Religion in the Czech Republic (2021)
[1]
Other Christians (2.4%)
Believers without religion (9.6%)
Other religions (1.2%)
Undeclared (30.1%)
Irreligion in the Czech Republic
pertains to
atheism
,
agnosticism
, and
lack of religious affiliation
in the
Czech Republic
. The history of irreligion in the Czech Republic dates back to 19th century
freethought
and saw additional developments during
Communist
rule. A majority of people in the Czech Republic are irreligious or otherwise unaffiliated, and the country is considered to be one of the most irreligious in the world.
History
[
edit
]
Irreligion among Czechs first became notable in the 1860s with the arrival of freethought in the region. Czech freethought was influenced in particular by
Herbert Spencer
and his interpretation of
positivism
. These ideas of freethought and anti-clericalism were adopted by
progressive
movements that sought to both resist and improve religious ideas in the new country. As
Czechoslovakia
sought independence from
Austria-Hungary
in the early 20th century,
anti-clericalism
developed as part of the newfound national identity, and freethought was suppressed by imperial authorities. After achieving independence, Czechoslovakia enacted laws that protected the
separation of church and state
. The book
Advisor for Citizens with No Confession
was popular among the irreligious, serving as a manual on how to navigate Czech institutions without church affiliation.
[2]
As Czechoslovakia found itself in the
Soviet
sphere of influence in the 1940s, the popularity of positivist freethought among irreligious Czechs fell in favor of
Marxist
atheism. The country eventually fell under Marxist-Leninist authoritarian regime, freethought groups were exterminated, and the translation of western propaganda into Czech was replaced by Marxist-Leninist propaganda.
State atheism
was not enforced as it was in some other countries in the
Soviet sphere of influence
. Czech writers such as
Ivan Svitak
,
Milan Machovec
, and
Vit?zslav Gardavsky
played a major role in developing and spreading atheism in the country, alternatively promoting and criticizing the dogmatic atheism of Marxism-Leninism. This period of independent thought ended with the
invasion of Czechoslovakia
by the Soviet Union in 1968, after which state atheism was strictly enforced. During the final years of Marxist-Leninist rule in Czechoslovakia, popular opinion was indifferent to religious disagreements, favoring neither religious belief nor Marxist atheism.
[2]
Following the
Velvet Revolution
and the
Dissolution of Czechoslovakia
, there was a brief increase in religious affiliation in the Czech Republic. Overwhelming opposition to Marxist-Leninist rule in the country led to the adoption of church affiliation as a political statement, and the 1991 census demonstrated a significant jump in religiosity compared to its status under Marxist-Leninist rule in the 1970s and 1980s. Over time, however, irreligion was shown to have maintained its prevalence in the Czech Republic. Today, the Czech Republic is one of the most irreligious countries in the world.
[3]
Demographics
[
edit
]
Age composition of irreligion in Czechia, 2011
In the 2021 census, 57.4% of Czechs identified as not having a religion or as an irreligious believer.
[1]
In 1998, only 43.0% of Czechs believed in an afterlife, and this number shrank to 36.1% in 2006. Other supernatural beliefs still remain prevalent. As many as 69.7% of Czechs believed in
fortune tellers
in 1998, although the number dropped to 53.0% by 2006.
[3]
Below is a table with statistics of irreligious and unaffiliated Czechs in each census from 1921 to 2021.
[1]
[4]
Religion
|
1921
|
1930
|
1950
|
1991
|
2001
|
2011
|
2021
|
Number
|
%
|
Number
|
%
|
Number
|
%
|
Number
|
%
|
Number
|
%
|
Number
|
%
|
Number
|
%
|
Believers without religion
|
?
|
?
|
?
|
?
|
?
|
?
|
?
|
?
|
?
|
?
|
760,316
|
7.3
|
1,005,788
|
9.6
|
No religion
|
716,515
|
7.2
|
834,144
|
7.8
|
519,962
|
5.8
|
4,112,864
|
39.9
|
6,039,991
|
59.0
|
3,604,095
|
34.5
|
5,027,794
|
47.8
|
Not stated
|
10,871
|
0.1
|
31,033
|
0.3
|
22,889
|
0.3
|
1,665,617
|
16.2
|
901,981
|
8.8
|
4,662,455
|
44.7
|
3,162,540
|
30.1
|
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
"2021 Census: Population by religious belief and by regions"
. Archived from
the original
on 21 January 2022.
- ^
a
b
Toma?, Bubik; Vaclavik, David (February 26, 2020). "Freethinkers and atheists in the Czech Lands in the 20th century". In Bubik, Toma?; Remmel, Atko; Vaclavik, David (eds.).
Freethought and Atheism in Central and Eastern Europe
.
Routledge
. pp. 58?83.
ISBN
9781032173795
.
- ^
a
b
Hamplova, Dana; Ne?por, Zden?k R. (2009). "Invisible Religion in a "Non-believing" Country: The Case of the Czech Republic".
Social Compass
.
56
(4): 581?597.
- ^
"Obyvatelstvo podle nabo?enske viry a pohlavi podle vysledk? s?itani lidu v letech 1921, 1930, 1950, 1991, 2001 a 2011"
[Population by religious belief and sex by 1921, 1930, 1950, 1991, 2001 and 2011 censuses]. Archived from
the original
on 21 January 2022.
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Sovereign states
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States with limited
recognition
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Dependencies and
other entities
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