The most atheistic countries in the world. China has the highest percentage of atheists in the world

The percentage of believers and atheists.

In the blog of Alexander Nikonov ( a_nikonov ), one of the posts titled "God is dying" provides Gallup data on the percentage of believers in various countries.

"A survey conducted by Gallup in 114 countries indicates that religion plays a larger role in society in poor countries than in rich ones. (...) The highest percentage of believers was found in countries such as Bangladesh, Nigeria, Yemen , Indonesia, Malawi and Sri Lanka, where 99% of respondents answered positively to the question about faith in God.
Estonia topped the list of the least religious countries (16%). Then follow such countries as Sweden, Denmark, Japan.
In Britain, only 27% of the respondents turned out to be believers, in Russia - 34%. In France - 30%, in Hong Kong and Japan - 24% each, in Denmark - 19%, in Sweden - 17%. In the US, this figure was 65%.
The survey, in particular, showed that each of the most religious countries has a per capita gross domestic product of less than $5,000. Meanwhile, in countries with a per capita income of $25,000 or more, on average, only 47% consider religion significant to them."
And Nikonov: "So everything is not bad with us. Rather, it's even good. Because France, which is considered just a militantly atheistic country, gained 30%, only slightly ahead of Russia."

However, perhaps the figures for Russia given in A. Nikonov's blog are not very accurate. They say that Gallup polled only Muscovites and Petersburgers. The newspaper "Troitsky Variant" No. 15 dated August 3, 2010 (on page 5) presents data from sociological surveys of FOM, VTsIOM and the Levada Center in dynamics - from 2002 to 2010. There the number of believers is much higher.

At the same time, scientists turned out to be the most unbelieving categories of the population. So, according to the data given in the book of Richard Dawkins, among the members of the US National Academy of Sciences, only 7% are believers, and 93% are atheists (this despite the fact that the rest of the USA - not scientists - is mostly religious, at least formally); among members of the Royal Society of London believers - 3.3% (and taking into account believers, but with reservations 5%), the remaining 95% are atheists. Whether such a survey was conducted among Russian scientists - I do not know. But among the readers of "Science and Life" was carried out: 65% called themselves atheists. Yes, and without a poll - take offhand the last two Nobel laureates - Zhores Alferov and Vitaly Lazarevich Ginzburg - both atheists. Only Ginzburg spoke loudly about this, and Zhores Alferov, probably, the Charter of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation does not allow, so he speaks about his atheism less often and mainly on the Kultura TV channel.

Thus, since religiosity is so strongly correlated (correlation, of course, inverse) with both economic well-being and the intellectual level of society, I propose that Rosstat introduce a new indicator for assessing socio-economic policy in Russia. If the number of believers grows, it is clear that the country is getting poorer and dumber; if, on the contrary, the number of atheists is growing, then the country is getting smarter and richer. Let's call this indicator "Dawkins-Nikonov coefficient". :-))

Of course, each state has its own faith, but it is worth noting that today the popularity of religion is noticeably declining. The reason for this is simple and banal: more and more people around the world reject the existence of supernatural forces, if not completely convinced that they do not exist. In many countries, society accepts atheists without any questions or accusations, and they feel comfortable and convenient.

We offer the top 8 atheistic countries in which the number of people who do not consider religion an important part of their lives prevails over believers who are ready to give everything in the world for religion.

Japan. One of the countries of East Asia with a population of about 126 million 958 thousand people, among which 25% are Buddhists and Shintoists are sure that religion is important in a person's life, the remaining 75% claim to be "convinced" atheists.

Basically, the people of this country live according to their own principles and canons, where there is no place at all for an omnipotent and all-seeing god. The main role here is given to various rituals and mythology.

France. The only country in the world where today the vast majority of the population are atheists. It would have always been so if it were not for the flow of immigrants, which lowered this percentage level. French law prohibits polls regarding religious preferences, but, nevertheless, the "Romantic Homeland" is on the list of the most non-religious countries in the world.

In 1905, according to the Law adopted on December 9 on the separation of the secular state and the church, the secular worldview became the main asset and treasure of French society. Today in France it is forbidden to talk about religion with children and preach it in schools by any means.

Austria. Approximately 20% of the society here considers themselves to be convinced atheists, and the rest of the population professes the Catholic religion. In this country it is forbidden to be photographed on a driver's license in a headdress, but the exception is cases when the absence of a headdress is not supposed to be practiced by religion.

A precedent was recorded here when a citizen of the country named Niko Alm received the document he needed, being depicted in a photo with a colander on his head. With this act, the Austrian tried to convey to the higher authorities that the kitchen item is an integral ritual accessory of his religion called "pastafarianism" - the belief in a huge flying pasta monster. As a result, Nico received a driver's license, but he had to undergo a series of examinations, including a psychiatrist.

Czech. The Czech Republic is not the last place in the list of atheistic countries in the world: here 40% of citizens consider themselves atheists. It was in the Czech Republic that all kinds of religions were oppressed during the long communist years, so Christianity failed to earn the proper attention of people and an authoritative place in the country.

