Belgium among world’s least religious countries

Belgium is one of the least religious countries in the world, according to a recent study published by market research firm WIN/Gallup International. The study surveyed 63,898 people in 65 countries and found that 44% of Belgians consider themselves to be religious, while 30% say they are not religious and 18% are atheist.

The results show that Belgium is in line with the rest of Western Europe, where 43% of the population are religious, 37% not religious and 14% atheist. The least religious country in Europe is Sweden, with only 19% believers and about 78% non-believers or atheists. The Czech Republic follows closely behind, with only 23% of its population following a religion, as does the Netherlands, with 26%. In France, 40% consider themselves religious.

According to the study, 63% of the world population is religious, a number which continues to grow. One in five worldwide are non-believers, and 11% are atheist. The most religious regions are Africa (86%) and the Middle East and North Africa (82%). Thailand (94%) is the most religious country in the world, while China’s population includes 61% convinced atheists.

WIN/Gallup also examined the relationship between gender, age, income, education and religion, and found that people with a higher income tend to be less religious, while 70% of people with a low or average income are more religious. The group of convinced atheists surveyed generally have an above-average income.