Religious beliefs in Denmark

The established church, which is the Evangelical Lutheran Church, is by far the largest (encompassing 85.4% of the population in 1998) religious community. Various other Christian churches are also represented in Denmark and have been accorded the status of officially recognized religious communities. These are the Roman Catholic Church with c. 35,000 members, the Danish Baptist Church with c. 5500 adult members and the Pentecostal churches with c. 5000 members. Communities with 3000 members and under include the Seventh Day Adventists, the Catholic Apostolic Church, the Reformed Churches in Fredericia and Copenhagen, the Salvation Army, the Methodist Church, the Anglican Church and the Russian Orthodox Church in Copenhagen.

The oldest of the non-Christian communities in Denmark is the Jewish Community with around 3100 members. During the last decades of the 20th century, the largest of the non-Christian communities has been dominated by Muslim immigrants; on the basis of the number of immigrants from Muslim countries now resident in Denmark, the number is estimated to be around 119,000 (1998), made up of a number of mutually independent Islamic communities.

Ecclesiastical and religious matters in Denmark are subject to the Constitution. The Evangelical Lutheran Church is supported by the State.