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Irreligious Countries

Name the countries that have the highest percentage of people who say they are "not a religious person".
According to a WIN/Gallup poll, 2017
Quiz by relessness
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Last updated: July 23, 2019
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First submittedJanuary 16, 2013
Times taken49,203
Average score70.0%
Rating4.24
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%
Country
90
China
73
Sweden
72
Czech Republic
69
United Kingdom
66
Netherlands
64
Azerbaijan
64
Belgium
63
Australia
63
Vietnam
62
Norway
61
Denmark
60
Japan
60
Germany
60
South Korea
60
Estonia
58
Israel
58
Switzerland
57
Spain
57
Canada
56
Ireland
buck1017
+6
Level 77
Nov 21, 2016
I started typing Israel...typed "ISR" and deleted it thinking that's a stupid guess. Dang it!
travelfan
+3
Level 67
Nov 21, 2016
I was very surprised to see Israel on this list too. Didn't even consider trying it because it felt absurd.
kiwiquizzer
+1
Level 68
Jan 18, 2017
Same!
pitzikat
+7
Level 74
Nov 23, 2016
I live in Israel, typed it just for fun. I think the issue here is what is "religious." With so many very strictly observant Jews, Muslims and Christians, anyone who is not very observant probably defines themselves as "not religious" though nearly everyone observes the holidays and traditions and probably most of them believe in God. In the U.S. most of those people would be more likely to say they are religious, because they are comparing themselves to atheists. .. . .. the sliding scale.
pitzikat
+1
Level 74
Nov 23, 2016
Reminds me of an old joke about a first-year University of Chicago student who goes home for the holidays. His mother asks, "how are you son?" He replies, "relative to what?"
ILikeQuizes
+2
Level 63
Dec 11, 2016
I am shocked to not see the Vatican on here. I doubt that more than 10% of its citizens are religions.
Jacktheguy
+15
Level 89
Jan 18, 2017
Wait, if you live in Vatican, you can become a religion?
nypackerfan
+2
Level 64
Apr 10, 2017
Lol
hahaha4315
+3
Level 61
Mar 3, 2023
lets not talk about the fact that he missed a z in quizzes in his name
Heinreich
+4
Level 32
Jan 18, 2017
Flawed quiz. There's no way Sweden can be in second place, when Norway is not even mentioned. Such small (population) and neighboring countries are usually not THAT different, and I am Norwegian, so I know. I know for sure, that not ~50% is Christian or religious. That percent is much lower, and irreligious percent is much higher!
Djilas
+1
Level 82
Jan 19, 2017
Take an issue with the people answering the poll.
lapio
+5
Level 45
Jan 20, 2017
These polls must be a joke or something. Finland and Norway not at least 80% irreligious? Yeah right.

And no, it's not about "boo hoo that's what the people answered" - if you've lived in these countries you know that believers are very, very rare. Walking on the streets you're probably more likely to run into a convicted murderer than a religious person. It's a shame that people behind these polls decided to take a shortcut and just make up numbers out of their heads.

TWM03
+1
Level 70
Nov 13, 2018
It is possible that people just took the question to mean something different to what you took it to mean. Whether someone is "a religious person" is a very subjective question. For some people it is clear, but not for others.
Nabium
+2
Level 24
Jan 24, 2019
22% of people in Norway believe in God. Yet over 50% is religious? I agree, that sounds weird.

I'm wondering whether they even did that poll in Norway.

The only reason I can think of, with not having Norway up there, is if the survey was not done in every country. Being from Norway, and being interested in religion, I know there are no surveys done where over 50% of the population said they were religious. That would be insane.

