union found the following results: 18% of the EU population do not believe in God, 27% accept the existence of a supernatural "spiritual life force", while 52% believe in a specific God. Among those who left school before their 15th birthday, the ratio of believers rises to 65%; Those surveyed who considered themselves to come from strict families were more likely to believe in God than those whose families did not have strict internal rules.

In 2007, a survey conducted by the Institute social research(USA), showed that the most religious country among industrialized countries is the United States - 90% claim to believe in God, 60% pray daily, 46% attend temple (synagogue or mosque) weekly. The proportion of active believers in other industrialized countries is much lower - 4% in Great Britain, 8% in France, 7% in Sweden and 4% in Japan.

In 2005, the first place in the list of the 50 most atheistic countries in the world, compiled by the American Pitzer College, was occupied by Sweden (85% of the inhabitants were atheists). It was followed by Vietnam (81%), Denmark (80%), Norway (72%), Japan (65%), Czech Republic (61%), Finland (60%), France (54%), South Korea (52%). ) and Estonia (49%).

In fact, to talk about such an indicator as the “religiosity” of a country, the number of believers and atheists alone is not enough.

That's why the Gallup Institute of Public Opinion conducted a poll in 2015 in which it asked people: “Does religion matter? important part in your everyday life?».

Our list includes 10 countries where greatest number people answered “no” to this question. As it turns out, many simply consider themselves believers just for show.

Top 10 most irreligious countries

Uruguay - 59%

More than 60% of the country's population consider themselves Christians. Most of them belong to the Roman Catholic Church. There are about 17% of atheists or agnostics in Uruguay. Another 23% of the population belongs to the category of believers without any religious overtones. In total, according to Gallup polls, 59% of the country's population does not consider religion an important part of their lives.

Russia - 60%

Russia, according to the Constitution, is a secular state in which no religion can be established as state or compulsory. Those to me less, according to many experts, in lately there is a clear clericalization of the country. Religion penetrates into almost all spheres of public life, including those areas that, according to the Constitution, are separated from religion: government bodies, school, army, science and education. However, according to research, about 60% of the population say that religion is not an important part of their daily life.

Vietnam - 69%

With religious statistics in Vietnam, everything is not as simple as it seems at first glance. In 2004, a census was conducted according to which 81% of the population called themselves atheists. But experts have very serious doubts about this figure. It is believed that these results could have been falsified under government influence. Don't forget that the official name of the country is the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. In reality, among people who indicated that they have no religion, the majority may be adherents of traditional beliefs, for example, the cult of ancestors. And yet, 69% of the population say that religion is not an important part of their daily life.

France - 69%

In principle, French law prohibits conducting a survey religious affiliation. The priority remains the protection of freedom of religion in the context of a secular republican state. However, such an assessment can be carried out by the CSA Institute, as well as on the basis of data from religious associations. Most polls place France among the least religious countries in the world. There are at least 29% of convinced atheists here.

UK - 73%

71% of the UK population consider themselves Christians, another 15% say they do not believe in any religion and are atheists. At the same time, religion is an important part of everyday life for only 27% of the country's population.

Hong Kong - 74%

Freedom of religion is guaranteed by Hong Kong's Basic Law. Representatives live here different religions, including Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism. However, most of these people are not very religious. According to a Gallup study, only 24% of the population said that religion is an important part of their daily life.

Japan - 75%

The two main religions in Japan are Buddhism and Shintoism. Representatives of these faiths, according to some estimates, constitute up to 84-96% of the country's population. However, these figures are mostly based on the association of the Japanese with a particular temple, and not on the number of actual believers. Professor Robert Kisala suggests that only 30% of Japan's population identifies as religious. Others do not consider religion an important enough part of their lives.

Denmark - 80%

In general, Danes are not very religious, according to a 2005 study. Denmark has the third largest number of atheists and agnostics in the world, their share of the population ranges from 43% to 80%. The 2005 Eurobarometer study found that 31% of Danish citizens believe that they believe in God, 49% believe in some kind of spirit or vitality and 19% do not believe in any of the above.

Sweden - 82%

Most of the country's population belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden. However, this affiliation is only formal. The religion of a Swedish resident is determined by the denomination to which the church tax is paid from that resident. But many residents of Sweden do not know about this choice or do not make it, thereby by default they belong to the Church of Sweden. In fact, according to many studies, up to 85% of Swedes are atheists.

Estonia - 84%

According to the 2005 Eurobarometer survey, 16% of the country responded that “they believe in the existence of God,” while 54% responded that they “believe that there are some higher powers", and 26% - that "they do not believe in God or other higher powers." This, according to the study, makes Estonians the most irreligious nation of the 25 members of the European Union. A 2006-2008 Gallup study found that 14% of Estonians answered yes to the question, “Is religion an important part of your daily life?”, the lowest percentage among the 143 countries surveyed.

To talk about such an indicator as the “religiosity” of a country, the number of believers and atheists alone is not enough. That's why Gallup conducted a 2015 poll asking people, "Is religion an important part of your daily life?" Our list includes the 10 countries where the largest number of people answered “no” to this question. As it turns out, many simply consider themselves believers just for show.

