Governments have imposed their own rules against religion throughout history.

Religion around the world is on the decline. For the first time ever, Norway now has more people who do not believe in God than do – with 39 per cent of atheists versus 37 per cent of believers. In the US, meanwhile, a nation whose dollar bill signs states “In God We Trust”, belief in the Christian deity is also at an all time low.

Research found that nearly twice as many Americans in 2014 said they did not believe in God as in 1980 – and that five times as many in 2014 said they never prayed, with millennials in particular accounting for the change in public opinion. Now a map has shown degrees of religion around the world according to the countries with the most people saying they are “convinced atheists”.

Yet despite a trend towards fewer people believing in God around the world, it appears only a few countries have more than 20 per cent of citizens who are comfortable about rejecting the notion of a deity entirely.

Here are six of the most atheist countries in the world, not including Norway:

1. China
2. Japan
3. Czech Republic
4. France
5. Australia
6. Iceland

Read more at: The Independent