Which Religion Is Largest in Each European Country, and Which Comes Second?

Last updated November 4, 2026

A popular assumption says Islam is the second religion of almost every European country. Pew Research Center’s 2020 estimates do not support it. Across 43 European countries, people with no religion rank second in 29, while Muslims rank second in only 7.

Christianity is the largest religious group in 38 of 43 European countries. Muslims lead in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, and people with no religion lead in the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. In most other countries the runner-up is the non-religious, not Islam.

Key Takeaways

• In 2020, Europe was 67.1% Christian, 25.3% religiously unaffiliated and 6.0% Muslim, with Buddhists at 0.3%, Hindus at 0.3% and Jews at 0.2%.
• The unaffiliated rank second in 29 countries and Muslims in 7. Christians rank second in 5, and two countries are tied.
• The Czech Republic (72.8%) and the Netherlands (54.1%) are the only countries with a majority of unaffiliated people.
• “Unaffiliated” is wider than “atheist”. It also covers agnostics and people who say their religion is nothing in particular.

Which religion is largest in each European country?

Christians are the biggest group almost everywhere. The exceptions are Kosovo (94.3% Muslim), Albania (74.5%) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (53.6%). Bosnia is easy to overlook, because it is nearly split, with 44.7% Christian. Turkey (97.1%) and Azerbaijan (94.7%), which span Europe and Asia, also have Muslim majorities.

At the continental scale the picture changed fast. Christians fell from 74.6% of Europe in 2010 to 67.1% in 2020.

Religion in Europe, 2010 and 2020 (% of population)

Does the leader’s faith follow the country’s?

The map below colors each country by the faith of its head of government.

Which religion comes second, and is it really Islam?

Pew’s numbers give three groups of countries. In 29 countries the non-religious rank second, among them France (42.6%), the United Kingdom (40.2%), Germany (36.1%), Italy (13.3%) and Poland (8.6%). In 7 countries Muslims rank second. These are Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. In 5 countries Christians rank second, namely Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. Armenia and Moldova are ties for second place at the first decimal.

Largest and second-largest group, selected European countries, 2020 (% of population)

How large is the non-religious share, and does it mean atheism?

Pew’s “religiously unaffiliated” group counts atheists, agnostics and people who describe their religion as nothing in particular. It is therefore larger than a strict atheist share, and the map’s legend should say which of the two it shows. Estonia saw the sharpest rise between 2010 and 2020, with the unaffiliated growing 12 points to 44%. The Netherlands became the second country in Europe with an unaffiliated majority, joining the Czech Republic.

Ten European countries with the largest religiously unaffiliated share, 2020

Frequently asked questions

What is the largest religion in Europe?

Christianity, at 67.1% of Europe’s population in 2020, according to Pew Research Center.

Is Islam the second-largest religion in most European countries?

No. In Pew’s 2020 estimates, people with no religion rank second in 29 of 43 European countries and Muslims rank second in 7.

Which European countries have Muslim majorities?

Kosovo (94.3%), Albania (74.5%) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (53.6%). Turkey and Azerbaijan, which span Europe and Asia, also have Muslim majorities.

Which European countries are mostly non-religious?

The Czech Republic (72.8% unaffiliated) and the Netherlands (54.1%) are the only two where the unaffiliated are a majority.