Secularism refers to the state of being neutral towards religion, and it takes on various forms in countries worldwide. Some countries adopt a neutral stance, while others tend towards anti-religious movements. The philosopher Charles Taylor has outlined three primary forms of secularism: restrictions on government highlighting religion; a decline in the population practicing religion, and the acceptance of all belief systems without favoring any. Due to this diversity in secularism, different definitions of what constitutes a secular country have emerged.
Forms of State Secularism: State secularism is a political ideology that emphasizes the separation of religious institutions and government entities. Countries that adopt a secular approach typically don’t have any official state religion and they base their laws on the collective interest instead of religious doctrine. In addition, these countries don’t show any bias or discrimination towards any particular religion. It’s important to note that secular states can have various forms of government, and modern democracies are generally considered to be fundamentally secular because of their emphasis on religious freedom.
Countries like France, Mexico, South Korea, and Turkey are considered “constitutionally secular,” with varying degrees of implementation. France, for instance, embraces laïcité as a core concept, rooted in its history of secularization since the French Revolution. India, on the other hand, interprets secularism differently, allowing state involvement in religions.
Secularism in the United States: Although the United States is supposed to be secular, it doesn’t always live up to that in reality. The U.S. Constitution stresses the separation of church and state, but religious references still appear in official materials. This has sparked ongoing debates about whether the country is truly committed to secularism. For instance, many people question the use of religious phrases like “In God We Trust” in currency and the inclusion of religious language in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Different countries have their own unique forms of secularism, ranging from those with a high percentage of non-religious citizens to those that are constitutionally secular but have different ways of putting that into practice. Understanding the nuances of secularism is crucial in appreciating the diverse ways that countries handle the relationship between religion and the state in the modern world.
The Most Secular Countries in the World, 2024
| Rank | Country | Region | Population | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sweden | Northern Europe | 10,379,295 | 98.48 |
| 2 | Denmark | Northern Europe | 5,822,863 | 98.3 |
| 3 | Iceland | Northern Europe | 364,134 | 98.16 |
| 4 | Norway | Northern Europe | 5,367,580 | 97.94 |
| 5 | Estonia | Northern Europe | 1,331,824 | 97.91 |
| 6 | Bahamas | Caribbean | 340,550 | 97.81 |
| 7 | Netherlands | Western Europe | 17,424,978 | 97.28 |
| 8 | Hong Kong | Eastern Asia | 7,053,947 | 97.14 |
| 9 | Liechtenstein | Central Europe | 40,000 | 96.95 |
| 10 | Japan | Eastern Asia | 126,540,000 | 96.31 |
| 11 | Czech Republic | Central Europe | 10,524,167 | 96.31 |
| 12 | United Kingdom | Western Europe | 66,796,121 | 95.91 |
| 13 | Finland | Northern Europe | 5,548,000 | 95.67 |
| 14 | France | Western Europe | 65,250,000 | 95.59 |
| 15 | Vietnam | Southeastern Asia | 94,700,000 | 95.51 |
| 16 | Luxembourg | Western Europe | 510,000 | 95.08 |
