Christianity is the largest religion in Germany. It was introduced to the area of modern Germany by 300 AD, while parts of that area belonged to the Roman Empire, and later, when Franks and other Germanic tribes converted to Christianity from the fifth century onwards. The area became fully Christianized by the time of Charlemagne in the eighth and ninth century. After the Reformation started by Martin Luther in the early 16th century, many people left the Catholic Church and became Protestant, mainly Lutheran and Calvinist. In the 17th and 18th centuries, German cities also became hubs of heretical and sometimes anti-religious freethinking, challenging the influence of religion and contributing to the spread of secular thinking about morality across Germany and Europe.[3]
In 2022, around 50.7% of the population were Christians among them 47.4% members of the two large Christian churches.[1][2] About half of Christians in Germany are Catholics, mostly Roman Catholics; Catholicism is stronger in the southern and the western part of the country. About half belongs to the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD) predominant in the northern regions, and the rest to several small Christian denominations such as the Union of Evangelical Free Churches in Germany, the Eastern Orthodox Church or the Jehovah's Witnesses.[4][5] Estimations for the percentage of Muslims vary between 3.6%[5] and 6.7%,[6][7] while much smaller religions include Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism and Yazidism.[5] The rest of the population is not affiliated with any church, and many are atheist, agnostic, or otherwise irreligious.[4] 60% of German residents say that they believe there is a God, 9% say that they believe there is a higher power or spiritual force and 27% say that they do not believe there is a God, higher power or spiritual force.[8] In another survey, 44% said that they believe there is a God, 25% said that they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force and 27% said that they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God or life force.[9] 35% of residents identify with their religion or belief.[10] A 2023 IPSOS religion survey found that 24% of Germans identified as Protestant/Evangelical while 20% identified as Catholic.[11]
Nearly half of Germans have no religion. Demographics of religion in Germany vary greatly by region and age, with sharp divides that reflect both the country's history as an Enlightenment hub and its later experiences with post-war communism. Non-religious people typically represent the majority in Germany's major cities, including Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Munich and Cologne and the absolute majority of 70–80% in the eastern states of what between 1949 and 1990 used to be East Germany.[12] By contrast, rural areas of the western states of what in the same period used to be West Germany are more religious, and some rural areas are highly religious.[13]
^ ab"Religionszugehörigkeiten 2022".
^ ab"Kirchenmitglieder: 47,45 Prozent".
^Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ab"Zensusdatenbank – Ergebnisse des Zensus 2011 –Personen nach Religion (ausführlich) für Deutschland". Statistische Ämter des Bundes und der Länder. 9 May 2011. Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
^ abc"Religionszugehörigkeiten 2021".
^"BAMF-Forschungszentrum: Neue Studie Muslimisches Leben in Deutschland 2020 zeigt mehr Vielfalt" (in German). Retrieved 28 April 2021.
^"Muslimisches Leben in Deutschland 2020" (in German). Retrieved 28 April 2021.
^"Eastern and Western Europeans Differ on Importance of Religion, Views of Minorities, and Key Social Issues", Pew Research Center, October 29, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
^"Eurobarometer". europa.eu. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
^"Eurobarometer". europa.eu. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
^Global Religion 2023 - Religious Beliefs Across the World, Ipsos, Paris.
^Goddyn, Sophie L. (29 April 2014). The Most Godless Region of the World: Atheism in East Germany. Young Historians Conference. Portland State University. Archived from the original on 30 September 2016.
^"Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism" (PDF). Gallup. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 August 2017.
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