Religion in Europe

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Religion by country
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icon Religion portal
Importance of Religion in Europe (results of a 2008/2009 Gallup poll)
Predominance of Christianity in countries across Europe (2010)

Religion has been a major influence on the societies,

Druidry, Wicca, and others. Smaller religions include Indian religions, Judaism, and some East Asian religions, which are found in their largest groups in Britain, France, and Kalmykia
.

Little is known about the

Celtic polytheism, Germanic paganism
, etc.).

The

European identity,[4] especially since Christianity in the Middle East was marginalized by the rise of Islam from the 8th century. This confrontation led to the Crusades, which ultimately failed militarily, but were an important step in the emergence of a European identity based on religion. Despite this, traditions of folk religion
continued at all times, largely independent from institutional religion or dogmatic theology.

The

Reformation of the 16th century tore apart Christendom into hostile factions, and following the Age of Enlightenment of the 18th century, atheism and agnosticism have spread across Europe. Nineteenth-century Orientalism contributed to a certain popularity of Hinduism and Buddhism, and the 20th century brought increasing syncretism, New Age, and various new religious movements divorcing spirituality from inherited traditions for many Europeans. Recent times have seen increased secularisation and religious pluralism.[5]

Religiosity

Data: https://www.kaggle.com/umichigan/world-religions

Some European countries have experienced a decline in church membership and church attendance.[6][7] A relevant example of this trend is Sweden where the Church of Sweden, previously the state-church until 2000, claimed to have 82.9% of the Swedish population as its flock in 2000. Surveys showed this had dropped to 72.9% by 2008[8] and to 56.4% by 2019.[9] Moreover, in the 2005 Eurobarometer survey 23%[10] of the Swedish population said that they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God or life force and in the 2010 Eurobarometer survey 34%[2] said the same.

Gallup survey 2008–2009

During 2008–2009, a

Gallup survey asked in several countries the question "Is religion important in your daily life?" The table and map below shows percentage of people who answered "Yes" to the question.[11][12]

Results of a 2008/2009 Gallup survey on whether respondents said that religion was "important in [their] daily life."[11][12]
  
0%–9%
  
10%–19% (Estonia, Sweden, Denmark)
  
20%–29% (Norway, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Finland)
  
30%–39% (France, Netherlands, Belgium, Bulgaria, Russia, Belarus, Luxembourg, Hungary, Albania, Latvia)
  
40%–49% (Germany, Switzerland, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain)
  
50%–59% (Azerbaijan, Serbia, Ireland, Austria)
  
60%–69%
  
70%–79% (Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, Portugal, Italy, Poland, Cyprus, North Macedonia)
  
80%–89% (Turkey, Romania, Malta, Armenia, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
  
90%–100% (Kosovo, Georgia)
  
No data
Importance of Religion in Europe by Gallup Poll (2008–2009)[11][12]
Country Percentage
 Estonia
 
 16%
 Sweden
 
 17%
 Denmark
 
 19%
 Norway
 
 21%
 Czech Republic
 
 21%
 United Kingdom
 
 27%
 Finland
 
 28%
 France
 
 30%
 Netherlands
 
 33%
 Belgium
 
 33%
 Bulgaria
 
 34%
 Russia
 
 34%
 Belarus
 
 34%
 Luxembourg
 
 39%
 Hungary
 
 39%
 Albania
 
 39%
 Latvia
 
 39%
 Germany
 
 40%
  Switzerland
 
 41%
 Lithuania
 
 42%
 Kazakhstan
 
 43%
 Ukraine
 
 46%
 Slovenia
 
 47%
 Slovakia
 
 47%
 Spain
 
 49%
 Azerbaijan
 
 50%
 Serbia
 
 54%
 Ireland
 
 54%
 Austria
 
 55%
 Croatia
 
 70%
 Montenegro
 
 71%
 Greece
 
 71%
 Portugal
 
 72%
 Italy
 
 72%
 Poland
 
 75%
 Cyprus
 
 75%
 Romania
 
 76%
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
 
 80%
 Turkey
 
 82%
 Malta
 
 86%
 Moldova
 
 88%
 Armenia
 
 89%
 Kosovo
 
 90%
 Georgia
 
 90%

During 2007–2008, a

Gallup poll asked in several countries the question "Does religion occupy an important place in your life?" The table on right shows percentage of people who answered "No".[13]