| 17 | Australia | Australasia | 25,422,800 | 94.64 |
| 18 | China | Eastern Asia | 1,341,340,000 | 94.4 |
| 19 | Barbados | Caribbean | 270,000 | 94.12 |
| 20 | Macao (SAR China) | Eastern Asia | 540,560 | 94.04 |
| 21 | Andorra | Southern Europe | 80,740 | 94.04 |
| 22 | New Zealand | Australasia | 4,699,755 | 93.85 |
| 23 | Cape Verde Islands | Western Africa | 512,450 | 93.78 |
| 24 | South Korea | Eastern Asia | 48,180,000 | 93.48 |
| 25 | Cuba | Caribbean | 10,985,974 | 92.41 |
| 26 | Albania | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 2,800,138 | 92.41 |
| 27 | Antigua and Barbuda | Caribbean | 90,000 | 91.83 |
| 28 | Bulgaria | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 6,519,789 | 91.73 |
| 29 | Russia | Eastern Europe | 142,960,000 | 91.19 |
| 30 | Uruguay | South America | 3,370,000 | 90.7 |
| 31 | Germany | Central Europe | 82,300,000 | 90.33 |
| 32 | Hungary | Central Europe | 9,980,000 | 89.85 |
| 33 | Latvia | Northern Europe | 1,893,223 | 89.77 |
| 34 | Belarus | Eastern Europe | 9,611,750 | 89.62 |
| 35 | Belgium | Western Europe | 10,710,530 | 88.9 |
| 36 | Canada | North America | 40,297,761 | 89.1 |
| 37 | Switzerland | Western Europe | 8,680,980 | 88.05 |
| 38 | Taiwan | Eastern Asia | 23,220,670 | 87.73 |
| 39 | Slovenia | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 2,030,000 | 87.6 |
| 40 | Slovakia | Central Europe | 5,449,270 | 87.39 |
| 41 | Spain | Southern Europe | 46,080,000 | 86.93 |
| 42 | Israel | West Asia | 7,420,000 | 86.32 |
| 43 | Lithuania | Northern Europe | 3,320,000 | 86.11 |
| 44 | Azerbaijan | West Asia | 9,191,720 | 85.99 |
| 45 | Ukraine | Eastern Europe | 45,450,000 | 85.97 |
| 46 | Kazakhstan | Central Asia | 16,030,460 | 85.79 |
| 47 | Montenegro | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 630,000 | 85.56 |
| 48 | Ireland | Western Europe | 5,145,255 | 85.53 |
| 49 | Serbia | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 7,770,000 | 84.67 |
| 50 | North Macedonia | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 1,836,713 | 84.55 |
| 51 | Uzbekistan | Central Asia | 27,440,000 | 83.93 |
| 52 | Austria | Central Europe | 8,935,800 | 83.15 |
| 53 | United States | North America | 339,996,564 | 82.28 |
| 54 | Belize | Central America | 310,000 | 82.27 |
| 55 | Argentina | South America | 47,327,407 | 82 |
| 56 | Kosovo | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 2,080,000 | 81.89 |
| 57 | Croatia | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 3,871,833 | 81.72 |
| 58 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 3,824,782 | 81.7 |
| 59 | Greece | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 11,360,000 | 81.69 |
| 60 | Jamaica | Caribbean | 2,740,000 | 81.66 |
| 61 | Chile | South America | 18,549,457 | 81.59 |
| 62 | Singapore | Southeastern Asia | 5,700,000 | 81.58 |
| 63 | Portugal | Southern Europe | 10,343,066 | 81.56 |
| 64 | Italy | Southern Europe | 60,550,000 | 80.93 |
| 65 | Mexico | North America | 129,875,529 | 80.73 |
| 66 | Armenia | West Asia | 3,091,245 | 80.27 |
| 67 | Kyrgyzstan | Central Asia | 5,333,440 | 80.22 |
| 68 | Cyprus | West Asia | 1,100,000 | 80.13 |
| 69 | Botswana | Southern Africa | 2,010,000 | 79.59 |
| 70 | Haiti | Caribbean | 11,470,261 | 78.98 |
| 71 | Venezuela | South America | 30,518,260 | 78.88 |
| 72 | Dominica | Caribbean | 70,000 | 78.81 |
| 73 | Costa Rica | Central America | 5,044,197 | 78.69 |
| 74 | Poland | Central Europe | 38,280,000 | 78.42 |
| 75 | Moldova | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 3,570,000 | 78.22 |
