A recent Pew Research Center survey shows that about seven-in-ten Americans identify with a religion. Seven-in-ten Americans also believe in an afterlife. And about half of Americans say that parts of nature – such as mountains, rivers or trees – can have spirits or spiritual energies.
But how does the United States compare with other countries when it comes to spirituality and religion?
This interactive narrative walks through data from the U.S. and 35 other countries we surveyed in 2023 and 2024. Together, these three dozen countries are home to about 4 billion people – roughly half of the world’s population.
Although we were not able to conduct surveys in China or many Muslim-majority nations, we have findings on spirituality and religion from all inhabited continents, places with many different religious traditions, and countries with various income levels.
At the end of this brief interactive narrative, you’ll find a sortable table to explore several questions we asked around the world about respondents’ spiritual and religious beliefs and practices.
More than two-thirds of U.S. adults identify with a religion – whether Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam or something else.
That’s a high number compared with some other wealthy (i.e., economically advanced) countries. For example, just 46% of adults in the Netherlands and 44% in Japan claim any religious identity.
But when we look at all three dozen countries, quite a few have large percentages of people who say they have a religion. This includes places like Indonesia and Israel, where almost all adults identify with a religion.
In many countries – even places where nearly all adults say they have a religion – not everyone believes in life after death. In Israel, one of the countries with near-universal religious affiliation, just 61% say there is “definitely” or “probably” life after death.
In the U.S., seven-in-ten adults think there is definitely or probably an afterlife, which puts the U.S. in the top third of countries surveyed on this question.
Across Europe, people are far less likely to believe in life after death. For example, 38% of Swedish adults express belief in an afterlife.
Nearly half of U.S. adults, meanwhile, say they believe that parts of nature – such as mountains, rivers or trees – can have their own spirits or spiritual energies.
Solid majorities in India and Peru also hold this view.
But only about three-in-ten people surveyed in Poland say parts of nature can have spirits.
When it comes to rates of daily prayer, the U.S. is roughly in the middle of the 35 countries surveyed.
Yet the U.S. stands out among high-income countries on this question. Generally speaking, relatively few adults in wealthy countries – such as Japan and France – say they pray daily.
Countries where most people pray daily tend to be middle-income countries, such as Nigeria and the Philippines.
We also asked about some kinds of spirituality that are less common around the world. In most places surveyed – including the U.S. – about two-in-ten or fewer adults say they consult a fortune teller, horoscope or other way to see the future.
Even in India, where using various means to see the future is relatively common, just under half of adults say they do this.
