Correspondent: The era of atheists. Why is the number of believers in the world rapidly falling? China has the highest percentage of atheists in the world

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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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 human 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, if you want, you can take off or put on again.

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.

The statistics of believers demonstrates the ambiguous attitude of people towards religious canons, the fulfillment of which is required by a particular denomination.

As the statistics of believers show, most of the world's population is adherents of a particular religion. However, people who identify themselves with one or another belief do not always strive to perform the prescribed rituals.

Believers in Russia

According to the Russian Orthodox Church, 80% of Orthodox believers in Russia. Today, faith in God has become fashionable and is actively promoted at the highest level. At the same time, not everyone has an understanding of what it means to classify oneself as a member of the church. Rather, it is the installation of an equal sign between the concept of Russian and Orthodox.

In the USSR, state policy was aimed at eradicating "remnants of the past." Atheism was actively planted in schools, schoolchildren tried to convey to their believing grandmothers the foundations of materialism. The eradication of Orthodox traditions could not pass without leaving a trace. When the people received not only permission, but also recommendations for faith in God, it turned out that few people know how to do it.

The statistics of believers in Russia show that out of 80% of people who have declared themselves Orthodox, only 18–20% go to confession and communion 1 to 2 times a year. The rest come on Easter to bless Easter cakes and sometimes run into the church for personal needs. It is possible to determine how many believers in Russia are not by surveys of involvement in the faith, but by the number of people who observe fasting, celebrate church holidays, read the Bible, and know prayers. The number of people who visited the church on Easter by year:

Signs of believers:

• regular temple attendance (several times a week);
• fulfillment of church rules (fasts, prayers);
• communication with clergy.

There are no official statistics of such people, but according to approximate estimates, they are no more than 1%. Considering how many believers there are in Russia, the statistics cannot bypass the representatives of Islam. Russia is currently inhabited by approximately 18-21 million Muslims (14%). According to the 2010 census, there were 15 million of them.

As in Orthodoxy, not every Muslim follows the prescriptions of religion, from halal food to five daily prayers. Religious holidays allow people who identify with their faith to express their attitude towards religion. On June 25, 2017, 250,000 Muslims came to pray on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr in Moscow.

Believers and atheists

The religiosity of the population is largely connected with the traditions of the state. If the country went through a period of persecution of believers, then atheism was fed in the form of derogatory assessments of the mental abilities of believers. In the Soviet Union, religious people were considered backward, "dark", poorly educated. Now this position has changed, although some scholars equate religiosity with a lack of education.

However, there is a difference between belonging to a religion and believing in God. Some religions, such as Buddhism, do not consider the existence of a higher being at all. People can believe in otherworldly forces, witches and sorcerers, fairy-tale characters, energy flows, and at the same time not consider themselves believers. On the other hand, Orthodox Christians often turn to pagan rites and rituals (fortune-telling).

Distribution of religions in the world

According to Wikipedia for 2010, the distribution of believers by confession is as follows:

• Christians make up about 33% of all believers. These include Catholics, Protestant believers (Baptists, Lutherans, Pentecostals), Orthodox (15 autocephalous (local churches)), believers of pre-Chalcedonian churches (ancient Eastern churches). Additionally, representatives of non-canonical churches, as well as Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses are taken into account;
• Muslims - 23% (Sunnis, Shiites, Islamic schismatics);
• Hindus - 14-15%;
• Buddhists - 7%;
• Jews and representatives of ethnic religions - about 22%.

The number of believers by religion puts Christianity, Islam and Hinduism among the most widespread denominations in the world. However, not all believers in Jesus Christ know that the system of religion, both Christians and Jews, is built according to the Bible. The difference is that Judaism takes the Old Testament (Torah) as its basis, while Christians take the New Testament (Gospel). The diagram shows the distribution of believers by religion and how many atheists there are in the world:

Today, politicians in Russia are actively conducting indirect propaganda of Orthodoxy among the masses. The participation of the highest officials of the state in church holidays, the conversations of the head of state with the Patriarch and much more demonstrate not only a loyal attitude towards the church, but also mutual cooperation.

It is possible to explain where the “believing” politicians came from by the fact that in modern Russia it is difficult to formulate a national idea, which is the starting point for creating the standard behavior of a citizen of the country.

On the other hand, the Christian commandments, which form the qualities of a believer (“Thou shalt not kill,” “Thou shalt not steal”), are capable of laying the framework of a young person’s personality. In the absence of Komsomol and pioneer statutes, religion is able to convey moral norms to the minds and hearts of citizens.

