Religion in Sweden has, over the years, become increasingly diverse.Christianity was the religion of virtually all of the Swedish population from the 12th to the early 20th century, but it has rapidly declined throughout the late 20th and early 21st century.[1]
Christianity came to Sweden as early as the 9th century mainly as a result of an expansion in trade. The ancientNordic religions were slowly replaced. By the 12th century, Christianity became the established national religion and theArchdiocese of Uppsala was established as the firstnational church. Swedish Christians belonged to theCatholic Church until 1527 when the Swedish state church was established as a Protestant church based on Lutheran principles, following theProtestant Reformation enacted byMartin Luther which converted most ofGermanic Europe.[4] TheLutheranChurch of Sweden was formed and remained theofficial religion of the Christian state until the turn of the 21st century.
In recent years, the Swedish religious landscape has become increasinglydiverse, with Christians comprising in 2021 some 59.6% (of which 53.2% belonging to the Church of Sweden) of the total population and rising numbers of people of other religions (2.5%) and unaffiliated people (37.9%).[1] TheLutheranChurch of Sweden – which was thestate religion until 2000 – is by far the largest Christian denomination but is facing a continuous decline in registered membership.[2][3] Other minor Christian denominations includeFree churches, the Catholic Church andEastern Orthodox Churches.[1]Muslims make up the largest non-Christian religious group, followed byBuddhists,Jews andHindus.[5]Jews are one of Sweden's five officialnational minorities withYiddish one of theofficially recognised minority languages.[6] The country has ratified theFramework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and theEuropean Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.[6]
Before the 11th century, Swedes practisedNorse religion, worshipping a variety ofGermanic deities. An important religious centre was theTemple at Uppsala. The shape and location of this temple is sparsely documented, but it is referenced in theNorse sagas and Saxo Grammaticus'Gesta Danorum, and is also described byAdam of Bremen. It was probably destroyed by KingIngold I in 1087.
While Norse religion was officially abandoned with theChristianization of Scandinavia, belief in many spirits ofNorse mythology such astomtar,trolls,elves anddwarves lived on for a long time inScandinavian folklore.
The oldest evidence of Christian burial sites in Sweden are dated to the 6th century, but they are very few in number. The earliest documented campaign to Christianise the Swedes was made by the monkAnsgar (801–865). Making his first visit toBirka in 828–829, he was granted permission to build a church. In 831, he returned home and becameArchbishop of Hamburg-Bremen, with responsibility for Christianity in the north. Around 850, he came back to Birka, where the original congregation had been shattered. Ansgar tried to reestablish it, but it only lasted a few years.
Christianity first gained a hold inVästergötland, probably due to mercantile ties to the Christian Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in England. Remnants of a 9th-century church building has recently been excavated in Varnhem. The diocese of Skara, which is the oldest diocese in Sweden, emerged under the Archdiocese of Hamburg-Bremen, in the late 10th century. According toAdam of Bremen, the Christian kingOlof Skötkonung, who ruled from c. 995 to c. 1022 was forced to limit Christian activities to the western province. WhenKing Stenkil ascended to the throne in 1060 Christianity was firmly established throughout most of Sweden, although the people ofUppland, and probably Sodermanland, resisted the new religion.
The last king adhering to the old religion wasBlot-Sweyn, who reigned 1084–1087. A handful of local saints (canonized on diocesan level before the centralized process became normative in 1170–1200),folk saints and clerics were allegedly martyred as late as the 1120s, most of them in Sodermanland and Uppland. Under the reign ofEric the Saint (1150–1160), Christianity became an ideological factor of the state and theFirst Swedish Crusade took place. The crusade was a military expedition aimed at converting theFinns to Christianity and conqueringFinland as Swedish territory. A national church of Sweden was not established until 1164, when the firstArchbishop of Uppsala received his pallium from theArchbishop of Lund.
Pre-Reformation Swedish Catholic religious leaders – includingBridget of Sweden, founder of the continuously functioning CatholicVadstena Abbey – continue to be held in high regard by the population as a whole. Her nunnery at Vadstena is one of Sweden's pre-eminent tourist attractions.
