No religion, but yes to fortune-tellers? Korea and Japan say yes

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Despite having some of the lowest religious affiliation rates in the world, people in Korea and Japan remain surprisingly receptive to fortune-telling and prophetic guidance, according to new global survey results.

The Pew Research Center released data Tuesday from a 36-country study conducted in 2023 and 2024. It found that while countries such as Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Tunisia reported a 100 percent rate of religious affiliation — all being nations where Buddhism or Islam is the state religion — the rates were notably lower in East Asia.

Japan recorded the world’s lowest religious population rate at just 44 percent, with Korea not far behind at 51 percent, placing 32nd out of the 36 countries surveyed. India and Israel, where Hinduism and Judaism are dominant respectively, also reported near-universal levels of religious identity.

When asked about religious practices, such as praying daily, Muslim-majority countries led the rankings: 95 percent of Indonesians said they pray almost every day, followed by 84 percent of respondents in Kenya and Nigeria and 80 percent in Malaysia. Catholic-majority countries such as the Philippines (79 percent) and Brazil (76 percent) also ranked high, along with Sri Lanka (72 percent) among Buddhist nations.

Korea and Japan were again toward the lower end of the spectrum, with only 25 percent and 21 percent, respectively, saying they pray daily — placing them 26th and 29th. European countries like Sweden (8 percent), Hungary (11 percent), Germany and France (both 16 percent) ranked lowest overall.

Interestingly, despite showing low levels of religious belief and spiritual practices, both Koreans and Japanese continue to show strong interest in fortune-telling. The survey found that 20 percent of Koreans — the sixth highest among all countries surveyed — said they consult fortune-tellers or prophets when making important decisions. Japan followed closely behind with 19 percent, ranking tenth.

South Africa (47 percent) and India (45 percent) had the highest proportions of people who said they refer to fortune-tellers for guidance, while Greece (4 percent), Indonesia, Germany, Sweden and Turkey (all at 7 percent) showed the lowest levels of belief in prophetic predictions.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.