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Share of the population: people with no religious affiliation
What this indicator measures
Share of the population that reports no religious affiliation (atheists, agnostics or no particular religion), based on Pew Research Center estimates for 2020. This category does not exclude personal beliefs or practices. The figures come from Pew Research Center estimates based on censuses and surveys; each person is counted according to their own religious identity, regardless of practice.
How to read this?
A value of 30 means 30% of inhabitants report no religious affiliation (atheists, agnostics or no particular religion).
Ranking : ranked from highest to lowest
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192countries with data
89.6 %maximum · China
4.6 %median
0 %minimum · Nepal
2020data year(s)
In brief
Share of the population: people with no religious affiliation: across 192 countries and territories, values range from 0 % (Nepal) to 89.6 % (China), with a world median of 4.6 %. Data: 2020. The top 10% of countries exceed 32.1 %, while the bottom 10% stay below 0.1 %. By continent, the median is highest in Europe (16.8 %) and lowest in Asia (0.3 %).
Median by continent
- Europe 16.8 % (40)
- North America 9.9 % (24)
- South America 9.4 % (12)
- Africa 1.3 % (51)
- Oceania 0.7 % (13)
- Asia 0.3 % (49)
Why this indicator matters
This indicator gives the share of the population that is not affiliated with any religion, for example atheists, agnostics or those who say they have no particular religion.
What makes this indicator vary
It depends on the country's history, migration, differences in birth rates between groups, conversions and the share of people who say they no longer identify with a religion.
Reading precautions
Estimates come from censuses and surveys; they are modeled for poorly covered countries. Each person is classified according to their declaration, regardless of practice or beliefs. Internal branches of each religion are not distinguished. Some of these people have personal spiritual beliefs or practices.
Full ranking
ranked from highest to lowest
| Rank | Country | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1er | 🇨🇳 China | 89.6 % | 2020 |
| 2e | 🇰🇵 North Korea | 72.9 % | 2020 |
| 3e | 🇨🇿 Czechia | 72.8 % | 2020 |
| 4e | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China | 71.4 % | 2020 |
| 5e | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | 67.7 % | 2020 |
| 6e | 🇲🇴 Macao SAR China | 67.6 % | 2020 |
| 7e | 🇯🇵 Japan | 57.5 % | 2020 |
| 8e | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 54.1 % | 2020 |
| 9e | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | 52.4 % | 2020 |
| 10e | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 51.4 % | 2020 |
| 11e | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 48.3 % | 2020 |
| 12e | 🇪🇪 Estonia | 43.6 % | 2020 |
| 13e | 🇫🇷 France | 42.7 % | 2020 |
| 14e | 🇦🇺 Australia | 42.3 % | 2020 |
| 15e | 🇲🇳 Mongolia | 40.8 % | 2020 |
| 16e | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 40.2 % | 2020 |
| 17e | 🇧🇪 Belgium | 39 % | 2020 |
| 18e | 🇩🇪 Germany | 36.2 % | 2020 |
| 19e | 🇨🇦 Canada | 34.6 % | 2020 |
| 20e | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | 32.3 % | 2020 |
| 21e | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 30.8 % | 2020 |
| 22e | 🇨🇱 Chile | 30.3 % | 2020 |
| 23e | 🇺🇸 United States | 29.7 % | 2020 |
| 24e | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 28.9 % | 2020 |
| 25e | 🇭🇺 Hungary | 27 % | 2020 |
| 26e | 🇪🇸 Spain | 26.4 % | 2020 |
| 27e | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | 25.3 % | 2020 |
| 28e | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 25.3 % | 2020 |
| 29e | 🇫🇮 Finland | 25.1 % | 2020 |
| 30e | 🇯🇲 Jamaica | 23.7 % | 2020 |
| 31e | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | 23.1 % | 2020 |
| 32e | 🇳🇴 Norway | 22.5 % | 2020 |
| 33e | 🇦🇹 Austria | 22.4 % | 2020 |
