Why are the world's richest countries the least likely to practise religion?

If you know me you’ll know that I’m a Christian and take my faith very seriously. I’m also British-Nigerian and most of my family are Christians. In fact, most black people believe in God. I remember laughing with a friend when he joked that when you meet a Nigerian they’re either a Christian or a Muslim. There was no talk of being a Nigerian atheist.

And after some thought I’ve realised that this situation couldn’t really be more different in countries like the UK. At my university the average student is an atheist. The vast majority of those that do identify as Christians generally admit to it being more a cultural thing than a practice: they only call themselves Christians because they were christened; or because they went to a Church of England school; or perhaps because they go to church on Christmas Day. The case is much the same in other Western nations, as we can see in France and even the U.S.A., which in spite of its motto ‘In God We Trust’, maintains what many would regard as an irreligious stance towards a number of big topics (think sex, possession of guns) as to make it one of the most secular countries in the world. Although some 70% of Americans profess to be Christians, according to head counts in church, less than 20% regularly attend services. Australia, though on the other side of the globe, is much in line with the thinking of the geographical West.

On the other hand, countries that are less affluent are much more likely to have a higher rate of religious practice. Why is this? I’ve been pondering over it for a while and I’ve come to my own conclusions. Want to hear them?

I think it’s because when we’re well-off and have lots of luxuries and comforts it’s much easier to believe that we can do this whole ‘life’ thing all on our own.  

Wealth and Religious Practice  

The GDP of the European Union stands at roughly $18.5 trillion (£11.9 trillion), whilst the United States alone has a GDP of $17.84 trillion (£11.44 trillion). The average income of a UK employee is around $41,340 (£26,500) a year. Compare these statistics with the GDP of the Asian economic power India, whose GDP stands at $2.3 trillion (£1.47 trillion) and whose citizens earn around $1,570 (£1,007) a year. If we look at the rate of religious belief and practice on these two opposite-facing sides of the globe, the contrast is stark.

Figures as of April 2015 show that 62% of Britons do not practise any religion.  72% of young Brits between the ages of 18-24 admitted that religion was ‘not important’ in their lives, even if some of them had previously described themselves as religious.  Compare these statistics on religion and belief to those of India, where approximately 80% of the national population practise Hinduism, with the practice of Islam and Christianity taking up 2^nd and 3^rd places (around 12% and 2.5% respectively.)  In Nigeria, Africa’s richest country, where the average annual income is $3,000 (£1,925), Christians make up some 50.8% of the population, whilst Muslims tot up to about 48%. A poll for the BBC in 2004 revealed that 100% of Nigerians believed in God or a higher power, and 91% said they regularly attended a religious service.

Suffering and Religion

You might wonder why people in these countries are so likely to practise religion and believe in a deity when they are part of the continents which people often think of when they ask, “If there is a God, why is there so much suffering in the world?”

In Afghanistan, although the poorest country by GDP in Asia and increasingly troubled by political instability and civil insurgency, 99% of the population are practising Muslims. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country ravaged by civil wars and the poorest country in Africa, 80% of the population are practising Christians. The citizens of Moldova, although faced with high levels of unemployment in the poorest country in Europe, are also primarily Christian, with 90% naming themselves as of Eastern Orthodox. In Bolivia, South America’s poorest country, 93% of the population practise a religion.

Some people may say that this points to religion simply acting as a crutch in people’s lives. They are too weak to manage on their own, they say, so they use something to help prop them up and make them think life is OK. Such people might be thinking of Marx’s quote: “Religion is the opium of the people”. This metaphor suggests that those that practise a religion have become completely incapable of using their brains and instead are dancing along drunkenly to a tune that makes them feel better.

Is that so?

Why would someone that has almost nothing – lives in a slum, has to walk miles to get water, doesn’t have access to a good education, you name it – still choose to believe in a God? Surely they are the people that should give up on any form of religion.

I often think about how the Jewish race and black race have suffered immensely throughout history. Yet as ethnic groups they are still highly likely to practise religion even now. To me, rather than showing weakness, this shows the strength of faith. It shows resilience to believe in a God even when times are hard; to continue to pray and attend worship services even in the face of hatred. Immigrant communities like those from Nigeria and Poland have done a great deal to stem the tide of decline in church attendance in the UK.

Religion in Fair Weather

I’ve come to realise that the luxuries and comforts that come with living a fairly easy life means for many it simply becomes unnecessary to believe in a God or practice a religion. You may not feel the need to pray because you’ve got everything you want: a nice house; nice clothes; a pricey smartphone and whatever else floats your boat. You may not feel the need for hope because you’ve got everything you could ever hope for. Religion becomes simply an accessory. By contrast, when you’re sitting on the hard floor of one-room house and your children are starving, you’re more likely to question whether this is really the meaning of life, or whether there’s more to it. Religion and faith are likely to have answers to your questions.

You don’t have to be poor to wonder what the meaning of life is. It’s probably true that if right from the cradle you’ve lived in poverty but are still here, you’re more likely to think that there really is a purpose for your life – otherwise why would you still be living? Most people that do believe in life having a purpose believe in a Creator.

Many of my non-believing friends agree with me when I say to me it is a pretty depressing thought this could be all there is to life: going through an education, getting a good job, doing some cool stuff along the way and then dying. I mean, you could have a wonderful life; a wonderful marriage and wonderful kids, but if there’s nothing at the end of it then what’s the point? If your well-kept body simply gathers dust at the end of it all, where’s the reward?

For me, my faith provides hope and something better at the end of this life. Even if I became the wealthiest person on the planet and achieved all of my life ambitions I am sure that what comes after this life would be better.

Remember how I said the United States is the richest country in the world? It’s also one of the most depressed – 19.2% of Americans report suffering from depression in their lifetimes. Money doesn’t buy happiness, clearly. France, the country which prides itself on being a secular state – with some 40% declaring themselves atheists – is the country which has the highest rate of depression in the world, with the average prevalence of depression at a whopping 21%. Dr. Stephen Joseph of the University of Warwick is quoted as saying, "Religious people seem to have a greater purpose in life, which is why they are happier. Looking at the research evidence, it seems that those who celebrate the Christian meaning of Christmas are on the whole likely to be happier.”

It seems kind of incredible, but it would appear that even in the toughest conditions and in the depths of poverty, religion provides happiness and fulfilment. Money may help provide short-term happiness and fulfilment: it gives people plenty of things to fill the jar of life with – but too often so much that they don’t have space for God.