Religion in Poland

As of the 2021 census, 72.6% of the Polish population is religious, 6.87% declared themselves as irreligious and 20.57% decided not to answer the question.^[1] The decline of religiousness in Poland is one of the fastest out in the world, specified by a report in 2021^[2].

As of 2021, the percentage of people in Poland who identify as Christians is 72.43% of the population. 71.30% of the population identify themselves as Roman Catholics. About 150 thousand Orthodox people live in Poland, most of whom are members of the Polish Orthodox Church. Protestant groups are estimated to be about 60 thousand believers, especially Evangelical Lutheran Church in Poland. Poland as a religious Catholic Christian country is diverse in terms of the way of practice for example 28% of people go to church weekly^[3]. Some people consider themself Catholic due to the celebrations, traditions, customs and religious ties they keep with the Polish culture.

Mieszko I, the prince of Poland was baptised in 966. He was the first Christian ruler.

Catholics in Poland are a group of people that contains two subgroups:

• Roman Catholic Church
• Greek Catholic Church

The second one was established in Poland in the 17th century between some groups of Orthodox people and Roman Catholic Church.

The most important pilgrimage destinations in the country are: Jasna Góra in Częstochowa and Licheń. The most known Polish saints of the Roman Catholic Church include: John Paul II, Maximilian Kolbe, and Jerzy Popiełuszko^[4].

Jews have been living in Poland for more than a thousand years. Until World War II, there were more Jews in Poland than anywhere outside the United States, with approximately 3 million Jews living in Poland.^[5] A vast majority was killed during Holocaust or emigrated in the period of antisemitism after World War II. Currently there are about 10,000 Polish Jews, most of whom live in large cities such as Warsaw, Kraków or Łódź.

A 2021 census states that there are 2209 Muslims (less than 0.01% of the population) living in Poland. There are 3 mosques in Poland, the oldest in Bohoniki and Kruszyniany. Little but some Muslims have lived in Poland for over 500 years, especially in Podlaskie Voivodeship.