| 34e | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | 22.3 % | 2020 |
| 35e | 🇨🇺 Cuba | 21.6 % | 2020 |
| 36e | 🇨🇻 Cape Verde | 20.6 % | 2020 |
| 37e | 🇷🇺 Russia | 20.2 % | 2020 |
| 38e | 🇧🇧 Barbados | 20.1 % | 2020 |
| 39e | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 19.9 % | 2020 |
| 40e | 🇮🇸 Iceland | 19.9 % | 2020 |
| 41e | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | 19.6 % | 2020 |
| 42e | 🇱🇻 Latvia | 17 % | 2020 |
| 43e | 🇩🇰 Denmark | 16.6 % | 2020 |
| 44e | 🇧🇿 Belize | 15.6 % | 2020 |
| 45e | 🇮🇪 Ireland | 15.6 % | 2020 |
| 46e | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | 15.1 % | 2020 |
| 47e | 🇧🇼 Botswana | 14.7 % | 2020 |
| 48e | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | 14.3 % | 2020 |
| 49e | 🇵🇹 Portugal | 13.8 % | 2020 |
| 50e | 🇧🇾 Belarus | 13.8 % | 2020 |
| 51e | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 13.5 % | 2020 |
| 52e | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | 13.3 % | 2020 |
| 53e | 🇮🇹 Italy | 13.3 % | 2020 |
| 54e | 🇸🇻 El Salvador | 11.9 % | 2020 |
| 55e | 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau | 11.6 % | 2020 |
| 56e | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 10.6 % | 2020 |
| 57e | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | 10.5 % | 2020 |
| 58e | 🇳🇨 New Caledonia | 10.5 % | 2020 |
| 59e | 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico | 10.4 % | 2020 |
| 60e | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 10.1 % | 2020 |
| 61e | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 10 % | 2020 |
| 62e | 🇨🇴 Colombia | 9.9 % | 2020 |
| 63e | 🇭🇳 Honduras | 9.7 % | 2020 |
| 64e | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | 9.7 % | 2020 |
| 65e | 🇸🇹 São Tomé & Príncipe | 9.7 % | 2020 |
| 66e | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | 9.6 % | 2020 |
| 67e | 🇭🇹 Haiti | 9.4 % | 2020 |
| 68e | 🇦🇷 Argentina | 9.2 % | 2020 |
| 69e | 🇵🇱 Poland | 8.7 % | 2020 |
| 70e | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | 8.4 % | 2020 |
| 71e | 🇸🇷 Suriname | 8.1 % | 2020 |
| 72e | 🇹🇬 Togo | 8 % | 2020 |
| 73e | 🇻🇨 St. Vincent & Grenadines | 7.9 % | 2020 |
| 74e | 🇦🇱 Albania | 7.7 % | 2020 |
| 75e | 🇱🇹 Lithuania | 7.1 % | 2020 |
| 76e | 🇭🇷 Croatia | 6.7 % | 2020 |
| 77e | 🇨🇾 Cyprus | 6.6 % | 2020 |
| 78e | 🇵🇦 Panama | 6.2 % | 2020 |
| 79e | 🇸🇿 Eswatini | 6.2 % | 2020 |
| 80e | 🇦🇴 Angola | 6.1 % | 2020 |
| 81e | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | 6 % | 2020 |
| 82e | 🇨🇼 Curaçao | 5.9 % | 2020 |
| 83e | 🇱🇨 St. Lucia | 5.9 % | 2020 |
| 84e | 🇦🇼 Aruba | 5.9 % | 2020 |
| 85e | 🇬🇩 Grenada | 5.8 % | 2020 |
| 86e | 🇬🇦 Gabon | 5.8 % | 2020 |
| 87e | 🇳🇦 Namibia | 5.6 % | 2020 |
| 88e | 🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire | 5.6 % | 2020 |
| 89e | 🇲🇹 Malta | 5.2 % | 2020 |
| 90e | 🇨🇬 Congo - Brazzaville | 5.2 % | 2020 |
| 91e | 🇵🇪 Peru | 5.1 % | 2020 |
| 92e | 🇵🇫 French Polynesia | 5 % | 2020 |
| 93e | 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea | 5 % | 2020 |
| 94e | 🇧🇯 Benin | 4.9 % | 2020 |
| 95e | 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | 4.8 % | 2020 |
| 96e | 🇬🇷 Greece | 4.7 % | 2020 |
| 97e | 🇮🇱 Israel | 4.4 % | 2020 |
| 98e | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | 4.3 % | 2020 |
| 99e | 🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands | 4 % | 2020 |
| 100e | 🇷🇸 Serbia | 4 % | 2020 |
| 101e | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | 3.5 % | 2020 |
| 102e | 🇹🇩 Chad | 3.1 % | 2020 |
| 103e | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 3.1 % | 2020 |
| 104e | 🇬🇾 Guyana | 2.9 % | 2020 |
| 105e | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | 2.5 % | 2020 |
| 105e | 🇲🇱 Mali | 2.5 % | 2020 |
| 105e | 🇹🇷 Türkiye | 2.5 % | 2020 |
| 108e | 🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago | 2.5 % | 2020 |
| 109e | 🇸🇨 Seychelles | 2.4 % | 2020 |
| 110e | 🇨🇲 Cameroon | 2.1 % | 2020 |
| 111e | 🇸🇾 Syria | 2 % | 2020 |