Lack of Importance of Religion in Europe by Gallup poll (2007–2008)
Country Percentage
 Estonia
 
 84%
 Sweden
 
 83%
 Denmark
 
 80%
 Norway
 
 78%
 Azerbaijan
 
 74%
 Czech Republic
 
 74%
 France
 
 73%
 United Kingdom
 
 71%
 Finland
 
 69%
 Netherlands
 
 66%
 Belarus
 
 65%
 Russia
 
 63%
 Albania
 
 63%
 Bulgaria
 
 62%
 Latvia
 
 62%
 Belgium
 
 61%
 Hungary
 
 59%
 Slovenia
 
 59%
 Spain
 
 59%
 Germany
 
 57%
 Switzerland
 
 56%
 Ukraine
 
 54%
 Lithuania
 
 52%
 Slovakia
 
 51%
 Austria
 
 42%
 Ireland
 
 42%
 Romania
 
 31%
 Serbia
 
 31%
 Croatia
 
 30%
 Greece
 
 30%
 Portugal
 
 27%
 Montenegro
 
 27%
 Italy
 
 26%
 Cyprus
 
 24%
 Poland
 
 23%
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
 
 19%
 North Macedonia
 
 19%
 Malta
 
 18%
 Moldova
 
 11%
 Armenia
 
 10%
 Turkey
 
 9%
 Georgia
 
 9%

Eurobarometer survey 2010

Largest (non-)religious group by EU member state[14] according to Eurobarometer survey 2010.[2]
  More than 75% Catholic
  50–75% Catholic
  Relative Catholic majority
  50–75% Protestant
  More than 75% Orthodox
  50–75% non-religious
  Relative non-religious majority
  More than 75% Muslim

The 2010 Eurobarometer survey[2] found that, on average, 51% of the citizens of the EU member states state that they "believe there is a God", 26% "believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" while 20% "don't believe there is any sort of spirit, God or life force". 3% declined to answer. According to a recent study (Dogan, Mattei, Religious Beliefs in Europe: Factors of Accelerated Decline), 47% of French people declared themselves as agnostics in 2003. This situation is often called "

British Humanist Association.[15] Romania, one of the most religious countries in Europe, witnessed a threefold increase in the number of atheists between 2002 and 2011, as revealed by the most recent national census.[16]

Eurobarometer survey 2005 chart results

The following is a list of European countries ranked by religiosity, based on the rate of belief, according to the Eurobarometer survey 2010.[2] The 2010 Eurobarometer survey asked whether the person "believes there is a God", "believes there is some sort of spirit or life force", or "doesn't believe there is any sort of spirit, God or life force".

Eurobarometer survey 2010[2]
Country "I believe
there is a God" 		"I believe there is some
sort of spirit or life force" 		"I don't believe there is any sort
of spirit, God or life force"
Malta Malta 94% 4% 2%
Romania Romania 93% 6% 1%
Cyprus Cyprus 88% 8% 3%
Poland Poland 79% 14% 5%
Greece Greece 79% 16% 4%
Italy Italy 74% 20% 6%
Republic of Ireland Ireland 70% 20% 7%
Portugal Portugal 70% 15% 12%
Slovakia Slovakia 63% 23% 13%
Spain Spain 59% 20% 19%
Lithuania Lithuania 47% 37% 12%
Luxembourg Luxembourg 46% 22% 24%
Hungary Hungary 45% 34% 20%
Austria Austria 44% 38% 12%
Germany Germany 44% 25% 27%
Latvia Latvia 38% 48% 11%
United Kingdom
 37% 33% 25%
Belgium Belgium 37% 31% 27%
Bulgaria Bulgaria 36% 43% 15%
Finland Finland 33% 42% 22%
Slovenia Slovenia 32% 36% 26%
Denmark Denmark 28% 47% 24%
Netherlands
 28% 39% 30%
France France 27% 27% 40%
Estonia Estonia 18% 50% 29%
Sweden Sweden 18% 45% 34%
Czech Republic Czech Republic 16% 44% 37%
European Union EU27 51% 26% 20%
Turkey Turkey (EUCU, not EU) 94% 1% 1%
joined EU in 2013
) 		69% 22% 7%
Switzerland Switzerland (EFTA, not EU) 44% 39% 11%
Iceland Iceland (EFTA, not EU) 31% 49% 18%
Norway Norway (EFTA, not EU) 22% 44% 29%

