Religion in the Netherlands was dominated byChristianity between the 10th and 20th centuries. In the late 19th century, roughly 60% of the population wasCalvinist and 35% wasCatholic. Also, untilThe Holocaust, there was a noticeableJewish minority. SinceWorld War II, there has been a significant decline in Catholic and especially Protestant Christianity, withProtestantism declining to such a degree that Catholicism became the foremost form of the Christian religion. The majority of theDutch population issecular; however, historic societalpillarisation (verzuiling) based on religious lines continue to influence parts of Dutch society.[2][3] Relatively sizableMuslim andHindu minorities also exist.
In 2015,Statistics Netherlands, the government institute that gathers statistical information about the Netherlands, found that 50.1% of the adult (18+) population declared no religious affiliation. Christians comprised 43.8% of the total population; bydenomination, Catholicism was 23.7%, the members of the Protestant Church of the Netherlands were 15.5%, and members of other Christian denominations were 4.6%.Islam comprised 4.9% of the total population,Hinduism 0.6%,Buddhism 0.4%, andJudaism 0.1%.[4] There are large geographic disparities between the concentration of Protestants and Catholics, mostly divided by theGrote Rivieren,[5][6][7] while a high concentration of Calvinists live in a long strip of land known as theBible Belt.[8]
TheConstitution of the Netherlands guarantees freedom of education, which means that all schools that adhere to general quality criteria receive the same government funding. This includes schools based on religious principles by religious groups. Three out of nineteen political parties in theStates General (CDA,CU andSGP) are based upon Christian belief. Several Christian religious holidays are national holidays (Christmas,Easter,Pentecost, and theAscension of Jesus).[9]Atheism,agnosticism, andChristian atheism are on the rise and are widely accepted and considered to be non-controversial. Even among those who formally adhere to Christianity, there are high percentages of atheists, agnostics, andIetsists, since affiliation with a Christian denomination is also used in a way ofcultural identification in various parts of the Netherlands.[10] Many Dutch people believe religion should not have a significant role in politics and education. Religion is also primarily considered a personal matter which should not be discussed in public.[11][12][page needed]
In 2015, 82% of the Netherlands' population said they never or almost never visited a church, and 59% stated that they had never been to a church of any kind. Of all the people questioned, 24% saw themselves as atheist, an increase of 11% compared to the previous study done in 2006.[13] Ietsism, or spirituality, is rising according to research done in 2015. In 2017 non-religious people were in the majority for the first time. Only 49% of people older than 15 years identified as religious, compared to 54% in 2012. The largest denomination was still Catholicism at 24%, while 5% identified with Islam.[14] The 2023-2024European Social Survey found that 13% identified as Protestant and 11% as Catholic.[15]
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The oldest data on the profession of religion by the inhabitants of the regions that are now the "Netherlands" are passed down by theRomans. Contrary to what ancient sources seem to suggest, the Rhine, which clearly formed the boundary of the Roman Empire, did not appear to form the boundary between residential areas ofCelts andGermans. There were Germans south of it (Germani Cisrhenani) and many place names and archaeological finds indicate the presence of Celts north of the Rhine.
Between these Celtic and Germanic peoples, and later the Roman conquerors (romanization), a cultural exchange took place. The tribes adapted one another's myths and polytheistic deities, resulting in a synthesis of Germanic, Celtic, and Roman mythology. Gods such asNehalennia, Hiudana andSandraudiga are ofindigenous (Celtic) origin, while gods such asWodan,Donar andFrigg/Freija (seeFreya) came fromGermanic origin. Others, such asJupiter,Minerva andVenus, were introduced by the Romans.Tacitus also described thecreation myth ofMannus, a primitive man from which all Germanic tribes would have emerged. The Celts and Germans in the Low Countries had tree shrines, following the example of the Old NorseYggdrasil, theSaxonIrminsul, andDonar's oak. Temples were probably only built during and after the romanization, and have been preserved in places such asEmpel andElst.
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From the 4th to the 6th century ADThe Great Migration took place, in which the small Celtic-Germanic-Roman tribes in the Low Countries were gradually supplanted by three major Germanic tribes: theFranks, theFrisians andSaxons. Around 500 of the Franks, initially residing between the Rhine and theSomme, converted to Christianity following the conversion of their kingChlodovech. A large part of the area south of the Maas (Meuse) belonged from the early Middle Ages to 1559 toArchdeaconKempenland, which was part of the Diocese of Tongeren-Maastricht-Luik (Liege). From the center of the diocese, successively the cities ofTongeren,Maastricht andLuik, this part of the Netherlands was probably Christianized.
