There is a correlation between religion and poverty, and in countries with more wealth, religion is considered important on average by less than half the population, according to Gallup’s latest poll on the subject.

Religiosity is strongly related to per-capita income worldwide. In the poorest countries 95 percent of adults say religion is an important part of their daily lives, compared with only 47 percent who say the same in the world’s richest countries.

Gallup surveys in 114 countries in 2009 show that religion continues to play an important role in many people’s lives worldwide. The global median proportion of adults who say religion is an important part of their daily lives is 84 percent, unchanged from what Gallup has found in other years. In 10 countries and areas, at least 98 percent say religion is important in their daily lives.

Each of the most religious countries is relatively poor, with a per-capita GDP below $5,000. This reflects the strong relationship between a country’s socioeconomic status and the religiosity of its residents.

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