Christianity is the largestreligion inDenmark. As of 2024, 71.2% of thepopulation of Denmark wereregistered members of theChurch of Denmark (Den Danske Folkekirke),[1] theofficially establishedchurch, which isProtestant in classification andLutheran in orientation.[2][notes 1]
According to aEurobarometer poll conducted in 2010,[3] 28% ofDanish citizens responded that "they believe there is a God", 47% responded that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 24% responded that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God or life force". Another poll, carried out in 2008, found that 25% of Danes believeJesus is theson of God, and 18% believe he is a messenger of the God andsaviour of the world but not son of God.[4] AGallup report in 2009 found that only 19% of Danes considerreligion to be animportant part of their life.[5]
Just under 20% of the Danish population identifies asatheist as of 2013.[6]
| Year | Population | Members | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 5,113,500 | 4,684,060 | 91.6% |
| 1990 | 5,135,409 | 4,584,450 | 89.3% |
| 2000 | 5,330,500 | 4,536,422 | 85.1% |
| 2005 | 5,413,600 | 4,498,703 | 83.3% |
| 2010 | 5,534,738 | 4,479,214 | 80.9% |
| 2015 | 5,659,715 | 4,400,754 | 77.8% |
| 2016 | 5,707,251 | 4,387,571 | 76.9% |
| 2017 | 5,748,769 | 4,361,518 | 75.9% |
| 2018 | 5,781,190 | 4,352,507 | 75.3% |
| 2019 | 5,806,081 | 4,339,511 | 74.7% |
| 2020 | 5,822,763 | 4,327,018 | 74.3% |
| 2024 | 5,967,824 | 4,246,873 | 71.2% |
Christianity is the predominant religion of Denmark, with three quarters of the Danish population estimated as adherents of the"Folkekirken" ("People's Church"), Denmark's national Lutheran church.[9] Aside from Lutheranism, there is a smallCatholic minority, as well as small Protestant denominations such as theBaptist Union of Denmark and theReformed Synod of Denmark.
According toofficial statistics from January 2019, 74.7%[10][11] of the population of Denmark are members of theEvangelical LutheranChurch of Denmark (Den danske folkekirke), the country's state church since theReformation in Denmark–Norway and Holstein, which is designated "the Danish people's church" by the 1848Constitution of Denmark.[12] Among those who report Danish ancestry (as opposed to persons of recentimmigrant descent), there has been adecline in the proportion who are members of the National Church, from approx. 90% in 1985 to 75.9% in 2017.[13]
There are around 8,000Christians who have convertedfrom a Muslim background in the country, most of them belonging to some form of Protestantism.[14]
| Religion | 1840[15] | 1845[15] | 1850[15] | 1855[15] | 1860[15] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Church of Denmark | 1,277,402 | 99.56% | 1,344,955 | 99.6% | 1,400,955 | 99.52% | 1,489,269 | 99.29% | 1,587,644 | 99.19% |
| Judaism | 3,839 | 0.3% | 3,670 | 0.27% | 3,941 | 0.28% | 4,143 | 0.28% | 4,214 | 0.26% |
| Mormonism | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2,044 | 0.14% | 2,657 | 0.17% |
| Baptism | — | — | 143 | 0.01% | 724 | 0.05% | 1,548 | 0.1% | 2,270 | 0.14% |
| Calvinism | 915 | 0.07% | 959 | 0.07% | 1,265 | 0.09% | 1,482 | 0.1% | 1,784 | 0.11% |
| Catholicism | 865 | 0.07% | 583 | 0.04% | 724 | 0.05% | 1,151 | 0.08% | 1,240 | 0.08% |
| Irvingism | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 202 | 0.01% |
| Anglicanism | 3 | 0% | 15 | 0% | 103 | 0.01% | 152 | 0.01% | 114 | 0.01% |
| Methodism | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 42 | 0% |
| Eastern Orthodox | 1 | 0% | 1 | 0% | 26 | 0% | 19 | 0% | 30 | 0% |
| Moravianism | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 0% |
| Quakerism | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0% |
| Other religions | 2 | 0% | 1 | 0% | 7 | 0% | 23 | 0% | 332 | 0.02% |
| No religion | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0.08% | 19 | 0% | 12 | 0% |
| Total | 1,283,027 | 1,350,327 | 1,414,539 | 1,499,850 | 1,600,551 | |||||