According to tradition, the firstBishop of Maastricht,Servatius was buried in this city in 384, though only from Bishop Domitianus (ca. 535) is it established that he resided in Maastricht. However, it would take at least until 1000 AD before all pagan people were actually Christianized and the Frisian and Saxon religions became extinct, and elements of the extinguished pagan religions were incorporated into theChristian religion even after conversion. In the following centuries, Catholicism was the only mainstream religion in the Netherlands. In the 14th and 15th century, the first calls were heard for religious reform.
The rebellious Netherlands that had united in theUnion of Utrecht (1579) declared their independence fromSpain in 1581, during theEighty Years' War; Spain finally accepted this in 1648. The Dutch revolt was partially religiously motivated, as during theReformation many of the Dutch had adoptedLutheran,Anabaptist,Calvinist orMennonite forms ofProtestantism. These religious movements were suppressed by the Spanish, who supported theCounter Reformation. After independence, the Netherlands adoptedCalvinism as an informalstate religion, but practiced a degree of religious tolerance towards non-Calvinists. It cultivated a reputation as a safe refuge forJewish and Protestant refugees fromFlanders,France (Huguenots),Germany andEngland.
There have always been considerable differences between orthodox and liberal interpretations of Calvinism, such as those betweenArminianism andGomarism in the 17th century and those between theDutch Reformed Church (Nederlands Hervormde Kerk) and theReformed Churches in the Netherlands (Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland) in the late 19th century, which even led to a denominational difference betweenhervormd andgereformeerd, though linguistically both mean "reformed".Catholics, who dominated the southern provinces, were not allowed to practice their religion openly. They were emancipated during the late 19th and early 20th century throughpillarization, by forming their own social communities. In 1947, 44.3% belonged to Protestant denominations, 38.7% belonged to the Catholic Church, and 17.1% were unaffiliated.[16] In 1940–45, 75-80% of Dutch Jews were murdered inThe Holocaust by the Nazis.[17]
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Since 1880 the major religions began to decline as secularism, socialism and liberalism grew; in the 1960s and 1970s Protestantism and Catholicism began to decline at a rapid rate. The major exception is Islam, which grew considerably largely as a result ofimmigration. In 2013, a Catholic becamequeen consort.
Secularization in the Netherlands started around 1880, and major religions began to decline after the Second World War. Religion lost its influence on Dutch politics between the 1960s and 1980s, resulting in liberal Dutch policy. The increasing trend towards secularism is countered by a religious revival in the ProtestantBible Belt, and the growth of Muslim and Hindu communities resulting from immigration and high birth rates. As a result of the declining religious adherence, the two major strands of Calvinism, theDutch Reformed Church and theReformed Churches in the Netherlands, together with a small Lutheran group began to cooperate, first as theSamen op weg Kerken ("Together on the road churches") and since 2004 as the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, a united Protestant church.[18][19]
During the same period,Islam increased from essentially nonexistent to 5% of the population. The main sources of Muslim immigrants includeSuriname andIndonesia fromdecolonization,Turkey andMorocco as migrant workers, andIraq,Iran,Bosnia andAfghanistan as refugees. In the early 21st century, religious tensions between native Dutch people and migrant Muslims was increasing. After the rise of politicianPim Fortuyn, who sought to defend the Dutch liberal culture against what he saw as a "backwards religion",[20] stricter immigration laws were enacted. Religious tensions increased after the murders ofPim Fortuyn in 2002 by environmental extremistVolkert van der Graaf, andTheo van Gogh in 2004[citation needed].
In December 2014, for the first time there were more atheists (25%) than theists (17%) in the Netherlands, with majorities of the population being agnostic (31%) orspiritual but not religious (27%).Secular humanism has a notable presence in the Netherlands, with research in 2003 indicating about 9.4% of the population expressing affinity with the movement.[21]
Slightly more than half (52.8%) of the respondents to a research study about humanism in 2003 were affiliated with no religious or philosophical movement at all. In contrast, 8% reported following more than one movement. This form of pluralism occurs in all religious and philosophical Dutch movements but is strongest among supporters of non-Western religions. 75% of Dutch Buddhists also affiliate with other religious or philosophical movements. Among followers ofHinduism in the Netherlands, this ratio is even higher, at 91%. On the other hand, followers of Western religions and humanism, as well as movements in the 'other' category were least likely to affiliate with more than one religious or philosophical movement.
