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Christianity is the largestreligion inMadagascar, withProtestantism andCatholicism being its main denominations.
Madagascar is asecular state, and thenation's constitution provides for freedom of religious thought and expression and prohibits religious discrimination.[2]
According to thePew Research Center in 2020, 85% of the population practicedChristianity, while just 4.5% of Malagasys practiced folk religions; amongChristians, practitioners ofProtestantism outnumbered adherents ofRoman Catholicism.[3] According to theAssociation of Religion Data Archives, 58.1% of the population isChristian, 2.1% isMuslim, 39.2% practices traditional faiths, while 0.6% of the population isnon-religious or adheres to other faiths as of 2020.[4]
Theconstitution of Madagascar provides for the freedoms of religious thought and expression and prohibits religious discrimination in the workplace. Other laws protect individual religious freedom against abuses by government or private actors.[5]
Members of theMuslim community and adherents of some evangelical Protestant churches have reported that they have been denied admission into private schools and sometimes had limited access to employment due to their religious affiliation.[5] Muslim community leaders have also criticizedMadagascar'snaturalization process as disproportionately barring Muslims from citizenship.[5]
The government's inconsistent enforcement oflabor laws, particularly the provision that workers are entitled to at least one 24-hour break from work per week, has led to workers sometimes being forced to miss religious services.[5]
In April 2017 the minister of education threatened to close 16 Islamic schools he classified as “Quranic,” stating the schools were among 190 private schools identified as not complying with various administrative requirements.[5] Representatives of the Muslim community criticized this declaration asIslamophobic.[5]
Protestantism andCatholicism are the main Christian denominations in the country. The Malagasy Council of Churches comprises the four oldest and most prominent Christian denominations (Catholic,Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar,Lutheran, andAnglican) and has been an influential force in Malagasy politics.[6] In the disputed 2001 presidential elections, the council rallied behind Protestant candidate Ravalomanana, whose electoral slogan was "Don't be afraid, only believe."[7]
TheChurch of Jesus Christ in Madagascar, aReformed Protestant church, had 2.5 million adherents in 2004;[8] former PresidentMarc Ravalomanana served as its vice-president.[9]
There were 21 Catholicdioceses in Madagascar in 2013, including fivearchdioceses.[10]
Islam has been well established in what is now known asMadagascar for centuries and today Muslims represent 2 to 5 percent of the total population.[11][12][13][14] The vast majority of Muslims in Madagascar practiceSunni Islam of theShafi school ofjurisprudence,[15] with sizeableShia andAhmadiyya communities.
Hinduism in Madagascar began with the arrival of primarilyGujarati immigrants from theSaurashtra region ofIndia as far back as 1870.[16]
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