Religion is in decline around the world, according to the WIN-Gallup International Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism 2012 study. Overall, 59 percent of the world said they think of themselves as religious, a drop of 9 percent since the last study was conducted in 2005. Twenty-three percent said they are not religious and 13 percent think of themselves as convinced atheists.
Based on interviews with more than 50,000 men and women from 57 countries, the Win-Gallup International study asked the question: “Irrespective of whether you attend a place of worship or not, would you say you are a religious person, not a religious person or a convinced atheist?”
Vietnam’s religiosity dropped the most of all countries studied, a 23 percent decline between 2005 and 2012. Interestingly, Ireland, with 84 percent of its population self-identified as Roman Catholic, had the second largest drop in religiosity, 22 percent. Rounding out the top 10 countries with the biggest declines in religiosity were Switzerland, France, South Africa, Iceland, Ecuador, the United States, Canada and Austria.
The WIN-Gallup International people said the shift is not about drifting from faith, but rather claiming to be “not religious” while remaining within the faith. While religiosity is in decline, atheism appears to be gaining ground. Non-believers saw a 3 percent gain over the seven-year period.
The most religious country surveyed was Ghana, with 96 percent saying they think of themselves as a religious person. Rounding out the top ten most religious countries were: Nigeria, Armenia, Fiji, Macedonia, Romania, Iraq, Kenya, Peru and Brazil, home to the most Roman Catholics in the world.
China has the most atheists in the world, with 47 percent describing themselves as convinced atheists. Right behind China is Japan, the Czech Republic, France, South Korea, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Iceland, Australia and Ireland.
One of the study’s key findings was that religiosity is higher among the poor, 17 percent higher than those in the top income groups. Sixty-six percent of the bottom 20 percent of respondents based on income described themselves as religious, while just 49 percent of the top 20 percent of earners claimed they were religious.