I was curious about this and after doing some research i found that the Czech Republic is the least religious country. With only 21% of the citizens being religious people. This is remarkable for sure. And the countries that follow are Denmark, Swedem, Austria, Norway, japan. All of which are some of the most developed and solid economies in the world. As well as having a much higher quality of life in general.
I has become clearer that the lower the religious inclination of a country, the higher the quality of life.
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This makes a whole lot of sense to me. Because the smarter a person is, the more inclined they will be to question any kind of religious authority. And the amount of people that are properly educated in those countries is way higher.
I think france and china are also ranked high in the atheist ratio. As a matter of fact i think china has a low as 18% religious people only. Most northern european countries have many atheist citizens.
Trevor, It's definitely true. But must not make correlation-causation fallacy.Those countries are not so well off because of atheism. Atheism is The result. I mean being rational insted superstitious is certainly more beneficial, but I think it's more complex. Wealth,health,education,culture....anyway...statistics are very favorable...a specialy for throwing them at people saying; what would the world without religion be like
Samsom:
This is very true. It is most likely that atheism is more a consequence than a reason. Obviously the more developed a country, the more educated, hence the more prone to question things that make no sense.
Thats very thought provoking samson. This is why i joined this forum. To debate things and get some feedback from other people that wont settle for any religious standards without questioning them.
I have lived in central america many years and here it's still the complete opposite. If you're an atheist you are basically the devil and some sort of outcast crazy person. There could be a 10% of atheists if that much, and i think 10% is saying wat too much.Central America is still living in the 1950's in that sense.
In Denmark, 80 percent are actually members of the Church of Denmark(membership granted on baptism). but only 5% attend sunday services. In Denmark we also have a different approach to praying as most people hardly ever do it. Still our country has been christian since around 965 (look it up, its a neat little fantasy story). But even so, as evident with all the muhammed drawings that were made, religion, and respect for other religion aint really number 1 priority. but according to a poll from 2010 47% are weak atheists, and 24% are strong atheists, leaving only 28% believing that god does truly exist.
Add tothis, the fact that only 25% believe that Jesus is the son of God. Which is also because Jesus isnt all that big in the Danish Lutheran Evangelical Church.
The five least religious countries in the world:
1. China
Buddhism has been practiced in China for 2,000 years, and Taoism has been practiced for almost as long. Despite its long religious history, almost half of Chinese citizens today are atheists while a mere 14 percent identify themselves as religious. The rise of atheism has its roots in the Chinese Revolution of 1949. The new Marxist government discouraged religion, considering it a symbol of foreign control and colonialism.
2. Japan
In Japan, 31 percent of people are atheists, 30 percent are not religious, and only 16 percent consider themselves to be religious. Nevertheless, religious customs continue to play a role in the average Japanese person's life. Buddhist and Shinto rituals are an important part of events like weddings and funerals. Many Japanese people also visit shrines on holidays and participate in religious festivals.
3. Czech Republic
The Czech Republic has the lowest percentage of religious people in Europe, and participation in the Roman Catholic church continues to decline steadily. Today, only about a fifth of Czechs are religious, and another 30 percent are atheists. Religious people were persecuted during four decades of Soviet rule, and churches had little freedom until 1989.
4. France
Ever since the French Revolution in the 18th century, France has been a safe haven for atheists. The 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen guarantees freedom of religion and freedom of thought for all citizens. Many French citizens associated the Roman Catholic church with the oppressive nobility, and atheism grew rapidly from the 1800s onward.
5. Germany
Atheism in Germany is concentrated in eastern cities where a whopping 71 percent of people under 28 have never believed in a higher power. The irreligious character of the area is partially the result of the Communist Party that controlled East Germany from 1945 until 1990. Christianity is still common in West Germany, but the Catholic and Protestant churches have lost more than two-thirds of their members over the last few decades.
I'm not surprised that most of those countries are very developed and have also become very wealthy over the years.
I lived in Sweden for a year when I was 18 and many younger people I knew stuck with the church until they were 15 because a special ceremony would be held for them and their family would give them gifts like money, jewelry, etc. That is really a primary reason why younger people may claim to be religious. When I attended high school in the US I was constantly bombarded by friends who pressured me to go to their church but this never happened when I was in Sweden. In fact the only person who invited me to church was an American haha!
We might have the most people who don't identify themselves with any religion, but the Czechs also tend more to believe in astrology, homeopathy, alternative beliefs etc. The alternative scene is flourishing and so-called "healers" make a substant ammount of money thanks to it.
But I have to say that it's quite easy to come out as a nonbeliever. To be honest nobody really cares about your beliefs here. But I guess it depends on the social circles one moves in. "Belonging" to a church is less important to people here than for example expressing your political beliefs.
I think the uk is finally becomming secular at last census only 53% identified as christian compared to 80% in the previous census.
Still a long way to go.
Usa still very much a christian country but atheism is growing with the start of atheist churches many closet atheists are starting to come out.
All that could change, if the republican party gains power life will be hell for any non christians. As evidenced by the republican appointed supreme justices.