Why There Has Been a Rise in the Religiously Unaffiliated Population

This article examines the global rise of the religiously unaffiliated population, analyzing how scientific advancement, technological innovation, artificial intelligence, expanded access to information, declining participation in organized worship, and reduced institutional trust contribute to secularization. It presents a structural perspective that religious transition is largely one-directional, with movement away from religion being common and return after disaffiliation remaining rare, suggesting a sustained upward trend in religious non-affiliation.