Believing in Spirits and Life After Death Is Common Around the World
Belief in an afterlife, God and spirits in nature is widespread globally. Older adults are more likely than younger adults to believe in God.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Only one-in-ten Chinese adults formally identify with a religion, but surveys indicate that religion plays a much bigger role in China when the definition is widened to include questions on spirituality, customs and traditional beliefs.
Despite the Chinese Communist Party’s ban on religion, some 6% of party members formally identify with a religion.
While only 4% of Chinese adults formally identify as Buddhists, formal affiliation doesn’t reflect the full extent of Buddhist belief and practice.