Christianity is the predominantreligion in the Republic of the Congo, withCatholicism being its largest denomination.
TheRepublic of the Congo is asecular state and freedom of religion is enshrined in the nation's constitution.
Different sources give varying population figures for various denominations. The 2012 census reported 55% of the native-born population is Catholic, 32% Protestant, and 2% Muslim.[2] However a government survey of the same year had 32% as Catholic, 55% Protestant, 2% Muslim, 9% other religions, and 2% atheist or unaffiliated.[2] However, many people in the country are non-native-born Muslims who are not included in government statistics.[2] According to theCIAWorld Factbook, in 2007 the people of the Republic of Congo were largely a mix ofCatholics (33.1%), Awakening/Revival churches (22.3%),Protestants (19.9%), and none (11.3%). Smaller groups include Salutiste 2.2% andKimbanguiste (1.5%). Followers ofIslam made up 1.6%, primarily due to an influx of foreign workers into the urban centers.[3]
Most Muslim workers in urban centers are immigrants from West Africa andLebanon, with some also from North Africa. The West African immigrants arrived mostly fromMali,Benin,Togo,Mauritania, andSenegal. The Lebanese are primarilySunni Muslims.
A small minority practiceKimbanguism, asyncretistic movement that originated in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo. While retaining many elements of Christianity, Kimbanguism also recognizes its founder (Simon Kimbangu) as a prophet and incorporates African traditional beliefs, such as ancestor worship.
A community ofTenrikyo followers exists in Brazzaville.
During the 1960s,Tenrikyo, a Japanese religion, was introduced to the Republic of the Congo. Alphonse Nsonga and his brother became the first Congolese, and African, Tenrikyo converts in 1962. Alphonse Nsonga later became the head minister of Africa's first Tenrikyo church, the Tenrikyo Congo Brazzaville Church, on April 26, 1975.[4][5]
In 2023, the country scored 3 out of 4 for religious freedom.[6] Though religions mostly act with freedom in the country at present, the government's attempt to implement socialist reforms in the 1970s led to the nationalisation of many religious institutions, such as schools, as well as restrictions on religious activities. This is a reality from which the Catholic Church, for example, has not yet fully recovered, operating a lower proportion of schools (10%) than in neighbouring countries.[7]
