Travel Inspiration: Luxury Holiday Blog | Wayfairer Travel

World’s Most Spiritual Countries, Ranked by Wayfairer Travel

Written by Lotte Nash | Apr 14, 2023, 1:44:54 PM

 

Learn which countries rank highest for religious diversity, spiritual landmarks, wellness, quality of life, and other measures of spirituality.

 

Canada takes the top position in Wayfairer Travel’s Global Spirituality Index, while destinations including India, Japan, and Thailand also rank highly for their spiritual traditions, sacred sites, and cultural depth.

Wayfairer Travel created the index to explore spirituality through seven measures, including religious diversity, religious tolerance, spiritual sights, wellness, and quality of life. Together, these measures provide a more complete picture of the places where travelers can encounter meaningful traditions, important landmarks, and distinctive ways of life.

What Does the Global Spirituality Index Measure?

Spirituality is a concept that spans many levels, and defining a spiritual country is much greater than simply looking at those countries that have a large religious population. We are interested in a broad combination of factors that shape a destination’s spiritual character, including how different beliefs coexist, how freely they can be practiced, and how strongly sacred places and traditions remain part of everyday life.



For travelers, those qualities can create experiences that feel more meaningful than simply visiting a famous landmark. Time spent at a working temple, historic mosque, pilgrimage site, or sacred landscape can offer a better understanding of the people, beliefs, and customs that have shaped a destination.



A carefully planned luxury vacation gives travelers the time and context to explore these places respectfully. Private guides, thoughtful pacing, and well-chosen experiences can turn a brief visit into a deeper connection with the destination.

Global Spirituality Index Results

 

 

 

 

#

Country

Religious Diversity

Religious Population

Religious Freedom

Religious Tolerance

Spiritual Sights

Wellness

Quality of Life

Score

1

Canada

7

2

6

6

6

6

7

40

2

Italy

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

36

3

India

7

4

2

5

7

4

–

34

3

Japan

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

34

3

United Kingdom

7

1

5

5

3

6

–

34

3

United States of America

7

2

3

3

6

7

6

34

7

Mexico

6

3

3

7

5

5

4

33

8

Australia

7

1

6

4

3

4

7

32

8

Philippines

7

5

7

6

1

1

5

32

10

Germany

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

31

10

Switzerland

6

1

4

7

1

5

7

31

12

Austria

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

30

12

Brazil

6

4

7

6

1

2

4

30

12

China

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

30

12

France

7

2

3

2

3

7

6

30

12

Thailand

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

30

17

Ghana

4

7

6

7

1

1

3

29

17

Spain

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

29

19

New Zealand

7

1

7

4

1

1

7

28

19

Panama

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

28

19

Portugal

5

2

6

7

1

1

6

28

19

South Korea

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

28

 

 

Data was not available for the following countries: Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Faroe Islands, French Guiana, Gabon, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozambique, Myanmar, Niger, North Korea, Oman, Palestine, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent's & Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Suriname, Eswatini, Tajikistan, The Gambia, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Turks & Caicos Islands, Uzbekistan, Virgin Islands (UK and US), Zambia
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