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Democracy & Secularism

Democracy & Secularism


Democracy & Secularism Lead to Greater Peace & Prosperity

The Secular Community believes that greater democracy, coupled with secularism, would lead to greater overall happiness and prosperity across the globe. But that's not just a belief, it is born out by the facts, data compiled on nations across our planet.

The most democratic countries that also rank among the least religious are Norway, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom. Here is how those countries rank on key indicators from among nearly 200 existing nations:

Nation Happiness Index Prosperity Index Global Peace Index Healthcare Access
Norway 2 1 16 2
Sweden 9 5 14 8
New Zealand 8 2 2 16
Australia 10 9 13 5
Switzerland 5 4 12 7
Netherlands 6 6 23 3
Germany 15 11 17 18
United Kingdom 19 10 57 23

By contrast, the most religious nations are Niger, Sri Lanka, Yemen, Burundi, Djibouti, Mauritania, Somalia and Afghanistan. Their key rankings are:

Nation Form of Government Happiness Index Prosperity Index Global Peace Index Healthcare Access
Niger Authoritarian 134 139 128 183
Sri Lanka Flawed Democracy 116 53 67 71
Yemen Authoritarian 152 - 158 140
Burundi Authoritarian 156 140 134 186
Djibouti Authoritarian - 110 115 158
Mauritania Authoritarian 126 144 127 146
Somalia - - - 159 194
Afghanistan Flawed Democracy 145 146 162 191

Data sources:





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