Study title

The religious denomination in the area of the old Federal Republic of Germany remained 1871-1970 largely constant. Since the 1970s, however, a growing secularization of society can be observed (Wolf, C., 2003: Religion and family in Germany, in:. Journal of Protestant ethics, 47. Jg, pp 53-71; see also the study: Wolf, C., 2000: religion in West Germany from 1939 to 1987; Archive no. ZA8146; in HISTAT). The German Reunification changed, finally,the denominational structure of the Federal Republic considerably. The present data collection on religious affiliation in Germany summarizes the data from the censuses of the prewar period and the postwar period as well as the census of 2011. Followers of selected religions (i.e. Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism) could have disproportionately often made use of the possibility to give no answer to the question of religious affiliation. According to the actual assumptions on religious affiliation in Germany the group of those who rejected an answer should be consist mainly of non-believers. Concerning to the adherents of other world religions such as for example the Islam the statistical gaps would have to be closed by scientific methods (Sabine Bechthold, Statistisches Bundesamt 2013). Needless to say, that the official data on religious affiliation are not statements about religious beliefs or attitudes, but about the legal membership of a religious society or Association of. The information of the census will be complemented by the development of the church membership figures in Germany (Catholic, Protestant members). Data tables in HISTAT: A.01 Religionszugehörigkeit in Deutschland, in Prozent (1950-2011) A.02 Bevölkerung nach Religionszugehörigkeit und Bundesländern, in Prozent (1950-2011) B.01 Religionszugehörigkeit in Deutschland, Mitgliederzahlen in Tausend und in Prozent (1950-2012)