PersonWhoEnjoysStuffsandThings
+2
Level 57
Jan 18, 2017
This quiz is good. I liked it.
jajaco2017
+1
Level 57
Jan 18, 2017
Israel ? is VERY religious
sarahcmuller
+2
Level 30
Jan 18, 2017
Israel?! Really?? I was not expecting that
pensta
+3
Level 66
Jan 18, 2017
Mostly first world countries. Says something about education maybe.
divantilya
+3
Level 37
Jan 18, 2017
Organized Religion and Absolute Power: One and the same.
Antofagasta
+13
Level 67
Jan 18, 2017
Please stop being casually offensive.
Gamer1162
+3
Level 60
Jan 18, 2017
How's making an observation "casually offensive"?
CaptainUnderpant
+1
Level 79
Nov 8, 2023
What's offensive is how monumentally useless of an observation it is
Algernon
+2
Level 72
Apr 24, 2018
@Antofagasta, please stop being a snowflake!
CombatWombat
+1
Level 77
Jan 18, 2017
I'm very surprised that Israel made the list considering that they are supposed to be a Jewish country and that it is in the Middle East making the rest of the population likely to be Muslim.
DasCreamy109
+2
Level 47
Dec 7, 2017
I don't think the kind of religion followed has any effect on the quiz.
meimei
+1
Level 73
Jan 18, 2017
How come North Korea is not on the list, being a Communist country?
jamesd
+2
Level 68
Jan 18, 2017
Juche has many aspects of a religion. In my mind, it reaches past a political ideology. In any case, they North Koreans didn't take this poll and aren't included in the source. How many Koreans in the North genuinely believe in Juche is an unknowable question, but I imagine most of them would say they have absolute faith in Great Leader
ivocado
+1
Level 18
Jul 11, 2018
They were not allowed to answer the survey.
shir999
+1
Level 32
Jan 18, 2017
65% israel? im guessing whoever conducted the poll only asked people from tel aviv... i wish it was 65% out of all israelis, maybe 25% these days
TheWelshManc
+4
Level 45
Jan 18, 2017
WTF Spain, Israel and Ireland? Thought it would be full of Catholics and Jews
BBENSoN
+4
Level 48
Jan 18, 2017
Surprised not to see Vatican City on this list.
KirstenB
+1
Level 65
Jan 19, 2017
No Iceland? Everyone's an atheist there.
HinesBrothers
+1
Level 75
Jan 24, 2019
That's an apriorism
LongHistory3
+1
Level 21
Jan 19, 2017
There is a country in europe with 100% Catholic

It's Called Vatican City :)

TinklePork
+1
Level 62
Apr 21, 2017
I wonder if there's any closet Protestants or atheists living there. I bet they're scared to "come out"
idontlikeit2
+1
Level 74
May 13, 2017
With a population of around 800, most of them not immigrants, I'd imagine that all people there believe what their parents believe in.
skukka
+5
Level 59
Jul 1, 2017
What? Everyone in Vatican is an immigrant. There are no people born in Vatican at all. The people living in Vatican are clergymen, monks, nuns and such who should not be into babymaking. There has been a few babies born in Vatican though during the WW2 when pregnant jewish women were hiding in Vatican., but those kids for sure did not get a Vatican citizenship.
thebest21
+1
Level 63
Jan 22, 2017
I got all of them with only 4 seconds left!
NKpride
+2
Level 59
Jan 27, 2017
Somehow the Vatican wasn't a correct answer...
introvertigo
+1
Level 43
Sep 27, 2018
Are you being sarcastic, or do you actually not know what the Vatican is?
KRQC2000
+1
Level 48
Jul 1, 2017
Finished with just one second left!
emwcee
+3
Level 45
Nov 3, 2017
Some countries I expected to be on the list but were not: Cuba, Russia, North Korea, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Belguim,
ThisIsAGreatUsername
+3
Level 50
Apr 24, 2018
Yeah, as a Finn myself, I'm totally questioning Finland's absence on this list. We're not religious, I'd know that. Approx. 71% of Finns belong to Evangelical Lutheran Church, yet ≤10% of them are active church goers. The reason for this is that were born as members of the church (as our parents most likely were members) and then we're just too lazy to leave/resign/whateververbissupposedtobecorrect the church.
Nabium
+1
Level 24
Jan 24, 2019
I agree.

I expected Finland, Norway, Iceland to be on the list.

But not necessarily Russia, Belgium, Cuba - I'd expect to find Uruguay and Taiwan above those.

Norway has about 22% who believes in God, so how over 50% can be religious is a mystery. My only guess is that the survey this quiz was based on, was not conducted in all countries. Norway and Finland's absent might just have been due to them not being surveyed. Anything else makes little sense to me. As a Norwegian interested in religion, I would have know if there were any survey's where the majority of Norwegian identify as religious.

