Top 50 Atheistic, Agnostic Countries

lostexpectation

Somebody posted this on another forum

Below is a list of the top fifty countries containing the largest percentage of people who identify as atheist, agnostic, or non-believer in God.


Below is a list of the top fifty countries containing the largest percentage of people who identify as atheist, agnostic, or non-believer in God.

Country Total Pop.(2004) % Atheist/actual # Agnostic/Nonbeliever in God

1 Sweden 8,986,000 46-85%
2 Vietnam 82,690,000 81%
3 Denmark 5,413,000 43-80%
4 Norway 4,575,000 31-72%
5 Japan 127,333,000 64-65%
6 Czech Rep 10,246,100 54-61%
7 Finland 5,215,000 28-60%
8 France 60,424,000 43-54%
9 South Korea 48,598,000 30%-52%
10Estonia 1,342,000 49%

...

Rest on site as it doens't C&P well http://www.pitzer.edu/academics/faculty/zuckerman/atheism.html
(?): certainty/validity on these figures is relatively low

Although I have feeling it may have an either little or an extreme amount of strife and gulag to produce some of these numbers in the communists countries etc...

Scofflaw

I particularly like this:

Furthermore, of the top 25 nations ranked on the “Human Development Index,” all but one country ( Ireland) are top-ranking non-belief nations, containing some of the highest percentages of organic atheism on earth. Conversely, of those countries ranked at the bottom of the “Human Development Index” -- the bottom 50 -- all are countries lacking any statistically significant percentages of atheism.

If you read the census thread, it's pretty clear that numbers of non-believers are under-reported in Ireland.


cordially,
Scofflaw

robindch

> Below is a list of the top fifty countries containing the largest
> percentage of people who identify as atheist, agnostic, or
> non-believer in God.

Interesting. Though I can't help but notice that almost all of those countries have fairly good records on human rights, crime-rates, social integration, open borders, etc, etc. More on the linkage between belief in the sky-pixie and various kinds of social grief here:

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/james_randerson/2006/04/what_is_god_for.html.printer.friendly
http://moses.creighton.edu/jrs/2005/2005-11.html
http://moses.creighton.edu/JRS/2006/2006-7.html

lostexpectation

someone explain this sentence to me....

containing some of the highest percentages of organic atheism on earth

Its pretty damning report when it speaks about poverty and religion, hmmm shall post this in christianity... :P

lostexpectation

robindch wrote:

> Below is a list of the top fifty countries containing the largest
> percentage of people who identify as atheist, agnostic, or
> non-believer in God.

Interesting. Though I can't help but notice that almost all of those countries have fairly good records on human rights, crime-rates, social integration, open borders, etc, etc. More on the linkage between belief in the sky-pixie and various kinds of social grief here:

eh I wouldn't say thats the case at all, look at the whole list, most of these coutnries would have gone through hell and back, persecution and mass indoctrination at one point in their history... although some of the countries are traditionally non-religious even if they have a majority spiritualism.

Zombrex

lostexpectation wrote:

someone explain this sentence to me....




Its pretty damning report when it speaks about poverty and religion, hmmm shall post this in christianity... :P

Oganic as in not forced upon the population like something that would happen in a Communist state

Dades

Haven't time at the mo' to read the whole article... but wondering why the Scandinavians all make the list.

A cynic would have you believe that these countries now worship the almighty dollar.

robindch

Following the murder yesterday of a Turkish judge by an Islamist gunman, crowds have been out in Ankara marching in support of the idea of the secular state. Now that's something you don't see very often.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4993444.stm

Crucifix

Wow, I'm so used to Ireland it's really shocking to see such high percentages for 'no religion'

La_Gordy

Those countries involved are also amongst the most peaceful too =/

Húrin

Scofflaw wrote:

I particularly like this:

Furthermore, of the top 25 nations ranked on the “Human Development Index,” all but one country ( Ireland) are top-ranking non-belief nations, containing some of the highest percentages of organic atheism on earth. Conversely, of those countries ranked at the bottom of the “Human Development Index” -- the bottom 50 -- all are countries lacking any statistically significant percentages of atheism.

If you read the census thread, it's pretty clear that numbers of non-believers are under-reported in Ireland.

People tend to abandon religion in times of prosperity (the USA is a curious exception to this). Religion serves a good purpose to give hope in the midst of poverty and suffering. Take away the latter, and people find happiness and hope in material things.

lostexpectation

H&#250 wrote: »

People tend to abandon religion in times of prosperity (the USA is a curious exception to this). Religion serves a good purpose to give hope in the midst of poverty and suffering. Take away the latter, and people find happiness and hope in material things.

I can't really argue about people interest in material thigns but I do believe education (not materialism) breeds out religion!