page_title: Religion in Sweden
section_title: Demographics
hierarchical_section_title: Religion in Sweden / Demographics
caption_attribution_description: English: Buddhist temple, Rosersberg, Stockholm, Sweden 2011
context_page_description: Religion in Sweden has, over the years, become increasingly diverse. Christianity was the religion of virtually all of the Swedish population from the 12th to the early 20th century, but it has rapidly declined throughout the late 20th and early 21st century.
  Christianity came to Sweden as early as the 9th century mainly as a result of an expansion in trade. The ancient Nordic religions were slowly replaced. Several centuries later all monarchs were Christian and Christianity became the established official religion. The church belonged to the Catholic Church until 1527 when the Swedish state church was established as a Protestant church based on Lutheran principles, following the Protestant Reformation enacted by Martin Luther which converted most of Germanic Europe. The Lutheran Church of Sweden was formed and remained the official religion of the Christian state until the turn of the 21st century.
  In recent years, the Swedish religious landscape has become increasingly diverse, with Christians comprising in 2016 some 67.8% of the total population and rising numbers of people of other religions and people who don't belong to any church.
context_section_description: The constitution of Sweden provides for freedom of religion, and the government generally respects this right in practice. The government at all levels seeks to protect this right in full and does not tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. The rights and freedoms enumerated in the constitution include the rights to practice one's religion and protection of religious freedom. The laws concerning religious freedoms are generally observed and enforced at all government levels and by the courts in a non-discriminatory fashion. Legal protections cover discrimination or persecution by private actors.
  In the early 2000s about 80% of Swedes belonged to the Church of Sweden. By the end of 2019, this figure had fallen to 56.4%. Other religious organizations keep count of their registered membership, and as reported in the table, as of 2016 the largest religious denominations after the Church of Sweden (61.1%) were the officially registered Muslims (1.5%), members of Orthodox Churches (1.5%) members of the Uniting Church in Sweden (1.2%) and Catholics (1.2%).
  Eight recognized religious denominations, in addition to the Church of Sweden, raise revenues through member-contributions made through the national tax system. All recognized denominations are entitled to direct government financial support, contributions made through the national tax system, or a mix of both. Certain Christian holidays are national holidays. School students from minority religious backgrounds are entitled to take relevant religious holidays. No recognition or registration is required to carry out religious activity. Religious groups that want to receive government aid may apply for it.
  Education about all major world religions is compulsory in public schools. Parents may send their children to religious charter schools, all of which receive school vouchers, provided they adhere to government guidelines on core academic curriculum. The Office of the Ombudsman against Ethnic Discrimination investigates claims of discrimination "due to race, skin color, national or ethnic origin, or religion". Discrimination on religious grounds is illegal, including discrimination in the work place and in the provision of public and private services.
caption: A temple of Chinese Buddhism in Rosersberg, Stockholm.
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