Population of the World's Non-Religious Is on the Decline
Despite the apparent rise in people with no religion, the overall percentage of non-believers is expected to decline as a share of the world's population, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center.
By 2050, the number of people who identify as atheist, agnostic, or who say they have no particular religion will grow by 100 million, for a total of 1.2 billion people. But the percentage of believers will vastly outpace that growth, expanding by more than 2 billion over the same span of time. As a result, the percentage of non-believers, while growing in real terms, will decrease from 16 to 13 percent of the world's population by 2050.
Despite the apparent rise in people with no religion, the overall percentage of non-believers is expected to decline as a share of the world's population, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center.
By 2050, the number of people who identify as atheist, agnostic, or who say they have no particular religion will grow by 100 million, for a total of 1.2 billion people. But the percentage of believers will vastly outpace that growth, expanding by more than 2 billion over the same span of time. As a result, the percentage of non-believers, while growing in real terms, will decrease from 16 to 13 percent of the world's population by 2050.