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Atheists do not believe in the existence of God or gods. This makes them different from agnostics, who do not think it is possible to know if divine beings exist.“Convinced” atheists only make up 11% of the world population, according to a 2015 study carried out by the WIN/Gallup International poll. They are an especially tiny minority in Africa and the Middle East. Only in China do they represent a majority of the population (61%).Though the number of atheists grew globally in the 20th century, that hasn’t been the case in recent years. The number of atheists in the world may even be decreasing. The WIN/Gallup International poll from 2012 found that 13% of the global population was atheist. By 2015, the number of atheists had dropped by two percentage points.While some atheists are able to live quite happily according to their beliefs, others face real challenges. Across the world, many atheists are looked down upon within their society, rejected by friends and family, discriminated against (especially in terms of access to employment or other opportunities), denied certain rights and even persecuted. The “wrongs” they are accused of include questioning dominant religious beliefs, criticizing religion or even openly mocking it.Those who commit apostasy — the act of publicly renouncing your religious beliefs — could face the death penalty in Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sudan and Mauritania, all countries where Islam is the dominant religion.The Observers Team spoke with atheists living in different countries where religion has a strong influence. Even if the atheists we spoke to are not all up against the same challenges, all of them were vocal about wanting a clear separation between religion and state, both in law and in practice. Many of them also highlighted the essential role that the internet plays in their lives. Social media allows atheists to connect, to support each other, to speak freely amongst themselves and to discuss articles, videos and images that might be taboo or even illegal to speak about in their own countries.