Revealed: The World’s Most (And Least) Religious Countries Based On Religious Beliefs 2020

Sophie IrelandStats GateMay 16, 2020

Somalia is again perceived to be the most religious country in the world, that’s according to the survey by the CEOWORLD magazine in Partnership with the Global Business Policy Institute, a characterization of 148 countries based on a survey of more than 370,000 global citizens. According to the survey, Niger is the second most-religious nation, with just 99.7% of residents stating that they feel religious. Ranking third in the poll is Bangladesh, where just 99.5% of the population feel religious.

Meanwhile, India, the birthplace of Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism, ranks No. 54. The United States, with the freedom to practice religion guaranteed in its Constitution, ranks No. 104. Ireland and Israel rank No. 110 and No. 11, respectively, in terms of perceived religiosity. The Basic Law in Israel describes the country as a Jewish state and “protects the freedom of conscience, faith, religion, and worship, regardless of an individual’s religious affiliation,” according to the U.S. Department of State’s International Religious Freedom Report for 2016.

Rounding out the top 10 most religious countries based on this data are Ethiopia, Yemen, Malawi, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Mauritania, and Djibouti. The term “Religious,” an adjective that Merriam-Webster defines as a “faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or deity”; or “devoted to religious beliefs or observances”; or “scrupulously and conscientiously faithful,” but can hold different meanings for different people. China is found to be the least religious country. Less than 10% of residents stated that they feel religious in this nation. Estonia is the second least-religious nation, with just 16% of residents stating that they feel religious. Ranking third in the poll is Sweden, where just 17% of the population feel religious.

The World's Most Religious Countries Based On Religious Beliefs, 2020

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

Rounding out the top 10 least religious countries based on this data are Denmark, Czech Republic, Norway, Hong Kong, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Finland. Overall, in the average country surveyed, 74.44 percent of adults say religion is very important in their lives. However, levels of religious commitment (affiliation, the importance of religion, worship attendance, and frequency of prayer) vary widely around the world.

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CEOWORLD magazine - Latest - Stats Gate - Revealed: The World’s Most (And Least) Religious Countries Based On Religious Beliefs 2020

Sophie Ireland

SVP for News and Editorial Director. As CEOWORLD magazine's senior vice president for news and editorial director, Sophie Ireland oversees CEOWORLD magazine's journalism and journalists around the world and across platforms. She leads an award-winning team of journalists and newsroom executives who are committed to excellence, innovation and the highest quality reporting and storytelling. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or connect on LinkedIn. Email her at sophie@ceoworld.biz.

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