Atheism is the lack of belief of the existence of God or other spiritual beings. The first documented atheist ideas are from early Indian thought/ancient Hinduism. The English term derives from an ancient Greek word (atheos) meaning ‘without god/s’, when it was used as a pejorative. The first records of Europeans identifying themselves as atheist are from the 18th century. There are many varieties of atheism, for instance some atheists actively reject the idea of God while others simply lack religious belief. Atheism is not a religion but in many nations the right to be an atheist is protected in the same way as religious rights. State atheism is practised in China and elsewhere. It was a major goal of the Soviet Union, where it lasted for seven decades and entailed persecution of religious entities.  Atheists may be subject to discrimination and persecution in many Muslim-majority countries. The constitutions of 7 US states ban atheists from holding public office but as this conflicts with the US Constitution these laws are unenforceable. China and Sweden have the highest number of people identifying as atheist or irreligious (2017 WIN/GIA poll). It has been estimated that about 7% of people worldwide are non-religious.