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Importance of religion in life
What this indicator measures
Share of respondents who say religion is "very" or "rather" important in their life, in answer to the question asked in the World Values Surveys. The data come from opinion surveys conducted in a limited number of countries (about 80 to 120 depending on the question); absent countries were not surveyed. The year shown is that of the latest survey wave available for the country.
How to read this?
A value of 60 means 60% of respondents consider religion very or rather important in their life.
Ranking : ranked from highest to lowest
In brief
Importance of religion in life: across 114 countries and territories, values range from 13 % (China) to 100 % (Egypt), with a world median of 79.2 %. Data: 1998–2022. The top 10% of countries exceed 98.6 %, while the bottom 10% stay below 31.7 %. By continent, the median is highest in Africa (97.3 %) and lowest in Europe (45.2 %).
Median by continent
- Africa 97.3 % (17)
- Asia 87.1 % (34)
- North America 81.3 % (10)
- South America 78.7 % (9)
- Europe 45.2 % (41)
Why this indicator matters
This indicator shows how much inhabitants say religion matters in their life. It complements the share of each religion, since one can identify with a religion without considering it important.
What makes this indicator vary
It depends on history, the place of religion in society, age, education, living standards and how people express their faith.
Reading precautions
Surveys cover only some countries and the years differ. Answers are self-reported and depend on the wording of the question. Small samples and the local context (freedom of expression, for example) can influence responses.
Full ranking
ranked from highest to lowest
| Rank | Country | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1er | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 100 % | 2022 |
| 2e | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 99.9 % | 2022 |
| 3e | 🇶🇦 Qatar | 99.8 % | 2014 |
| 4e | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 99.8 % | 2022 |
| 5e | 🇲🇻 Maldives | 99.4 % | 2022 |
| 6e | 🇱🇾 Libya | 99.4 % | 2022 |
| 7e | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | 99 % | 2022 |
| 7e | 🇯🇴 Jordan | 99 % | 2022 |
| 9e | 🇹🇳 Tunisia | 98.8 % | 2022 |
| 10e | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 98.6 % | 2022 |
| 10e | 🇾🇪 Yemen | 98.6 % | 2014 |
| 12e | 🇲🇦 Morocco | 98.6 % | 2022 |
| 13e | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | 98.5 % | 2022 |
| 14e | 🇬🇭 Ghana | 98.5 % | 2014 |
| 15e | 🇲🇲 Myanmar (Burma) | 98.3 % | 2022 |
| 16e | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 97.5 % | 2004 |
| 17e | 🇵🇭 Philippines | 97.5 % | 2022 |
| 18e | 🇩🇿 Algeria | 97.3 % | 2014 |
| 19e | 🇲🇱 Mali | 96.6 % | 2010 |
| 20e | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | 96.6 % | 2022 |
| 21e | 🇮🇶 Iraq | 96.6 % | 2022 |
| 22e | 🇰🇪 Kenya | 95.3 % | 2022 |
| 23e | 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | 94.9 % | 2010 |
| 24e | 🇺🇬 Uganda | 94.9 % | 2004 |
| 25e | 🇸🇻 El Salvador | 94.7 % | 1998 |
| 26e | 🇬🇪 Georgia | 94.7 % | 2022 |
| 27e | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | 93.9 % | 2014 |
| 28e | 🇮🇷 Iran | 92.5 % | 2022 |
| 29e | 🇱🇧 Lebanon | 92.2 % | 2022 |
| 30e | 🇿🇲 Zambia | 91.9 % | 2010 |
| 31e | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | 91 % | 2022 |
| 32e | 🇹🇯 Tajikistan | 90.8 % | 2022 |
| 33e | 🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago | 90.6 % | 2014 |
| 34e | 🇽🇰 Kosovo | 89.4 % | 2010 |
| 35e | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | 88.9 % | 2022 |
| 36e | 🇹🇷 Türkiye | 88.4 % | 2022 |
| 37e | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | 87.3 % | 2004 |
| 38e | 🇲🇹 Malta | 86.6 % | 2010 |
| 39e | 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico | 86.3 % | 2022 |
| 40e | 🇲🇪 Montenegro | 85.9 % | 2022 |
| 41e | 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | 85.8 % | 2022 |
| 42e | 🇮🇳 India | 85.7 % | 2022 |
| 43e | 🇦🇲 Armenia | 85.2 % | 2022 |
| 44e | 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan | 85.1 % | 2022 |
| 45e | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 84.5 % | 2022 |
| 46e | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | 84 % | 2022 |
| 47e | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 83.8 % | 2014 |
| 48e | 🇹🇭 Thailand | 83 % | 2022 |
| 49e | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | 82.4 % | 2022 |
| 50e | 🇲🇰 North Macedonia | 82.2 % | 2022 |
| 51e | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | 81.8 % | 1998 |
| 52e | 🇬🇷 Greece | 81.6 % | 2022 |
| 53e | 🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina | 81 % | 2022 |
| 54e | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | 80.9 % | 2022 |
| 55e | 🇨🇴 Colombia | 80.7 % | 2022 |
| 56e | 🇷🇴 Romania | 80.3 % | 2022 |