Shortly afterGustav Vasa was elected king in 1523, he asked thePope to confirmJohannes Magnus asArchbishop of Sweden, replacingGustav Trolle, who had supported the Danish kingChristian II and was convicted for treason. When the Pope refused, Gustav Vasa – he himself a proponent of a "Renaissance Biblical Humanism" – started to promote the SwedishLutheran reformersOlaus,Laurentius Petri, andLaurentius Andreae. Gustav Trolle was eventually forced into exile, and soon all ecclesiastical property was transferred to the Crown. In 1531, Laurentius Petri was appointed by the Crown to become the first Lutheran primate of Sweden, and was ordained by five Catholic bishops without papal assent. The ties with Rome were irreversibly cut in 1536, whenCanon Law was abolished.
Originally, no changes were made to official church doctrine, and the episcopal organization was retained. Gradually, in spite of popular protests against the introduction of "Luthery", teachings were aligned with continental Lutheranism. Calvinism was, otherwise, refuted as heresy at the synod of Stockholm in 1565. In order to appeasethe Holy See, kingJohn III of Sweden, one of Gustav Vasa's sons, took measures to bring the Church of Sweden to a theological position influenced byGeorge Cassander, but, in the heat of controversy, such a compromise position did not achieve its intent of reunion. However, after his death, his brother,Duke Charles, summoned theUppsala Synod in 1593, which declaredthe Holy Scriptures the sole guideline for faith, with four documents accepted as faithful and authoritative explanations of it: theApostles' Creed, theNicene Creed, theAthanasian Creed, and the unalteredAugsburg Confession of 1530.[7] The Uppsala Synod also reinstated The Swedish Church Ordinance of 1572, which remained in use until 1686.
The move put Charles at odds with the heir to the throne, his nephewSigismund, who was raised in the Catholic faith. Although Sigismund promised to uphold Lutheranism, Duke Charles's aspirations to power led to theWar against Sigismund, a power struggle that was effectively decided at theBattle of Stångebro in 1598, in favour of Charles andProtestantism.
During the era following theProtestant Reformation, usually known as the period ofLutheran Orthodoxy, small groups of non-Lutherans, especially CalvinistDutchmen, theMoravian Church andWalloon immigrants from theSouthern Netherlands, played a significant role in trade and industry, and were quietly tolerated as long as they kept a low profile.
TheSami, who originally had their own shamanistic religion, were converted to Lutheranism by Swedish missionaries in the 17th and 18th centuries. Citizens of foreign nations, mainly Russians, were granted freedom to practice Eastern Orthodox Christianity since theTreaty of Stolbovo in 1617. Anglican and Calvinist foreigners were granted freedom to practice their religions in Stockholm (1741) and Gothenburg (1747). Similar liberties were granted to Catholics in 1781, and an apostolic vicar was sent to Sweden in 1783. In 1782, with the passage ofJudereglementet, Jews were allowed to settle in three cities and practice their religion, although they were not allowed to proselytize or marry Christians.[8]
In order to curbPietism, several royal decrees and parliament acts were issued in the 18th century, such as theConventicle Act andKyrkogångspliktlit. 'church attendance duty'. They forbade Swedish citizens to engage in practices other than mandatory Lutheran Sunday Mass and daily family devotions. Without the presence of a Lutheran clergyman, public religious gatherings were forbidden. It remained illegal until 1860 for Lutheran Swedes to convert to another confession or religion.