| 76 | Ecuador | South America | 17,483,326 | 77.95 |
| 77 | India | Southern Asia | 1,210,854,977 | 77.81 |
| 78 | Georgia | Eastern Europe | 4,350,225 | 77.41 |
| 79 | Colombia | South America | 50,290,000 | 76.68 |
| 80 | El Salvador | Central America | 6,602,370 | 77.23 |
| 81 | South Africa | Southern Africa | 62,027,503 | 75.22 |
| 82 | Iran | West Asia | 85,000,000 | 74.79 |
| 83 | Honduras | Central America | 9,571,352 | 74.62 |
| 84 | Nicaragua | Central America | 6,359,689 | 74.59 |
| 85 | Peru | South America | 34,352,720 | 73.73 |
| 86 | Mozambique | Eastern Africa | 34,173,805 | 73.7 |
| 87 | Monaco | Western Europe | 40,000 | 73.66 |
| 88 | Malta | Southern Europe | 420,264 | 72.98 |
| 89 | Micronesia | Micronesia | 110,000 | 72.91 |
| 90 | Marshall Islands | Micronesia | 50,000 | 72.73 |
| 91 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Caribbean | 50,000 | 72.56 |
| 92 | Seychelles | Eastern Africa | 90,000 | 72.33 |
| 93 | Saint Lucia | Caribbean | 170,000 | 70.72 |
| 94 | Solomon Islands | Melanesia | 540,000 | 70.59 |
| 95 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Caribbean | 110,000 | 70.33 |
| 96 | Samoa | Polynesia | 180,000 | 70.19 |
| 97 | San Marino | Southern Europe | 30,000 | 68.98 |
| 98 | Sao Tome and Principe | Central Africa | 170,000 | 68.73 |
| 99 | Tuvalu | Polynesia | 11,000 | 68.03 |
| 100 | Vanuatu | Melanesia | 240,000 | 67.97 |
| 101 | Vatican City | Southern Europe | 800 | 67.95 |
| 102 | Nauru | Micronesia | 10,000 | 67.89 |
| 103 | Palau Islands | Micronesia | 20,000 | 67.52 |
| 104 | Dominican Republic | Caribbean | 10,790,744 | 67.27 |
| 105 | Guyana | South America | 850,000 | 66.52 |
| 106 | Togo | Western Africa | 6,030,000 | 66.43 |
| 107 | Brazil | South America | 216,422,446 | 65.81 |
| 108 | Zimbabwe | Eastern Africa | 16,775,307 | 65.34 |
| 109 | Burkina Faso | Western Africa | 20,505,155 | 65.2 |
| 110 | Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) | Western Africa | 29,389,150 | 65.06 |
| 111 | Panama | Central America | 3,520,000 | 64.48 |
| 112 | North Korea | Eastern Asia | 24,350,000 | 64.34 |
| 113 | Bolivia | South America | 12,186,079 | 64.31 |
| 114 | Angola | Central Africa | 35,981,281 | 64.09 |
| 115 | Iraq | West Asia | 31,670,000 | 64.08 |
| 116 | Lebanon | West Asia | 4,230,000 | 63.56 |
| 117 | Turkey | West Asia | 72,750,000 | 63.49 |
| 118 | Ethiopia | Eastern Africa | 126,527,060 | 63.29 |
| 119 | Guatemala | Central America | 17,980,803 | 62.79 |
| 120 | United Arab Emirates | West Asia | 7,510,000 | 62.63 |
| 121 | Namibia | Southern Africa | 2,280,000 | 62.28 |
| 122 | Trinidad and Tobago | Caribbean | 1,340,000 | 61.83 |
| 123 | Paraguay | South America | 6,450,000 | 61.79 |
| 124 | Madagascar | Eastern Africa | 28,812,195 | 61.55 |
| 125 | Uganda | Eastern Africa | 47,729,952 | 61.36 |
| 126 | Benin | Western Africa | 13,852,780 | 61.34 |
| 127 | Algeria | Northern Africa | 43,851,044 | 61.3 |
| 128 | Palestine | West Asia | 4,040,000 | 60.52 |
| 129 | Liberia | Western Africa | 3,990,000 | 60.22 |
| 130 | Somalia | Eastern Africa | 9,330,000 | 60.04 |
| 131 | Tonga | Polynesia | 100,000 | 60.03 |
| 132 | Suriname | South America | 520,000 | 59.96 |
| 133 | Turkmenistan | Central Asia | 5,040,000 | 59.52 |
| 134 | Timor-Leste | Southeastern Asia | 1,343,875 | 59.4 |
| 135 | South Sudan | Eastern Africa | 12,118,379 | 59.28 |
| 136 | Tajikistan | Central Asia | 6,880,000 | 59 |
| 137 | Syria | West Asia | 20,410,000 | 58.4 |