Religion and prisoners

Church ministers working in prisons know more about criminals than investigators, but the secrecy of confession imposes restrictions on them. Confession of believers in prisons and spiritual conversation defuse the heavy atmosphere in places of detention. According to the 2009-2010 census of convicts, the number of believers (Orthodox) in places of deprivation of liberty is 67%.

According to the statistics of believers in 2017, 4.3 million people in Russia visited churches on Easter. Distribution in some areas:

Religion and EU countries

It is rather difficult to determine how many believers there are in the world. The data varies depending on the survey methods. You can track some of the trends taking place in Europe. The data provided by the Catholic and Protestant Church on believers in Germany in 2011 indicates a decrease in the total number of adherents of religion from 64.5 to 61.5% over the previous five years. A New Humanist survey in 2010 showed that the number of believers in England has decreased by 20% in 30 years. Today, half of Britons do not identify themselves with any of the confessions.

Religion and the army

Attitudes towards military service among Christians are ambiguous. There are young people who prefer alternative ways of doing military service. Others believe that a strong army can prevent the outbreak of conflicts. All believers in the army consider war to be evil, and whether or not to take up arms, everyone decides for himself.

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).

The popularity of religions around the world is slowly but surely on the wane. For the first time in history, it was officially certified that there are more people in Norway who do not believe in God than those who do - 39 percent of atheists versus 37 percent of believers.

Studies have shown that in 2014 almost twice as many Americans as in 1980 said they do not believe in God, and five times fewer people pray. Researchers believe that society owes such a radical shift in religiosity to the generation of millennials.

The map below shows the countries with the most people who consider themselves "staunch atheists".

Yet, despite the world's downward trend in the number of believers, few countries have more than 20 percent of citizens who easily and completely reject the concept of divinity.

Here are six of the most atheistic countries in the world, not counting Norway:

1. China

Today, China has the highest percentage of any country in the world - more than half in fact - of convinced atheists. According to Win/Gallup, between 40 and 49.9 percent of Chinese say they don't consider themselves agnostic when it comes to belief in a higher power.

Communism, under which China's ruling party has ruled the country since 1949, sees religion as a means to oppress the proletariat.

Mao Zedong suppressed any religious movements during his 27-year reign until 1976. One of the country's oldest philosophical worldviews, Confucianism, is also notable for not emphasizing the belief in a supernatural deity.

2. Japan

China's neighbor is another one of the eastern countries with a large number of people, committed to the worldview, where there is no place for God.

Between 30 and 39 percent of people on the Japanese islands say they are "staunch atheists." In Japan, religion has historically been centered around Shintoism, which is not based on an all-seeing God, but on rituals and mythology originating in the distant past of the country.

However, Shinto is spiritual and cannot be called an atheistic religion. In Japan, Shinto, like Buddhism, has seen a decline in followers in recent years.

3. Czech Republic

Perhaps it will come as a surprise to some, but third among the six least religious countries in the world is the Czech Republic, where 30 to 39 percent of citizens consider themselves atheists.

Weak support for traditional church religion may be a consequence of the strong nationalist movement in the Czech Republic during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Catholicism was considered a religion imposed by the Austrian invaders, and Protestantism never managed to take an important place in the hearts of most Czechs. Let us also note the communist past of the country, in which from 1948 to 1989 all religions were oppressed.

4. France

The Romantic homeland differs from many of its European neighbors in that at least one-fifth of its citizens claim to be "convinced atheists."

As in China, in France the state sought to reduce the power of religious institutions within its borders.

The French Revolution of 1789 overthrew Catholicism as the state religion, and in 1905 a law was passed that separated church from state.

In the UK, by contrast, the head of state - the Queen - is also the head of the Church.

5. Australia

Around 10 to 19 per cent of Australians say they are "staunch atheists". This is not surprising for a country with a strong tradition of secular government.

In just a few decades of the country's existence, the legal framework guaranteed religious equality for the colonists, who first arrived on the continent in 1788, overthrew the privileges of the Anglican Church.

Representatives of many other religions, including Jews and Muslims, attracted by new opportunities, arrived in Australia. Today, however, the number of Christians is steadily declining - and most identify themselves as atheists.

6. Iceland

In 1550, Catholicism was outlawed in this northern corner of Europe. The legal right to have religious freedom was enshrined in 1874.

Although many Icelanders consider themselves Lutherans, a small number follow folk religions, and the rest consider themselves "staunch atheists." This is only 19 percent of the country's population, but such a proportion entitles Iceland to be considered an atheist country.

Help: The Independent- a daily British newspaper published by Tony O'Reilly (Tony O "Reilly) and Independent News & Media" (Independent News & Media) since 1986. One of the youngest British newspapers with a readership of over 240 thousand people.