Joshua Bennett
Germany is an intercultural and multi-religious country with a dominant Christian population. Catholicism is stronger in the southern and western parts of the country, with Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Baden-Württemberg being the largest religious groups. Saarland is the only Bundesland (federal state) with a Catholic absolute majority. Germany has the fifth-largest Catholic population in Europe, with 23.3 million Catholics as of 2019, constituting 28% of the population.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Percentage of Catholics in Germany | 28.5% (23.9 million people as of December 2022) |
| Percentage of Catholics in Germany (2024) | 23.7% (19.8 million people) |
| Percentage of Catholics in Germany (1980) | 29.9 million people |
| Percentage of Catholics in Germany (1970) | 37% |
| Percentage of Catholics in Germany (2019) | 28% |
| Catholic Majority Regions in Germany | Saarland, Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg |
| Catholic Majority Regions in East Germany | Parts of the Eichsfeld region, the region inhabited by Sorbs |
| Religious Education in Schools | Yes, taught by teachers approved by the churches |
| Church Tax | Yes, government-administered income tax distributed to the taxpayer's religious institution |
| Church Tax Rate in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg | 8% of income tax liability |
| Church Tax Rate in Other States | 9% of income tax liability |
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What You'll Learn
Catholicism is the dominant religion in the southern and western parts of Germany
Germany is a multicultural and multi-religious country. Christianity is the largest religious group in Germany, with around 39.8 million adherents (47.7%) in 2024, of whom 19.8 million are Catholics (23.7%). Catholicism is stronger in the southern and western parts of Germany. The German state supports both the Catholic and Protestant churches; it collects taxes for the churches and there is religious education in schools, taught by teachers approved by the churches.
The Catholic Church in Germany is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the Pope, assisted by the Roman Curia, and with the German bishops. The current "Speaker" (i.e., Chairman) of the episcopal conference is Georg Bätzing, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Limburg. It is divided into 27 dioceses, 7 of them with the rank of metropolitan sees.
Historically, there were localities with Catholic majorities and cities with Protestant majorities. However, the mobility of modern society has mixed the population. The number of Catholics who attend Sunday Mass has decreased (from 22% in 1990 to 13% in 2009). The German Catholic Church is well-funded, experiencing revenue growth as German workers' income grows. It is funded by the "church tax," which is an important part of its identity and function. This tax is defined by the German constitution and is based on similar tax provisions in the 1919 Weimar Constitution and the 1949 German Basic Law. The tax rate is set at 8% of income tax liability in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg and 9% in the rest of the states.
Catholicism is the largest religious group in Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Baden-Württemberg. Only one of Germany's Bundesländer (federal states), the Saarland, has a Catholic absolute majority. In addition to the above, there isn't a single Protestant absolute majority in Germany. Exclusively Catholic environments are disintegrating, even in traditional areas like the state of Bavaria, where the Catholic majority was lost in the archdiocese of Munich in 2010.
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The German state supports the Catholic Church
Germany is an intercultural and multi-religious country. Christianity is the largest religious group in Germany, with around 39.8 million adherents (47.7%) in 2024, of whom 19.8 million are Catholics (23.7%) and 18 million are Protestants (21.5%). Catholicism is stronger in the southern and western parts of Germany, with the largest religious groups in Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Baden-Württemberg. Saarland is the only German state with a Catholic absolute majority.
Historically, Catholicism was the only official religion within the Holy Roman Empire, and three of the seven seats in the council of electors of the Holy Roman Emperors were occupied by Catholic archbishops. However, in the 16th century, Martin Luther's Reformation led to many people leaving the Catholic Church and becoming Protestant. In the 1870s, Chancellor Otto von Bismarck launched the Kulturkampf ("culture war") against the power of the Pope and the Catholic Church, resulting in the passage of laws such as the Pulpit Law and the Jesuits Law, which restricted the activities of the Church.
In more recent times, the Catholic Church in Germany has faced challenges due to increasing secularization and mixing of religious populations. The number of Catholics attending Sunday Mass has decreased, and exclusively Catholic environments are disintegrating, even in traditional areas like Bavaria. Despite these challenges, the German state continues to support the Catholic Church through financial and educational means, ensuring its significant presence in the country.
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Catholics make up around a third of the German population
Germany is an intercultural and multi-religious country with a dominant Christian church, including both Catholicism and Protestantism. The main religion in Germany is Christianity, with around two-thirds of the population identifying as Christian. Catholics make up around a third of the German population, with 28.5% of the total population being Roman Catholic (23.9 million people as of December 2022). Before the reunification of Germany in 1990, Roman Catholics made up 42% of the population of West Germany.
Catholicism is stronger in the southern and western parts of Germany, with the largest Catholic populations found in Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Baden-Württemberg. The Saarland is the only German state with an absolute Catholic majority. Historically, the Eichsfeld region in Thuringia and the region in the southeast inhabited by Sorbs were the only majority-Catholic areas in East Germany.