| 138 | Central African Republic | Central Africa | 4,403,540 | 57.19 |
| 139 | Sudan | Northern Africa | 33,600,000 | 56.93 |
| 140 | Nepal | Southern Asia | 28,760,000 | 56.91 |
| 141 | Kenya | Eastern Africa | 51,526,000 | 56.82 |
| 142 | Chad | Central Africa | 11,230,000 | 56.74 |
| 143 | Congo (Republic) | Central Africa | 4,040,000 | 56.63 |
| 144 | Thailand | Southeastern Asia | 69,120,000 | 56.49 |
| 145 | Mali | Western Africa | 19,329,841 | 56.29 |
| 146 | Kuwait | West Asia | 2,740,000 | 54.42 |
| 147 | Ghana | Western Africa | 34,237,620 | 56.19 |
| 148 | Tunisia | Northern Africa | 10,480,000 | 53.74 |
| 149 | Cameroon | Central Africa | 30,135,732 | 53.63 |
| 150 | Mauritius | Eastern Africa | 1,300,000 | 52.85 |
| 151 | Rwanda | Eastern Africa | 13,400,541 | 52.8 |
| 152 | Qatar | West Asia | 1,760,000 | 52.78 |
| 153 | Romania | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 19,053,815 | 52.5 |
| 154 | Philippines | Southeastern Asia | 108,667,043 | 52.06 |
| 155 | Tanzania | Eastern Africa | 61,741,120 | 51.84 |
| 156 | Bahrain | West Asia | 1,260,000 | 51.44 |
| 157 | Malaysia | Southeastern Asia | 33,200,000 | 51.42 |
| 158 | Senegal | Western Africa | 17,745,000 | 51.41 |
| 159 | Jordan | West Asia | 6,190,000 | 51.39 |
| 160 | Cambodia | Southeastern Asia | 14,143,680 | 50.76 |
| 161 | Saudi Arabia | West Asia | 27,450,000 | 50.6 |
| 162 | Yemen | West Asia | 24,050,000 | 50.53 |
| 163 | Afghanistan | Southern Asia | 31,415,280 | 50.04 |
| 164 | Guinea | Western Africa | 9,980,000 | 49.83 |
| 165 | Zambia | Eastern Africa | 20,216,029 | 49.79 |
| 166 | Equatorial Guinea | Central Africa | 700,000 | 49.67 |
| 167 | Gambia | Western Africa | 1,730,000 | 49.4 |
| 168 | Grenada | Caribbean | 100,000 | 48.48 |
| 169 | Eritrea | Eastern Africa | 5,250,000 | 48.34 |
| 170 | Guinea-Bissau | Western Africa | 1,520,000 | 48.24 |
| 171 | Eswatini | Southern Africa | 1,193,560 | 48.18 |
| 172 | Kiribati | Micronesia | 101,120 | 47.98 |
| 173 | Fiji | Melanesia | 860,820 | 47.59 |
| 174 | Gabon | Central Africa | 1,510,000 | 47.47 |
| 175 | Lesotho | Southern Africa | 2,280,000 | 46.88 |
| 176 | Myanmar (Burma) | Southeastern Asia | 51,483,949 | 46.26 |
| 177 | Nigeria | Western Africa | 230,842,743 | 45.97 |
| 178 | Laos | Southeastern Asia | 6,200,000 | 45.93 |
| 179 | Papua New Guinea | Melanesia | 6,860,000 | 45.49 |
| 180 | Burundi | Eastern Africa | 13,162,955 | 45.14 |
| 181 | Comoro Islands | Eastern Africa | 730,620 | 45.13 |
| 182 | Egypt | Northern Africa | 81,120,000 | 45.08 |
| 183 | Malawi | Eastern Africa | 17,563,749 | 44.54 |
| 184 | Sierra Leone | Western Africa | 5,870,000 | 44.53 |
| 185 | Mauritania | Western Africa | 4,594,525 | 44.43 |
| 186 | Djibouti | Eastern Africa | 893,450 | 43.48 |
| 187 | Mongolia | Eastern Asia | 3,296,866 | 43.37 |
| 188 | Congo (Democratic Republic) | Central Africa | 111,859,928 | 43.32 |
| 189 | Indonesia | Southeastern Asia | 275,361,267 | 43.13 |
| 190 | Morocco | Northern Africa | 31,950,000 | 43 |
| 191 | Sri Lanka | Southern Asia | 20,860,000 | 42.57 |
| 192 | Bangladesh | Southern Asia | 165,158,620 | 41.95 |
| 193 | Oman | West Asia | 2,780,000 | 41.63 |
| 194 | Brunei | Southeastern Asia | 408,540 | 41.39 |
| 195 | Niger | Western Africa | 15,510,000 | 40.89 |
| 196 | Bhutan | Southern Asia | 730,440 | 40.36 |
| 197 | Pakistan | Southern Asia | 207,684,000 | 39.88 |
| 198 | Libya | Northern Africa | 6,360,000 | 39.24 |
| 199 | Maldives | Southern Asia | 320,000 | 38.84 |
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