Denmark. Here, atheism is improving every year more and more, and its adherents feel absolutely at ease. Only 20% of the population believe that religion and God play an important role for them in life, 50% firmly believe in the afterlife and vitality, and the rest do not believe in anything in the world at all.

Most of the Danes assure: religion should be treated as simply as possible - if you want to "believe", if you want "don't believe". They say that faith should be comfortable and comfortable, like clothes that you can take off or put on again if you want.

Australia.Here the number of atheists is increasing exponentially every year. And there is nothing surprising in this: the country is secular, and the traditions of a secular state are above all for the population. In this country, even among politicians, there are atheists who call on other people to abandon their faith.

By the way, in Australia there is a party called "Secular". It oversees the observance of secular rules and principles, as well as the separation of church and state.

Norway. Here the level of religiosity has become much lower and continues to decline every year, which cannot be said about atheists - their number exceeds believers by several times.

Most of the young population of this country do not believe that God created the Earth and today the main goal of the religion of Norway is the abolition of the church tax.

Sweden belongs to a number of those countries that are the most non-religious and atheists on its territory feel as comfortable and calm as possible. Based on the results of a sociological survey of local residents, the authorities drew their own conclusions - religion and everything connected with it are practically of no interest to the Swedes.

One of the local professors even sent a letter to fellow citizens, in which he called for blowing up and destroying churches, and instead rebuilding public places for recreation, such as cafes, restaurants, theaters, and so on.

In fact, in order to talk about such an indicator as the "religiosity" of the country, it is not enough just the number of believers and atheists.

That is why the Gallup Institute of Public Opinion conducted a survey in 2015 in which they asked people: “Is religion an important part of your daily life?”

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

Top 10 most non-religious countries

Uruguay - 59%

More than 60% of the country's population consider themselves Christians. Most of them belong to the Roman Catholic Church. Atheists or agnostics in Uruguay are about 17%. Another 23% of the population are classified as believers without any religious overtones. In total, according to the results of Gallup polls, 59% of the population of the country do 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 a state or obligatory one. However, according to many experts, there has been a clear clericalization of the country in recent years. Religion penetrates almost all spheres of public life, including those areas that are separated from religion according to the Constitution: state 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 lives.

Vietnam - 69%

With religious statistics in Vietnam, everything is not so simple as it seems at first glance. In 2004, a census was conducted according to which 81% of the population identified themselves as atheists. But experts have very serious doubts about this figure. It is believed that these results could have been falsified under the influence of the state. Do not 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 lives.

France - 69%

In principle, French law prohibits the conduct of a survey of 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 made by the CSA institute, as well as based on data from religious associations. Most polls indicate that France is among the least religious countries in the world. Convinced atheists here are at least 29%.

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 occupies an important part of everyday life only in 27% of the country's population.

Hong Kong - 74%

Religious freedom is guaranteed by the Basic Law of Hong Kong. Representatives of various religions live here, 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 lives.

Japan - 75%

The two main religions in Japan are Buddhism and Shintoism. According to some estimates, representatives of these confessions make up to 84-96% of the country's population. However, these figures are mostly based on the association of the Japanese with this or that temple, and not on the number of true believers. Professor Robert Kisala suggests that only 30% of the Japanese population identify themselves as believers. The rest 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 is the third country in the world in terms of the number of atheists and agnostics, their share in the population is 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 people in Sweden do not know about this choice or do not make it, thus 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 a Eurobarometer poll in 2005, 16% of the country's inhabitants answered that "they believe in the existence of God", while 54% answered 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 non-religious nation of the 25 members of the European Union. A 2006-2008 Gallup survey found that 14% of Estonians responded positively to the question "Is religion an important part of your daily life?", the lowest among the 143 countries that took part in the survey.

The religiosity index represents the percentage of the population who identify themselves as "religious" whether they visit places of worship or not, "non-religious" or a confirmed atheist.

Some interesting observations were made during the study:

1. Poor people are more religious than rich people. Low-income people are 17% more religious than high-income people.

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 drop in religiosity among the population, 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 68.8% Christian, 15.9% Muslim, followers of traditional cults 8.5%, others 0.7%.

• Nigeria - 93% religious

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

• Armenia-92% religious

In religious terms, 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

There is no official religion in Romania, but the vast majority of the population are 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 - Protestants 45%, Catholics 33%, Muslims 10%, Aboriginal cults 10%, other 2%.

• Peru - 86% religious

According to the 2007 census, the religions of Peru are Catholics 81.3%, Evangelicals 12.5%, others 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

Christianity is the dominant religion in Ireland.

• Australia - 10% atheists

Christianity is the predominant faith in Australia - 63.9% of the population. Religious minorities in Australia also practice Buddhism (2.1% of the population), Islam (1.7%), Hinduism (0.7%) and Judaism (0.4%). 2% percent of the population said 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 identified themselves as Catholics, 4.7% as Protestants (Lutherans)

• Holland - 14% atheists

Holland is a secular state with no state religion. However, there is freedom of religion in the country. Historically, the country is dominated by Christianity. 43.4% identify themselves as 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 relatively recently introduced Christianity.

