Global atheism and aging populations

Atheism is in decline worldwide, with the number of atheists falling from 4.5% of the world’s population in 1970 to 2.0% in 2010 and projected to drop to 1.8% by 2020.

The current global atheist population mostly resides in East Asia (particularly China) and in secular Europe/Australia primarily among whites. See: Asian atheism and European atheism and 21st century decline and Western atheism and race

As can be seen below, global atheism is facing significant challenges in terms of its aging populations and it is expected to shrink in terms of its market share of the world's population (see: Desecularization).

Fertility rates and global atheism facing aging populations

See also: Causes of desecularization

The cause of many irreligious countries having aging populations is their sub-replacement fertility rates. Michael Blume, a researcher at the University of Jena in Germany, wrote about the sub-replacement level of fertility among atheistic populations: "Most societies or communities that have espoused atheistic beliefs have not survived more than a century." Blume also indicated concerning concerning his research on this matter: "What I found was the complete lack of a single case of a secular population, community or movement that would just manage to retain replacement level." See also: Atheism and sexuality

The Washington Post wrote about the United States and fertility rates for various religious groups:

“

According to Pew's data, the average Mormon can expect to make 3.4 babies in his or her lifetime. Jews, Catholics, and most flavors of Protestantism have fertility rates ranging from 2 to 2.5. At the low end of the baby-making spectrum you've got atheists, with 1.6 kids, and agnostics, who average only 1.3.

”

China's aging population

China has the largest atheists population in the world (see: Atheist population). The Chinese population is rapidly aging, due to a lower mortality rate and its former one child policy. This will lead to a pension problem for the Chinese government. See: Asian atheism

Like most religious conservatives within Abrahamic religions, Evangelical Christians do have higher than replacement levels of births (see: Desecularization). China's demographics in terms of the age of its population due to the rapid growth of evangelical Christianity in China (see: Growth of Christianity in China).

Secular Europe and its countries aging populations

See also: European atheism and 21st century decline

In 2014, the Pew Research Forum indicated that Europe will go from 11% of the world's population to 7% of the world's population by 2050.

See: Growth of global desecularization

As far as secular Europe, in 2014, the Pew Research Forum indicated that Europe will go from 11% of the world's population to 7% of the world's population by 2050. The cause of this matter is the sub-replacement level of secular Europeans and the higher fertility rates of religious countries in the world.

However, within secular Europe, there are religious sub-populations seeing significant growth which along with religious immigrants will cause a desecularization of Europe sometime in the 21st century.

Ed West wrote in Britain's newspaper The Telegraph:

“

Across the western world the fertility rate of religious conservatives far outstrips that of non-believers, so much so that modern liberal secularism is endangered. That, anyway, is the thesis of Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?, a fascinating new book by Eric Kaufmann of Birkbeck University, which is published later this month. It may well be one of the most significant books of our era.”

”

Europe's aging population is a serious issue and it will stress its various pension systems.