In 1860 it became legal to leave the Church of Sweden for the purpose of becoming a member of another officially recognised religious denomination. From 1951, it became legal to leave the church, without providing any reason. From 1951 to 1977 all religious institutions could only be established with the permission of theCrown.
| Religion, formal affiliation (in 2021)[9][1][3] | Members | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Christianity | 6,228,708 | 59.6% |
| Church of Sweden | 5,563,351 | 53.2% |
| Eastern Christian Churches | 160,266 | 1.5% |
| Catholic Church | 126,286 | 1.2% |
| Pentecostal congregations | 115,403 | 1.1% |
| Uniting Church in Sweden | 111,456 | 1.1% |
| Evangelical Free Church | 44,163 | 0.42% |
| Swedish Evangelical Mission | 43,877 | 0.42% |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | 22,188 | 0.21% |
| Swedish Alliance Mission | 20,898 | 0.20% |
| Other Christians | 20,820 | 0.20% |
| Non-Christian religions | 261,807 | 2.5% |
| Islam | 224,459 | 2.1% |
| Mandaeism | 12,408 | 0.12% |
| Buddhism | 12,328 | 0.12% |
| Judaism | 8,153 | 0.08% |
| Alevism | 4,459 | 0.04% |
| No affiliation or other religions | 3,961,811 | 37.9% |
| Total[10] | 10,452,326 | 100.0% |
Sweden doesn't gather statistics on the basis of ethnicity or religion.[6]Theconstitution of Sweden provides for freedom of religion, and the government generally respects this right in practice. The government at all levels seeks to protect this right in full and does not tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. The rights and freedoms enumerated in the constitution include the rights to practice one's religion and protection of religious freedom. The laws concerning religious freedoms are generally observed and enforced at all government levels and by the courts in a non-discriminatory fashion. Legal protections cover discrimination or persecution by private actors.[11]
In the early 2000s about 80% of Swedes belonged to the Church of Sweden. By the end of 2021, this figure had fallen to 53.9%.[2][3] Other religious organizations keep count of their registered membership, and as reported in the table, as of 2021 the largest religious denominations after the Church of Sweden (53.9%) were the officially registeredMuslims (2.1%), members of theOrthodox Church (1.5%),Catholics (1.2%) and members of theSwedish Pentecostal Movement (1.1%).[1]
Eight recognized religious denominations, in addition to the Church of Sweden, raise revenues through member-contributions made through the national tax system. All recognized denominations are entitled to direct government financial support, contributions made through the national tax system, or a mix of both. CertainChristian holidays arenational holidays. Individuals in the military may observe their the holidays from their own religious background, in exchange for not taking leave on public holidays.[12] There is no legal requirement for religious groups to register with the government; however, only those faith communities which are registered can receive government funding and tax exemptions.[12]
Religious education is compulsory in public schools. Parents may send their children to religiouscharter schools, all of which receiveschool vouchers, provided they adhere to government guidelines on core academic curriculum.[12] TheEquality Ombudsman investigates claims of discrimination; discrimination on religious grounds is illegal.[12]
In 2017, thePew Research Center'sGlobal Attitudes Survey found that 59.9% of the Swedes regarded themselves as Christians, with 48.7% belonging to the Church of Sweden, 9.5% were Unaffiliated Christians, 0.7% werePentecostal Protestants, 0.4% wereCatholics, theEastern Orthodox and theCongregationalist were 0.3% each.Unaffiliated people were 35.0% divided in 18.8%Atheists, 11.9% nothing in particular and 4.3%Agnostics.Muslims were 2.2% and members of other religions were 2.5%.[13]
