Hess: Countries with more religious freedom have higher fertility rates

“It is difficult to overstate the impact of religiosity (both belief and religious attendance) on birthrates,” writes Daniel Hess in More Births Substack.

The World Values Survey asks respondents “How important is religion to you?” (A common survey question, also used by Pew.)

“With more than 60 countries surveyed, one can plot fertility as a function of the share of the population that rates religion as ‘very important.’ It turns out that the most religious countries in 2023 had a fertility rate that was on average twice as high as the least religious countries!” writes Hess.

Therefore countries have much to gain by fostering a climate of religious freedom.

Read Religious Freedom is Supportive of Higher Fertility

Read more by Hess on X/Twitter at @MoreBirths