Within Western movements, the people affiliating with humanism were most likely to also adhere to one or more other movements (47%). Most of these humanists adhere to Catholicism (27%), Protestantism (14%) or Buddhism (12%). Also 9% of Catholics, 6% of Protestants, and 50% of the Buddhists counting themselves as humanists, as well as 25% of Muslims, 55% of the Hindu, 19% of the Jews, and 15% of the supporters of a movement other than these listed.[22]
Cults,sects andnew religious movements have the same legal rights as larger and more mainstream religious movements.[23]: 214–215 The Dutch government chose not to make special laws regardingcults,sects ornew religious movements (generally all informally called "sekten" in Dutch). This decision was based on reports made after the 1978Jonestown mass murder and suicide. Nor is there any officially assigned institute that provides information to the public about these movements and organizations.[24]
Since November 2012, there has been an official complaint website about cults, sects, new religious movements, spiritual courses, philosophy courses, and therapy groups. The website was initiated by theMinistry of Security and Justice.[25]The website can also refer people to psychological counsellors.[26][27] The immediate reason for this website was an undercover documentary by the commercial TV stationSBS6 about theMiracle of Love movement.[25]
As of 2004, the Netherlands did not have ananti-cult movement of any significance.[23]: 213
While 67.8% of the Dutch population are not members of any religious community[citation needed], the remainder report affiliation with a multitude of religions. 24.5% of the Dutch population is affiliated with a Christian church. The largest group, 11.7% in 2015, is Roman Catholic. The rest are distributed over a multitude of Protestant churches, which made up 12.8% of the population in 2012. The largest of these is theProtestant Church in the Netherlands (8.6%), which in fact is an alliance of three churches, two Calvinist and one Lutheran. Smaller churches make up about 0.1% of the Dutch population. These churches have either been the result of conflicts within the Calvinist Church or have been imported, mainly from the United States. Other Christians (Eastern Orthodox and Restorationists) make up only a small percentage. The remaining 7.7% of the population are members of another religion, such as Islam (5.8%), Hinduism, Judaism, Baháʼí, Buddhism, orindigenous religions.
Different sources give very different percentages.[28] in 2006, fewer than 7% attend church or mosque regularly (at least once a month). Similar studies were done in 1966, 1979, and 1996, showing a steady decline of religious affiliation. That this trend is likely to continue is illustrated by the fact that in the age group under 35, 69% are non-affiliated. However, those whoare religious tend to be more profoundly religious than in the past. Religious belief is also regarded as a very personal affair, as is illustrated by the fact that 60% of self-described believers are not affiliated with any organized religion. There is stronger stress on the positive sides of belief, withHell and the concept of damnation being pushed into the background. 53% of the Dutch population believe in a form of life after death, of which a third believe in some kind of heaven (with or without a god), but with only 4% believing in Hell. Of the entire population, 10% believe in a reunion of family and loved ones, and 10% in the survival of the spirit, soul or consciousness. Of the people who answer positively to whether they believe there is life after death, 15% think of the afterlife as "living on in the memory of others". Furthermore, 6% believe in reincarnation generally, and 5% in reincarnation in human form exclusively.[29] One-quarter of non-believers sometimes pray, but more in a sense of meditative self-reflection.[28] Atheism, agnosticism, andChristian atheism are also on the rise, and are becoming broadly accepted.[10] The expected rise of spirituality (ietsism) has come to a halt according to research in 2015. In 2006 40% of respondents considered themselves spiritual, while by 2015 this had dropped to 31%. The number who believed in the existence of a higher power (theists and certain ietsists) fell from 36% to 28% over the same period.[11]
Research done in 2015 by Ton Bernts and Joantine Berghuijs concluded that 67.8% of the Dutch population consider themselves to be irreligious.[13][30]In 2006, 51% of the Dutch population were still affiliated church members. In 2015 only 25% of the population adheres to one of the Christian churches, 4% is Muslim and 2% adheres to Hinduism Budism, based on in-depth interviews.[11] In 2015, the vast majority of the inhabitants of the Netherlands (82%) claim they never or almost never visit a church, and 59% stated they have never been to a church of any kind. Of all the people questioned, 25% see themselves as atheists, an increase of 11% compared to the previous study done in 2006.[31]
Almost all Christian groups show a decrease in the number of members or less stable membership. However, in particular, the loss of members of the two major churches is noticeable, namely the Roman Catholic Church in the Netherlands, with a membership loss of approximately 589,500 members between 2003 (4,532,000 people, or 27.9% of the population) and 2013 (3,943,000 people, or 23.3%),[32] and the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, with a membership loss of 737,174 members between 2003 (1,823,085 people, or 11.2% of the population, for theDutch Reformed Church; 623,100 people or 3.8% for the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands; and 11,989 people or 0.07% for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands; total for these churches of 2,458,174 people, or 15.15% of the population) and 2012 (Protestant Church in the Netherlands, 1,721,000 people or 10.2% of the population). Smaller churches (Mennonite Church in the Netherlands,Remonstrants, and theOld Catholic Church) had a total number of 22,489 members (0.13% of the population) in 2003, which dropped to 17,852 members (0.10% of the population) in 2012.[33] In total, the number of members of Christian groups in the Netherlands decreased from 7,013,163 (43.22% of the population) in 2003 to 5,730,852 (34.15% of the population) in 2013. This accounts for a total member loss of 1,282,311 (9.7% overall population) of all churches in the Netherlands within these 10 years.[34] These numbers are based on information by KASKI (Katholiek Sociaal-Kerkelijk Insituut / Catholic Social-Ecclesiastical Institute[34]), which in turn bases its numbers on information provided by the churches themselves. Independent research in 2015 by the VU University Amsterdam and Radboud University shows significantly lower numbers concerning the percentage of the Dutch population that adheres to almost all the churches named here.