In 2016 theInternational Social Survey Programme found that 70.2% of the Swedish population declared belonging to a Christian denomination, with the Church of Sweden being the largest church, accounting for the 65.8% of respondents; the Free Church was the second-largest church accounting for 2.8%, Roman Catholics were 0.7% and Eastern Orthodox were 0.5%; members of other Christian denominations comprised 0.4% of the total population. A further 28.5% declared no religion, 1.1% identified as Muslim and 0.3% declared belonging to other religions.[14]
In 2015 theEurobarometer found that Christianity was the religion of 47.6% of respondents, with Protestantism being the main denomination with 36.5%, followed by other Christians with 8.6%, Catholics with 1.6% and Eastern Orthodox with 0.8%. 31.0% of the sample identified as agnostic and 19.0% identified as atheist.[15]
In 2021 there were 6,228,708 formally affiliatedChristians in Sweden, comprising 59.6% of the total population.[1][2]
A survey by thePew Research Center found in spring 2016 that 66.7% out of a sample of 1,000 Swedes claimed to be Christians.[16]
As of 2016, 6,484,203 people, or 64.9% of the total population, were registered members of the variousProtestant denominations in Sweden.[17][2]
| Year | Population | Church members | Percentage | % change (avg.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 8,146,000 | 7,754,784 | 95.2% | |
| 1975 | 8,208,000 | 7,770,881 | 94.7% | 0.2% |
| 1980 | 8,278,000 | 7,690,636 | 92.9% | 0.3% |
| 1985 | 8,358,000 | 7,629,763 | 91.5% | 0.3% |
| 1990 | 8,573,000 | 7,630,350 | 89.0% | 0.5% |
| 1995 | 8,837,000 | 7,601,194 | 86.0% | 0.6% |
| 2000 | 8,880,000 | 7,360,825 | 82.9% | 0.6% |
| 2005 | 9,048,000 | 6,967,498 | 77.0% | 1.2% |
| 2010 | 9,415,570 | 6,589,769 | 70.0% | 1.4% |
| 2015 | 9,850,452 | 6,225,091 | 63.2% | 1.4% |
| 2016 | 9,995,153 | 6,109,546 | 61.1% | 2.1% |
| 2017 | 10,120,242 | 5,993,368 | 59.3% | 1.8% |
| 2018 | 10,230,185 | 5,899,242 | 57.7% | 1.6% |
| 2019 | 10,327,579 | 5,823,515 | 56.4% | 1.3% |
| 2020 | 10,379,295 | 5,728,746 | 55.2% | 1.6% |
| 2021 | 10,452,326 | 5,633,867 | 53.9% | 1.3% |
| 2022 | 10,521,556 | 5,563,351 | 52.8% | 1.1% |
| 2023 | 5,484,319 | 52.1% | 0.7% | |
| 2024 | 5,426,053 | 51.4% | 0.7% |
Representing about half of the population, the Church of Sweden (Swedish:Svenska kyrkan) is the largest Christian church in Sweden, and also the largest religious body. The church professes theLutheran faith and is a member of thePorvoo Communion. As of 2024, it had 5,426.053 members, 51,4 % of the Swedish population,[19][2][3] Until 2000 it held the position ofstate religion, and most Swedes were baptised at birth, until 1996 all newborns with at least one parent being a member of the Church of Sweden were also registered as members of the church.[20] Yet the membership is declining rapidly, about 1% each year, for the most recent years even 2%, falling from 95% in 1972 and 82% in 2000. The number of both newbaptisms and members has declined since. Indeed, according to official statistics, as of 2021:
The Church of Sweden, by law,[22] is organized in the following manner:
The 19th century saw the arrival of variousevangelicalfree churches, and, towards the end of the centurysecularism, leading many to distance themselves from churchrituals. Leaving theChurch of Sweden became legal with the so-calledDissenter Act of 1860, but only under the provision of entering another denomination. The right to not belong to anyreligious denomination was established in the law onfreedom of religion in 1951.
Today, theSwedish Free Church Council (Swedish:Sveriges Frikyrkosamråd) organizes free churches in Sweden, belonging to various Protestant denominations:Calvinist,Pentecostal, and others. In total the member churches have around 250,000 members.Baptists,Methodists and theMission Covenant Church of Sweden merged in 2011 into a new denomination: theUniting Church in Sweden. It is the largest member church in the Swedish Free Church Council, with approximately 65,000 members. One of the Baptist denominations, theEvangelical Free Church in Sweden, has remained an independent denomination outside this merger.
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Most Catholics in Sweden are ofSlavic (especiallyPoles andCroats),South American orMiddle Eastern (especiallyAssyrian) origin.
