Christianity is a prevalent religion inDenmark; in January 2023, 72.1%[1] of the population of Denmark were members of theChurch of Denmark. According to a survey based on a sample 1,114, 25% of Danes believeJesus is theson of God, and 18% believe he is the saviour of the world.[2] 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.
Denmark has Lutheranism as the state religion,[3] as such its culture is heavily influenced by Christianity.
| year | population | members | percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 2,205,820 | 2,138,529 | 96.9%[4] |
| 1901 | 2,449,540 | 2,416,511 | 98.7%[5] |
| 1911 | 2,757,076 | 2,715,187 | 98.5%[5] |
| 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% |
| 2007 | 5,447,100 | 4,499,343 | 82.6% |
| 2008 | 5,475,791 | 4,494,589 | 82.1% |
| 2009 | 5,511,451 | 4,492,121 | 81.5% |
| 2010 | 5,534,738 | 4,479,214 | 80.9% |
| 2011 | 5,560,628 | 4,469,109 | 80.4% |
| 2012 | 5,580,516 | 4,454,466 | 79.8% |
| 2013 | 5,602,628 | 4,430,643 | 79.1% |
| 2014 | 5,627,235 | 4,413,825 | 78.4% |
| 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% |
| 2021 | 5.840.045 | 4.311.333 | 73.8% |
| 2022 | 5.869.945 | 4.296.800 | 73.2% |
| 2023 | 5.932.654 | 4.276.271 | 72.1% |
| Statistical data: 1984,[6] 1990–2023[1] Source: Kirkeministeriet | |||
According to official statistics from January 2023, 72,1%[1][7] 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, and designated "the Danish people's church" by the 1848Constitution of Denmark.[8]
This proportion is down by 1.1% as compared to the preceding year and 1.7% down compared to two years earlier. However, in similar fashion to the rest of Scandinavia, and also Britain, only a small minority (less than 5% of the total population) attends churches for Sunday services.[9][10] In addition, the number of people leaving the Church has been on the rise: in 2012, 21,118 Danes left the Church, an increase of 55% in comparison to 2011.[11] Individuals automatically become members when baptized, as most people born in Denmark are at birth, and cannot leave of their own accord until they are 18 years old. Members are not informed of their membership or their ability to leave. Further, there are no standard formulas for leaving the church; one must personally contact the priest or office of one's parish.[12][13]
A smallBaptist community has existed since the 1840s and is represented by theBaptist Union of Denmark. The Union claimed 55 churches and 5,412 congregants in 2011.[14]
Reformed Protestantism is represented by four churches united in theReformed Synod of Denmark. These are mainly ethnic congregations, including twoHuguenot churches and aGerman Reformed church, founded in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries,[15][16][17] as well as the Korean Reformed Church founded in 1989.[18] The German Reformed church also includes some Dutch, Swiss, Hungarian and American members, as well as Danes.[16]There is an Anglican church and fellowship in Copenhagen and smaller congregations of Anglicans and Episcopalians in many Danish cities.
A 2015 study estimates some 4,000 Christian believers from a Muslim background in the country, most of them belonging to some form of Protestantism.[19]
After theseparation of the Church of Denmark from the Catholic Church in 1536, the Catholic Church remained illegal in the country for over three centuries. The Church was able to reestablish itself after the Constitution of 1849 granted religious freedom to the Kingdom. Currently the country is covered by theDiocese of Copenhagen with 48 parishes in Denmark proper and two more in the Faeroe Islands and Greenland. There are nearly 40,000 Catholics in Denmark, though nearly a third are foreign born and others are born of foreign parents (for example, Denmark'sPolish community, of which the current bishop ofthe Roman-Catholic Diocese of Copenhagen,Czeslaw Kozon, is a member). Nevertheless, ethnic Danes are still the largest group among the Church's congregants.[20]
Adherents ofEastern Orthodox Christianity in Denmark are traditionally organized in accordance with patrimonial ecclesiastical jurisdictions. Eastern Orthodox Danes of Greek origin belong to the Metropolis of Sweden and Scandinavia, under theEcumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Those of Russian origin are directly under the Patriarch of theRussian Orthodox Church.[21] Those of Serbian origin belong to theSerbian Orthodox Eparchy of Britain and Scandinavia.[22] Those of Romanian origin belong to the Diocese of Northern Europe, of theRomanian Orthodox Church.[23]
Adherents ofOriental Orthodox Christianity in Denmark are also traditionally organized in accordance with their patrimonial ecclesiastical jurisdictions, each community having its own parishes and priests. Oriental Orthodox Danes ofArmenian origin belong to theArmenian Apostolic Church.[24] Those of Coptic origin belong to theCoptic Orthodox Diocese of Stockholm and Scandinavia.[25]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been sending missionaries to Denmark since 14 June 1850.[26][27] Most of the early converts emigrated to the United States. There are currently over 4,500 members of the church in Denmark.[27] There is aTemple in Copenhagen, known as theCopenhagen Denmark Temple.[28]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)The Evangelical Lutheran Church shall be the Established Church of Denmark, and, as such, it shall be supported by the State.