Currently,Catholicism is the single largest Christian denomination of the Netherlands,[35] forming some 18.3% of the Dutch people in 2021,[36] down from 40% in the 1960s. According to the church itself, 20.8% of the Dutch population were formal members in 2021.[37][38]
After 1970, the emphasis on Catholic concepts such ashell, theDevil,sin, divorce and remarriage,confession, the teaching of thecatechism and receiving theeucharist rapidly disappeared, and these concepts are nowadays seldom or not at all found within contemporary Dutch Catholicism.[citation needed] In the 1980s and 1990s, the church became polarized between conservatives, whose main organization was the Contact Roman Catholics (Dutch: "Contact Rooms-Katholieken"), and liberals, whose main organization was theEighth of May Movement (Dutch: "Acht Mei-beweging"), which was founded in 1985. The latter organization had a difficult relationship with Church bishops and was disbanded in 2003. As of 2014, CardinalWillem Jacobus Eijk, theArchbishop of Utrecht, is the highest Catholic authority.
In December 2011, a report was published byWim Deetman, a former Dutch minister, detailing widespreadchild abuse within the Catholic Church in the Netherlands. 1,800 incidents of abuse "by clergy or volunteers within Dutch Catholic dioceses" were reported to have occurred since 1945.[39] According to the report, "The risk of experiencing unwanted sexual advances was twice as great for minors in institutions as the national average of 9.7%. This finding reveals no significant difference between Roman Catholic institutions and other institutions."[40] In March 2012, however, it was revealed that cases of 10 children being chemicallycastrated after reporting being sexually abused to the police had come to light.[39] It also emerged that in 1956 former prime ministerVictor Marijnen, then chairman of a children's home inGelderland, had covered up thesexual abuse of children. According to theDe Telegraaf newspaper, he "intervened to have prison sentences dropped against several priests convicted of abusing children."[39] The Commission rejected all the claims.[41]
The number of Catholics is not only declining, but many people who identify themselves as Catholics also do not regularly attend Sunday Mass. 153,800 people attended Mass in a regular weekend in 2018 according to information by the Catholic Institute for Ecclesiastical Statistics (KASKI).[42] Most Catholics live in the southern provinces ofNorth Brabant andLimburg, where they comprise a majority of the population in the diocese of Roermond in the province of Limburg, based on self-reported information by the Catholic Church.
According to the church administration in 2010, the population of two dioceses,'s-Hertogenbosch andRoermond, were still majority Roman Catholic. However, based on the conflicting SILA numbers, the diocese of 's-Hertogenbosch had already lost its Catholic majority. The church administration only announced 's-Hertogenbosch losing a Catholic majority in 2014.
The number of parishes in the Netherlands has dropped between 2003 and 2021 from 1525 to 641. The number of churches used for Catholic liturgy dropped in the same period from 1,782 to 1,303.[43]
A planned visit byPope Francis to the Netherlands was blocked bycardinalWim Eijk in 2014, allegedly because of the feared lack of interest in thePope among the Dutch public.[44] The vast majority of the Catholic population in the Netherlands is now largely irreligious in practice. Research among self-identified Catholics in the Netherlands, published in 2007, shows that only 27% of the Dutch Catholics can be regarded as atheist, 55% as anietsist,deist oragnostic and 17% as atheist.[45] In 2015 only 13% of self-identified Dutch Catholics believe in the existence of heaven, 17% in a personal God and fewer than half believe that Jesus was the Son of God or sent by God.[11]
Notable Dutch Catholics includePope Adrian VI,Erasmus of Rotterdam,Ruud Lubbers,Henry of Gorkum,Cornelius Loos,Jakob Middendorp,Hadewijch,Hieronymus Bosch,Piet de Jong,Jan Harmenszoon Krul,Dries van Agt,Jan Steen,Casimir Ubaghs,Maxime Verhagen, andJoan Albert Ban.
