Religion in Albania

Religion In Albania

The most common religions practiced in Albania are Islam and Christianity. In 1967, religious practices were officially banned in Albania, making the country the first and only constitutionally atheist state to ever exist. After the fall of state communism, in 1991 religious activities resumed.

Among people who follow any of the four major religions in Albania, there is a mixture of various religious traditions and pagan traditions coming from time before Christianity.All mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice." The 2011 Census had declared the following affiliations: 56.7% Islam, 10.03% Roman Catholic, 6.75% Albanian Orthodox, 2.5% Atheist, 2.09 Bektashi, and 0.14% Protestant/Evangelical. The Orthodox percentage reported might be lower than the actual number as a huge chunk of the population in the south refused to answer questions about religion, due to protests started by the political party Aleanca Kuq e Zi.

However, even among those who declared a religion, the majority of the population in Albania has a more secular interpretation of religion than would be found in other countries. A Pew Research found out that only 15% of the Muslim population for example, consider religion as a very important factor in their lives, which was the lowest percentage in the world amongst countries with significant Muslim populations. Another survey conducted by Gallup Global Reports 2010 shows that religion plays a role to 39% of Albanians, and lists Albania as the thirteenth least religious country in the world.