Atheist Population

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The current atheist population mostly resides in East Asia (particularly China) and in secular Europe/Australia primarily among whites.[1] See: Global atheism and Western atheism and race

Razib Khan points out in Discover Magazine, "most secular nations in the world are those of East Asia, in particular what are often termed “Confucian societies.” It is likely therefore that the majority of the world’s atheists are actually East Asian."[2] See: Asian atheism

In respect to the atheist population of the world, there have been many studies in regards to the atheist demographics and in regards to the percentage of atheists in various geographic areas. Concerning the atheist population as a percentage of various countries' populations, specific research on atheists conducted in 2006 suggests that the true proportion of atheists is 4% in the United States, 17% in Great Britain and 32% in France. However, how one defines atheist can skew the results of polls (see: Definition of atheism). For example, in 2008, the American Religious Indentification Survey (ARIS) reported 1.6% of Americans self-identified themselves as atheists. [3] In 2007, Pew Forum estimated that 1.6% of Americans are atheists.[4]

In Sweden, 45% of the population indicates that they believe in some sort of ultimate force or great spirit.[5]

The website Science 2.0 reported in 2015 about secular Europe:

“ When we move our strictly-by-the-numbers probe across the rest of Europe, we find it is not the atheistic continent it is painted to be. Surveys across the 27 member countries indicate that 77% of people believe in a God-like higher consciousness. Only 20% of people said they did not believe in God or any type of over-arching spirit. And again we see the definition gap: alongside these figures, we get a separate number which tells us that only 7% of Europeans said they were atheists....

Outside East Asia, the three countries often listed as the least religious in the world, the places where (the media tells us) atheists dominate, are Estonia, Sweden and the Czech Republic.

In support of this assertion, we usually find the Eurobarometer Poll 2010 quoted, which shows that only 18% of people in Sweden and Estonia believe in God, and only 16% of people in the Czech Republic have that particular belief. That seems clear enough. These are atheist countries, right?

But no. That same poll also asked respondents whether they believe in some sort of ultimate force or great spirit. “Yes” answers came from 44% in the Czech Republic, 45% in Sweden and 50% in Estonia.

So then we do the math: the number of citizens who believe in the existence of some sort of deity-like presence, called God or The Force or something else, is actually 60% in Estonia, 63% in Sweden, and 68% in Estonia, according to the exact same survey. They are certainly not all churchgoers. But contrary to conventional wisdom, in all three countries, atheists were a minority, and the dominant groups were the middle grounders – people whose beliefs are hard to define except for one thing: they don’t think of themselves as atheists.[6]

”
Financial Times (FT)/Harris Poll among adults in 5 countries in 2006

A survey published in the 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica stated that 2.3% of the world's population consists of individuals who profess "atheism, skepticism, disbelief, or irreligion, including the militantly antireligious."[7] In regards to the 2.3% figure just mentioned, the 2005 survey cited by Encyclopedia Britannica survey did not include Buddhist in regards to the 2.3% figure and Buddhism can be theistic or atheistic.[8][9] Ipsos, a major global market research company, published a report on report on religious belief/skepticism from a worldwide perspective and the report provides various statistics gained from survey results.

Atheism and diversity

See also: Atheism and diversity

As far as the issue of diversity within the atheist population, compared to Christianity, atheism has a significantly less degree of geographic/cultural, racial, gender and personal wealth diversity (see: Atheism and diversity).

Lack of significant global outreach by Western World atheists

African Children's choir performing in the United States. In recent years, Christianity has seen a rapid growth in Africa.[10]

In 2005, there were four times as many non-Western World Christians as there were Western World Christians.[11]

Western World atheists have not engaged in a significant amount of global outreach.

See also: European atheism and 21st century decline and Global Christianity and Christian evangelism

The former Soviet Union had a worldwide expansionist policy as far as spreading atheistic communism.[12] The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 led to a spike in religious affiliation, both in Russia and in Eastern Europe.[13]

The atheist community in the Western World has not had significant outreaches to spread atheism outside the Western World. On the other hand, historically, Christians have made great evangelism efforts to reach every people group across the earth. In 2005, there were four times as many non-Western World Christians as there were Western World Christians.[14] Doing overseas evangelism/outreaches, often requires significant hardships/persecution and Western atheists have been unwilling to endure such hardships in order to spread atheistic ideology (see: Atheism and hedonism).

