In short
Faith in Germany is becoming individualized and moderate. Daily prayer fell from 23% to 17% and strong belief in God from 47% to 38%, according to the Bertelsmann Religionsmonitor. About 46% of Germans still believe in God, but the figure is declining, and only 28% believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Allensbach). Belief in a personal God stands at just 16 to 19% (fowid). The change is sharpest among the youngest: 41% of 16 to 24 year olds firmly intend to leave the church.
- Daily prayer in Germany fell from 23% to 17%, and strong belief in God from 47% to 38% (Bertelsmann Religionsmonitor, 2024).
- About 46% of Germans still believe in God, but the figure is declining, and only 28% believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Allensbach).
- Belief in a personal God stands at just 16 to 19% of the population (fowid).
- 41% of 16 to 24 year olds firmly intend to leave the church (Bertelsmann Religionsmonitor, 2024).
Religiosity in Germany is not simply disappearing, it is changing. Faith is becoming individualized and moderate, and most believers now take part in congregational rituals rarely or not at all. The Bertelsmann Religionsmonitor, collected in 2024 by the polling institute forsa with 3,002 respondents, shows a clear decline in both prayer and belief in God. At the same time, according to the Institut fuer Demoskopie Allensbach, about 46% of Germans still believe in God, while only 28% believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. The figures below draw on the Bertelsmann Religionsmonitor, fowid, Allensbach, and the EKD Kirchenmitgliedschaftsuntersuchung, the most authoritative sources on faith and belief in Germany.
Key findings at a glance
| Metric | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily prayer (down from 23%) | 17% | 2024 | Bertelsmann Religionsmonitor |
| Strong belief in God (down from 47%) | 38% | 2024 | Bertelsmann Religionsmonitor |
| Belief in God (declining) | about 46% | 2025 | Institut fuer Demoskopie Allensbach |
| Jesus Christ as the Son of God | 28% | 2025 | Institut fuer Demoskopie Allensbach |
| Belief in a personal God | 16-19% | 2024 | fowid |
| 16 to 24 year olds firmly intending to leave | 41% | 2024 | Bertelsmann Religionsmonitor |
Prayer and belief in God
The change in religiosity shows most clearly in prayer and belief in God. The Bertelsmann Religionsmonitor records a clear decline in both. Fewer and fewer people pray daily, and the share with a strong belief in God is shrinking too. Faith is becoming more moderate, not militantly atheist, but less firm and less anchored in everyday life.
The share of people in Germany who pray daily fell from 23% to 17%, according to the Bertelsmann Religionsmonitor 2024.
The share with a strong belief in God fell from 47% to 38%, according to the Bertelsmann Religionsmonitor 2024.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily prayer (before) | 23% | 2024 | Bertelsmann Religionsmonitor |
| Daily prayer (current) | 17% | 2024 | Bertelsmann Religionsmonitor |
| Strong belief in God (before) | 47% | 2024 | Bertelsmann Religionsmonitor |
| Strong belief in God (current) | 38% | 2024 | Bertelsmann Religionsmonitor |
Build a daily prayer habit
Pray Focus helps you pray every day by gently locking distracting apps during your prayer time.
What Germans actually believe
Belief in God in Germany today is layered and often vague. About 46% of Germans still believe in God, according to Allensbach, but that share is declining. Far fewer, only 28%, believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and belief in a personal God of the kind the churches teach stands at just 16 to 19%, according to fowid. Religiosity is becoming individualized: many keep a general belief without sharing the specific doctrines.
About 46% of Germans believe in God, a declining figure, according to the Institut fuer Demoskopie Allensbach.
In February 2025, 28% of Germans believed Jesus Christ is the Son of God, according to the Institut fuer Demoskopie Allensbach.
Only 16 to 19% of the population believe in a personal God, according to fowid.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belief in God (declining) | about 46% | 2025 | Institut fuer Demoskopie Allensbach |
| Jesus Christ as the Son of God | 28% | 2025 | Institut fuer Demoskopie Allensbach |
| Belief in a personal God | 16-19% | 2024 | fowid |
| Positive view of Christianity (2004) | 46% | 2004 | Institut fuer Demoskopie Allensbach |
| Positive view of Christianity (2025) | 36% | 2025 | Institut fuer Demoskopie Allensbach |
How researchers measure this
Reliable statements about faith and belief rest on several independent studies. The EKD Kirchenmitgliedschaftsuntersuchung (KMU) is the most extensive long-term study, the Bertelsmann Religionsmonitor provides recurring representative snapshots, and the Institut fuer Demoskopie Allensbach has tracked belief in God across decades. Together they paint a consistent picture of a religiosity that is becoming individualized and moderate.
For the sixth Church Membership Study (KMU 6), over 5,000 people were interviewed in 2022, and for the first time Catholics were surveyed alongside Protestants and the non-affiliated, according to the EKD.
The Bertelsmann Religionsmonitor rests on a forsa survey of 3,002 people in 2024, according to the Bertelsmann Stiftung.
| Study | Sample / feature | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| KMU 6 (respondents) | over 5,000 | 2022 | Kirchenmitgliedschaftsuntersuchung |
| Religionsmonitor (forsa respondents) | 3,002 | 2024 | Bertelsmann Religionsmonitor |
| Belief in God (Allensbach) | about 46% | 2025 | Institut fuer Demoskopie Allensbach |
| 16 to 24 year olds firmly intending to leave | 41% | 2024 | Bertelsmann Religionsmonitor |
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. Figures on prayer, belief in God, and the intention to leave come from the Bertelsmann Religionsmonitor, whose fieldwork was carried out in 2024 by the polling institute forsa with 3,002 respondents. The share who believe in a personal God comes from fowid. The broader belief in God and the view of Christianity come from the Institut fuer Demoskopie Allensbach, with the Jesus figure from a February 2025 survey. The methodological frame draws on the sixth Church Membership Study (KMU 6) of the EKD. Where data years differ, we use the most recent published year and label it.
Want to slow down and pray instead of scrolling through social media? Pray Focus pairs distraction-free prayer time with a free library of Scripture-based and traditional prayers by theme, Catholic, Protestant, and beyond.
Learn to pray.Make it a daily habit.
One email at a time, at your pace
Join our free email course and learn simple, time-tested ways to pray, with one small thing to try each time, so prayer slowly becomes part of your day.
- 8 short lessons: the Daily Examen, Lectio Divina, ACTS and more
- One tiny exercise each time, so praying becomes a habit
- Gentle and practical, never preachy. Free, forever.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
Related articles
Church Statistics
Church Attendance Statistics: Weekly Attendance Now vs Two Decades Ago (2025)
Weekly church attendance in the US has fallen from about 42% two decades ago to roughly 30% today. Here is what Gallup, Pew, PRRI, and the Hartford Institute actually found, including a first rise in congregation attendance in 25 years.
Church Statistics
Christianity in America: Statistics and Trends (2025)
About 62% of US adults identify as Christian, down from 78% in 2007 but broadly stable since 2019. Here is what Pew, PRRI, and Gallup actually found on belief, prayer, attendance, and the decline that appears to have leveled off.
Church Statistics
Global Christianity Statistics: How Many Christians (2025)
About 2.65 billion Christians worldwide in 2025, still the largest faith, with 68.9% now in the Global South. Here is what Gordon-Conwell, Pew, and the Vatican actually found on the size and shape of world Christianity.