The concept of religion has played an important role in shaping the development of many societies. In some countries, religion continues to be a central part of everyday life, while in others it is less important.
Newsweek magazine has compiled a map of the world's most religious countries, based on data compiled by the Pew Research Center.
To compile the report, Pew Research Center referenced surveys it conducted in more than 100 locations between 2008 and 2023. Adults were asked how important religion is in their lives.
Indonesia ranked first among the countries surveyed, with 98 percent of respondents saying religion is very important in their lives.
Indonesia is one of the world's largest Muslim-majority countries, with around 87% of Indonesia's population being Muslim. The Southeast Asian country is also home to smaller groups of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and Confucians.
Indonesia was followed by Senegal, Pakistan, Mali and Tanzania.
Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the most religious regions, with more than 80 percent of people in more than a dozen countries reporting that religion plays an important role in their lives.
East Asia and Western Europe are among the least religious regions in the world, according to a Pew Research Center survey.
Specifically, fewer than 10% of respondents in Japan said religion is very important in their lives. Respondents in Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea were similarly less likely to say religion is important to them.
In Denmark, Switzerland, Britain, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Austria, France, Belgium and Germany, fewer than 20% of people say religion is important.
Several Eastern European countries also appear to be less likely to say religion is important: Fewer than 20% of respondents in Russia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Estonia said religion was important, while more than half of Greeks said it was important.
Just over 40 percent of Americans say religion is very important in their lives.
Most of the Latin American countries featured in the report ranked in the top half, including Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic.
Pew's data also includes the countries with the highest rates of daily prayer, with Indonesia again coming in at number one, followed by Nigeria, Senegal, Iraq and Niger.
About 45% of Americans say they pray every day. Newsweek magazine previously mapped the most religious states in America.
Topping the list is Alabama, followed by Virginia, and at the opposite end are Maine, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
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