Atheism is a conviction that there is no God or any other divine entity, which is the antithesis of religion. “Atheist” is a word with some grey areas.
A broad spectrum of spiritual beliefs is covered by this term, from individuals who have never even contemplated the idea of a higher power to those who believe strongly that there is no such thing as a higher power.
However, many claims that just being oblivious or indifferent to the notion of deities is instead “non-religion” or “irreligion,” and that real atheism needs the person to have pondered but rejected the possibility that deities exist. Ironically, many of the constitutional protections that protect religion also protect atheists.
Atheism’s wide range and diversity
However, atheists have a single trait—a lack of belief in A deity (or gods)—but do not have a belief system, holy text, and religious figureheads like the Pope.
They can’t be classed as a single demographic or group of individuals since atheists are so diverse in their beliefs. Rather, atheists come in various forms, including those of various ages, races, ethnicities, political affiliations, sexual orientations, socioeconomic classes, and geographic regions.
It’s hard to pin down the precise number of atheists in any nation since there are many atheists, such as agnostics (the “I don’t know” group), cultural Catholics, humanists, and non-religious people.
A 2007 Cambridge University article, which reviewed data acquired in 2004, may be the most reliable source of information.
There are a large number of atheists and atheists in the following countries:
- Cambridge University Press (2004 data):
- China – 103,907,840 — 181,838,720
- India – 102,870,000
- Japan – 81,493,120 — 82,766,450
- Vietnam – 66,978,900
- Russia – 34,507,680 — 69,015,360
- Germany – 33,794,250 — 40,388,250
- France – 25,982,320 — 32,628,960
- United Kingdom – 18,684,010 — 26,519,240
- South Korea – 14,579,400 — 25,270,960
- Ukraine – 9,546,400
China has the world’s largest number of atheists by a wide proportion. On the other hand, China is home to the world’s largest population. A 2017 survey conducted by Gallup International and the Worldwide Independent Network of Market Research (WIN) may place these figures into context.
WIN-Gallup 2017 reveals the top 10 countries with the largest percentage of atheists.
- China – 91%
- Japan – 87%
- Sweden – 78%
- Czech Republic – 76%
- United Kingdom – 73%
- Belgium – 72%
- Estonia – 72%
- Norway – 70%
- Australia – 69%
- Denmark – 68%
Sixty percent of Chinese participants in the WIN-Gallup survey said they were “convinced atheists,” with another 23% saying they were “non-religious,” and just one percent admitted they had never considered it.
A god is not held in high regard in Confucianism, one of China’s oldest philosophical systems. Since China is home to around 1.4 billion people, the 2004 estimate of the country’s atheist population may be out of date, given the country’s current population.
Atheism is practiced by about ten percent of the population in the United States. Even though the dollar note reads “In God We Trust,” there has never been a lower level of faith in Christianity.
Atheists in the United States range from 18 to 49, with the 18-29-year-olds being 40% of the total. This has been ascribed to the fact that people in multicultural communities are more likely to be exposed to a wide range of viewpoints, reducing the power of anyone’s specific worldview.
For the first time, the United States has a generation representing such a wide range of racial, religious, and ethnic backgrounds. See the following table for the complete results of the WIN-Gallup survey.
Country | Religious | Total Athiests | Non-Religious | Convinced Athiest | No Answer/Unknown |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
China | 9 | 91 | 23 | 67 | 1 |
Japan | 13 | 86 | 31 | 29 | 26 |
Sweden | 22 | 78 | 55 | 18 | 5 |
Czech Republic | 24 | 75 | 47 | 25 | 3 |
Estonia | 28 | 72 | 50 | 10 | 12 |
Belgium | 28 | 72 | 43 | 21 | 8 |
United Kingdom | 27 | 72 | 58 | 11 | 3 |
Norway | 30 | 70 | 50 | 12 | 8 |
Australia | 31 | 70 | 50 | 13 | 7 |
Denmark | 32 | 68 | 47 | 14 | 7 |
Vietnam | 33 | 67 | 57 | 6 | 4 |
Hong Kong | 33 | 66 | 33 | 30 | 3 |
Germany | 34 | 66 | 46 | 14 | 6 |
South Korea | 35 | 65 | 37 | 23 | 5 |
Azerbaijan | 35 | 64 | 64 | 0 | 0 |
Canada | 37 | 63 | 47 | 10 | 6 |
Spain | 37 | 63 | 41 | 16 | 6 |
Latvia | 37 | 62 | 43 | 9 | 10 |
Finland | 39 | 62 | 47 | 8 | 7 |
Israel | 39 | 61 | 50 | 8 | 3 |
Ireland | 40 | 60 | 47 | 9 | 4 |
Slovenia | 41 | 59 | 25 | 28 | 6 |
Austria | 41 | 59 | 43 | 10 | 6 |
France | 45 | 55 | 29 | 21 | 5 |
Iceland | 46 | 54 | 32 | 17 | 5 |
Lithuania | 47 | 52 | 34 | 6 | 12 |
Bulgaria | 51 | 50 | 36 | 3 | 11 |
Ukraine | 53 | 46 | 36 | 6 | 4 |
Albania | 56 | 44 | 30 | 9 | 5 |
United States | 56 | 43 | 32 | 7 | 4 |
Indonesia | 58 | 42 | 30 | 0 | 12 |
Portugal | 59 | 41 | 29 | 9 | 3 |
Palestine | 61 | 39 | 34 | 1 | 4 |
Russia | 61 | 39 | 23 | 7 | 9 |
Mexico | 61 | 38 | 28 | 8 | 2 |
Iraq | 64 | 36 | 34 | 0 | 2 |
Italy | 69 | 31 | 18 | 8 | 5 |
Mongolia | 71 | 29 | 21 | 8 | |
Lebanon | 71 | 29 | 26 | 2 | 1 |
Peru | 72 | 29 | 20 | 3 | 6 |
Greece | 73 | 27 | 15 | 7 | 5 |
Turkey | 74 | 26 | 12 | 6 | 8 |
Serbia | 75 | 25 | 17 | 4 | 4 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 75 | 24 | 21 | 1 | 2 |
Iran | 77 | 23 | 16 | 4 | 3 |
Ecuador | 78 | 22 | 16 | 2 | 4 |
Argentina | 78 | 22 | 16 | 4 | 2 |
DR Congo | 80 | 21 | 9 | 8 | 4 |
Bangladesh | 80 | 20 | 19 | 0 | 1 |
Poland | 82 | 18 | 9 | 1 | 8 |
Brazil | 82 | 18 | 15 | 2 | 1 |
Panama | 84 | 16 | 10 | 3 | 3 |
Colombia | 84 | 16 | 11 | 3 | 2 |
Paraguay | 87 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 |
Romania | 89 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
Philippines | 90 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 |
Fiji | 92 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
Armenia | 92 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Pakistan | 93 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
Papua New Guinea | 94 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
Ivory Coast | 94 | 6 | 6 | 0 | |
Ghana | 94 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
India | 94 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Nigeria | 97 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
Thailand | 98 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
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