Religion by Country
Religion in the Netherlands: Statistics, Demographics & Trends
In under two centuries the Netherlands went from near-universal church membership to a clear non-religious majority.
Quick answer
In 2023, 58% of people in the Netherlands said they had no religious affiliation, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS). 17% were Roman Catholic, 13% Protestant and 6% Muslim, with the remaining 6% belonging to other religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism, or other Christian groups.
- Largest group
- No religion — 58%
- Largest religion
- Roman Catholic — 17%
- Largest minority faith
- Islam — 6%
- Data source
- Statistics Netherlands (CBS) surveys
- Reference year
- 2023
The Netherlands at a glance
The Netherlands has changed from one of Europe’s most church-organised societies into one of its most secular within a few generations. In 1849 almost everyone belonged to a church, and the country was split between a Protestant majority and a large Catholic minority. By 2023, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), 58% of the population said they had no religious affiliation. Catholics (17%) and Protestants (13%) are now both minorities, and Muslims make up 6%.
| Religion | Share |
|---|---|
| No religion | 58% |
| Roman Catholic | 17% |
| Protestant | 13% |
| Muslim | 6% |
| Other religions | 6% |
The major religious groups
No religion (58%) is the majority position. The non-religious share was about 2% in the mid-nineteenth century, reached 17% just after the Second World War and 18% by the 1960 census (when Catholics also overtook Protestants as the largest church), then rose steeply from the late 1960s onward. Roman Catholics (17%) are historically concentrated in the southern provinces of North Brabant and Limburg. Protestants (13%) include the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN), formed in 2004 from a merger of the main Reformed and Lutheran churches, as well as smaller orthodox Reformed churches. Muslims (6%) are mainly of Turkish or Moroccan origin, with smaller communities with roots in Suriname, Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere.
From pillarisation to secularisation
For much of the twentieth century, Dutch society was organised into “pillars” (verzuiling): Protestant, Catholic, socialist and liberal communities each had their own political parties, newspapers, broadcasters, schools, trade unions and sports clubs. Religion shaped not only belief but daily social life. From the 1960s this system eroded quickly, and church membership fell with it. Some of the pillar structure survives, for example in the constitutional freedom to found faith-based schools, which are publicly funded on the same basis as state schools.
| Year | Protestant | Roman Catholic | No religion |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1849 | 56% | 38% | ≈ 0% |
| Shortly after 1945 | 40% | 38% | 17% |
| 2023 | 13% | 17% | 58% |
How the Netherlands measures religion
Religious affiliation is no longer recorded in a census. The last traditional Dutch census was held in 1971. Current figures come from CBS surveys that ask people directly about their religious affiliation. Until 2005, the number of Muslims was estimated from the religious make-up of migrants’ countries of origin. That method was dropped after surveys showed migrants’ affiliation differed from their origin countries, and since 2010 CBS has reported Islam separately rather than under “other”. For another largely secular northern European country, see religion in Germany.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main religion in the Netherlands?
Most people in the Netherlands (58% in 2023) have no religious affiliation. Among those who do, Roman Catholicism is the largest (17%), followed by Protestantism (13%) and Islam (6%), according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS).
Is the Netherlands a Protestant country?
Historically yes: in 1849, 56% of the population was Protestant. Catholics overtook Protestants by the 1960 census, and today both are minorities, with Protestants at 13% of the population in 2023.
How many Muslims live in the Netherlands?
About 6% of the population identified as Muslim in 2023, according to CBS. The largest groups are of Turkish and Moroccan origin, following labour migration from the 1960s onward.
What was pillarisation?
Pillarisation (verzuiling) was the organisation of Dutch society into separate Protestant, Catholic, socialist and liberal communities, each with its own parties, media, schools and associations. It dominated much of the twentieth century and declined rapidly from the 1960s.
Sources & methodology
Figures are from Statistics Netherlands (CBS), which now measures religious affiliation through surveys rather than a census. Shares are rounded to whole percentages as published by CBS; “other” is derived as the remainder of the published categories.
- Statistics Netherlands (CBS), “What are the major religions?”, CBS, The Netherlands in Numbers 2024.
- CBS StatLine, “Church affiliation and church attendance; from 1849 onwards” (Dutch).