| 57e | 🇨🇾 Cyprus | 79.7 % | 2022 |
| 58e | 🇵🇪 Peru | 78.7 % | 2022 |
| 59e | 🇵🇱 Poland | 78.1 % | 2022 |
| 60e | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | 76.2 % | 2022 |
| 61e | 🇲🇩 Moldova | 75.5 % | 2010 |
| 62e | 🇭🇹 Haiti | 75.4 % | 2014 |
| 63e | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 74.6 % | 2022 |
| 64e | 🇦🇱 Albania | 73.1 % | 2022 |
| 65e | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | 72.2 % | 2014 |
| 66e | 🇷🇸 Serbia | 67 % | 2022 |
| 67e | 🇮🇹 Italy | 65.3 % | 2022 |
| 68e | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 65.1 % | 2022 |
| 69e | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | 64.2 % | 2022 |
| 70e | 🇭🇷 Croatia | 63 % | 2022 |
| 71e | 🇮🇪 Ireland | 62.7 % | 2010 |
| 72e | 🇵🇹 Portugal | 61.8 % | 2022 |
| 73e | 🇺🇸 United States | 60.7 % | 2022 |
| 74e | 🇦🇷 Argentina | 59.5 % | 2022 |
| 75e | 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | 59 % | 2022 |
| 76e | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 58.6 % | 2022 |
| 77e | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | 55.2 % | 2022 |
| 78e | 🇨🇱 Chile | 55 % | 2022 |
| 79e | 🇧🇾 Belarus | 53.9 % | 2022 |
| 80e | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | 51.4 % | 2022 |
| 81e | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | 51.4 % | 2022 |
| 82e | 🇷🇺 Russia | 49.6 % | 2022 |
| 83e | 🇱🇹 Lithuania | 45.2 % | 2022 |
| 84e | 🇭🇺 Hungary | 45.2 % | 2022 |
| 85e | 🇦🇹 Austria | 43 % | 2022 |
| 86e | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | 41.1 % | 2022 |
| 87e | 🇮🇸 Iceland | 40.9 % | 2022 |
| 87e | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 40.9 % | 2010 |
| 89e | 🇧🇪 Belgium | 40.7 % | 2010 |
| 90e | 🇪🇸 Spain | 38.1 % | 2022 |
| 91e | 🇩🇪 Germany | 37.6 % | 2022 |
| 92e | 🇫🇷 France | 37.1 % | 2022 |
| 93e | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | 36.4 % | 2022 |
| 94e | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 35.9 % | 2022 |
| 95e | 🇱🇻 Latvia | 35.3 % | 2022 |
| 96e | 🇲🇳 Mongolia | 35.3 % | 2022 |
| 97e | 🇨🇦 Canada | 35.2 % | 2022 |
| 98e | 🇳🇴 Norway | 34.5 % | 2022 |
| 99e | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | 33.8 % | 2022 |
| 100e | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 32.9 % | 2022 |
| 101e | 🇲🇴 Macao SAR China | 32.2 % | 2022 |
| 102e | 🇫🇮 Finland | 31.8 % | 2022 |
| 103e | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 31.7 % | 2022 |
| 104e | 🇦🇩 Andorra | 30.7 % | 2022 |
| 105e | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China | 30.6 % | 2022 |
| 106e | 🇦🇺 Australia | 28.8 % | 2022 |
| 107e | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 28 % | 2022 |
| 108e | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 27.6 % | 2022 |
| 109e | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 26.9 % | 2022 |
| 110e | 🇪🇪 Estonia | 22.9 % | 2022 |
| 111e | 🇨🇿 Czechia | 21 % | 2022 |
| 112e | 🇩🇰 Denmark | 19.3 % | 2022 |
| 113e | 🇯🇵 Japan | 14.5 % | 2022 |
| 114e | 🇨🇳 China | 13 % | 2022 |
Frequently asked questions
Which country has the highest value for "Importance of religion in life"?
The highest value is in Egypt, at 100 % (2022).
Which country has the lowest value for "Importance of religion in life"?
The lowest value is in China, at 13 % (2022).
What is the world median value of "Importance of religion in life"?
The world median is 79.2 %, calculated across 114 countries: half of the countries are above it, the other half below.
What is the value of "Importance of religion in life" for France?
France scores 37.1 % (2022), ranking 92 out of 114 countries (ranked from highest to lowest).
Where does the "Importance of religion in life" data come from?
It comes from Integrated Values Surveys (World Values Survey et European Values Study, 2024), via Our World in Data. Site last updated: November 8, 2026. Each country is shown with the year of its most recent value.
What does "important in life" mean?
The respondent answers that religion is "very" or "rather" important to them. It is a personal feeling.
Why are some countries missing?
They were not covered by the World Values Surveys and European Values Study. No value is estimated in their place.
Source and update
Source : Integrated Values Surveys (World Values Survey et European Values Study, 2024), via Our World in Data. Site last updated: November 8, 2026.
Indicators in the same category : Origins, languages and religions
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- Linguistic diversity (fractionalization index)Measures the probability that two people randomly drawn in the country do not belong to the same linguistic group. Calculation published by Alesina and coauthors (2003) from sources such as the Encyclopædia Britannica; the groups used are those of these sources and the data date from different periods depending on the country.
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