And while religiously disaffiliated people span every racial and ethnic group, they’re more predominant among those who are white and Asian: One-quarter of white Americans aren’t religiously affiliated, along with more than one-third of Asian Americans. Browse 60+ years of magazine archives and web exclusives. “This often includes deep suffering, but also courage and strong faith.”. Oklahoma “More than 100 countries and territories included in the study have no official or preferred religion as of 2015,” the study found. Atlanta Beyond MLK: How Black Christians Continue a Civil Rights Legacy, A Note from the Editors on the Ravi Zacharias Investigation, The Black Church Is Atlanta’s Original Community Organizer, The Balkan Bright Spot in God-Linked Morality, Complete access to articles on ChristianityToday.com, Over 120 years of magazine archives plus full access to all of CT’s online archives. New Mexico "mainstream" media. China is the chief violator in Open Doors’s other two previously tracked categories. 28) ranks fifth. Arkansas What (if any) changes would you make to the presidential debate format? 5), Eritrea (No. Mississippi Open Doors – a Christian nonprofit organization that serves the persecuted Church around the world – issued its annual World Watch List earlier this year of nations where Christians face the most severe persecution. 48, its first time on the list) and Mali (No. Rhode Island “But it is much more than that. Wyoming, House Democrats pass partisan COVID bill; relief talks drag, Trump campaign sues Philadelphia over mail-in voting offices, Texas governor restricts mail-in ballot drop-off locations, Amazon: Nearly 20,000 workers tested positive for COVID-19. But in an age of disaffiliation, it may end up being just as important. A survey of over 16,000 people found that nations viewed Australia as the least religious country in the world. (Open Doors is known for favoring a more conservative estimate than other groups, who often tally martyrdoms at 100,000 a year.). Open Doors also noted the positive case of Pakistan’s Asia Bibi. Religious disaffiliation isn’t exactly new in the U.S. Niger - 99%. 30) in rounding out the top 10. “We cannot let this stand,” said David Curry, president and CEO of Open Doors USA, during the 2020 list’s unveiling in Washington, DC, this morning. Despite increasing sectarian strife as its Nobel Prize-winning evangelical president makes peace and attempts reforms, the Horn of Africa nation declined in rank from No. India ranks first in the new category of physical or mental abuse, which includes beatings and death threats.


In Western Europe, the U.K. and the Netherlands top the ranking, followed by Germany, Switzerland, Spain and Austria. This kind of community is much harder to measure in a survey than traditional church-going. Every day, 8 Christians worldwide are killed because of their faith. 10). Meanwhile, among those who say there are religiously disaffiliated, 16 percent say they are a “religious person,” suggesting that institutions, not beliefs, may keep them away from religion. “These include countries like the United States that may give benefits or privileges to religious groups, but generally do so without systematically favoring a specific group over others.”. 9), and India (No. North Dakota South Carolina

Almost by definition, religious disaffiliation is shaped by absence—the church services people don’t attend, the faith they don’t have. 46 last year, primarily due to the Easter suicide bombings which killed over 250 people at Catholic and Protestant churches, and hotels. California Colorado “The persecution of Christians is the worst I have seen since 1979,” he said.

Washington District of Columbia Worldwide there were 8,537 recorded cases, but Open Doors warns this tally is just the tip of the iceberg, as many assaults occur in private and are not reported. Its research is certified and audited by the International Institute for Religious Freedom, a World Evangelical Alliance-backed network based in Germany. West Virginia 27. "Two countries in the Americas – Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic – and one in the Asia-Pacific region – Tuvalu – have Christianity as their official state religion. Alabama

Nigeria also leads the newly tracked categories of forced marriages (accounting for 130 out of 630 worldwide), attacked Christian homes (1,500 out of 3,315), and looted Christian shops (1,000 out of 1,979). 43), and the United Arab Emirates (No. In 2014, Pew Research Center found that the share of unaffiliated adults in the U.S. had grown from 16 to 23 percent over a seven-year period.
The list “provides the most comprehensive grassroots data on Christian persecution,” said Curry. Missouri China’s crackdown on both state-sanctioned and underground churches and its growing surveillance network added 16 million to Open Doors’s tally of Christians facing persecution. State Malawi - 99%. In these cases, round numbers are presented, always leaning towards conservative estimates. Non-religious Americans are often portrayed in stereotypical fashion. North Korea has ranked No. 8), Iran (No. Beijing has jailed or detained without charge 1,147 Christians for faith-related reasons, out of a total of 3,711 worldwide. Of the top 7 nations where Christians are raped or sexually harassed, 4 are recipients of migrant workers in the Arabian Peninsula: Saudi Arabia (No. “Millions of people are found behind the numbers. Somalia - 98%. Countries with the greatest number of people without religion … Kansas In the Middle East, Open Doors noted little change, with 4 of 5 Christians experiencing “high” levels of persecution. Association - All Rights Reserved. Only one country in sub-Saharan Africa is officially Christian: Zambia.". The main and continuing trend is the dwindling number of Christians from Syria (No. “But as we all know, that is a long-term proposition.”.

Top 10 Countries Where Christians Face the Most Violence: Where the Most Churches Were Attacked or Closed: Why we report bad news about leaders—even after they have passed away.

Burkina Faso (No. Arizona 1 since 2002, when the watch list began. “The suffering of persecuted Christians cannot be recorded in statistics,” stated Open Doors. 3), Libya (No. 68, Rwanda No. Wisconsin The remaining of the 10 non-religious nations hostile to Christians include Laos, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan… Iowa President Donald Trump is being praised for his debate night performance, in particular his comments on the pandemic and the crashed economy, while moderator Chris Wallace is getting called out for his glaring bias. The new PRRI data shows that this is happening more noticeably in some places than others.

We want to hear what you think about this article. United Kingdom (30% feel religious) When it comes to public perception, the results are a bit different. Illustration by Mallory Rentsch / Source Image: Benne Ochs / Getty Images, ctdirect-html,ctweekly-html,todayschristianwoman,booksandculture-html. There is no state religion in Norway. Connecticut “These countries include China, Cuba, North Korea, Vietnam and several former Soviet republics – places where government officials seek to control worship practices, public expressions of religion and political activity by religious groups.”. The country has always been home to a sizable minority of people who don’t go to church or identify with any faith.