The decrease in theism is illustrated in the 1981 and 1999 according to the World Values Survey,[17] both for traditionally strongly theist countries (Spain: 86.8%:81.1%; Ireland 94.8%:93.7%) and for traditionally secular countries (Sweden: 51.9%:46.6%; France 61.8%:56.1%; Netherlands 65.3%:58.0%). Some countries nevertheless show increase of theism over the period, Italy 84.1%:87.8%, Denmark 57.8%:62.1%. For a comprehensive study on Europe, see Mattei Dogan's "Religious Beliefs in Europe: Factors of Accelerated Decline" in Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion.

Eurobarometer survey 2019

Self described religion in the European Union (2019)[18]

  
Agnostic (17%)
  Atheism (10%)
  Islam
(2%)
  Other religion (4%)
  Refusal/Don't know (3%)
Largest (non-)religious group by EU member state according to Eurobarometer survey 2019.[19]
  More than 75% Catholic
  50–75% Catholic
  Relative Catholic majority
  50–75% Protestant
  More than 75% Orthodox
  50–75% non-religious
  Relative non-religious majority
  30% Catholic, 30% non-religious (Germany)

According to the 2019

Muslim 2% of the EU population. 3% refuse to answer or didn't know.[18]

Eurobarometer survey 2019[18]
Country "Atheist" "Non believer/Agnostic" "Atheist + Non believer/Agnostic"
Romania Romania 2% 2% 4%
Malta Malta 2% 2% 4%
Cyprus Cyprus 3% 4% 7%
Poland Poland 5% 4% 9%
Lithuania Lithuania 3% 6% 9%
Greece Greece 7% 4% 11%
Slovakia Slovakia 6% 5% 11%
Croatia Croatia 6% 5% 11%
Portugal Portugal 4% 8% 12%
Republic of Ireland Ireland 7% 7% 14%
Italy Italy 5% 9% 14%
Bulgaria Bulgaria 8% 7% 15%
Austria Austria 4% 12% 16%
Slovenia Slovenia 14% 4% 18%
Latvia Latvia 6% 13% 19%
Hungary Hungary 3% 17% 20%
Denmark Denmark 9% 13% 22%
Finland Finland 10% 14% 24%
Luxembourg Luxembourg 10% 16% 26%
Germany Germany 9% 21% 30%
Belgium Belgium 10% 21% 31%
Spain Spain 12% 20% 32%
United Kingdom
 19% 20% 39%
France France 21% 19% 40%
Estonia Estonia 21% 27% 48%
Sweden Sweden 16% 34% 50%
Netherlands
 11% 41% 52%
Czech Republic Czech Republic 22% 34% 56%
European Union EU28 10% 17% 27%

