Projected share of Americans who are religiously unaffiliated in 1972, 2020, and 2070
In 1972, an estimated five percent of the population in the United States identified as religiously unaffiliated. By 2020, this number rose to 30 percent, a phenomenon which may be attributed to recent trends where many Americans have left Christianity to instead identify as atheist, agnostic, or nothing in particular. If these trends continue, the number of Americans who are religiously unaffiliated has been projected to reach 52 percent by 2070.