TheProtestant Church of the Netherlands (PKN) forms by far the largestProtestant denomination, with some 15.5% of the population in 2015,[4] down from 60% in the early 20th century. According to the church itself, formal membership was 9.1% of the Dutch population in 2017.[46]
The PKN was formed in 2004 as a merger of the two major strands ofCalvinism: theDutch Reformed Church (which then represented roughly 8.5% of the population) and theReformed Churches in the Netherlands (then 3.7% of the population), plus a smallerLutheran Church, theEvangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands (0.1%). Since the 1970s, these three churches had seen a major decline in adherents and had begun to work together. The PKN itself claims that 9.1% of the Dutch population is a member in 2016. About 4% of newborns were baptized within the PKN in 2014.[33] The Church embraces religious pluralism. Research shows that 42% of the members of the PKN arenon-theist.[45] Furthermore, in theProtestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN) and several other smaller denominations of the Netherlands, 1 in 6 members of the clergy report being either agnostic or atheist.[47][48][49]The percentage of the Dutch population who are members decreases by about 2.5% per year. This is caused primarily by the conflux of older members dying off and little growth amongst the younger population.[50]
A large number of Protestant churches, mostly orthodoxCalvinist splits and liberal churches, stayed out of the PKN. They represented some 4% of the population in 2004. Calvinism is the traditional faith of theDutch royal family – a remnant of the church's historical dominance.
TheBible Belt (De Bijbelgordel inDutch) is the name given to a strip of land in theNetherlands, after theBible Belt of theUnited States. The belt is inhabited by a large number of conservative Protestants. The Bible Belt stretches fromZeeland, through the West-Betuwe andVeluwe, to the northern parts of the provinceOverijssel. However, some communities with strong conservative Protestant leanings are situated outside the belt. For example,Urk, considered by many as one of the most traditional communities in the country, and some municipalities ofFriesland have characteristics typical of the Bible Belt. Other places in this area areYerseke,Tholen,Ouddorp,Opheusden,Kesteren,Barneveld,Nunspeet,Elspeet andStaphorst. The three biggest cities regarded to be part of the Bible Belt areEde,Veenendaal andKampen.
A 2015 study estimates some 4,500 Christian believers from a Muslim background in the country, most of them belonging to some form of Protestantism.[51]
Chart of splits and mergers of the Dutch Reformed churches
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Islam is a relatively new religion in the Netherlands. In 2015, 4.9% of the Dutch population wereMuslims.[4]
The majority of Muslims in theNetherlands belong to theSunni denomination, with a sizeableShia minority. Muslim numbers began to rise after the 1960s as the result ofimmigration. Some migrants from formerDutch colonies, such asSuriname andIndonesia, are Muslim. Migrant workers fromTurkey andMorocco and their children make up the most substantial part of the Muslim population of the Netherlands.
During the 1990s, the Netherlands received Muslim refugees from countries likeBosnia and Herzegovina,Somalia,Iraq,Iran andAfghanistan. Of the immigrant ethnic groups, 100% ofBosniaks; 99% ofMoroccans; 90% ofTurks; 69% ofAsians; 64% of otherAfricans, and 12% ofSurinamese were Muslims.[52] Muslims form a diverse group. Social tensions between native Dutch and migrant Muslims began to rise in the early 21st century. PoliticianPim Fortuyn being murdered by militant animal rights activistVolkert van der Graaf in 2002 made his anti-Islamic opinions dominant. This was reinforced in 2004 by the murder ofTheo van Gogh by extremist MuslimMohammed Bouyeri, part of theHofstad Network. After 2009, theParty for Freedom, with considerable electoral success, demanded a ban of theQuran, closure of all mosques and a forced remigration of those Muslims who had not assimilated into the Dutch culture.
