The religious landscape in France has experienced profound diversification since the 1905 law on the separation of Church and State, according to an article by Kékeli Koffi published on reliactu.fr. In addition to the four faiths formally recognized at the beginning of the 20th century – Catholicism, Reformed and Lutheran Protestantism, and Judaism – new religions emerged.
“Islam, Buddhism and Orthodoxy imposed themselves, giving France the status of European state with the largest number of Muslims, Jewish and Buddhist believers,” writes Koffi. Although official data on the religious affiliation of individuals has not been collected since 1872, an overview of the current situation can be sketched:
Catholicism remains the predominant religion in France, although its influence has declined significantly since the 1980s. Currently, more than 60% of the population identifies as Catholic, but only 10% actively practice. Atheism and agnosticism are constantly increasing, with nearly 30% of French people declaring themselves non-religious. Islam is the second largest religion in France, with around 5 million Muslims – practicing and non-practicing – or around 6% of the population. Protestantism represents 2% of the population, or approximately 1.2 million individuals. Judaism has around 600,000 followers (1%), most of them of Sephardic origin. There are 300,000 Buddhist believers in France, mainly of Asian origin, plus 100,000 others, bringing the total to 400,000.
Koffi notes that other religious movements are also showing vitality, despite controversies. Among them, Hindus are estimated at some 150,000, Jehovah’s Witnesses number 140,000, Scientologists nearly 40,000 and Sikhs totaling some 30,000, concentrated in Seine-Saint-Denis.
This changing landscape raises questions about the relevance of ancient models of managing religion, Koffi concludes. If the 1905 law itself seems capable of resisting time and change, institutions like the Office of Religious Affairs of the Ministry of the Interior have not adapted to the new reality and continue to function as if it were not There were only a handful of denominations in France.
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