page_title: Religion in the Republic of Ireland
hierarchical_section_title: Religion in the Republic of Ireland
caption_attribution_description: English: Immaculate Conception Catholic Church (Port Clinton, Ohio) - stained glass, St. Patrick
context_page_description: The predominant religion in the Republic of Ireland is Christianity, with the largest church 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 2020 census, 74.3% of the population identified as Catholic which is 209,220 fewer than 10 years earlier in 2010 when the percentage stood at 88%.
  The next largest group after Catholic was "no religion". 12.1% of the population had no religion or did not indicate a religious belief according to the census. This was a 73.6% increase from 2011 Researchers debate the relative significance of secularisation as a general feature of Irish society, the interpretation of census results and the extent to which religious syncretism is becoming more widespread.
  The second largest Christian denomination, the Church of Ireland, declined in membership for most of the twentieth century, but has more recently experienced an increase, as have other small Christian denominations. Other significant Protestant denominations are the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, followed by the Methodist Church in Ireland.
context_section_description: The predominant religion in the Republic of Ireland is Christianity, with the largest church 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 2020 census, 74.3% (3.5 million) of the population identified as Catholic which is 209,220 fewer than 10 years earlier in 2010 when the percentage stood at 88%.
  The next largest group after Catholic was "no religion". 12.1% of the population (516,421 people) had no religion or did not indicate a religious belief according to the census. This was a 73.6% increase from 2011 Researchers debate the relative significance of secularisation as a general feature of Irish society, the interpretation of census results and the extent to which religious syncretism is becoming more widespread.
  The second largest Christian denomination, the Church of Ireland (Anglican), declined in membership for most of the twentieth century, but has more recently experienced an increase, as have other small Christian denominations. Other significant Protestant denominations are the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, followed by the Methodist Church in Ireland. The country's Orthodox Christians, Hindus and Muslims populations have experienced significant growth in recent years, due chiefly to immigration, with Orthodox Christianity being the fastest growing religion in Ireland.
caption: The Christianisation of Ireland is associated with the 5th-century activities of St. Patrick.
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