Irreligion, which may include deism, agnosticism, ignosticism, anti-religion, atheism, skepticism, ietsism, spiritual but not religious, freethought, anti-theism, apatheism, non-belief, pandeism, secular humanism, non-religious theism, pantheism, panentheism, and New age, varies in the countries around the world. According to reports from the Worldwide Independent Network/Gallup International Association's (WIN/GIA) four global polls: in 2005, 77% were a religious person and 4% were "convinced atheists"; in 2012, 23% were not a religious person and 13% were "convinced atheists";^[2] in 2015, 22% were not a religious person and 11% were "convinced atheists";^[3] and in 2017, 25% were not a religious person and 9% were "convinced atheists".^[4] According to the Pew Research Centre in 2012, 16% of the world is "religiously unaffiliated", which "include atheists, agnostics and people who do not identify with any particular religion in surveys"; of that overall category, many may still hold some religious beliefs and some engage in religious practices as well.^[5]

According to sociologist Phil Zuckerman, broad estimates of those who have an absence of belief in a god range from 500 to 750 million people worldwide.^[6] According to sociologists Ariela Keysar and Juhem Navarro-Rivera's review of numerous global studies on atheism, there are 450 to 500 million positive atheists and agnostics worldwide (7% of the world's population) with China alone accounting for 200 million of that demographic.^[7] Relative to its own populations, Zuckerman ranks the top 5 countries with the highest possible ranges of agnostics and atheists: Sweden (46-85%), Vietnam (81%), Denmark (43-80%), Norway (31-72%), and Japan (64-65%).^[8][9] A 2023 Gallup International survey found that Sweden was the country with the highest percentage of citizens that stated they do not believe in God.^[10]

Differences in questions asked in polls

Each poll uses different questions and methods:-

• The Worldwide Independent Network/Gallup International Association (WIN/GIA) poll asked "Irrespective of whether you attend a place of worship or not, would you say that you are a religious person, not a religious person or a convinced atheist?"
• Dentsu Communication Institute provides data for respondents who stated that they have "no religion".
• Phil Zuckerman uses only the number of people who describe themselves as atheists and agnostics.

The numbers come from different years, and might not be accurate for countries with governments that require or urge religion or secularism.

Countries and regions

The Pew Research Centre data in the table below reflects "religiously unaffiliated" which "include atheists, agnostics and people who do not identify with any particular religion in surveys".

The WIN-Gallup International Association (WIN/GIA) poll results below are the totals for "not a religious person" (regardless of whether they had some religious affiliation) and "a convinced atheist" combined.

• Keysar et al. have advised caution with WIN/Gallup International figures since more extensive surveys which have used the same wording for decades and have bigger sample sizes, have consistently reached lower figures than the numbers in the table below. For example, the WIN/GIA numbers from China were overestimated which in turn inflated global totals.^[7]

The Zuckerman data on the table below only reflect the number of people who have an absence of belief in a deity only (atheists, agnostics). Does not include the broader number of people who do not identify with a religion such as deists, spiritual but not religious, pantheists, New Age spiritualism, etc.

