In short
Sweden is one of the most secular countries on earth. Membership in the Church of Sweden, the former state church, fell to about 51% of the population in 2024, down from 70% in 2010, according to the Church of Sweden. That was about 5.5 million members in 2023. Statistics Sweden puts the religiously unaffiliated at about 35% of the population. Most Swedes who still belong to the Church of Sweden are non-practicing, and church and state formally separated in 2000. Pew Research has documented that Western European Christian identity is often cultural rather than practicing.
- Church of Sweden membership fell to about 51% of the population in 2024, down from 70% in 2010 (Church of Sweden).
- The Church of Sweden had about 5.5 million members in 2023 (Church of Sweden).
- About 35% of the population is religiously unaffiliated (Statistics Sweden).
- Most members of the Church of Sweden are non-practicing, and church and state formally separated in 2000; Pew has shown Western European Christian identity is often cultural rather than practicing.
Sweden was long a Lutheran country with a single dominant state church, but it is now among the most secular societies in the world. Membership in the Church of Sweden (Svenska kyrkan), the former state church, fell to about 51% of the population in 2024, down from 70% in 2010, according to the Church of Sweden. Those are registered, self-reported membership records rather than survey estimates. In 2023 the church still counted about 5.5 million members. At the same time Statistics Sweden puts the religiously unaffiliated at about 35% of the population. Church and state formally separated in 2000, and most remaining members are non-practicing. The figures below draw on the Church of Sweden, Statistics Sweden, and Pew Research Center, the most authoritative sources on Christianity in Sweden.
Key findings at a glance
| Metric | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Church of Sweden membership share | 51% | 2024 | Church of Sweden |
| Church of Sweden membership share (2010) | 70% | 2010 | Church of Sweden |
| Church of Sweden members | 5.5 million | 2023 | Church of Sweden |
| Religiously unaffiliated | 35% | 2024 | Statistics Sweden |
| Church and state separated | year 2000 | 2000 | Church of Sweden |
A shrinking national church
Christianity in Sweden is dominated by the Church of Sweden, the Evangelical Lutheran body that was the state church until 2000. Its membership numbers are reliable because belonging is a registered, self-reported status rather than something inferred from a survey. Over the past decade and a half the share of the population that belongs has fallen steeply.
Church of Sweden membership fell to about 51% of the population in 2024, down from 70% in 2010, according to the Church of Sweden.
The Church of Sweden had about 5.5 million members in 2023, according to the Church of Sweden.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Membership share of the population | 51% | 2024 | Church of Sweden |
| Membership share of the population | 70% | 2010 | Church of Sweden |
| Total members | 5.5 million | 2023 | Church of Sweden |
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One of the world's most secular societies
Sweden is consistently ranked among the most secular countries on earth. Alongside the declining national church, a large and growing share of the population reports no religious affiliation at all. Statistics Sweden tracks this shift in the wider population.
About 35% of the population in Sweden is religiously unaffiliated, according to Statistics Sweden.
Church and state in Sweden formally separated in the year 2000, ending the Church of Sweden's status as the state church, according to the Church of Sweden.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Religiously unaffiliated | 35% | 2024 | Statistics Sweden |
| Church of Sweden membership share | 51% | 2024 | Church of Sweden |
| Church and state separated | year 2000 | 2000 | Church of Sweden |
Belonging without believing
Formal membership says little about lived faith. Most Swedes who still belong to the Church of Sweden are non-practicing, treating membership as a cultural and civic identity rather than an active religious commitment. Pew Research Center has documented that across Western Europe Christian identity is often cultural rather than practicing.
About 51% of the population belonged to the Church of Sweden in 2024, but most members are non-practicing, according to the Church of Sweden.
Pew Research Center has documented that Western European Christian identity is often cultural rather than practicing, describing a pattern of belonging without regular practice.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Church of Sweden membership share | 51% | 2024 | Church of Sweden |
| Members are largely | non-practicing | 2024 | Church of Sweden |
| Western European Christian identity | often cultural | 2018 | Pew Research Center |
How we compiled these statistics
Every number on this page is traceable to a primary source and dated to the year the data were collected. Membership figures and the church-state separation come from the Church of Sweden, whose membership is a registered, self-reported status. The share of the population that is religiously unaffiliated comes from Statistics Sweden. The context that Western European Christian identity is often cultural rather than practicing comes from Pew Research Center. Where data years differ, we use the most recent published year and label it.
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