Name: Religion, faith and the role they play today | The Economist
Uploaded: 2018-03-22T08:41:52.000Z
Duration: 2 min 39 s
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The majority of americans believe in god.

Where in 2009, people of no religion outnumbered christians for the first time.

And it's not the only country where religion is in decline.

In Israel only 39% of the population consider themselves a religious person.

Only 9 percent of Chinese people report themselves as being religious.

And the majority say they are committed atheists.

Making China the least religious country in the world. But how reliable are the polls in China?

The communist government is officially atheist and religious freedom is restricted in the country.

So it's likely that many Chinese people who hold religious beliefs do not report it.

But globally the picture is very different.

84 percent of the world's population say they are affiliated to a religious group.

But the largest religious group are Christian.

Making up nearly a third of the world's 7.5 billion people.

It's predicted there will be almost as many Muslims as Christians by 2050.

This is because Muslims on average are younger than members of other religions, and they have more children.

This has made Islam the fastest-growing religion in the world.

The religious profile of the world is changing.

But even in areas where religious affiliation is declining, spirituality is not. America has become less religious in recent years.

But the percentage of non-religious Americans, who say they often feel spiritual has risen.

Globally, 15 percent of atheists believe in life after death. So if faith deserts you here there's always the hereafter