Uruguay - 59%

Russia - 60%

Russia, according to the Constitution, is a secular state in which no religion can be established as state or compulsory. However, according to many experts, recently there has been a clear clericalization of the country. Religion penetrates into almost all spheres of public life, including those areas that, according to the Constitution, are separated from religion: government bodies, schools, the army, science and education. However, according to research, about 60% of the population say that religion is not an important part of their daily life.

Vietnam - 69%

France - 69%

In principle, French law prohibits religious affiliation surveys. The priority remains the protection of freedom of religion in the context of a secular republican state. However, such an assessment can be carried out by the CSA Institute, as well as on the basis of data from religious associations. Most polls place France among the least religious countries in the world. There are at least 29% of convinced atheists here.

UK - 73%

Hong Kong - 74%

Freedom of religion is guaranteed by Hong Kong's Basic Law. Representatives of various religions live here, including Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Sikhism. However, most of these people are not very religious. According to a Gallup study, only 24% of the population said that religion is an important part of their daily life.

Japan - 75%

Denmark - 80%

In general, Danes are not very religious, according to a 2005 study. Denmark has the third largest number of atheists and agnostics in the world, their share of the population ranges from 43% to 80%. A 2005 Eurobarometer study found that 31% of Danish citizens believe they believe in God, 49% believe in some kind of spirit or life force, and 19% believe in none of the above.

Sweden - 82%

Most of the country's population belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden. However, this affiliation is only formal. The religion of a resident of Sweden is determined by the denomination to which the church tax is paid from this resident. But many residents of Sweden do not know about this choice or do not make it, thereby by default they belong to the Church of Sweden. In fact, according to many studies, up to 85% of Swedes are atheists.

Estonia - 84%

According to the 2005 Eurobarometer survey, 16% of the country responded that “they believe in the existence of God,” while 54% responded that they “believe that there is some kind of higher power” and 26% that “ they don’t believe in God or other higher powers.” This, according to the study, makes Estonians the most irreligious nation of the 25 members of the European Union. A 2006-2008 Gallup study found that 14% of Estonians answered yes to the question, “Is religion an important part of your daily life?”, the lowest percentage among the 143 countries surveyed.

The religiosity index represents the percentage of the population who consider themselves to be “religious,” whether they attend places of worship or not, “not religious,” or a convinced atheist.

The study made some interesting observations:

1. Poor people are more religious than rich people. People with low level income are 17% more religious than people with high level income.

2. Globally, the number of people identifying as religious fell by 9% from 2005 to 2011, while the number of people identifying as atheists increased by 3%.

3. Four countries experienced a decline in religiosity among their populations, which increased by more than 20% between 2005 and 2012. In France and Switzerland the number of religious people decreased by 21%, in Ireland by 22%, in Vietnam by 23%.

Ghana - 96% religious

According to the 2000 census, Ghana is home to 68.8% Christians, 15.9% Muslims, 8.5% followers of traditional cults, and 0.7% others.

Nigeria - 93% religious

The majority of Nigerians are Muslims - more than 50%, Protestants - 33%, Catholics - 15%

Armenia-92% religious

Religiously, the majority of the believing population of Armenia (94%) are Christians.

Fiji - 92% religious

Christians - 64.5%, Hindus - 27.9%, Muslims - 6.3%, Sikhs - 0.3%.

Macedonia - 90% religious

Christians are the majority in the Republic of Macedonia (64.7%), Muslims make up 33.3% of the population.

Romania - 89% religious

Romania has no official religion, but the vast majority of the population is Orthodox Christians - 86.8%.

Iraq - 88% religious

The majority of the Iraqi population is Muslim. According to some sources, Shiites in Iraq represent 65% of the population, Sunnis - 35%

Kenya - 88% religious

Religions in Kenya are Protestant 45%, Catholic 33%, Muslim 10%, aboriginal cults 10%, other 2%.

Peru - 86% religious

According to the 2007 census, Peru's religions are Catholic 81.3%, Evangelical 12.5%, other 3.3%.

Brazil - 85% religious

According to the 2010 census, about 64% of the country's population are adherents of the Roman Catholic Church, about 22% of all residents profess Protestantism.

Ireland - 10% atheists

In Ireland, Christianity is the predominant religion.

Australia - 10% atheists

Christianity is the predominant faith of Australia - 63.9% of the population. Australia's religious minorities also practice Buddhism (2.1% of the population), Islam (1.7%), Hinduism (0.7%) and Judaism (0.4%). 2% percent of the population stated that they adhere to other religions.

Iceland - 10% atheists

Main denomination Iceland– Christianity - 92.2% of the total population of the country.

Austria - 10% atheists

Among religions in Austria, the most common is Catholicism. According to the 2001 census, 73.6% of the country's population considered themselves Catholics, 4.7% - Protestants (Lutherans)

Holland - 14% atheists

Holland is a secular state with no state religion. However, there is freedom of religion in the country. Historically, Christianity predominates in the country. 43.4% consider themselves Christians.

Germany - 15% atheists

The majority of Germans are Christians, making up 64% of the country's population.

South Korea - 15% atheists

The main religions in South Korea are traditional Buddhism and Christianity, which has recently entered the country.

France - 29% atheists

Until recently, it was believed that France is the only country in the world where the absolute majority of the population are atheists (57%). Percentage French atheists have decreased due to the flow of immigrants