There has been criticism of governments of Muslim-majority countries financing mosques as this allegedly would slow integration in the Dutch society.[53][54]
Religious Jews represent 0.1% of the Dutch population in 2015.[4] Because of its social tolerance, theDutch Republic formed a haven for Jews that were persecuted because of their beliefs throughout Europe. Prominent Dutch Jews includeBaruch Spinoza, a 17th-centuryphilosopher,Aletta Jacobs, a 19th-centuryfeminist, andHenri Polak, who founded both the socialist partySDAP and the labor unionNVV. The majority of Jews lived inAmsterdam, where they formed an eighth (90,000) of the population. During theSecond World War, about 75% of Dutch Jews were deported and murdered inThe Holocaust.[55]
TheJewish Communities in the Netherlands, theDutch Union for Progressive Judaism, and thePortuguese Israelite Religious Community are three organizations of Jews in the country.
Hinduism is a minority religion in theNetherlands, representing 0.6% of the Dutch population in 2015.[4] Most of these are relatively recent first or second-generationIndo-Surinamese immigrants, South Asians who had been resident in the former Dutch colony ofSuriname and traveled to the Netherlands in the 1970s and 1980s. There are also sizable populations of Hindu immigrants fromIndia andSri Lanka, as well as a smaller number of Western adherents ofHinduism-oriented new religious movements.
Buddhists represent 0.4% of the Dutch population in 2015.[4]
The first mentions of theBaháʼí Faith in the Netherlands were in 1852, when newspapers covered some of the events relating to theBábí movement, which the Baháʼí Faith regards as a precursor religion.[56] Circa 1904Algemeen Handelsblad, anAmsterdam newspaper, sent a correspondent to investigate the Baháʼís inPersia.[57] The first Baháʼís to settle in theNetherlands were a couple of families — the Tijssens and Greevens, both of whom leftGermany for the Netherlands in 1937, as their business practices were affected byNazi policies.[58] FollowingWorld War II, the Baháʼís established a committee to oversee introducing the religion acrossEurope. The growth of the Baháʼí community in the Netherlands began as a result, withBaháʼí pioneers arriving in 1946.[58] Following their arrival and the conversions of some citizens, the first BaháʼíLocal Spiritual Assembly ofAmsterdam was elected in 1948.[59] In 1957, with 110 Baháʼís and nine spiritual assemblies, the Baháʼí community in the Netherlands first elected its ownNational Spiritual Assembly.[58] In 2010 there were about 6,700 Baháʼís in the Netherlands.[60] In 2005 the Netherlands had 34 local spiritual assemblies.[59]
| Year | Most[a] Protestants | Roman Catholics | Jews | Muslims | Other Christians /religions | No religion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 59.1% | 40.8% | 1.8% | - | 0.1% | - |
| 1840 | 59.6% | 40.3% | 1.8% | - | 0.1% | - |
| 1849 | 59.7% | 38.4% | 1.9% | - | 0.1% | - |
| 1859 | 60.6% | 37.4% | 1.9% | - | 0.1% | - |
| 1869 | 61.3% | 36.6% | 1.9% | - | 0.1% | - |
| 1879 | 61.6% | 36.1% | 2.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 1889 | 60.5% | 35.6% | 2.2% | 0.0% | 0.4% | 1.5% |
| 1899 | 60.0% | 35.3% | 2.0% | - | 0.4% | 2.3% |
| 1909 | 57.3% | 35.2% | 1.8% | 0.0% | 0.7% | 5.0% |
| 1920 | 53.8% | 35.8% | 1.7% | - | 1.0% | 7.8% |
| 1930 | 46.3% | 36.5% | 1.4% | - | 1.4% | 14.4% |
| 1947 | 42.3% | 38.6% | 0.1% | - | 1.9% | 17.1% |
| 1960 | 40.7% | 40.5% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 18.3% |
| 1971 | 35.9% | 40.5% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 23.6% |
| 1975 | 33% | 38% | - | - | 3% | 26% |
| 1977 | 31% | 38% | - | - | 3% | 26% |
| 1980 | 30% | 38% | - | - | 5% | 26% |
| 1983 | 29% | 36% | - | - | 6% | 30% |