Christianity is rapidly growing in China. China is on course to have the largest Christian population in the world by 2030.[15] See also: Growth of Christianity in China

Lack of significant outreach to racial minorities in the Western World

See also: Western atheism and race and British atheism and American atheism and Global atheism

The atheist community has not had significant outreach to racial minorities within the Western World whereas Christians have done this (particularly among the poor).[16]The atheist Sikivu Hutchinson declared “If mainstream freethought and humanism continue to reflect the narrow cultural interests of white elites who have disposable income to go to conferences then the secular movement is destined to remain marginal and insular.”[17]

For information on the changing racial demographics of the Western World, please see: Global atheism

Global decline of atheism

Eric Kaufmann, a professor at Birkbeck College, University of London, using a a wealth of demographic studies, argues that there will be a significant decline of global atheism in the 21st century which will impact the Western World.[18]

See also: Global atheism

Atheists as a percentage of the world's population have declined since 1970 and atheism is expected to face long term decline.[19][20][21][22]

According to a new study released by the Pew Research Center, Christianity and Islam are the fastest growing religions. Other religions, such as Hinduism and Judaism, are also growing at a fast rate. On the other hand, the study revealed that atheism, and non-religion in general, is declining. According to the study, atheism and non-religion will decline from 16% of the world population in 2015 to 13% by 2050. The reason for such decline is the extremely low fertility rates and atheists and non-religious people switching to religion, according to the study.[23]

By 2050, the Christian population will have grown by as much as 700 million; the Muslim population will have grown by 1.1 billion; the Hindu population will have grown by 350 million; and the Jewish population will have grown by 2.2 million (particularly because of extremely high birth rates by Haredi Jews (Ultra-Orthodox or Ultra-Religious Jews)).[24]

On July 24, 2013, CNS News reported:

“ 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, according to a new report by the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Mass."[25] ”

In 2011, the American Spectator citing research published in the International Bulletin of Missionary Research reported that atheism is on the decline as a whole in terms of adherents.[26]

In 2009, the book A sceptics guide to atheism indicated: "A worldwide poll taken in 1991 put the global figure for atheists at just 4.4% of the population. By 2006 it was estimated that only 2% of the world population were atheists."[27]

Decline of atheism in terms of global adherents is expected to accelerate

American atheism

See also: American atheism

The Pew Research Center reported in 2013: "The number of people who identify themselves as atheists in the United States has been rising, modestly but steadily, in recent years. Our aggregated data from 2012 show that 2.4% of American adults say they are atheists when asked about their religious identity, up from 1.6% in 2007."[28]

For additional information in terms of specifics as far as forecasts of the percentage of atheists in the United States, please see: Demographics and trends in American secularism.

The Birkbeck College, University of London professor Eric Kaufman wrote in his 2010 book Shall the Righteous Inherit the Earth? concerning America:

“ High evangelical fertility rates more than compensated for losses to liberal Protestant sects during the twentieth century. In recent decades, white secularism has surged, but Latino and Asian religious immigration has taken up the slack, keeping secularism at bay. Across denominations, the fertility advantage of religious fundamentalists of all colours is significant and growing. After 2020, their demographic weight will begin to tip the balance in the culture wars towards the conservative side, ramping up pressure on hot-button issues such as abortion. By the end of the century, three quarters of America may be pro-life. Their activism will leap over the borders of the 'Redeemer Nation' to evangelize the world. Already, the rise of the World Congress of Families has launched a global religious right, its arms stretching across the bloody lines of the War on Terror to embrace the entire Abrahamic family.[29] ”

Atheists have low retention rate compared to other worldviews

Atheists have low retention rate compared to other worldviews

Atheist Prison Population

Irreligious prison population

Lack of sound leadership

See also: Atheism and leadership

Using academic studies, survey data and other information, supporters of the Question evolution! campaign maintain that there is a lack of sound leadership within the agnostic/atheist and evolutionist communities in dealing with the global decline of atheism and agnosticism.

See:

Male and female demographic imbalances

See also: Atheism and women

Surveys by country

In November of 2010, Discover magazine published survey results published by the World Values Survey which showed significant differences between the percentage of men and women who are atheists for various countries.[30]

United States surveys

A 2008 study by Trinity College found that women are significantly more religious than men in America.[31] In 2007, the Pew Research Center found that American women were more religious than American men.[32]

Atheism and the internet

See also: Atheism and the internet and Atheistic bullying

During the period of 2007 to 2012, the atheist community made a concerted effort to spread atheism through means of the internet. However, leading atheist websites have seen plunges in web traffic during this same period and during the first half of 2012.[33]

For more information please see:

Atheist PZ Myers says atheists are largely a population of internet nerds and geeks

PZ Myers

See also: Internet atheism and Atheism and marriage and Atheism and women

In 2013, the atheist PZ Myers declared:

