Religion in Sweden

Lutheran Christianity is officially the largest religion in Sweden, with 6.1 million Swedish citizens being members of the Church of Sweden. The high membership figure is mainly due to the fact that until 1996 all newborn children with at least one parent being a member of the church were also made members. Other Christian Churches include the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.Islam is the second largest religion in Sweden, practiced by 5% of the population. The rest of the population are either irreligious or members of other religious groups.

Sweden was Christianized from Norse paganism during a long period, not final until the 1130s. Since the 16th century, Sweden has been predominantly Lutheran. From the Protestant Reformation in the 1530s until 2000, the Lutheran Church of Sweden (Swedish: Svenska kyrkan) was the state church. As of 2016, 61.2% of Swedish citizens are members of the Church of Sweden, compared to over 95% in 1970, and 83% in 2000.

Despite that, religion in Sweden plays a limited role compared to the European average, and even many church members participate in religious activities for only cultural reasons, and do not believe in Christianity. Atheism and agnosticism are widespread in Swedish society. In a Eurobarometer Poll in 2010, just 18% of Swedish citizens responded that "they believe there is a god", although a further 45% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force". In a 2009 Gallup poll, 17% answered yes to the question "Is religion an important part of your daily life?". A survey found that only 15% of Church of Sweden members actually believe in Jesus, while another 15% identified as atheists, and a quarter as agnostic. Less than 4% of the Church of Sweden membership attends public worship during an average week; about 2% are regular attendees. Some scholars consider the nation to be a place where religion is regarded with “benign indifference”.

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