• 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%). The percentage of French atheists has decreased due to the flow of immigrants

• Czech Republic - 30% atheists

The Czech Republic is a traditionally Catholic country. But for 40 years of communism, the Czechs have become atheists.

• Japan - 31% atheists

Buddhists and Shintoists make up, according to some estimates, up to 84-96% of the population

• China - 47% atheists

The main religions in China are Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism.

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According to the statistics of atheists, their number is increasing every year. The number of non-believers usually depends on the level in the country. At the same time, the percentage of atheists differs in different countries.

Believers often dream of health and fidelity. And what do atheists believe? An atheist is defined as a person who denies the existence of God. They are convinced that there can be no otherworldly forces. Atheists believe that a school should be built instead of a church. For them, the material side of life, career growth, prosperity are more important. Religious people also dream of living comfortably, but they think about it less often.

Religion brings us closer to the moral ideal, spirituality. Awareness helps to let go of problems and start dreaming. Believers know that after death another life awaits them. Whereas every seventh atheist believes that there is no need to dream.

The core belief of atheists is that there is no objective reason to believe in the existence of God.

According to research by British scientists, the level of intelligence is higher in people who consider themselves non-religious. Historically, the existence of otherworldly forces has been questioned by more educated individuals. The work of Florida psychologist Tod Shackelford confirms the veracity of these studies. His conclusions are based on the results of the largest studies in the last hundred years. Practice has shown that more educated people are less likely to turn to. But does this mean that they are right?

How Atheistic Beliefs Are Formed

The appearance of certain beliefs leaves an imprint from the past. Children raised in a religious family will believe in the existence of God. They have been accustomed to going to church since childhood. A person in whose upbringing there was no place for religious beliefs does not believe in God and will grow up as an atheist. If you tell an atheist about the existence of God, he will smile.

Scientists are trying to determine the conditions that affect the growth of the number of non-believers. Religion is attractive because it gives a certain sense of security in a world full of uncertainties. There is no need for countries with a high level of economic development.

In addition to the above aspects, the reasons for being an atheist lie in the economic situation. As the statistics of atheists show, in countries with a low standard of living, people are more likely to turn to faith. There is such a principle - the lower the standard of living, the more religious. In developed countries, they turn to God for help less often, they visit churches less often.

If we take this factor as the basis of beliefs, then in the richest countries of the world there should not be believers at all. However, in Denmark, where a very high standard of living and social security of citizens in 2010 was almost 83%. Therefore, the previous conclusions of the American psychologist look a little strange.

In 2007, America was 51.3% Protestant and 23.9% Catholic. However, it is difficult to argue with the fact that in poor countries the number of believers is greater:

How many unbelievers in the USSR

Anti-religious propaganda in the USSR was carried out along with the popularization of scientific knowledge. The increase in the number of non-believers was part of the country's ideology. The institute of scientific atheism was created, which existed from 1964 to 1991. In Soviet schools, they explained that there is no place for religion for believers either, explaining this with ordinary ignorance.

The percentage of non-believers in the Russian Federation

How many atheists are there in Russia according to statistics? There are no reliable data, as people understand the term "atheism" in different ways. According to sociological surveys conducted in Russia in 2012, there were almost 13% of non-religious people.

The Russian non-governmental organization Levada Center claims that in 2012 there were only 5% of atheists. And citizens who do not identify themselves with any particular religion - 10%. In 2013, the FOM conducted another survey. According to his results, the statistics of atheists consisted of 25% of non-believers.

The study of sociologists to determine the level of religiosity of the majority of Russians on a scale from 0 to 10 points, stopped in the middle. When conducting a survey in Ukraine, similar data were obtained.

According to a study conducted by VTsIOM in 2016, the statistics of atheists show a decrease in the number of non-believers compared to 1991. Compared to how many atheists there were then, in 2016 their number decreased by 7%.

Among Soviet and Russian celebrities, well-known atheists are V. Ginzburg, S. Dorenko, V. Pozner. And V. Ginzburg opposed the introduction of discipline into the school curriculum - the basis of Orthodox culture. Russian journalist S. Sidorenko often makes anti-religious statements.

Percentage of atheists in countries

Phil Zuckerman, a California researcher, states that almost 85% of non-believers in Sweden are citizens. The statistics of atheists in the world demonstrates high rates of the number of non-believers, typical for Japan, France, and Denmark. The number of believers in the United States decreased by 7%. The percentage of non-religious citizens is shown by the statistics of atheists in different countries:

The researcher believes that the number of unbelievers on earth is increasing. Data taken from a study by Gallup. Was analyzed and atheists in the world for the period from 2005 to 2011. More than 50,000 people from 57 countries participated in the study. According to the results, the number of non-believers in the world increased by 13%. The statistics of atheists and believers are presented in the diagram:

conclusions

Summing up, we can say that the question of faith remains still open. These figures poorly reveal the essence of the problem. Moreover, the number of believers significantly exceeds the number of people who deny the existence of God. And arguments about God's reality surround us every day (Numbers 14-21).