“ If we're going to expand our base and we're going to draw in more people to recognize the virtues of living in a secular world, we need to appeal to more than just that geek and nerd subset of the population. We need to have a wider base. ...I seriously believe that we're on the cusp of a crisis. We're not there yet but it's looming in front of us. Will we adapt and thrive and change the world? Or will we remain an avocation for a prosperous and largely irrelevant subset of the population? Will we become something more than a scattered society of internet nerds? That's what we have to do.[34] ”

In response, Evolution News and Views wrote:

“ A crisis looms, in Myers's view, because he looks around himself and sees a not very promising basis for a mass movement. He's right. There is indeed a quality of geeky isolation from reality, common sense, and the fullness of life that I see as a motif in atheist and Darwin activism alike.[35] ”

See Also

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Atheism
Atheism • Rebuttal • Morals • Academics • Quotes • Christianity • Debate • Evolution • Atheism and the suppression of science • Mass Murder • Communism • Atheist Shooters and Serial Killers • Mental and Physical Health • Miracles • Morality • Uncharitableness • Agnosticism • Deception • The Bible • The Problem of Evil • Agenda • Psychology • Population • Prison Statistics • Racism • Atheism and women • Brights Movement • Causes • Death Toll • Definitions • Evangelical atheist • Ex-atheists • Faith Freedom International • Godless: The Church of Liberalism‎ • Godless liberal • His Dark Materials • History • Liberalism • Militancy • New Atheism • Videos • Skeptics Annotated Bible • Strong atheism • The God Delusion • There Are No Atheists In Foxholes • Weak atheism 

External Links

Notes

  1. ↑ A surprising map of where the world’s atheists live, By Max Fisher and Caitlin Dewey, Washington Post, May 23, 2013
  2. ↑ Most atheists are not white & other non-fairy tales, Discover magazine
  3. ↑ http://b27.cc.trincoll.edu/weblogs/AmericanReligionSurvey-ARIS/reports/ARIS_Report_2008.pdf
  4. ↑ Pew Forum - 2007 - Key findings on religious belief in America
  5. ↑ Atheism Peaks, While Spiritual Groups Move Toward Convergence, Science 2.0 website
  6. ↑ Atheism Peaks, While Spiritual Groups Move Toward Convergence, Science 2.0 website
  7. ↑ http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9432620
  8. ↑ http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/beliefs/atheism.htm
  9. ↑ http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9432620
  10. ↑ The African apostles: How Christianity exploded in 20th-century Africa
  11. ↑ Is Christianity taking over the planet?
  12. ↑ America Coming to Terms: The Vietnam Legacy By Nguyen Anh Tuan, page 82
  13. ↑ [Global Study: Atheists in Decline, Only 1.8% of World Population by 2020] by Michael W. Chapman, CNS News, July 24, 2013 - 2:18 PM
  14. ↑ Is Christianity taking over the planet?
  15. ↑ China on course to become 'world's most Christian nation' within 15 years by Tom Phillips, The Telegraph, April 19, 2014
  16. ↑ Atheism has a big race problem that no one’s talking about by Dr. Sikivu Hutchinson, Washington Post June 16, 2014
  17. ↑ Atheism’s white male problem: A movement needs a moral cause beyond glamorizing disbelief by CJ Werleman, Salon, October 4, 2014
  18. ↑ Eric Kaufmann: Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
  19. ↑ Study: World is becoming more religious
  20. ↑ Globally the worldviews of atheism and non-religious (agnostic) are declining while global Christianity is exploding in adherents
  21. ↑ Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary - Status of Global Missions
  22. ↑ Gordon-Conwell Seminary - Status of Global Mission, 2014, in the Context of AD 1800–2025
  23. ↑ [1]
  24. ↑ [2]
  25. ↑ http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/global-study-atheists-decline-only-18-world-population-2020 Global Study: Atheists in Decline, Only 1.8% of World Population by 2020]
  26. ↑ http://spectator.org/archives/2011/02/28/thriving-christianity
  27. ↑ A sceptics guide to atheism, page 4
  28. ↑ Facts about atheists
  29. ↑ Why are 2012 and 2020 key years for Christian creationists and pro-lifers?
  30. ↑ Sex differences in global atheism, part N
  31. ↑ http://www.americanreligionsurvey-aris.org/reports/NONES_08.pdf
  32. ↑ http://www.livescience.com/culture/090227-religion-men-women.html
  33. ↑ Internet atheism: The thrill is gone!
  34. ↑ [http://www.evolutionnews.org/2013/04/in_seattle_pz_m070861.html in Seattle, PZ Myers Reflects Candidly on His Constituency
  35. ↑ [http://www.evolutionnews.org/2013/04/in_seattle_pz_m070861.html in Seattle, PZ Myers Reflects Candidly on His Constituency
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