Aliteraldog
+3
Level 43
Feb 12, 2018
What! No Vatican City??????
np
+2
Level 65
Apr 7, 2018
Surpised not to see North Korea in this one
JWC1202
+3
Level 74
Apr 24, 2018
I think it would be high on the list, but getting good stats out of North Korea is futile. They have largely replaced religion with a cult of personality for the Kim dynasty. According to Wikipedia, about 64% of the citizens might be considered irreligious, but that has to be mostly speculation.
Kahikatea
+5
Level 76
Apr 24, 2018
I was surprised not to see New Zealand on the list
GeoCharlie
+1
Level 41
Jul 24, 2019
Me too. I clicked one of the firsts
DaveM
+1
Level 74
May 19, 2021
Weren't included in the poll
divantilya
+1
Level 37
Apr 25, 2018
Religion is truly the "Opiate of the masses", as they struggle to survive and strive to purchase eternity in heaven while their leaders bleed them dry so that THEY might live a life of luxury here on earth. I am not being "casually offensive", I am being a realist.
CaptainUnderpant
+2
Level 79
Nov 8, 2023
That's hardly realist, it's just as delusional and reductionist as the beliefs you think religious people have. Marx also said, "Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions."
NielsCoolen
+2
Level 62
May 24, 2018
I like how the majority of these countries is doing pretty well in terms of freedom, economy, wealth, technology, etc. etc.

Religious countries are obviously still lacking in most of these factors.

Asterlan
+6
Level 57
Nov 22, 2020
Those factors cause a decrease in religiousness, not the other way around.
NielsDeNoob
+1
Level 65
Dec 2, 2021
Well, a decrease in religiousness does cause an increase in intellectuality and education. Which in their turn benefit factors like wealth, economical stability, freedom, etc.
CaptainUnderpant
+3
Level 79
Nov 8, 2023
No, read the above comment again. A decrease in religiosity does not cause increase in education and it has almost nothing to do with whatever the heck "intellectuality" is. The causal chain moves the other direction.
introvertigo
+1
Level 43
Sep 27, 2018
I salute China can I move there, my mom hates me for being non-religious
IsleAuHaulte
+1
Level 89
Nov 13, 2018
So the intelligent, well-developed, advanced countries....
CaptainUnderpant
+3
Level 79
Nov 8, 2023
Surely your mind is capable of more complex and discerning thought.
omnikin
+1
Level 60
Nov 13, 2018
Israel surprised me and I never remembered answering this.
kalbahamut
+1
Level 82
Nov 13, 2018
Of all the former Soviet SSRs, apart from Estonia, Azerbaijan is the one I'd expect to show up here the least. Interesting. Is that new following the update? [edit: looking at the stats apparently I've taken this twice before, and I've missed Azerbaijan every time while usually getting all the others. Maybe it will finally sink in this time.]
kalbahamut
+1
Level 82
Apr 8, 2019
I got it this time. and now I find it curious that I would make this statement in late 2018 which was after I had visited Moldova, Georgia, and Armenia all of which are extremely religious. ..hmm... oh well at least it finally sank in.
Asterlan
+1
Level 57
Nov 22, 2020
I feel like it’s a tossup on whether a post-communist nation is very religious (Poland, Romania, Armenia) or very atheist (Estonia, Czechia, Azerbaijan). I would love to see an explanation why.
JWatson24
+1
Level 71
Jan 15, 2021
Yeah, I honestly expected more former Communist Bloc countries to be on here, but I've also heard that some Eastern European countries, like Poland and Hungary, are quite conservative. Not sure why there's such a discrepancy. As it turns out according to the source, Slovenia and Latvia are very near misses, and Ukraine and Lithuania aren't very far off either.
kalbahamut
+1
Level 82
Jun 19, 2021
The Communists repressed religion but when the USSR went away there was a resurgence.
Malbaby
+1
Level 71
Jan 24, 2019
Very interesting quiz: What actually is 'Religion'?..... it means different things to different people. Some people are religious because they truly believe that their God is somehow aware of everything and is capable of deciding the fate of the world and all within. Many others say they are 'Religious' because their parents say they are and everyone they know says they are, they don't want to be a troublemaker and the rituals and ceremonies keep them playing along with the crowd. Some people are fence-sitters, they have no real faith or belief in any deity, but when asked about religion answer one that they choose, much like the way some people say they support football teams although they know nothing about them and don't watch them. Then there are those that say they are religious out of fear, fear of being ostracised for not believing, fear of being the odd-one-out, fear of upsetting the status quo or fear of giving offence to all the others that are the same: Which are you?
Malbaby
+1
Level 71
Jan 24, 2019
PS This is also true of people that say they have no Religion.
Atkinson
+6
Level 63
Jan 24, 2019
I messed up completely I though it was a quiz about counties with no regions.
epleStorm
+1
Level 47
Apr 8, 2019
Norway does, by the last count, belong on this list.
P3
+1
Level 32
Apr 8, 2019
Did the question in question refer to holding religious beliefs, the degree of religious devotion, or both?
GeoCharlie
+1
Level 41
Jul 24, 2019
What about Poland? lol :)
kalbahamut
+2
Level 82
Jul 24, 2019
Poland is one of the most Catholic countries in Europe, and among the most religious and conservative. I think they only get beat out by Romania, Moldova, and maybe the Vatican.
dunkinggandalf2
+1
Level 68
Feb 18, 2021
Poland is changing fast, despite its political leadership. It's a fascinating country, and I'm really wondering what it'll look like in a few decades!
MethodMan
+1
Level 32
Sep 29, 2019
i got them all. i threw azerbaijan in there just because it was the only country i could think of, was surprised to find it was correct!
TjizzleDizzle
+1
Level 67
Sep 29, 2019
I know the feeling, I guessed Kazakhstan out of boredom (not suprised it wasn't listed)...when I saw Azerbaijan I was like 'ah man, closer than I thought I would!'. :P
mrnafe
+1
Level 82
Sep 29, 2019
Israel surprised me a bit
jajaco2017
+1
Level 57
Sep 29, 2019
Israel?

