U.S. Religiosity Falls Below 50% for First Time
A recent Gallup poll reveals that, for the first time in recorded history, less than half of Americans consider religion to be an essential part of their everyday lives. Specifically, 49% of U.S. adults view religion as “important,” a noticeable decline from 66% in 2015. This 17-point drop stands out as one of the most significant shifts over the past decade, trailing only behind declines observed in Turkey, Chile, Poland, Italy, and Greece from 2013 to 2023.
Despite this decline, it’s worth noting that Americans generally report higher levels of religious involvement compared to many other developed nations. Gallup forecasts that in 2024, the religiosity median will be 51% in the U.S., significantly higher than the 36% average seen across OECD countries. On a global scale, religiosity is projected to be around 83% that same year.
Gallup emphasizes that the U.S. doesn’t easily fit into any international categorization. While it ranks in the upper middle for Christian identity, it sits squarely in the middle for overall religiosity levels. By 2024, it’s estimated that about 64% of Americans will identify as Christian. This puts the country in a similar realm as Western European nations like the U.K., Germany, Finland, and Denmark, although religion seems to play a much more pronounced role in the daily lives of Americans compared to those populations.
In contrast, countries like Italy, Argentina, Ireland, Poland, Chile, Slovakia, and Greece report similar religiosity levels but have at least a 10-point advantage in terms of identifying as Christian over the U.S. Conversely, nations such as Belgium, Sweden, Australia, the Netherlands, and Uruguay typically register at least 10 points lower than the U.S. in both aspects.
Interestingly, Gallup’s findings indicate a global uptick in religiosity rates over the last five years, reaching 83% in 2024—essentially a one-point gain from when their tracking started in 2008. This rise is largely attributed to increased religious sentiment in Christian-majority countries that are not fully developed, like Zambia, Rwanda, and the Philippines, alongside religious engagement in non-Christian countries such as Pakistan, Jordan, and Tunisia.
Gallup believes this global context underscores the unique situation in the U.S., characterizing it as “increasingly an outlier: less religious than much of the world, yet still more religious than many of its economic counterparts.”
Father Barnabas Powell from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America commented on the findings, suggesting they represent a deeper cultural disconnect. He noted, “When a culture abandons its underlying coherent ‘story,’ chaos and confusion ensue.”
