Religion in Slovakia

Religion in Slovakia (2011)[1]

  Protestantism (8.9%)
  Orthodox Church (0.9%)
  Other religions (0.5%)
  Atheist and non-religious (13.4%)
  Not specified (10.6%)
Wooden church in Nová Polianka
Greek-Catholic Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos in Košice

The majority (62%) of Slovaks belong to the Roman Catholic Church (i.e. Latin Rite); with the addition of a further 4% of Greek Catholics, all Catholics account for 66%. Members of other churches, including those non-registered, account for 1.1% of the population. The Eastern Orthodox Christians are mostly found in Ruthenian (Ukrainian) areas.[2] The Roman Catholic Church divides the country into 8 dioceses including 3 archdioceses. Generally about one third of church members regularly attend church services.[3] The religious situation is dramatically different from that in the neighbouring Czech Republic, which is notable for its atheist or irreligious majority.

Other religions practiced in Slovakia include Islam and Judaism. There were an estimated 0.2% Muslims in Slovakia in 2010.[4] While the country had an estimated pre-World War II Jewish population of 90,000, only about 2,300 Jews remain today.[5]

Denomination Members %
Roman Catholic Church in Slovakia 3,347,277 62.0%
Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovakia 372,858 5.9%
Slovak Greek Catholic Church 206,871 3.8%
Reformed Christian Church 98,797 1.8%
Czech and Slovak Orthodox Church 49,133 0.9%
Jehovah's Witnesses 17,222 0.3%
Evangelical Methodist Church 10,328 0.2%
Not specified 571,437 10,.6%
No religion 725,362 13.4%
Source: Slovakia census 2011 [6]

Additionally, there are smaller numbers of adherents of various other Christian denominations: Baptists, The Brethren Church, Seventh-day Adventists, Apostolic Church, Evangelical Methodist, Old Catholic Church, Christian Corps in Slovakia, and the Czechoslovak Hussite Church.[7][8] The largest pagan group in Slovakia is Krug Peruna. Moreover, it has members not only in Bratislava (its headquarters) but also in other cities such as Martin and Košice.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Table 14 Population by religion" (PDF). Statistical Office of the SR. 2011. Retrieved Jun 8, 2012.
  2. ↑ Slovakia. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
  3. ↑ Manchin, Robert (2004). "Religion in Europe: Trust Not Filling the Pews". Gallup. Retrieved Dec 4, 2009.
  4. ↑ Pew Research Center (December 18, 2012). Religious Composition by Country 2010
  5. ↑ Vogelsang, Peter; Brian B. M. Larsen (2002). "Deportations". The Danish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
  6. ↑ "Table 14 Population by religion" (PDF). Statistical Office of the SR. 2011. Retrieved Jun 8, 2012.
  7. ↑ Results of the 2001 Slovak Census, from the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic.
  8. ↑ Slovak Republic. International Religious Freedom Report 2005. USDOS.