| Religion | 1870[16] | 1880[17] | 1890[18] | 1901[19] | 1911[19] | 1921[19] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Church of Denmark | 1,769,583 | 99.15% | 1,951,513 | 99.11% | 2,138,529 | 98.44% | 2,416,511 | 98.65% | 2,715,187 | 98.48% | 3,200,372 | 97.94% |
| Catholicism | 1,857 | 0.1% | 2,985 | 0.15% | 3,647 | 0.17% | 5,373 | 0.22% | 9,821 | 0.36% | 22,137 | 0.68% |
| Baptism | 3,223 | 0.18% | 3,687 | 0.1% | 4,556 | 0.21% | 5,501 | 0.22% | 5,664 | 0.21% | 6,989 | 0.21% |
| Judaism | 4,290 | 0.24% | 3,946 | 0.2% | 4,080 | 0.19% | 3,476 | 0.14% | 5,164 | 0.19% | 5,947 | 0.18% |
| Methodism | 260 | 0.01% | 746 | 0.04% | 2,301 | 0.11% | 3,895 | 0.16% | 4,284 | 0.16% | 4,858 | 0.15% |
| Irvingism | 349 | 0.02% | 1,036 | 0.05% | 2,609 | 0.12% | 3,812 | 0.16% | 2,778 | 0.1% | 3,459 | 0.11% |
| Adventism | — | — | — | — | — | — | 764 | 0.03% | 1,282 | 0.05% | 2,622 | 0.08% |
| Calvinism | 1,433 | 0.08% | 1,363 | 0.07% | 1,252 | 0.06% | 1,112 | 0.05% | 1,142 | 0.04% | 1,164 | 0.01% |
| Eastern Orthodox | 12 | 0% | 15 | 0% | 38 | 0% | 106 | 0% | 256 | 0.01% | 535 | 0.02% |
| Mormonism | 2,128 | 0.12% | 1,722 | 0.09% | 941 | 0.04% | 717 | 0.03% | 797 | 0.03% | 487 | 0.01% |
| Moravianism | 2 | 0% | 60 | 0% | — | — | — | — | — | — | 463 | 0.01% |
| Anglicanism | 74 | 0% | 125 | 0.01% | 137 | 0.01% | 176 | 0.01% | 192 | 0.01% | 409 | 0.01% |
| Unitarianism | — | — | — | — | — | — | 62 | 0% | 147 | 0.01% | 195 | 0.01% |
| Quakerism | 28 | 0% | 117 | 0.01% | — | — | 66 | 0% | 65 | 0% | 13 | 0% |
| Presbyterianism | — | — | 21 | 0% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Swedenborgianism | — | — | 10 | 0% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Islam | 1 | 0% | 8 | 0% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| OtherChristian | 1,297 | 0.07% | 444 | 0.02% | 11,730 | 0.54% | 3,468 | 0.14% | 1,254 | 0.05% | 1,495 | 0.05% |
| Other religions | 141 | 0.01% | 167 | 0.01% | 412 | 0.02% | 873 | 0.04% | 892 | 0.03% | 3,942 | 0.12% |
| No religion | 63 | 0% | 1,074 | 0.05% | 2,148 | 0.1% | 3,628 | 0.15% | 8,151 | 0.3% | 12,744 | 0.39% |
| Total | 1,784,741 | 1,969,039 | 2,172,380 | 2,449,540 | 2,757,076 | 3,267,831 | ||||||
Membership statistics from 1984 to 2008:
| Religion | 1984[20] | 1995[21] | 2008[22] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Church of Denmark | 4,684,060[23] | 91.63% | 4,539,773 | 87.04% | 4,490,195 | 81.47% |
| OtherProtestant | 10,725 | 0.21% | 49,730 | 0.95% | 43,320 | 0.79% |
| Catholic Church | 27,387 | 0.54% | 32,367 | 0.62% | 37,123 | 0.67% |
| Islam | — | — | — | — | 23,540 | 0.43% |
| Mormonism | — | — | 4,204 | 0.08% | 4,500 | 0.08% |
| Eastern Orthodox | 250 | 0% | 671 | 0.01% | 9,120 | 0.17% |
| Buddhism | — | — | 2,459 | 0.05% | 4,448 | 0.08% |
| Judaism | 2,442 | 0.05% | 3,320 | 0.06% | 2,180 | 0.04% |
| Hinduism | — | — | — | — | 1,649 | 0.03% |
| Norse mythology | — | — | — | — | 650 | 0.01% |
| Mandaeism | — | — | — | — | 600 | 0.01% |
| Baháʼí Faith | — | — | 277 | 0.01% | 350 | 0.01% |
| No membership | 387,716 | 7.58% | 582,747 | 11.17% | 858,116 | 15.57% |
| Total | 5,112,130 | 5,215,718 | 5,475,791 | |||
According to Danish researcher Brian Arly Jacobsen,Muslims living in Denmark make up ca. 256,000 people or approximately 4.4% of the population in 2020 and form the country's second largest religious community and largest minority religion.[25] As of 2017 there were 28 recognised Muslim communities and around 185 mosques in Denmark.[26]Ahmadis constructed the firstmosque in the capital, Copenhagen. There were approximately655 Ahmadis all over Denmark in 2006.[27]
AJewish community has been present in Denmark since the seventeenth century, when themonarchs began allowing Jews to enter the country and practice their religion on an individual basis.Emancipation followed gradually and by the end of the nineteenth century most Jews were fullyassimilated intoDanish society. In the early decades of the twentieth century there was an influx of more secular,Yiddish speaking,Eastern European Jews. Nearly 99% of Danish Jews survivedthe Holocaust, in part due to theactions of theDanish resistance, and to theSwedish authorities' offer of asylum to the Danish Jews.[28]
