Key Takeaways
- Church membership in Germany continues to decline steadily. By 2024, people with no religious affiliation had become the largest group in the country.
- Weaker personal attachment to churches is a key factor, particularly among younger generations. Religious affiliation is no longer a default for them.
- Institution-related factors also play a role, including church taxes and declining confidence in church leadership following abuse scandals.
- Demographic pressures compound these losses. An aging church population and fewer baptisms mean deaths consistently outnumber new members.
Religion in Germany by Population Share
| Religious affiliation | Total Population (% of Total Population) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Roman Catholic | 22,193,000 (26.7%) | 21,646,000 (26.0%) | 20,937,600 (24.8%) | 20,346,000 (24.0%) | 19,770,000 (23.7%) |
| Protestant (EKD) | 20,236,000 (24.3%) | 19,725,000 (23.7%) | 19,100,000 (22.6%) | 18,560,000 (21.9%) | 17,980,000 (21.5%) |
| Muslims | 2,900,000 (3.5%) | 2,970,000 (3.6%) | 3,090,000 (3.7%) | 3,200,000 (3.8%) | 3,280,000 (3.9%) |
| Other religions | 3,990,000 (4.8%) | 3,990,000 (4.8%) | 4,290,000 (5.1%) | 3,500,000 (4.1%) | 3,450,000 (4.1%) |
| No religious affiliation | 33,836,000 (40.7%) | 34,869,000 (41.9%) | 36,941,300 (43.8%) | 39,064,000 (46.2%) | 39,120,000 (46.8%) |
| Germany population | 83,155,000 (100%) | 83,200,000 (100%) | 84,358,900 (100%) | 84,670,000 (100%) | 83,600,000 (100%) |
Source: Forschungsgruppe Weltanschauungen in Deutschland
Germany’s religious landscape is shaped primarily by two large Christian churches: the Roman Catholic Church and the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD). Muslim communities form the largest non-Christian religious group. Meanwhile, there are also smaller Christian denominations such as Orthodox and Free Churches.
Between 2020 and 2024, religious membership in Germany continued a long-term decline. By the end of 2024, the EKD counted around 17.98 million members, while Catholic membership had fallen to about 19.77 million. Over the same period, people with no religious affiliation became the largest group in the country, making up almost half of the population.
This shift did not happen overnight. It reflects several long-term changes that have been building for years:
- Weaker personal attachment to churches, driven by secularization. This means religion plays a smaller role in everyday life. Many still hold personal beliefs, but formal church membership no longer feels necessary, especially among younger generations.
- Dissatisfaction with church institutions. Abuse scandals, along with perceived homophobia and corruption, have damaged confidence in church leadership,
- Demographic pressure from an aging membership. On average, church members are older than the general population. This results in more deaths than new entries each year. Immigration and overall population growth have not been enough to offset these losses for Catholic and Protestant churches.
- Fewer new members are entering the system. Fewer children are being baptized, and fewer families are raising their children within the church. Over time, this reduces the number of future members available to replace those who leave or pass away.
- In Germany, church membership comes with a church tax. This cost often becomes a practical reason to leave.
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