Irreligion is defined as an absence of religion

Religion

Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...

 or an indifference towards religion. Sometimes it may also be defined more narrowly as hostility towards religion. When characterized as hostility to religion, it includes antitheism

Antitheism

Antitheism is active opposition to theism. The etymological roots of the word are the Greek 'anti-' and 'theismos'...

, anticlericalism and antireligion

Antireligion

Antireligion is opposition to religion. Antireligion is distinct from atheism and antitheism , although antireligionists may be atheists or antitheists...

. When characterized as indifference to religion, it includes apatheism

Apatheism

Apatheism , also known as pragmatic atheism or as practical atheism, is acting with apathy, disregard, or lack of interest towards belief or lack of belief in a deity. Apatheism describes the manner of acting towards a belief or lack of a belief in a deity; so applies to both theism and atheism...

. When characterized as the rejection of religious belief, it includes atheism

Atheism

Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...

 and secular humanism

Secular humanism

Secular Humanism, alternatively known as Humanism , is a secular philosophy that embraces human reason, ethics, justice, and the search for human fulfillment...

. When characterized as the absence of religious belief, it may include agnosticism

Agnosticism

Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....

, ignosticism

Ignosticism

Ignosticism or igtheism is the theological position that every other theological position assumes too much about the concept of God and many other theological concepts...

, nontheism

Nontheism

Nontheism is a term that covers a range of both religious and nonreligious attitudes characterized by the absence of — or the rejection of — theism or any belief in a personal god or gods...

, religious skepticism

Religious skepticism

Religious skepticism is a type of skepticism relating to religion, but should not be confused with atheism. Religious skeptics question religious authority and are not necessarily anti-religious but are those skeptical of a specific or all religious beliefs or practices. Some are deists, believing...

, and freethought

Freethought

Freethought is a philosophical viewpoint that holds that opinions should be formed on the basis of science, logic, and reason, and should not be influenced by authority, tradition, or other dogmas...

.

Irreligion may even include forms of theism

Theism

Theism, in the broadest sense, is the belief that at least one deity exists.In a more specific sense, theism refers to a doctrine concerning the nature of a monotheistic God and God's relationship to the universe....

 depending on the religious context it is defined against, as in 18th century Europe where the epitome of irreligion was Deism

Deism

Deism in religious philosophy is the belief that reason and observation of the natural world, without the need for organized religion, can determine that the universe is the product of an all-powerful creator. According to deists, the creator does not intervene in human affairs or suspend the...

. Sixteen percent of the world population (1.1 billion people) are considered non-religious. Some evidence suggests that the fastest growing religious status

Claims to be the fastest growing religion

Most increase in the population of any religious denomination is simply due to births. Still, the world's largest religions that are showing increases that outrun birth-rate include Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism....

 in the United States is "no religion".

Demographics

Irreligion in the World

Country	Percentage of population that is non-religious	Source
Estonia	75.7
Azerbaijan	74
Czech Republic	64.3
Albania	60
	59-93
Japan	51.8
Russia	48.1
Belarus	47.8
Sweden	46-85
Vietnam	46.1
Denmark	43-80
Early Modern France	43-54
Hungary	42.6
Ukraine	42.4
Latvia	40.6
Netherlands	39-44
United Kingdom	39-65
South Korea	36.4
Belgium	35.4
New Zealand	34.7 (from 87.3% who answered the optional question)
Germany	34.6
Chile	33.8
Luxembourg	29.9
Slovenia	29.9
Venezuela	27.0
Slovakia	23.1
Mexico	20.5
Lithuania	19.4

Country	Percentage of population that is non-religious	Source
Australia	18.7 (from 88.8% who answered the optional question)
Italy	17.8
Spain	17
Canada	16.2
United States	16.1
Argentina	16.0
South Africa	15.1
Independent State of Croatia	13.2
Austria	12.2
Finland	11.7
Portugal	11.4
Puerto Rico	11.1
Kingdom of Bulgaria	11.1
Philippines	10.9
India	6.6
Serbia	5.8
Peru	4.7
Poland	4.6
Republic of Ireland	4.5
Iceland	4.3
Greece	4.0
Turkey	2.5
Kingdom of Romania	2.4
Tanzania	1.7
Malta	1.3
Iran	1.1
Uganda	1.1
Nigeria	0.7
Bangladesh	0.1

See also

• Humanism
  Humanism
  Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
  
  
• Importance of religion by country
  Importance of religion by country
  This is a list of countries by importance of religion based on a Gallup Poll. The Gallup poll has a broad question: the question "Is religion important in your daily life?" was asked; the "yes" and "no" answers are represented below. Discrepancies are due to the "Don't Know" and "Refused" answers...
  
  
• Irreligion by country
  Irreligion by country
  Irreligion varies in the different countries around the world....
  
  
• Nontheistic religions
  Nontheistic religions
  Nontheistic religions are traditions of thought within religions, some otherwise aligned with theism, others not, in which nontheism informs religious beliefs or practices...
  
  
• Pantheism
  Pantheism
  Pantheism is the view that the Universe and God are identical. Pantheists thus do not believe in a personal, anthropomorphic or creator god. The word derives from the Greek meaning "all" and the Greek meaning "God". As such, Pantheism denotes the idea that "God" is best seen as a process of...
  
  
• Post-theism
  Post-theism
  Post-theism is a variant of nontheism that proposes to have not so much rejected theism as rendered it obsolete, that God belongs to a stage of human development now past. Within nontheism, post-theism can be contrasted with antitheism...
  
  
• Skepticism
  Skepticism
  Skepticism has many definitions, but generally refers to any questioning attitude towards knowledge, facts, or opinions/beliefs stated as facts, or doubt regarding claims that are taken for granted elsewhere...
  
  
• Spiritual But Not Religious
  Spiritual But Not Religious
  Spiritual But Not Religious is a popular phrase and acronym used to self-identify a life stance of spirituality that rejects traditional organized religion as the sole or most valuable means of furthering spiritual growth...
  
  
• Transtheistic
  Transtheistic
  Transtheistic is a term coined by philosopher Paul Tillich or Indologist Heinrich Zimmer, referring to a system of thought or religious philosophy which is neither theistic, nor atheistic....
  
  

External links

• First chapter of Irreligion: A Mathematician Explains Why the Arguments for God Just Don't Add Up by John Allen Paulos