the most arch religious of all

TjizzleDizzle
+1
Level 67
Sep 29, 2019
Isn't it that the remaining religous parts are like hyper-orthodox or something? From what i've learned a good part is more into 'cultural judaism' (taking part out of tradition and bonding, not out of belief in any supernatural). If this is indeed correct, than Israel seems a bit bipolar to me. :P
Arii78
+1
Level 45
Sep 29, 2019
I tried typing in Vatican, just for fun.

Surprinsingly didn't work.

TjizzleDizzle
+1
Level 67
Sep 29, 2019
Always tricky how it is determined, the Netherlands is according to its own central bureau for statistics only 51% or 52% irreligious, per 2019. It considers this as not being in a deity (mainly focussing on christianity, judaism and islam), quite a bit around here are spiritual though.

Given what i've understood about irreligiousity I thought Iceland would have been in the list, but apparently not.

Marvo7
+1
Level 60
Sep 29, 2019
So where is North Korea?
FatSpartanJediLlama
+1
Level 67
Sep 29, 2019
Lol I was guessing Israel as a joke, I wasn't actually expecting it to be on here
Insdo
+1
Level 43
Sep 29, 2019
I've noticed that many people in Protestan countries believe that Catholic countries are very religious. Probably true for Poland but not Spain, France or Ireland. I've never met a religious person in Spain who was born after the 70's
jayhiatt
+1
Level 70
Sep 30, 2019
I was particularly surprised by the inclusion of Ireland and Spain on this list, as well as there not being more former-USSR countries.
reydeviajes
+4
Level 50
Sep 30, 2019
Azerbaijan surprised me af! MY COUNTRY! <3
ihavethepower
+3
Level 29
Oct 1, 2019
The Progress of civilization... ;)
CaptainUnderpant
+3
Level 79
Nov 8, 2023
Gimme a break. If civilization was progressing, you wouldn't have capitalized 'progress'.
Nerd0921
+1
Level 73
Oct 5, 2019
Why did I try to type the VATICAN, that's very stupid of me
Raz07
+1
Level 56
Jan 16, 2020
Should the title be unreligious instead of irreligious. Or am I being stupid?
Malbaby
+1
Level 71
Jan 16, 2020
A better title would be 'Non Religious'
Raz07
+1
Level 56
Jan 17, 2020
Yeah that works too
eppek
+2
Level 59
Nov 22, 2020
Israel surprised me.
Xenobiologista
+1
Level 59
Jan 28, 2021
How is Azerbaijan here? I thought they were very religious.
MichaelPeblo
+1
Level 46
Mar 7, 2021
No data for NK? :(

Also forgot Azerbaijan :(

Oatmeal11
+2
Level 74
Mar 17, 2021
I saw 142 comments on this quiz and thought, "must be Israel then"
czech1mapper
+1
Level 47
Mar 20, 2021
False
elbuho86
+1
Level 81
Mar 28, 2021
I got 19/20... The only one I missed was Spain. Yep, I'm spanish.
KingLW
+1
Level 61
Jun 19, 2021
A few surprising ones, got 100% though
AlBysmal
+1
Level 56
Jun 19, 2021
I feel like guessing formerly (or currently) authoritarian countries and guessing European (especially primarily Protestant) countries is a good rule of thumb for this quiz
Pearl2270
+1
Level 79
Jun 30, 2022
Hmm. Something seems off with this quiz. I'm especially not buying that Israel is an irreligious country. Some people must have a WAY different definition of "irreligious" than me, idk.
GlassMonkeyCode
+1
Level 67
Feb 28, 2023
I tried Vatican...
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