Maps

  • Belief "There is a God" per country based on Eurobarometer 2005 survey
    Belief "There is a God" per country based on Eurobarometer 2005 survey
  • Belief "there is some sort of spirit or life force" per country based on Eurobarometer 2005 survey
    Belief "there is some sort of spirit or life force" per country based on Eurobarometer 2005 survey
  • No belief in "any sort of spirit, God or life force" per country based on Eurobarometer 2005 survey
    No belief in "any sort of spirit, God or life force" per country based on Eurobarometer 2005 survey
  • Belief "there is a God" per country based on Eurobarometer 2010 survey
    Belief "there is a God" per country based on Eurobarometer 2010 survey
  • Belief "there is some sort of spirit or life force" per country based on Eurobarometer 2010 survey
    Belief "there is some sort of spirit or life force" per country based on Eurobarometer 2010 survey
  • No belief in "any sort of spirit, God or life force" per country based on Eurobarometer 2010 survey
    No belief in "any sort of spirit, God or life force" per country based on Eurobarometer 2010 survey

Pew Research Poll

According to the 2012 Global Religious Landscape survey by the Pew Research Center, 75.2% of the Europe residents are Christians, 18.2% are irreligious, atheist or agnostic, 5.9% are Muslims and 0.2% are Jews, 0.2% are Hindus, 0.2% are Buddhist, and 0.1% adhere to other religions.[21] According to the 2015 Religious Belief and National Belonging in Central and Eastern Europe survey by the Pew Research Center, 57.9% of the Central and Eastern Europeans identified as Orthodox Christians,[22] and according to a 2018 study by the Pew Research Center, 71.0% of Western Europeans identified as Christians, 24.0% identified as religiously unaffiliated and 5% identified as adhere to other religions.[23] According to the same study a large majority (83%) of those who were raised as Christians in Western Europe still identify as such, and the remainder mostly self-identify as religiously unaffiliated.[23]

Pew Research Poll

Pew Research Poll 2015[22]
Country Affiliated Orthodox,
Catholic or Muslim
(poll 1) 		Unaffiliated
(poll 1) 		Other/DK/ref
(poll 1)* 		"Believe in God,
absolutely certain"
(poll 2)** 		"Believe in God,
fairly certain"
(poll 2)** 		"Believe in God,
not too/at all certain"
(poll 2)** 		"Do not believe in God"
(Poll 2)** 		Atheist
(poll 3)*** 		Agnostic
(poll 3)*** 		Nothing in particular
(poll 3)***
 Armenia 97 2 1 94 2 1 2 1 1
 Georgia 99 <1 1 93 2 2 1 <1
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 96 3 1 90 3 2 3 2 1
 Moldova 95 2 3 89 4 3 3 1 1
 Romania 91 1 8 64 28 2 4 1
 Serbia 94 4 1 73 16 3 5 2 1 1
 Croatia 90 7 3 72 14 5 5 4 2 1
 Greece 92 4 4 69 16 7 6 3 1
 Poland 88 7 5 45 35 5 8 2 1 4
 Lithuania 78 6 17 34 34 7 11 2 4
 Ukraine 88 7 5 32 45 6 9 3 4
 Bulgaria 91 5 4 30 40 7 17 2 1 2
 Latvia 54 21 25 28 34 7 15 3 18
 Belarus 86 3 11 26 47 11 9 2 1
 Hungary 57 21 22 26 26 7 30 5 16
 Russia 81 15 4 25 38 10 15 4 1 10
 Czech Republic 22 72 6 13 13 3 66 25 1 46
 Estonia 26 45 29 13 24 7 45 9 1 35

(*) 13% of respondents in Hungary identify as Presbyterian. In Estonia and Latvia, 20% and 19%, respectively, identify as Lutherans. And in Lithuania, 14% say they are "just a Christian" and do not specify a particular denomination. They are included in the "other" category.
(**) Identified as "don't know/refused" from the "other/idk/ref" column are excluded from this statistic.
(***) Figures may not add to subtotals due to rounding.

