Animism

A type of religious belief that all components of the universe, including humans, animals, plant life, rocks, etc. contain some form of life force, soul or spirit. Some are seen as friendly spirits; others as tricksters.

Whilst animists can be found in almost all Asian countries, only in Laos do they form more than 5% of the population. Animists are between 1% and 5% of the population in Burma, India, Indonesia, Kampuchea, Malaysia, and Vietnam.