Religion in the Republic of Ireland

Religions in the Republic of Ireland (2022 census)

  Catholicism (69.1%)
  Protestantism (4.2%)
  Orthodoxy (2.1%)
  Other Christians (0.7%)
  Islam (1.6%)
  Hinduism (0.7%)
  No Religion (14.8%)
  Unspecified (7.1%)
Church of the Sacred Heart in Dunlewey in County Donegal
The Christianisation of Ireland is associated with the 5th-century activities of St. Patrick.

The predominant religion in the Republic of Ireland is Christianity, with the largest denomination being the Catholic Church. The Constitution of Ireland says that the state may not endorse any particular religion and guarantees freedom of religion.

In the 2022 census, 69% (3.5 million) of the population identified as Catholic.[1] The next largest group after Catholic was "no religion" at 14%.[1] The non-religious group stood up to 15% as of 2024. The second largest Christian denomination, the Church of Ireland (Anglican), declined in membership for much of the twentieth century, but remained largely static (at 2% of the population) between the 2016 and 2022 census.[2] Other significant Protestant denominations are the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, followed by the Methodist Church in Ireland. The country's Orthodox Christian, Hindu and Muslim populations have experienced significant growth in recent years, due chiefly to immigration, with Orthodox Christianity being the fastest growing religion in Ireland.[3][4]

  1. ^ a b "Census 2022: Number who identify as Catholic falls by 10 percentage points to 69%". thejournal.ie. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Census figures show average age rising to 38.8". rte.ie. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  3. ^ Final Principal Demographic Results 2006 (PDF). Central Statistics Office. 2007. pp. 31 (Table Q). ISBN 978-0-7557-7169-1. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
  4. ^ Ghoshal, Arkadev (7 April 2017). "Hinduism one of the fastest growing religions in Ireland, outpacing Islam". International Business Times, India Edition.

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