Today there are approximately 6,000 ethnic Jews in Denmark, 1700 of them being members of the official organization TheJewish Community in Denmark.[29]
TheBaháʼí Faith arrived in Denmark in 1925, but it did not make much impact until the arrival of Americanpioneers in 1946. A nationalSpiritual Assembly was formed in 1962. In 2005, it was estimated that there were about 1,251 Baha'is in the country.[30]
Buddhism in Denmark was brought back from expeditions that explored theIndian subcontinent. Initial interest was mainly from intellectuals, authors,Buddhologists andPhilologists. In 1921, Christian F. Melbye founded the first Buddhist Society in Denmark, but it was later dissolved in 1950 before his death in 1953.[31][32] In the 1950s, there was a revival in interest towards Buddhism, especiallyTibetan Buddhism.Hannah andOle Nydahl founded the firstKarma Kagyu Buddhist centers in Copenhagen.[31][32] The third wave of Buddhism came in the 1980s, whenrefugees fromVietnam,Sri Lanka andChina came to Denmark.
In 2009Aarhus University estimated that there were 20,000 practising Buddhists in Denmark.[33][34]
There are 40,000 (0.5%)Hindus in Denmark as of 2020.[35]
In Denmark there are about 4,000Sikhs ofPunjabi origin.[36]
According to a survey of various religions and denominations undertaken by theDanish Foreign Ministry, otherreligious groups comprise less than 1% of the population individually and approximately 2% when taken all together.[37]
Aneopagan religious group,Forn Siðr — Ásatrú and Vanatrú Association in Denmark, describes itself as a revival of theNorse paganism prevalent in Denmark beforeChristianization. It gained state recognition in November 2003.[38] There are about 500 registered heathens (0.01% of the population) adhering to the old Norse beliefs.
In 2016, the designerJim Lyngvild established theheathen buildingManheim in Korinth onFunen.[39]
In 2013, just under 20% of the Danish population identifies asatheist.[6]
Five ofDenmark's prime ministershave identified themselves as atheists.
TheConstitution of Denmark contains a number of sections related to religion.
In its 2024Freedom in the World report,Freedom House rated the country 4 out of 4 forreligious freedom:[42]
Freedom of worship is legally protected. However, the Evangelical Lutheran Church is subsidized by the government as the official state religion. The faith is taught in public schools, though students may withdraw from religious classes with parental consent.
In 2018, a general ban on the public wearing of face coverings, widely referred to as a “burqa ban” applicable to Muslim women, took effect. Between 2018 and 2020, an average of 20 people a year were charged with violating the ban. In 2021, only two charges were filed under the law, and in 2022, only one. Fines for defying the ban range from $150 to $300.
In 2018, Parliament adopted a law requiring mandatory participation in a ceremony for confirmation of newly granted Danish citizenship, with guidelines including a requirement for shaking hands. The provision was viewed as a means of requiring Muslims who refuse to touch someone of a different gender on religious grounds to adopt practices seen as “Danish.” In February 2022, one person was denied citizenship for protesting the law by refusing to shake hands during the citizenship ceremony.
In December 2023, Parliament adopted an amendment to the penal code that criminalized “inappropriate treatment” of religious texts in public, in response to several burnings of the Quran in Denmark and Sweden earlier in the year that sparked anger in some Muslim nations. Filming and distributing a video of such an act was banned as well. Violators face a fine or up to two years in prison. Critics said that the ban was a restraint on freedom of speech.
Denmark is a member of theInternational Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance.
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