| 1985 | 28% | 37% | - | - | 5% | 31% |
| 1990 | 26% | 33% | - | - | 6% | 38% |
| 1995 | 21% | 33% | - | - | 8% | 40% |
| 2000 | 21% | 32% | - | - | 8% | 40% |
| 2005 | 21% | 30% | - | - | 9% | 41% |
| 2010 | 17.9% | 27.3% | 0.1% | 4.5% | 5.1% | 45.3% |
| 2011 | 16.8% | 26.5% | 0.1% | 4.7% | 5.1% | 46.8% |
| 2012 | 16.7% | 25.8% | 0.1% | 4.8% | 5.2% | 47.4% |
| 2013 | 16.1% | 26.3% | 0.1% | 4.8% | 5.9% | 46.9% |
| 2014 | 15.8% | 24.4% | 0.1% | 4.9% | 5.6% | 49.2% |
| 2015 | 15.5% | 23.7% | 0.1% | 4.9% | 5.6% | 50.1% |
| 2016 | 15.6% | 24.1% | - | 5.1% | 5.5% | 49.7% |
| 2017 | 15.0% | 23.6% | - | 5.1% | 5.6% | 50.7% |
| 2018 | 16.0% | 22.1% | - | 4.9% | 5.3% | 51.8% |
| 2019 | 14.8% | 20.1% | - | 5.0% | 5.9% | 54.1% |
| 2020 | 14.4% | 19.8% | - | 5.1% | 5.2% | 55.4% |
| 2021 | 13.6% | 18.3% | - | 4.6% | 6.1% | 57.5% |
| 2022 | 13.2% | 18.2% | - | 5.6% | 5.9% | 57.2% |
| 2023 | 13% | 17% | - | 6% | 6% | 58% |
| 2024 | 14% | 17% | - | 6% | 7% | 56% |
Sources:
| Beliefs in the Netherland (2019), survey byStatistics Netherlands (CBS)[69] | % | |
|---|---|---|
| Atheism: "I don't believe in God." | 33.2 | |
| Theism: | 31.7 | |
| - "I believe in God." | 24.6 | |
| - "I believe in God, although I have my doubts." | 7.1 | |
| Agnosticism: "I don't know if there is a God and I don't believe there is any way to find out." | 14.8 | |
| Ietsism: "I don't believe in a personal God, but I do believe in some higher power." | 14.0 | |
| Undecided: "Sometimes I believe in God, sometimes I don't." | 6.3 | |
Religion and religiosity in the Netherlands greatly differ between different communities in the country and even at regional levels within theprovinces.Urk is the most religious municipality, with 97.7% of its population religious (gelovig) whereasMenterwolde is the least religious at only 15.8%.[70][71] The table below details religiosity by every statistical region:
| Province | Region | Religious (overall) | Catholic | Protestant | Islam | Other | Regular visit to places of worship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | Netherlands (average) | 49.3% | 23.2% | 15.6% | 4.9% | 5.7% | 15.3% |
 Groningen | East Groningen | 31.4% | 5.8% | 19.0% | 1.3% | 5.2% | 12.3% |
| GreaterDelfzijl | 40.5% | 3.3% | 26.7% | 3.1% | 7.4% | 17.4% | |
| Rest of Groningen | 35.6% | 5.6% | 21.4% | 2.9% | 5.7% | 15.4% | |
 Friesland | North Friesland | 43.4% | 5.6% | 30.3% | 0.7% | 6.8% | 17.9% |
| South West Friesland | 47.1% | 10.3% | 29.8% | 1.2% | 5.9% | 17.9% | |
| South East Friesland | 37.5% | 4.9% | 26.0% | 1.8% | 4.9% | 17.7% | |
 Drenthe | North Drenthe | 32.3% | 4.1% | 22.5% | 0.9% | 4.9% | 14.1% |
| South East Drenthe | 39.3% | 13.1% | 20.7% | 1.1% | 4.4% | 11.1% | |
| South West Drenthe | 42.4% | 4.5% | 31.9% | 1.2% | 4.8% | 16.8% | |
 Overijssel | North Overijssel | 58.7% | 9.1% | 40.7% | 1.9% | 6.9% | 31.3% |
| South West Overijssel | 47.3% | 24.1% | 13.8% | 5.5% | 3.9% | 13.2% | |
| Twente | 55.6% | 26.3% | 19.9% | 3.5% | 5.8% | 17.3% | |
 Gelderland | Veluwe | 57.2% | 9.3% | 37.3% | 3.3% | 7.3% | 29.5% |
| Achterhoek | 52.2% | 27.4% | 18.8% | 2.4% | 3.5% | 12.2% | |
| Arnhem/Nijmegen | 47.6% | 31.3% | 8.4% | 3.6% | 4.3% | 9.7% | |
| South West Gelderland | 54.0% | 18.1% | 27.5% | 4.4% | 4.0% | 18.8% | |
-Flag.svg) Utrecht | Utrecht | 45.3% | 15.0% | 19.2% | 5.5% | 5.6% | 17.8% |
 Flevoland | Flevoland | 46.3% | 11.7% | 19.4% | 6.1% | 9.2% | 19.8% |
 North Holland | Kop van North Holland | 37.8% | 23.6% | 8.4% | 1.3% | 4.4% | 8.9% |
| Alkmaar agglomeration | 34.9% | 17.9% | 8.3% | 3.2% | 5.4% | 10.1% | |
| IJmond | 37.4% | 23.3% | 7.0% | 3.1% | 4.0% | 9.7% | |
| Haarlem agglomeration | 31.9% | 13.8% | 8.1% | 5.1% | 4.9% | 7.6% | |
| Zaanstreek | 32.6% | 13.0% | 5.8% | 7.5% | 6.3% | 10.0% | |
