Many Religious ‘Nones’ Around the World Hold Spiritual Beliefs
Despite their nonreligious identity, many unaffiliated adults hold spiritual or religious beliefs. About a fifth or more in 22 countries believe in an afterlife, for example.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project
The Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures project, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John Templeton Foundation, is an effort by Pew Research Center to understand religious change and its impact on societies around the world. It includes three main lines of research: a series of international surveys on religion in various regions; an ongoing demographic study of religion around the world; and an annual coding project that examines restrictions on religion in 198 countries and territories.
Spirituality and Religion: How Does the U.S. Compare With Other Countries?
How the Global Religious Landscape Changed From 2010 to 2020
Key Findings From the Global Religious Futures Project
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Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project
Publications
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Religion and Living Arrangements Around the World
Household size and composition often vary by religious affiliation, data from 130 countries and territories reveals. Muslims and Hindus have larger households than Christians and religious “nones,” influenced in part by regional norms.
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A closer look at changing restrictions on religion
Pew Research Center has analyzed restrictions on religion around the world for 10 years, finding that global restrictions have risen. What is happening in some of the countries with the biggest changes?
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In Western European Countries With Church Taxes, Support for the Tradition Remains Strong
Giving a share of one’s income to the church has been a part of European tradition for centuries. Today, several countries continue to collect a “church tax” on behalf of officially recognized religious organizations, in some cases levying the tax on all registered members.
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Religion’s Relationship to Happiness, Civic Engagement and Health Around the World
People who are active in religious congregations tend to be happier and more civically engaged than either religiously unaffiliated adults or inactive members of religious groups, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of survey data from the United States and more than two dozen other countries.
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Eastern and Western Europeans Differ on Importance of Religion, Views of Minorities, and Key Social Issues
The European continent today is split in public attitudes toward religion, minorities and social issues such as gay marriage and legal abortion.
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Global Uptick in Government Restrictions on Religion in 2016
Restrictions on religion increased in 2016 for the second straight year. Nationalist parties and organizations played an increasing role in harassment of religious minorities, especially in Europe.
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The Age Gap in Religion Around the World
Young adults tend to be less religious than their elders by several measures; the opposite is rarely true. This pattern holds true across many countries that have different religious, economic and social profiles.
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Europe’s Growing Muslim Population
Even with no new migration, Muslims are projected to increase as a share of Europe’s population.
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Orthodox Christianity in the 21st Century
Concentrated in Europe, Orthodox Christians have declined as share of the global Christian population, from 20% in 1910 to 12% today. But the Ethiopian community is highly observant and growing.
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Many Countries Favor Specific Religions, Officially or Unofficially
Islam is the most common state religion, but many governments give privileges to Christianity.
