Irreligion

Irreligion is the absence or rejection of religious beliefs or practices. It encompasses a wide range of viewpoints drawn from various philosophical and intellectual perspectives, including atheism, agnosticism, skepticism, rationalism, secularism, and spiritual but not religious. These perspectives can vary, with individuals who identify as irreligious holding diverse beliefs about religion and its role in their lives.^[1]

A 2017 WIN/Gallup International survey done in 68 countries reported that less than 25% of respondents expressed they were not a religious person, 9% others responded "convinced atheists", and 5% others "do not know/no response".^{[2]: 1 : 3} In 2010, the religiously unaffiliated numbered an estimated 1.1 billion—about one-in-six people, or 16%, of the estimated 6.9 billion-person world population at the time—according to Pew Research Center.^{[3][4][5]: 24}

The population of the religiously unaffiliated, who are sometimes referred to as "nones", has grown significantly in recent years.^[6] Measurement of irreligiosity requires a high degree of cultural sensitivity, especially in regions outside of the Western world in which the concepts of "religion" or "the secular" may be foreign concepts to local culture.^[7] Those who do not affiliate with a religion are diverse. Pew Research Center noted that, in 2010, many individuals who scored high on measures of irreligiosity indeed reported engaging in explicitly religious activities.^{[4][8][5]: 24}