| GreaterAmsterdam | 37.7% | 13.4% | 7.3% | 8.5% | 8.4% | 11.1% | |
| Het Gooi & Vechtstreek | 36.7% | 11.6% | 16.0% | 3.5% | 5.6% | 12.2% | |
 South Holland | Leiden &Bollenstreek | 47.7% | 21.6% | 18.3% | 2.9% | 4.9% | 14.7% |
| GreaterThe Hague | 47.4% | 15.9% | 10.9% | 9.4% | 11.2% | 14.8% | |
| Delft &Westland | 46.7% | 21.7% | 18.6% | 2.3% | 4.1% | 14.0% | |
| East South Holland | 52.0% | 16.4% | 24.3% | 6.1% | 5.2% | 23.5% | |
| GreaterRijnmond | 46.6% | 11.7% | 17.6% | 9.1% | 8.3% | 17.1% | |
| South East South Holland | 50.7% | 6.4% | 30.7% | 7.5% | 6.1% | 27.4% | |
 Zeeland | Zeelandic Flanders | 58.5% | 37.6% | 14.7% | 1.5% | 4.8% | 14.8% |
| Rest of Zeeland | 51.6% | 9.8% | 34.4% | 1.8% | 5.6% | 24.7% | |
 North Brabant | West North Brabant | 57.5% | 43.4% | 5.4% | 5.8% | 2.9% | 9.5% |
| Mid North Brabant | 60.4% | 42.9% | 10.0% | 4.4% | 3.2% | 13.8% | |
| North East North Brabant | 61.0% | 50.0% | 3.8% | 4.5% | 2.7% | 10.4% | |
| South East North Brabant | 60.3% | 49.2% | 3.0% | 4.2% | 3.8% | 9.5% | |
.svg) Limburg | North Limburg | 69.4% | 61.4% | 1.7% | 4.4% | 1.9% | 11.2% |
| Mid Limburg | 70.3% | 62.8% | 1.6% | 3.7% | 2.2% | 11.4% | |
| South Limburg | 69.7% | 61.5% | 2.8% | 2.6% | 2.7% | 12.6% |
The following articles of theConstitution of the Netherlands are most important to the regulation of religion.
The exact necessity, scope and consequences of the constitutionally definedfreedom of religion are subject to discussion. Critics argue it is superfluous to recognise 'freedom of religion' (primarily described in Article 6) as a separate fundamental right, because thefreedom of conscience,thought, andexpression (Article 7), thefreedom of association (Article 8), and thefreedom of assembly and demonstration (Article 9) are supposedly sufficient to guarantee all fundamental rights of religious people. Moreover, freedom of religion could be, or is allegedly being, used or abused to violate the rights of others, for examplechildren's rights in the case ofcircumcision (potentially in contravention to the right tobodily integrity as recognised in Article 11) and religious 'indoctrination' of schoolchildren viareligious education (further elaborated in Article 23 on thefreedom of education, potentially in contravention to the freedom of conscience/thought/expression of children as recognised in Article 7), oranimal rights byunstunned ritual slaughter (stunning is required for all slaughterhouses, except Jewish and Islamic ones, according to the 2018 Unstunned Slaughter According to Religious Rituals Covenant, potentially in contravention to the right to equal treatment as recognised in Article 1).[73] Furthermore, it is argued that there is no need for an explicit, separate mention of 'religious belief' in Article 1 of the Constitution, considering that religious opinions should not receive special protection above other opinions of a non-religious kind.[74][75][76]
In general, religious organisations (calledkerkgenootschappen, literally 'church associations') and places of worship (calledgebedshuizen, literally 'houses of prayer', orkerkgebouwen, literally 'church buildings') do not hold a special position in theDutch tax system.[90]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)Article 1 of the Dutch Constitution says: 'All persons in the Netherlands shall be treated equally in equal circumstances.' It is therefore unconstitutional to allow certain groups of the population to slaughter without stunning, deviating from Dutch legislation which mandates stunned slaughter. It violates the principle of equality before the law that whoever slaughters an animal without stunning it can be punished, with the exception of Islamic or Israelite slaughterers.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)