Religion in Belgium

Religion In Belgium

Religion in Belgium (2000s)

Christianity, in particular Catholicism, is the biggest religion in Belgium with about 57% of the population adhering to the Catholic Church, 1.7% to Protestantism, and 0.3% to Orthodox Christian Churches. Apart from Catholicism, other religions recognised by the Belgian state are Islam, Judaism, Protestantism, Anglicanism and the Orthodox Church. Belgium has a separation between the Church and State, and freedom of religion. Consequently, the State cannot force someone to adhere to a certain religion nor can it ask someone to which he or she adheres. 4% of the population is made up of mostly Muslim immigrants and other religions. Others estimate the Muslim population to be larger, 6% (3.9% in Flanders, 4% in Wallonia, 25.5% in Brussels), or even 8.1% as of 2011 (considering all the immigrant people with Islamic background). A 2006 inquiry in Flanders showed 55% of its inhabitants calling themselves religious, while 36% claimed belief that God created the world.