The WIN-Gallup International “Religion and Atheism Index” collected data from 57 countries on the topics of religion and atheism in their latest report. More than 50,000 people participated in this survey.
The Religiosity Index represents the percentage of the population who self-describe themselves as ‘a religious person.’ To define that they would pose a following question: Irrespective of whether you attend a place of worship or not, would you say you are a religious person, not a religious persons or a convinced atheist?
1. The poor are more religious than the rich. People in bottom income groups are 17% more religious than those in the top income groups.
2. Globally, the number of those claiming to be religious has dropped by 9% from 2005 to 2011, while the number of people identifying themselves as atheists has risen by 3%.
3. Four countries have experienced a drop in religiosity in their populations that is greater than 20% between 2005 and 2012. France and Switzerland saw decreases of 21%, while Ireland’s number of faithful declined by 22% and Vietnam’s by 23%.