Irreligion is the absence or rejection of religious beliefs or practices. It encompasses a wide range of viewpoints drawn from various philosophical and intellectual perspectives, including atheism, agnosticism, skepticism, rationalism, and secularism. These perspectives can vary, with individuals who identify as irreligious holding a diverse array of specific beliefs about religion or its role in their lives.[1]
According to the Pew Research Center's 2012 global study of 230 countries and territories, 16% of the world's population does not identify with any religion.[2] A 2017 Worldwide Independent Network/Gallup International Association report on a poll from 57 countries reported that 25% said they were not a religious person, and 9% responded as "convinced atheists".[3]
The population of the religiously unaffiliated, sometimes referred to as "nones", has grown significantly in recent years.[4] Measurement of irreligiosity requires great cultural sensitivity, especially outside the West, where the concepts of "religion" or "the secular" are not always rooted in local culture.[5] Those who do not affiliate with a religion are diverse. Pew Research Center's global study from 2012 noted that many of the nonreligious overlap with some religious measures.[6][7]
Pew Global Unaffiliated 12/2012
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