CEOWORLD magazine - Latest - Special Reports - World’s Most (And Least) Religious Countries, 2024

Special Reports

World’s Most (And Least) Religious Countries, 2024

Despina WilsonSpecial ReportsApril 8, 2024

Florence Cathedral (Duomo di Firenze)

According to a survey conducted by CEOWORLD magazine, Somalia has once again been ranked as the most religious country in the world. The survey, which included responses from over 820,000 individuals worldwide, ranked 148 countries based on their level of religiousness. Niger came in second place, with a reported 99.7% of its population claiming to be religious, while Bangladesh ranked third, with 99.5% of its population reporting religious beliefs.

India, the birthplace of Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism ranks at No. 54 in terms of perceived religiosity. The United States guarantees freedom to practice religion in its Constitution but ranks at No. 104. Ireland and Israel rank at No. 110 and No. 11, respectively, in terms of perceived religiosity. According to the U.S. Department of State’s International Religious Freedom Report, the Basic Law in Israel describes the country as a Jewish state and protects freedom of conscience, faith, religion, and worship irrespective of an individual’s religious affiliation.

According to a recent data analysis, the top 10 most religious countries are Indonesia, Malawi, Yemen, Sri Lanka, Mauritania, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Uganda, and Nigeria. The term “Religious” means faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or deity, devoted to religious beliefs or observances, or scrupulously and conscientiously faithful. However, the interpretation of the term may vary from person to person. On the other hand, China is the least religious country, with less than 10% of its residents stating that they feel religious. Following China, Estonia and Sweden rank second and third, respectively, with just 16% and 17% of their populations feeling religious.

Based on the data, the top 10 least religious countries are Denmark, the Czech Republic, Norway, Hong Kong, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Finland. On average, 74.44 percent of adults in the surveyed countries consider religion very important in their lives. However, levels of religious commitment, including affiliation, the importance of religion, worship attendance, and frequency of prayer, vary widely across the world.

World’s Most (And Least) Religious Countries, 2024

Rank	Country	Feel Religious
1	Somalia	99.8
2	Niger	99.7
3	Bangladesh	99.5
4	Ethiopia	99.3
5	Yemen	99.1
6	Malawi	99
7	Indonesia	98.7
8	Sri Lanka	98.6
9	Mauritania	98.5
10	Djibouti	98.2
11	Burundi	98
12	Egypt	97
13	Thailand	97
14	Morocco	97
15	Laos	97
16	Afghanistan	97
17	Guinea	97
18	Comoros	97
19	Myanmar	97
20	Senegal	96
21	Philippines	96
22	Nigeria	96
23	Malaysia	96
24	Jordan	96
25	Cameroon	96
26	Cambodia	96
27	Zambia	95
28	Rwanda	95
29	Qatar	95
30	Mali	95
31	Ghana	95
32	Republic of the Congo	95
33	Chad	95
34	Algeria	95
35	Bahrain	94
36	Liberia	94
37	Kenya	94
38	DR Congo	94
39	Central African Republic	94
40	Uganda	93
41	Tunisia	93
42	Sudan	93
43	Saudi Arabia	93
44	Nepal	93
45	Madagascar	93
46	Palestine	93
47	Benin	93
48	Trinidad and Tobago	92
49	Paraguay	92
50	Pakistan	92
51	Namibia	92
52	United Arab Emirates	91
53	Kuwait	91
54	India	90
55	Tanzania	89
56	Syria	89
57	Bolivia	89
58	Burkina Faso	88
59	Zimbabwe	88
60	Panama	88
61	Ivory Coast	88
62	Guatemala	88
63	Angola	88
64	Brazil	87
65	Lebanon	87
66	Dominican Republic	87
67	Mozambique	86
68	Malta	86
69	Tajikistan	85
70	South Africa	85
71	Puerto Rico	85
72	Romania	84
73	Peru	84
74	Nicaragua	84
75	Iraq	84
76	Honduras	84
77	El Salvador	83
78	Colombia	83
79	Turkey	82
80	Ecuador	82
81	Georgia	81
82	Turkmenistan	80
83	Togo	80
84	Venezuela	79
85	Costa Rica	79
86	Botswana	77
87	Bosnia and Herzegovina	77
88	Poland	75
89	Haiti	75
90	Cyprus	75
91	Armenia	73
92	Mexico	73
93	Iran	73
94	Portugal	72
95	Moldova	72
96	Kyrgyzstan	72
97	Italy	72
98	Montenegro	71
99	Greece	71
100	Singapore	70
101	Jamaica	70
102	Croatia	70
103	Chile	70
104	United States	69
105	Argentina	65
106	Belize	62
107	Uzbekistan	59
108	Austria	55
109	Serbia	54
110	Ireland	54
111	Israel	51
112	Azerbaijan	50
113	Spain	49
114	Slovenia	47
115	Slovakia	47
116	Ukraine	46
117	Taiwan	45
118	South Korea	43
119	Kazakhstan	43
120	Lithuania	42
121	Canada	42
122	Uruguay	41
123	Switzerland	41
124	Germany	40
125	Albania	39
126	Luxembourg	39
127	Latvia	39
128	Hungary	39
129	Russia	34
130	Cuba	34
131	Belarus	34
132	Bulgaria	34
133	Belgium	33
134	New Zealand	33
135	Netherlands	33
136	Australia	32
137	Vietnam	30
138	France	30
139	Finland	28
140	United Kingdom	27
141	Japan	24
142	Hong Kong	24
143	Norway	21
144	Czech Republic	21
145	Denmark	19
146	Sweden	17
147	Estonia	16
148	China	7

Have you read?
Best CEOs. Best Companies. Richest People (Billionaires). Richest Women (Billionaires). Richest in Each Country (Billionaires).

CEOWORLD magazine - Latest - Special Reports - World’s Most (And Least) Religious Countries, 2024

Tags :Board Members Insider Chief Design Officer Insider Chief value officer Insider Co-Founders Insider Independent Director Insider Millionaires Insider Senior Executives Officers Insider Trustees Insider

Despina Wilson

I am a senior editor and data journalist at CEOWORLD magazine. My job involves using infographics to report on news topics related to business and policy, with a global perspective. I hold a master's degree in journalism and have worked for newspapers and reporting projects in both the US and the UK, giving me a unique transatlantic perspective. I believe that data can enhance coverage of all news topics. As a contributor, I plan cover a wide range of issues, such as gender equality, climate change, labor, and immigration, using relevant statistics and insightful visualizations.

Email: despina@ceoworld.biz