Update: This article has been updated from 10/25/2014 to add the 10 most religious states in America.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- It is no secret that the United States is one of the most religious countries in the Western world. While the number of people who consider themselves to be atheist has risen 3% worldwide, the number of people who consider themselves to be religious dropped by 9% between 2005 and 2011.

A 2012 Pew Research study conducted in over 230 countries concluded that worldwide more than eight in 10 people, or 84% of the world's 6.9 billion people, identify with some form of religion. Christianity is the most popular with 2.2 billion adherents to the faith (32%) while Muslims (1.6 billion or 23%) and Hindus (1 billion or 15%) round out the top three.

This list of the 10 most and least religious states in the United States of America is based on a Gallup poll conducted from January to December 2013. The poll found that religiosity in the U.S. has bucked the global trend and the number of people calling themselves "very religious" has increased over the past six years to 41.4% in 2013 from 40.9% in 2008.

The poll, which had 174,000 respondents interviewed over a year-long period, found continuity in individual states' level of religiosity from year to year, but found a substantial variance state to state and region to region. Added to this list is Gallup information about the political leanings and their index which looked at each state's overall well-being.

And now, for the 10 most religious states first...

10th most religious: Oklahoma

% Self-identified as "very religious": 49%

% Leaning Republican: 49%

% Leaning Democrat: 36%

Overall Well-Being Index Score: 64.7

9th most religious: North Carolina

% Self-identified as "very religious": 50%

% Leaning Republican: 42%

% Leaning Democrat: 41%

Overall Well-Being Index Score: 65.8

8th most religous: Arkansas

% Self-identified as "very religious": 51%

% Leaning Republican: 43%

% Leaning Democrat: 39%

Overall Well-Being Index Score: 64.3

7th most religious: Georgia

% Self-identified as "very religious": 52%

% Leaning Republican: 43.2%

% Leaning Democrat: 40.3%

Overall Well-Being Index Score: 66.6

6th most religious: Tennessee

% Self-identified as "very religious": 54%

% Leaning Republican: 45%

% Leaning Democrat: 38%

Overall Well-Being Index Score: 64.3

5th most religious: South Carolina

% Self-identified as "very religious": 54%

% Leaning Republican: 48%

% Leaning Democrat: 38%

Overall Well-Being Index Score: 65.3

4th most religious: Louisiana

% Self-identified as "very religious": 56%

% Leaning Republican: 43%

% Leaning Democrat: 41%

Overall Well-Being Index Score: 64.9

3rd most religious: Alabama

% Self-identified as "very religious": 57%

% Leaning Republican: 49%

% Leaning Democrat: 38%

Overall Well-Being Index Score: 64.1

2nd most religious: Utah

% Self-identified as "very religious": 60%

% Leaning Republican: 58%

% Leaning Democrat: 26%

Overall Well-Being Index Score: 68.2



The most religious: Mississippi

% Self-identified as "very religious": 61%

% Leaning Republican: 46%

% Leaning Democrat: 39%

Overall Well-Being Index Score: 63.7

And now, for the 10 least religious states in America...

10th least religious: District of Columbia

% Self-Identified as "very religious": 32%

% Leaning Republican: 14%

% Leaning Democrat: 72%

Overall Well-Being Index Score: 70.1

9th least religious: Hawaii

% Self-Identified as "very religious": 32%

% Leaning Republican: 30%

% Leaning Democrat: 54%

Overall Well-Being Index Score: 68.4

8th least religious: Connecticut

% Self-Identified as "very religious": 32%

% Leaning Republican: 32%

% Leaning Democrat: 49%

Overall Well-Being Index Score: 65.9

7th least religious: Washington

% Self-Identified as "very religious": 32%

% Leaning Republican: 38%

% Leaning Democrat: 45%

Overall Well-Being Index Score: 68.3

6th least religious: Nevada

% Self-Identified as "very religious": 32%

% Leaning Republican: 40%

% Leaning Democrat: 42%

Overall Well-Being Index Score: 66.6

5th least religious: Oregon

% Self-Identified as "very religious": 31%

% Leaning Republican: 38%

% Leaning Democrat: 45%

Overall Well-Being Index Score: 66.7

4th least religious: Massachusetts

% Self-Identified as "very religious": 28%

% Leaning Republican: 31%

% Leaning Democrat: 52%

Overall Well-Being Index Score: 68

3rd least religious: Maine

% Self-Identified as "very religious": 27%

% Leaning Republican: 37%

% Leaning Democrat: 43%

Overall Well-Being Index Score: 67.7

2nd least religious: New Hampshire

% Self-Identified as "very religious": 24%

% Leaning Republican: 45%

% Leaning Democrat: 41%

Overall Well-Being Index Score: 68.2

The least religious state in America: Vermont

The least religious state in America: Vermont

% Self-Identified as "very religious": 22%

% Leaning Republican: 33%

% Leaning Democrat: 52%

Overall Well-Being Index Score: 69.1

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