The German Catholic Church is well-funded, receiving most of its financial support through the "church tax," which is defined by the German constitution. However, the number of Catholics attending Sunday Mass has decreased over time, and exclusively Catholic environments are disintegrating due to the increasing secularization of German society.
Christianity in Germany also includes the Protestant Church (Evangelical Church in Germany), which is stronger in the northern regions, and smaller Christian denominations such as the Eastern Orthodox Church and Jehovah's Witnesses. Islam is the biggest non-Christian religion, with followers accounting for about 5% of the population, while other minority faiths include Buddhism, Judaism, and Hinduism.
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The German Catholic Church is well-funded
Germany is a multicultural and multi-religious country, with Christianity being the dominant religion. Within the Christian denominations, Protestantism and Catholicism are the most prevalent. However, it is important to note that the number of people actively practising Christianity through church attendance is significantly lower than the number of people identifying as Christian.
Catholicism is stronger in the southern and western parts of Germany, with around half of Christians in the country adhering to this denomination. The German Catholic Church, or the Roman Catholic Church in Germany, is part of the worldwide Catholic Church and is in communion with the Pope and the Roman Curia. It is divided into 27 dioceses, with 28.5% of the total population (approximately 23.9 million people as of December 2022) being Roman Catholic.
In addition to church tax, the German Catholic Church receives funding from various other sources. For example, Catholic schools and colleges in Germany are funded by the Federal and State Departments of Education. Catholic charities also receive a large portion of their income directly from taxation from the central government. Furthermore, the German state maintains church buildings, which are often historic monuments, and provides free healthcare and pensions for all employees of the Church, including the clergy.
The German Catholic Church also engages in worldwide aid funding and development work. In 2023, the Church gave 624 million euros to overseas projects, with Africa being the largest recipient, followed by Asia, Latin America, and Europe. However, there has been a recent decline in aid funding, coinciding with the fall in church tax income. Despite this, Germany is home to some of the world's largest Catholic charities, such as Adveniat, Misereor, and Renovabis, which operate in various regions, including Latin America, the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe.
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The Catholic Church in Germany is part of the worldwide Catholic Church
Germany is a multicultural and multi-religious country. Christianity is the largest religious group in Germany, with around 39.8 million adherents (47.7%) in 2024, of whom 19.8 million are Catholics (23.7%) and 18 million are Protestants (21.5%). Germany has the fifth-largest Catholic population in Europe, constituting 8% of Europe's Catholic population. The Catholic Church in Germany is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, in communion with the Pope, assisted by the Roman Curia, and with the German bishops. The current "Speaker" (Chairman) of the episcopal conference is Georg Bätzing, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Limburg. It is divided into 27 dioceses, 7 of them with the rank of metropolitan sees.
Historically, there were localities with Catholic majorities and cities with Protestant majorities. However, the mobility of modern society has mixed the population. The southern and western parts of Germany are predominantly Catholic, while the northern regions are mostly Protestant. Only one of Germany's Bundesländer (federal states), the Saarland, has a Catholic absolute majority. Catholicism is also the largest religious group in Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Baden-Württemberg. The German state supports both the Catholic and Protestant churches, collecting taxes for them and providing religious education in schools, taught by teachers approved by the churches.
The Catholic Church in Germany faces unique challenges and incentives that set it apart from the institutional Church in other parts of the world. One key factor is its funding model, primarily relying on the "church tax" or "Kirchensteuer." This tax is defined by the German constitution and administered by the government as a percentage of income tax liability, ranging from 8% in some states to 9% in others. While this provides significant revenue for the Church, it also creates a risk as individuals can choose to remove themselves from the Church and stop paying the tax. This dynamic is different from regional churches supported primarily by voluntary offerings. The German Catholic Church considers the church tax an integral part of its identity and function, and those who opt-out may face limitations in their participation in the Church's sacramental life.
The Catholic Church in Germany has also been influenced by historical events such as the Kulturkampf ("culture war") launched by Chancellor Otto von Bismarck against the power of the Pope and the Catholic Church. This led to a systematic purge of Catholics from positions of power in the Imperial and Prussian governments. Additionally, the Peace of Augsburg in 1555 legally partitioned the Holy Roman Empire into Catholic and Protestant territories, with the religion of the ruler determining the religion of the subjects.
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Frequently asked questions
Approximately 28.5% of Germany's population is Catholic, which equates to around 23.9 million people as of December 2022.
Catholicism is more prominent in the southern and western parts of Germany. The Bundesland (federal state) of Saarland has a Catholic absolute majority. Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Baden-Württemberg also have significant Catholic populations. The Eichsfeld region, historically owned by the Archbishops of Mainz, is another predominantly Catholic area.
Germany is a multi-religious country with a rich religious diversity. While Christianity is the largest religious group, Germany does not have a Catholic or Protestant absolute majority. Approximately half of Christians in Germany are Catholic, and the other half are Protestant.