Pew research poll in 2017 ** [24]
Country A holy book (e.g. Bible) is written
by men, not the word of God		 A holy book is the word of God
 Georgia
9%
88%
 Armenia
9%
87%
 Moldova
10%
87%
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
14%
81%
 Romania
18%
76%
 Ukraine
21%
63%
 Poland
24%
61%
 Serbia
28%
59%
 Greece
28%
58%
 Croatia
29%
58%
 Russia
30%
58%
 Belarus
27%
57%
 Bulgaria
41%
43%
 Lithuania
43%
42%
 Hungary
41%
41%
 Latvia
38%
40%
 Estonia
58%
26%
 Czech Republic
65%
21%

(**) Identified with answers "don't know/refused" are not shown.

Abrahamic religions

Bahá'í Faith

Main article:
Bahá'í Faith in Europe
Bahá'í House of Worship, Langenhain, Germany

The first newspaper reference to the religious movement began with coverage of the

Bahá'u'lláh, the prophet-founder of the Bahá'í Faith, and left the only detailed description by a Westerner.[27]

Starting in the 1890s Europeans began to convert to the religion. In 1910 Bahá'u'lláh's son and appointed successor,

'Abdu'l-Bahá embarked on a three-year journey to including Europe and North America[28] and then wrote a series of letters that were compiled together in the book titled Tablets of the Divine Plan which included mention of the need to spread the religion in Europe following the war.[29]

A 1925 list of "leading local Bahá'í Centres" of Europe listed organized communities of many countries – the largest being in Germany.[30] However the religion was soon banned in a couple of countries: in 1937 Heinrich Himmler disbanded the Bahá'í Faith's institutions in Germany because of its 'international and pacifist tendencies'[31] and in Russia in 1938 "monstrous accusations" against Bahá'ís and a Soviet government policy of oppression of religion resulted in Bahá'í communities in 38 cities across Soviet territories ceasing to exist.[32] However the religion recovered in both countries. The religion has generally spread such that in recent years the Association of Religion Data Archives estimated the Bahá'ís in European countries to number in hundreds to tens of thousands.[33]

Christianity

Main article: Christianity in Europe
Christianity in Europe by percentage (2010).[34]
View of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the largest European Roman Catholic Church
Cathedral of Saint Sava in Serbia
is the largest Orthodox church in the world
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia
is one of the largest Orthodox cathedrals
The St John's Church, Bergen is a Lutheran church in Norway
Calvinist Temple Saint-Étienne (Protestant St. Stephen's Church) in France

The majority of Europeans describe themselves as

Calvinism and Anglicanism as well as numerous minor denominations, including Baptists, Methodism, Evangelicalism, Pentecostalism
, etc.).

Christian civilization".[37][38][39][40]

hospitals,[44] economics (as the Protestant work ethic),[45][46] politics,[47] architecture,[48] literature[49] and family life.[50]

Christianity is still the largest religion in

Protestants made up 9%, and other Christians 4%.[18] According to a 2010 study by the Pew Research Center, 76.2% of the European population identified themselves as Christians,[52] constitute in absolute terms the world's largest Christian population.[53]

According to Scholars, in 2017, Europe's population was 77.8% Christian (up from 74.9% 1970),

switching to Christianity in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries.[54]

Christian denominations

There are numerous minor Protestant movements, including various Evangelical congregations.

Islam

Further information: Islam in Europe
Birmingham Central Mosque, the first mosque in the United Kingdom to use loudspeakers to broadcast the adhan.[57]

Crimea and vicinity, with the Crimean Tatars), as well as modern-day Russia, beginning with Volga Bulgaria in the 10th century and the conversion of the Golden Horde to Islam. In recent years,[when?] Muslims have migrated
to Europe as residents and temporary workers.

According to the

Pew Forum, the total number of Muslims in Europe in 2010 was about 44 million (6%).[58] While the total number of Muslims in the European Union in 2007 was about 16 million (3.2%).[59] Data from the 2000s for the rates of growth of Islam in Europe showed that the growing number of Muslims was due primarily to immigration and higher birth rates.[60]

Muslims make up 99% of the population in

Northern Cyprus,[62][63] 96% in Kosovo,[64] 56% in Albania,[65][66] 51% in Bosnia and Herzegovina,[67] 32.17% in North Macedonia,[68][69] 20% in Montenegro,[70] between 10 and 15% in Russia,[71] 7–9% in France,[72][73][74] 8% in Bulgaria,[75] 6% in the Netherlands, 5% in Denmark, United Kingdom and Germany,[76][77][78] just over 4% in Switzerland and Austria, and between 3 and 4% in Greece
.