	Pew	WIN/GIA			Dentsu	Zuckerman
Country or region	(2012)[11]	(2017)[12]	(2015)[3]	(2012)[13][14]	(2006)[15]	(2004)[6]
Afghanistan (details)	< 0.1%		9%	15%
Albania (details)	1.4%	39%				8%
Argentina	12.2%	34%	20%	26%	13%	4–8%
Armenia	1.3%	6%	5%	5%		34%
Australia (details)	24.2%	63%	58%	58%		24–25%
Austria	13.5%	53%	54%	53%	12%	18–26%
Azerbaijan (details)	< 0.1%	64%	54%	51%
Bangladesh (details)	< 0.1%	19%	5%
Belarus	28.6%				48%	17%
Belgium (details)	29%	64%	48%	34%	35%	42–43%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	2.5%	22%	32%	29%
Brazil (details)	7.9%	17%	18%	14%
Bulgaria (details)	4.2%	39%	39%	30%	30%	34–40%
Cameroon	5.3%			17%
Canada (details)	23.7%	57%	53%	49%	26%	19–30%
Chile	8.6%				34%
China (details)	52.2%	90%	90%	77%	93%	8–14%
Colombia	6.6%	14%	17%	15%
DR Congo	1.8%	17%
Croatia (details)	5.1%				13%	7%
Cuba	23%					7%
Czech Republic (details)	76.4%	72%	75%	78%	64%	54–61%
Denmark (details)	11.8%	61%	52%		10%	43–80%
Dominican Republic	10.9%					7%
Ecuador	5.5%	18%	28%	29%
Estonia (details)	59.6%	60%			76%	49%
Fiji	0.8%	8%	7%	6%
Finland (details)	17.6%	55%	42%	44%	12%	28–60%
France (details)	28%	50%	53%	63%	43%	43–54%
Georgia (details)	0.7%		7%	13%
Germany (details)	24.7%	60%	59%	48%	25%	41–49%
Ghana (details)	4.2%	1%		2%
Greece	6.1%	22%	21%		4%	16%
Hungary (details)	18.6%				43%	32–46%
Iceland (details)	3.5%	49%	44%	41%	4%	16–23%
India (details)	< 0.1%	5%	23%	16%	7%	9.11%
Indonesia (details)	< 0.1%	30%	15%
Iran (details)	0.1%	20%			1%
Iraq (details)	0.1%	34%		9%
Ireland (details)	6.2%	56%	51%	54%	7%
Israel (details)	3.1%	58%	65%			15–37%
Italy (details)	12.4%	26%	24%	23%	18%	6–15%
Japan (details)	57%	60%	62%	62%	52%	64–65%
Kazakhstan (details)	4.2%					11–12%
Kenya (details)	2.5%		9%	11%
Kosovo	1.6%	3%	8%
Kyrgyzstan	0.4%					7%
Latvia	43.8%	52%	50%		41%	20–29%
Lebanon (details)	0.3%	28%	18%	35%
Lithuania	10%	40%		23%	19%	13%
Luxembourg	26.8%				30%
Malaysia	0.7%		23%	13%
Malta	2.5%				1%
Mexico (details)	4.7%	36%	28%
Moldova	1.4%			10%
Mongolia	35.9%	29%				9%
Morocco (details)	< 0.1%		5%
Netherlands (details)	42.1%		66%	56%	55%	39–44%
New Zealand (details)	36.6%					20–22%
Nigeria (details)	0.4%	2%	16%	5%	1%
North Korea	71.3%					15%
North Macedonia		11%	10%	9%
Norway (details)	10.1%	62%				31–72%
Pakistan (details)	< 0.1%	6%	11%	10%
Palestinian territories	< 0.1%	35%	19%	33%
Panama	4.8%	13%
Papua New Guinea	< 0.1%	5%	4%
Peru (details)	3%	23%	13%	11%	5%
Philippines (details)	0.1%	9%	22%		11%
Poland (details)	5.6%	10%	12%	14%	5%
Portugal	4.4%	38%	37%		11%	4–9%
Puerto Rico	1.9%				11%
Romania (details)	0.1%	9%	17%	7%	2%
Russia (details)	16.2%	30%	23%	32%	48%	24–48%
Saudi Arabia (details)	0.7%			24%
Serbia	3.3%	21%	21%	19%
Singapore (details)	16.4%					13%
Slovakia	14.3%				23%	10–28%
Slovenia	18%	53%			30%	35–38%
South Africa (details)	14.9%			32%	11%
South Korea (details)	46.4%	60%	55%	46%	37%	30–52%
South Sudan	1%			16%
Spain (details)	19%	57%	55%	47%	16%	15–24%
Sweden (details)	27%	73%	76%	58%	25%	46–85%
Switzerland (details)	11.9%		58%	47%		17–27%
Taiwan	12.7%					24%
Tanzania	1.4%				2%
Thailand	0.3%	2%	2%
Tunisia	0.2%			33%
Turkey (details)	1.2%	12%	15%	75% (anomalous)	3%
Uganda (details)	0.5%				1%
Ukraine	14.7%	42%	24%	23%	42%	20%
United Kingdom (details)	21.3%	69%	66%			31–44%
United States (details)	16.4%	39%	39%	35%	20%	3–9%
Uruguay (details)	40.7%					12%
Uzbekistan	0.8%			18%
Venezuela	10%		2%		27%
Vietnam	29.6%	63%	54%	65%	46%	81%

By population

The Pew Research Centre in the table below reflects "religiously unaffiliated" which "include atheists, agnostics and people who do not identify with any particular religion in surveys".

The Zuckerman data on the table below only reflect the number of people who have an absence of belief in a deity only (atheists, agnostics). Does not include the broader number of people who do not identify with a religion such as deists, spiritual but not religious, pantheists, New Age spiritualism, etc.

Country	Pew (2012)[16]	Zuckerman (2004)[17][18]
China	700,680,000	103,907,840 – 181,838,720
India		102,870,000
Japan	72,120,000	81,493,120 – 82,766,450
Vietnam	26,040,000	66,978,900
Russia	23,180,000	34,507,680 – 69,015,360
Germany	20,350,000	33,794,250 – 40,388,250
France	17,580,000	25,982,320 – 32,628,960
United Kingdom		18,684,010 – 26,519,240
South Korea	22,350,000	14,579,400 – 25,270,960
Ukraine		9,546,400
United States	50,980,000	8,790,840 – 26,822,520
Netherlands		6,364,020 – 7,179,920
Canada		6,176,520 – 9,752,400
Spain		6,042,150 – 9,667,440
Taiwan		5,460,000
Hong Kong		5,240,000
Czech Republic		5,328,940 – 6,250,121
Australia		4,779,120 – 4,978,250
Belgium		4,346,160 – 4,449,640
Sweden		4,133,560 – 7,638,100
Italy		3,483,420 – 8,708,550
North Korea	17,350,000	3,404,700
Hungary		3,210,240 – 4,614,720
Bulgaria		2,556,120 – 3,007,200
Denmark		2,327,590 – 4,330,400
Turkey		1,956,990 - 6,320,550
Belarus		1,752,870
Greece		1,703,680
Kazakhstan		1,665,840 – 1,817,280
Argentina		1,565,800 – 3,131,600
Austria		1,471,500 – 2,125,500
Finland		1,460,200 – 3,129,000
Norway		1,418,250 – 3,294,000
Switzerland		1,266,670 – 2,011,770
Israel		929,850 – 2,293,630
New Zealand		798,800 – 878,680
Cuba		791,630
Slovenia		703,850 – 764,180
Estonia		657,580
Dominican Republic		618,380
Singapore		566,020
Slovakia		542,400 – 1,518,720
Lithuania		469,040
Latvia		461,200 – 668,740
Portugal		420,960 – 947,160
Armenia		118,740
Uruguay		407,880
Kyrgyzstan		355,670
Croatia		314,790
Albania		283,600
Mongolia		247,590
Iceland		47,040 – 67,620
Brazil	15,410,000