Survey: Over 40% of Bulgarians do not Believe in Hell and Heaven

53% of Bulgarians claim to be religious. Nearly a third (29%) do not perceive themselves as religious people, and a tenth are atheists (9%). Another 10 percent can't decide how to answer. Bulgaria is rather in the middle (or even slightly below it) of the "ranking" of declared religiosity - below the average levels on a global scale, but far from the extremely low levels observed in other countries. Bulgaria is close in attitudes to the other eastern EU countries.

These attitudes have remained rather stable in our country in recent years - the share of those who define themselves as religious remains the same, but atheism seems to be growing. There is a minimal decline in the share of those who say they are not believers. In 2014, again every second Bulgarian (52%) defined themselves as religious. 36% then say they are not believers, and 3% are atheists. A few years later, in 2016, the attitudes were practically the same - 51% defined themselves as religious people, 36% - as non-religious, 3% are atheists, and the rest could not answer.

In our country, as well as in most countries of the world, those who believe in the existence of God (58%) seem to be more than those who define themselves as believers in general. Nearly a quarter believe there is no God, and 15% are not quite sure. Few do not know how to answer. The answers of the Bulgarians are again approaching the average registered for the EU - closer to those of the respondents from the eastern countries of the Union. Belief in the existence of God in our country has remained at the same declared levels in recent years.

Bulgarians seem to be skeptical about life after death. 34% in our country believe that there is, but 39% do not believe that something happens after our life ends. 20...