A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2016 found that Muslims make up 4.9% of all of Europe's population.[79] According to a same study conversion does not add significantly to the growth of the Muslim population in Europe, with roughly 160,000 more people leaving Islam than converting into Islam between 2010 and 2016.[79]

Judaism

The Jubilee Synagogue in Prague, Czech Republic
Further information:
Jews by country

The Jews were

Russia (194,000) which is home to Eastern Europe's largest Jewish community.[82] The Jewish population of Europe in 2010 was estimated to be approximately 1.4 million (0.2% of European population) or 10% of the world's Jewish population.[83]

Deism

Main article: Deism

During the

Mendeleev.[85]

Irreligion

Further information: Secularism, Irreligion, and Postchristianity

The trend towards secularism during the 20th and 21st centuries has a number of reasons, depending on the individual country:

The trend towards secularism has been less pronounced in the traditionally

Catholic countries of Mediterranean Europe. Greece as the only traditionally Eastern Orthodox country in Europe which has not been part of the communist Eastern Bloc also retains a very high religiosity, with in excess of 95% of Greeks adhering to the Greek Orthodox Church
.

According to a

agnostics) make up about 18.2% of the European population in 2010.[93] According to the same survey the religiously unaffiliated make up the majority of the population in only two European countries: Czech Republic (76%) and Estonia (60%).[3] A newer study (released in 2015) found that in the Netherlands there is also an irreligious majority of 68%.[94]

Atheism and agnosticism

Main articles: Atheism and Agnosticism

During the late 20th and early 21st centuries, atheism and agnosticism have increased, with falling church attendance and membership in various European countries.[95] The 2010 Eurobarometer survey found that on total average, of the EU28 population, 51% "believe there is a God", 26% "believe there is some sort of spirit or life force", and 20% "don't believe there is any sort of spirit, God or life force".[2] Across the EU, belief was higher among women, increased with age, those with a strict upbringing, those with the lowest level of formal education and those leaning towards right-wing politics.[90]: 10–11  Results were varied widely between different countries.[2]

According to a survey measuring religious identification in the European Union in 2019 by Eurobarometer, 10% of EU citizens identify themselves as atheists.[18] As of May 2019, the top seven European countries with the most people who viewed themselves as atheists were Czech Republic (22%), France (21%), Sweden (16%), Estonia (15%), Slovenia (14%), Spain (12%) and Netherlands (11%).[18] 17% of EU citizens called themselves non-believers or agnostics and this percentage was the highest in Netherlands (41%), Czech Republic (34%), Sweden (34%), United Kingdom (28%), Estonia (23%), Germany (21%) and Spain (20%).[18]

Modern Paganism

Esetrother community of the Íslenska Ásatrúarfélagið (Icelandic Esetroth Fellowship) preparing for a Þingblót at Þingvellir.
An Odinist-rite wedding in Spain, in 2010, at the Temple of Gaut in Albacete.
See also:
Slavic neopaganism, and Baltic neopaganism

Germanic

Main article:
Germanic neopaganism
Further information:
Neopaganism in Germany and Austria, and Neopaganism in Latin Europe

Heathenism or Esetroth (Icelandic: Ásatrú), and the organised form

Odinism, are names for the modern folk religion of the Germanic nations
.

