Pew Forum Survey Finds Sub-Saharan Africa to Be "The Most Religious Place on Earth"

Researchers say they have found the most religious place on earth -- between the southern border of the Sahara Desert and the tip of South Africa -- the Ecumenical News International (ENI) website reports today (April 20, 2010).

Religion is "very important" to more than three-quarters of the population in 17 of 19 sub-Saharan nations, according to a new survey.

In contrast, in the United States -- the world's most religious industrialized nation -- 57 percent of people say religion is very important.

"On a continent-wide basis, sub-Saharan Africa comes out as the most religious place on earth," said Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, which released its findings of the study on April 15, 2010.