Spirituality and Religion: How Does the U.S. Compare With Other Countries?
Explore how adults in the U.S. and 35 other countries compare religiously and spiritually when it comes to affiliation, prayer, afterlife beliefs and more.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
North America
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How the Global Religious Landscape Changed From 2010 to 2020
Christians remain the largest religious group, and Muslims grew the fastest from 2010 to 2020. Read how the global share of Buddhists, Hindus, Jews and the religiously unaffiliated changed.
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Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2020
Find how many people identify with each religious group and what percent each made up in 201 countries and territories, and by region, in 2010 and 2020.
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Most people across 24 surveyed countries have negative views of Israel and Netanyahu
International views of Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are much more negative than positive.
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Same-Sex Marriage Around the World
Sort through nearly 40 jurisdictions that have enacted laws allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry.
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Believing in Spirits and Life After Death Is Common Around the World
Belief in an afterlife, God and spirits in nature is widespread globally. Older adults are more likely than younger adults to believe in God.
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Free Expression Seen as Important Globally, but Not Everyone Thinks Their Country Has Press, Speech and Internet Freedoms
Across 35 countries, there are some disconnects between how people rate the importance of free expression and how free they feel they actually are.
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Under Pope Francis, the College of Cardinals became less European
There are 135 cardinals who are eligible to vote in the coming papal election, and a plurality (40%) are from Europe. That’s down from 51% in 2013.
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Around the World, Many People Are Leaving Their Childhood Religions
In many places surveyed, 20% or more of all adults have left their childhood religious group. Christianity and Buddhism have had especially large losses.
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What makes someone ‘truly’ belong in a country? Views differ on language, birthplace, other factors
When asked what it takes to “truly” belong in a country, many people globally say speaking the local language is key.
