The latest Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism on Monday found that the number of non-religious people in India has risen.
According to Indian media reports, there was a sharp decrease in the number of religious people in the country; 87 percent people said they were religious in the same survey in 2005. In 2013, the percentage has fallen to 81 percent. In other words, there was a drop by six percent in seven years.
The survey also found a one percent dip in the number of people calling themselves atheist. In 2005, four percent people said they didn’t believe in God. In 2012, that had dipped to three percent.
Globally, the trend is similar. Religiosity has dropped by nine percent, while atheism has risen by 3 percent. The report said there was a notable decline across the globe in self-description of being religious.
Pakistan is among the few countries which has seen an increase in the number of people who call themselves religious – by six percent.
Argentina, home to the present pope, saw an 8 percent dip in people calling themselves religious.
South Africa has seen a 19 percent dip in those calling themselves religious; US 13 percent, Switzerland and France 21 percent and Vietnam 23 percent.
A total of 51,927 persons were interviewed globally from 57 countries across the globe in five continents. In each country, a national probability sample of around 1000 men and women was interviewed. China has the highest number of atheists living in a single country with nearly 50 percent of its population describing themselves as non-believers compared to an average of 13 percent across the world.
