Religion in Italy

Catholicism is by far the largest religious group in Italy. (Catholics make up for the 87.8% of the populations, with 36.8% considering themselves practicing Catholics and 30.8% attending Church every Sunday [ [http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Cronache/2006/01_Gennaio/17/cattolici.shtml Corriere della Sera - Italia, quasi l'88% si proclama cattolico ] ] ). However, there are also some important religious minorities.

According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll 2005 [ [http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_225_report_en.pdf ReportDGResearchSocialValuesEN2.PDF ] ] :
* 74% of Italian citizens responded that "they believe there is a God";
* 16% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force";
* 6% answered that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force".

Demography

This is a scheme of the religious composition of Italian population (58,751,711 - 2006, estimated):
*Christians: 53,550,000 (91.2%)
**Catholics: 51,600,000 (87.8%)
***Roman Catholics: 51,500,000 (87.6%)
***Eastern Rite Catholics: 100,000 (0.2%)
****Italo-Albanians: 60,000 (0.1%) [ [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/country/scit1.html Italy, Statistics by Diocese, by Catholic Population [Catholic-Hierarchy ] ]
****Others (Romanian-Catholics, Ukrainian Greek Catholics, Armenian Catholics, etc.): 40,000 (0.07%)
**Other Christians: 2,150,000 (3.7%)
***Eastern Orthodoxes: 940,000 (1.6%) [ [http://www.db.caritas.glauco.it/caritastest/informiamoci/Riviste_e_pubblicazioni/Sussidi2007/Libri/dossierimmigrazione2007/materiale/panorama_multireligioso.pdf Caritas Dossier Immigrazione 2007] ]
****Romanian Orthodoxes: 500,000 (0.85%)
****Ukrainian Orthodoxes: 180,000 (0,31%)
****Moldovan Orthodoxes: 90,000 (0,15%)
****Others (Bulgarian Orthodoxes, Serbian Orthodoxes, Greek Orthodoxes, Russian Orthodoxes, etc.): 180,000 (0.31%)
***Protestants: 675,000 (1.1%)
****Evangelicals and Pentecostals: 550,000 (0.94%)
*****Assemblies of God: 400,000 (0.68%)
*****Others: 150,000 (0.25%)
****Mainline Protestants: 125,000 (0.20%) [ [http://www.chiesavaldese.org/pages/storia/dove_viviamo.php Chiesa Evangelica Valdese - Unione delle chiese Metodiste e Valdesi ] ] [ [http://www.chiesabattistadiconversano.it/i_protestanti_in_italia.html http://www.chiesabattistadiconversano.it/i_protestanti_in_italia.html] ]
*****Waldensians and Methodists: 36,000 (0.06%
******Waldensians: 30,000 (0.05%)
******Methodists: 6,000 (0.01%)
*****Seventh-day Adventists: 25,000 (0.04%)
*****Baptists: 20,000 (0.03%)
*****Brethren: 10,000 (0.02%)
*****Lutherans: 8,000 (0.01%)
*****Others (Disciples of Christ, Reformed, Presbyterians, Mennonites, etc.): 25,000 (0.04%)
***Jehovah's Witnesses: 500,000 (0.85%)
***Latter-day Saints: 22,000 (0.04%)
***Anglicans: 15,000 (0.03%)
*Muslims: 1,210,000 (2.1%) [ [http://www.db.caritas.glauco.it/caritastest/informiamoci/Riviste_e_pubblicazioni/Sussidi2007/Libri/dossierimmigrazione2007/materiale/panorama_multireligioso.pdf Caritas Dossier Immigrazione 2007] ]
*Buddhists: 160,000 (0.3%) [ [http://www.db.caritas.glauco.it/caritastest/informiamoci/Riviste_e_pubblicazioni/Sussidi2007/Libri/dossierimmigrazione2007/materiale/panorama_multireligioso.pdf Caritas Dossier Immigrazione 2007] ]
*Hindus: 115,000 (0.2%) [ [http://www.db.caritas.glauco.it/caritastest/informiamoci/Riviste_e_pubblicazioni/Sussidi2007/Libri/dossierimmigrazione2007/materiale/panorama_multireligioso.pdf Caritas Dossier Immigrazione 2007] ]
*Sikhs: 70,000 (0.1%) [ [http://www.etnomedia.org/14.htm Etnomedia ] ]
*Jews: 45,000 (0.1%)
*No Religion: 3,400,000 (5.8%)

References