| 112e | 🇧🇸 Bahamas | 1.9 % | 2020 |
| 113e | 🇬🇺 Guam | 1.8 % | 2020 |
| 114e | 🇱🇸 Lesotho | 1.7 % | 2020 |
| 115e | 🇰🇪 Kenya | 1.6 % | 2020 |
| 116e | 🇻🇺 Vanuatu | 1.4 % | 2020 |
| 117e | 🇬🇳 Guinea | 1.3 % | 2020 |
| 118e | 🇩🇿 Algeria | 1.3 % | 2020 |
| 119e | 🇧🇮 Burundi | 1.3 % | 2020 |
| 120e | 🇳🇪 Niger | 1.2 % | 2020 |
| 121e | 🇦🇲 Armenia | 1.2 % | 2020 |
| 121e | 🇨🇩 Congo - Kinshasa | 1.2 % | 2020 |
| 123e | 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan | 1.2 % | 2020 |
| 124e | 🇲🇪 Montenegro | 1.1 % | 2020 |
| 125e | 🇩🇯 Djibouti | 1.1 % | 2020 |
| 126e | 🇬🇭 Ghana | 1.1 % | 2020 |
| 126e | 🇱🇷 Liberia | 1.1 % | 2020 |
| 128e | 🇪🇷 Eritrea | 1.1 % | 2020 |
| 129e | 🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina | 1.1 % | 2020 |
| 130e | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | 1 % | 2020 |
| 131e | 🇬🇪 Georgia | 1 % | 2020 |
| 132e | 🇲🇼 Malawi | 0.9 % | 2020 |
| 132e | 🇷🇴 Romania | 0.9 % | 2020 |
| 134e | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | 0.8 % | 2020 |
| 135e | 🇲🇺 Mauritius | 0.8 % | 2020 |
| 136e | 🇫🇲 Micronesia | 0.7 % | 2020 |
| 137e | 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | 0.6 % | 2020 |
| 137e | 🇹🇴 Tonga | 0.6 % | 2020 |
| 139e | 🇸🇩 Sudan | 0.6 % | 2020 |
| 140e | 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | 0.6 % | 2020 |
| 141e | 🇲🇰 North Macedonia | 0.5 % | 2020 |
| 142e | 🇨🇫 Central African Republic | 0.5 % | 2020 |
| 143e | 🇹🇳 Tunisia | 0.4 % | 2020 |
| 144e | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 0.4 % | 2020 |
| 145e | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | 0.3 % | 2020 |
| 146e | 🇸🇧 Solomon Islands | 0.3 % | 2020 |
| 147e | 🇧🇭 Bahrain | 0.3 % | 2020 |
| 148e | 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea | 0.3 % | 2020 |
| 149e | 🇶🇦 Qatar | 0.3 % | 2020 |
| 150e | 🇫🇯 Fiji | 0.3 % | 2020 |
| 150e | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | 0.3 % | 2020 |
| 152e | 🇲🇩 Moldova | 0.2 % | 2020 |
| 153e | 🇧🇳 Brunei | 0.2 % | 2020 |
| 154e | 🇴🇲 Oman | 0.1 % | 2020 |
| 154e | 🇽🇰 Kosovo | 0.1 % | 2020 |
| 156e | 🇰🇲 Comoros | 0.1 % | 2020 |
| 156e | 🇲🇦 Morocco | 0.1 % | 2020 |
| 158e | 🇲🇷 Mauritania | 0.1 % | 2020 |
| 158e | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 0.1 % | 2020 |
| 160e | 🇰🇮 Kiribati | 0.1 % | 2020 |
| 161e | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 0.1 % | 2020 |
| 161e | 🇺🇬 Uganda | 0.1 % | 2020 |
| 163e | 🇰🇭 Cambodia | 0.1 % | 2020 |
| 164e | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | 0.1 % | 2020 |
| 164e | 🇲🇻 Maldives | 0.1 % | 2020 |
| 164e | 🇹🇯 Tajikistan | 0.1 % | 2020 |
| 164e | 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan | 0.1 % | 2020 |
| 168e | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 0.1 % | 2020 |
| 168e | 🇲🇲 Myanmar (Burma) | 0.1 % | 2020 |
| 168e | 🇹🇱 Timor-Leste | 0.1 % | 2020 |
| 168e | 🇼🇸 Samoa | 0.1 % | 2020 |
| 168e | 🇾🇪 Yemen | 0.1 % | 2020 |
| 168e | 🇿🇲 Zambia | 0.1 % | 2020 |
| 174e | 🇯🇴 Jordan | 0.1 % | 2020 |
| 174e | 🇱🇦 Laos | 0.1 % | 2020 |
| 174e | 🇱🇾 Libya | 0.1 % | 2020 |
| 177e | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | 0 % | 2020 |
| 177e | 🇵🇭 Philippines | 0 % | 2020 |
| 179e | 🇬🇲 Gambia | 0 % | 2020 |
| 179e | 🇱🇧 Lebanon | 0 % | 2020 |
| 179e | 🇸🇳 Senegal | 0 % | 2020 |
| 179e | 🇸🇴 Somalia | 0 % | 2020 |
| 183e | 🇦🇫 Afghanistan | 0 % | 2020 |
| 183e | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | 0 % | 2020 |
| 183e | 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone | 0 % | 2020 |
| 183e | 🇹🇭 Thailand | 0 % | 2020 |
| 187e | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | 0 % | 2020 |
| 187e | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 0 % | 2020 |
| 187e | 🇮🇳 India | 0 % | 2020 |
| 187e | 🇮🇷 Iran | 0 % | 2020 |
| 187e | 🇮🇶 Iraq | 0 % | 2020 |
| 187e | 🇳🇵 Nepal | 0 % | 2020 |
Frequently asked questions
Which country has the highest value for "Share of the population: people with no religious affiliation"?
