Survey Reveals Countries with Highest Belief in Witchcraft, Indonesia Included
In the modern era, communities still believe in witchcraft, curses or black magic. Indonesia is among those nations where such beliefs persist. Which countries have the highest levels of belief?
A survey covering mantras, curses, witchcraft and black magic was conducted by US-based think tank Pew Research Center, surveying adults in 35 countries and releasing findings on 6 May 2025. Respondents were asked about their beliefs in these practices.
The survey found belief is widespread across all four African nations surveyed, with at least seven in ten adults in each. Ghana led all countries at 87%.
Over half of adults in Latin American countries also showed high belief, ranging from 72% in Colombia to 56% in Mexico.
In much of South and Southeast Asia, witchcraft and curses are believed to influence lives. Indonesia ranked 17th, while Malaysia was seventh.
In North America, Australia, East Asia and most of Europe, belief was around a third or lower. In the US, 30% of adults believe mantras, curses or other witchcraft can affect people’s lives.
Ghana - 87%
Kenya - 76%
Colombia - 72%
Nigeria - 72%
South Africa - 71%
Chile - 64%
Malaysia - 61%
Argentina - 59%
Peru - 59%
Brazil - 58%
Mexico - 56%
Philippines - 55%
Singapore - 52%
Turkey - 52%
India - 49%
Thailand - 49%
Indonesia - 48%
France - 45%
Sri Lanka - 45%
Bangladesh - 43%
Netherlands - 37%
Spain - 35%
United Kingdom - 34%
Israel - 32%
United States - 30%
Canada - 28%
Germany - 27%
South Korea - 25%
Greece - 24%
Italy - 24%
Poland - 24%
Australia - 23%
Hungary - 23%
Japan - 20%
Sweden - 20%