In the

2011 census, 1,958 people self-identified as Heathen in England and Wales. A further 251 described themselves as Reconstructionist and may include some people reconstructing Germanic paganism.[97]

Ásatrúarfélagið (Esetroth Fellowship) was recognized as an official religion by the Icelandic government in 1973. For its first 20 years it was led by farmer and poet Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson. By 2003, it had 777 members,[98] and by 2014, it had 2,382 members, corresponding to 0.8% of Iceland's population.[99] In Iceland, Germanic religion has an impact larger than the number of its adherents.[100]

In Sweden, the

Swedish Forn Sed Assembly (Forn Sed, or the archaic Forn Siðr, means "Old Custom") was formed in 1994 and is since 2007 recognized as a religious organization by the Swedish government. In Denmark Forn Siðr was formed in 1999, and was officially recognized in 2003[101] The Norwegian Åsatrufellesskapet Bifrost (Esetroth Fellowship Bifrost) was formed in 1996; as of 2011, the fellowship has some 300 members. Foreningen Forn Sed was formed in 1999, and has been recognized by the Norwegian government as a religious organization. In Spain there is the Odinist Community of Spain – Ásatrú
.

Roman

The

Roman polytheism also known as Religio Romana (Roman religion) in Latin or the Roman Way to the Gods (in Italian 'Via romana agli Déi') is alive in small communities and loosely related organizations, mainly in Italy
.

Druidry

The religious development of

Druidry was largely influenced by Iolo Morganwg.[102] Modern practises aim to imitate the practises of the Celtic peoples of the Iron Age.[103]

Official religions

A number of countries in Europe have official religions, including Greece (Orthodox),[104] Liechtenstein,[105] Malta,[106] Monaco,[107] the Vatican City (Catholic);[108] Armenia (Apostolic Orthodoxy); Denmark,[109] Iceland[110][111] and the United Kingdom (England alone) (Anglican).[112] In Switzerland, some cantons are officially Catholic, others Reformed Protestant. Some Swiss villages even have their religion as well as the village name written on the signs at their entrances.

Finnish Orthodox Church and the Lutheran Church are official. England, a part of the United Kingdom, has Anglicanism as its official religion. Scotland, another part of the UK, has Presbyterianism as its national church, but it is no longer "official". In Sweden, the national church used to be Lutheranism, but it is no longer "official" since 2000. Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Serbia, Romania, Russia, Spain and Turkey
are officially secular.

Indian religions

Buddhism

Main article: Buddhism in Europe

Buddhism is thinly spread throughout Europe, and the fastest growing religion in recent years[113][114] with about 3 million adherents.[115][116] In Kalmykia, Tibetan Buddhism is prevalent.[117]

Hinduism

Mandir in Gibraltar
.

Hinduism is mainly practised among Indian immigrants. It has been growing rapidly in recent years, notably in the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands and Italy.[118] In 2010, there were an estimated 1.4 million Hindu adherents in Europe.[119]

Jainism

Jain temple in Antwerp, Belgium

Jainism, small membership rolls, mainly among Indian immigrants in Belgium and the United Kingdom, as well as several converts from western and northern Europe.[120][121]

Sikhism

Sikh population of 22,000.[125][126] All other countries, such as Greece
, have 5,000 or fewer Sikhs.

Other religions

Other religions represented in Europe include:

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Europe". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 15 January 2016. Most Europeans adhere to one of three broad divisions of Christianity: Roman Catholicism in the west and southwest, Protestantism in the north, and Eastern Orthodoxy in the east and southeast
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Special Eurobarometer, biotechnology, page 204" (PDF). Fieldwork: Jan–Feb 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 December 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Religiously Unaffiliated". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  4. ISBN 9780813216836
    .
  5. ISBN 90-5589-248-3
    .
  6. ^ Ronan McCrea (17 June 2013). "Ronan McCrea – Is migration making Europe more secular?". Aeon Magazine. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  7. ^ Church attendance faces decline almost everywhere Archived 9 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 3 July 2011
  8. ^ "Svenska kyrkans medlemsutveckling år 1972–2008" [Swedish church's membership development in the years 1972–2008]. svenskakyrkan.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original (XLS) on 13 August 2010.
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