The highest value is in China, at 89.6 % (2020).
Which country has the lowest value for "Share of the population: people with no religious affiliation"?
The lowest value is in Nepal, at 0 % (2020).
What is the world median value of "Share of the population: people with no religious affiliation"?
The world median is 4.6 %, calculated across 192 countries: half of the countries are above it, the other half below.
What is the value of "Share of the population: people with no religious affiliation" for France?
France scores 42.7 % (2020), ranking 13 out of 192 countries (ranked from highest to lowest).
Where does the "Share of the population: people with no religious affiliation" data come from?
It comes from Pew Research Center (2025), via Our World in Data. Site last updated: November 8, 2026. Each country is shown with the year of its most recent value.
Does "no religion" mean atheist?
Not necessarily. This category brings together atheists, agnostics and people not affiliated with any religion, even if some believe in something.
Where do these figures come from?
They come from Pew Research Center estimates, published by Our World in Data.
Source and update
Source : Pew Research Center (2025), via Our World in Data. Site last updated: November 8, 2026.
Indicators in the same category : Origins, languages and religions
- Ethnic diversity (fractionalization index)Measures the probability that two people randomly drawn in the country do not belong to the same ethnic 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.
- 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.
- Religious diversity (fractionalization index)Measures the probability that two people randomly drawn in the country do not belong to the same religious 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.
- Regular attendance at places of worshipShare of respondents who say they attend a religious service at least once a month (excluding weddings, funerals and baptisms), based on 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.
- Share of the population: other religions (including folk religions)Share of the population that identifies with another religion (folk or traditional religions, Sikhism, Baha'i Faith, Taoism, Shinto and others), based on Pew Research Center estimates for 2020. The figures come from Pew Research Center estimates based on censuses and surveys; each person is counted according to their own religious identity, regardless of practice.
- Share of the population: BuddhistsShare of the population that identifies as Buddhist, based on Pew Research Center estimates for 2020. The figures come from Pew Research Center estimates based on censuses and surveys; each person is counted according to their own religious identity, regardless of practice.
- Share of the population: ChristiansShare of the population that identifies as Christian, based on Pew Research Center estimates for 2020. The figures come from Pew Research Center estimates based on censuses and surveys; each person is counted according to their own religious identity, regardless of practice.
- Share of the population: HindusShare of the population that identifies as Hindu, based on Pew Research Center estimates for 2020. The figures come from Pew Research Center estimates based on censuses and surveys; each person is counted according to their own religious identity, regardless of practice.
- Share of immigrants in the populationShare of the population born abroad or, failing that, of foreign nationality, according to estimates from the UN Population Division reused by the World Bank. This also includes refugees.
- Share of the population: JewsShare of the population that identifies as Jewish, based on Pew Research Center estimates for 2020. The figures come from Pew Research Center estimates based on censuses and surveys; each person is counted according to their own religious identity, regardless of practice.
- Share of the population: MuslimsShare of the population that identifies as Muslim, based on Pew Research Center estimates for 2020. The figures come from Pew Research Center estimates based on censuses and surveys; each person is counted according to their own religious identity, regardless of practice.
- Frequent prayerShare of respondents who say they pray at least several times a week (excluding weddings and funerals), based on 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. The question has only been asked since 2014.
- Importance of religion in lifeShare 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.
- Majority religionIndicator calculated from Pew Research Center population shares (2020). A religion is shown when more than 50% of inhabitants identify with it; otherwise the country is classified as "No absolute majority". People with no religious affiliation are counted as a separate group.