Belief in Life After Death Across Asian Countries

Belief in life after death remains an important part of religious and cultural life in many Asian societies, although the strength of this belief varies considerably from one country to another.

Data from the World Values Survey (WVS) 2017–2022 show a wide gap between countries where belief in an afterlife is almost universal and those where only a small minority of respondents express such a belief. The WVS Wave 7 covered 2017–2022 and surveyed more than 80,000 respondents across 64 countries and societies. World Values Survey

Bangladesh records the highest level of belief among the Asian countries listed, with 98.8% of respondents saying they believe in life after death. This is followed by Turkey at 91.8% and Iran at 91.3%. Pakistan ranks fourth, with 89.3%, meaning that nearly nine out of ten respondents expressed belief in an afterlife.

The Philippines comes next at 83.8%, followed by Malaysia at 81.9%. Both countries demonstrate high levels of belief compared with many other Asian societies.

Indonesia ranks seventh, with 73.5% of respondents saying they believe in life after death. This places Indonesia below the Philippines and Malaysia but considerably above several other countries in Southeast Asia.

The figures become lower further down the list. Thailand records a belief rate of 57.1%, meaning that slightly more than half of respondents expressed belief in life after death. Vietnam follows at 34.1%, while Japan records 32.2%. At the bottom of the Asian countries listed is China, where only 11.5% of respondents said they believe in life after death.

The contrast between these figures illustrates the considerable diversity of beliefs across Asia. Countries with predominantly Muslim populations, including Bangladesh, Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan, appear near the top of this particular list, while several East and Southeast Asian societies report substantially lower levels.

However, the survey figures describe respondents' stated beliefs and should not be interpreted as a complete measure of religiosity or spirituality within a country. The WVS question specifically asked respondents whether they believed in “life after death,” with answers recorded as yes, no, don't know, or no answer.

Overall, the results demonstrate that views about what happens after death differ sharply across Asian societies. From Bangladesh's 98.8% to China's 11.5%, the figures reflect the region's broad range of religious traditions, cultural values, and individual beliefs.

They also highlight how diverse attitudes toward life after death remain across one of the world's most culturally and religiously varied regions.