As of 2021, legally registered Catholics in Sweden were 126,286,[1] comprising 1.2% of the total population, the same percentage was found in a spring 2016 survey in Sweden.[16]
Multiple Orthodox jurisdictions exist in Sweden, including but not limited to the Greek and Serbian Orthodox Churches. There is also a substantial presence ofSyriac,Coptic andEthiopian Orthodox Christians. TheSerbian Orthodox Church has several parishes in Sweden, under jurisdiction ofSerbian Orthodox Eparchy of Britain and Scandinavia. As of 2021, legally registeredEastern Orthodox Christians were 160,266 and they were the second-largest Christian denomination in Sweden, comprising 1.5% of the total population.[1]
According to the2015 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, there are 22,730 active members in Sweden, and 36,270 people attended their annualmemorial of Christ's death. This number includes active members and guests.[23][24]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints claims 9,528 members in 40 congregations in Sweden as of 2022.[25]
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Islam entered Sweden primarily through immigration from countries with large Muslim populations (such asAlbania,Bosnia and Herzegovina,Turkey,Iraq,Morocco,Iran,Kosovo,Sandžak,Somalia andSyria) in the late 20th century. TheBaltic Tatars were the first Muslim group in modern Sweden.
In 2021, Sweden's official statistics counted 224,459 formally affiliated Muslims.[1] According to a 2016Pew Research Center estimate, they are 8.1% of the Swedish population.[12]
The Pew Research Center estimates that Sweden's Muslim population by 2050 could grow to 31% in a high migration scenario, 21% in a medium scenario and 11% with no further Muslim migration.[26]
The Official Council of Swedish Jewish Communities estimates about 20,000ethnic Jews in Sweden byhalakhic criteria.[27] Of them, about 8,153 were members of a Jewish religious congregation in 2021.[1]
Stockholm has the largest community and boasts a primary school, a kindergarten, a library, a bi-monthly publication (Judisk Krönika) and a weekly Jewish radio program. Other cities likeMalmö,Gothenburg,Borås,Helsingborg,Lund, andUppsala have Jewish communities as well.Synagogues can be found in Stockholm (which has twoOrthodox and oneConservative synagogue), Göteborg (one Orthodox and one Conservative synagogue), Malmö (one Orthodox synagogue), and inNorrköping (although the Norrköping community is too small to perform regular services).
In 2020, the Bahá'ís claimed about 1,000 members and 25 local assemblies in Sweden from Umeå in the north to Malmö in the south.[28]
In November 2009 the Swedish paperVästerbottens-Kuriren reported that 25 local non-profit Bahá'í organization had changed their organizational form to religious communions. The central Bahá'í secretariat in Stockholm stated at the time that the Bahá'i Faith in Sweden had 1003 members.[29]
Buddhism is relatively well-established in Sweden with both organisations focussing on ethnic East Asians and others oriented towards converts.[30] In 2021, there were 12,328 formally affiliatedBuddhists in Sweden, comprising 0.12% of the total population.[1] However, it is thought that the actual number of Buddhists is much higher since only members of organized faith communities are reflected in the Swedish Agency for Support to Faith Communities's statistics. In April 2020, the number of Buddhists was estimated in to be around 57,000 people, around 0.7% of Sweden's population.[5]
The 2005International Religious Freedom Report stated that there are between 7,000 and 10,000Hindus in the country at that time.[31]
Sikhism in Sweden (Swedish:Sikhismen i Sverige) is a very small religious minority, there are approximately 4,000 adherents, most of which are settled inStockholm andGothenburg, each of which has twogurdwaras.
Germanic Heathenry, the contemporary continuation of ancient Germanic religion, is represented by various organizations, including theNordic Asa-Community (Nordiska Asa-samfundet), theSwedish Forn Sed Assembly (Samfundet Forn Sed Sverige) and theCommunity for Nordic Faith (Samfälligheten för Nordisk Sed). Founded in 2014, the Nordic Asa-Community has quickly grown to become the largest Heathen organization in Sweden, despite being the most recently established among the three.[32]
According toBritannica, in 2016, 30% of the population was "none/unspecified".[33]
In 2023, the country was scored 4 out of 4 forfreedom of religion or belief.[34]
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