Religion in Europe - Statistics and Facts
On a rudimentary level, Europe is divided along three religious lines: Protestant in the north and west, Catholic in the south, and Orthodox in the east. Each of these churches is further subdivided liturgically and nationally. There are state churches in countries like England, Malta, Denmark, and Iceland. In other countries, the state religion has decreased in importance since the 19th century. For example, although the Netherlands was officially a Protestant country until 1848, Catholics now form the largest group of believers, with 18 percent of the Dutch identifying as Catholic in 2021. The various Protestant churches are attended by roughly 14 percent of the Dutch.
With the arrival of migrant workers, inhabitants of former colonies, and refugees, the number of Muslims in Europe has increased. In 2022, approximately 22,300 Muslims lived in Finland. In England and Wales, from 2011 to 2021, the Muslim population rose by over a million residents. Nevertheless, in the Netherlands, the population that professes Islam has remained at five percent since 2010.
By 2030, France is forecasted to have over six million Muslims residing in the country. In Italy, foreign nationals who identified as Muslims numbered roughly 1.6 million in 2020. Approximately 450,000 of these were of Moroccan nationality, and a further 205,000 came from Albania. In 2022, Spain recorded 2.3 million Islam believers. Portugal, on the other hand, has seen the Evangelical Christians become the largest minority religious group in the country.
Western and Northern Europe
In England and Wales, Christianity had approximately 27.52 million adherents as of 2021. Of Finland’s 5.6 million inhabitants, 3.74 million identified as Christian in 2022. When it comes to the Christianity denominations, in Sweden nearly 7.6 million people were members of Sweden's main church, the New Church. In the Netherlands, although diminishing, the Catholic Church members amounted to more than 3.66 million in 2021. The decline in Catholicism is also occurring in Germany. In 1950, 46 percent of this country’s residents identified as catholic, while, in 2022, this share was down to just under 25 percent.With the arrival of migrant workers, inhabitants of former colonies, and refugees, the number of Muslims in Europe has increased. In 2022, approximately 22,300 Muslims lived in Finland. In England and Wales, from 2011 to 2021, the Muslim population rose by over a million residents. Nevertheless, in the Netherlands, the population that professes Islam has remained at five percent since 2010.
Southern Europe
The geographical proximity between the Vatican and the capital city of Italy, Rome, contributes to Catholicism being the most prominent faith in this southern European nation. In 2022, only 2.5 million out of approximately 59 million Italians did not belong to the Roman Catholic Church, the majority of them Protestants. In Spain, almost 33 million residents stated being Catholic, even though the share of people who identify as Catholic has been declining since 2013. In Portugal, over 80 percent of the population labelled themselves as Catholic in 2021. However, such share drops to 49 percent when only considering people between the ages of 18 and 34, as of 2023.By 2030, France is forecasted to have over six million Muslims residing in the country. In Italy, foreign nationals who identified as Muslims numbered roughly 1.6 million in 2020. Approximately 450,000 of these were of Moroccan nationality, and a further 205,000 came from Albania. In 2022, Spain recorded 2.3 million Islam believers. Portugal, on the other hand, has seen the Evangelical Christians become the largest minority religious group in the country.
