| France religiosity | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| religion | percent | |||
| Christianity | 54% | |||
| Not religious | 25% | |||
| Islam | 4% | |||
| Buddhism | 1.2% | |||
| Judaism | 1.2% | |||
| Other religions or no opinion | 10% | |||
France is a secular country as freedom of religion is a constitutional right. According to a January 2007 poll by the Catholic World News:[61][62] 51% identified as being Catholics, 31% identified as being agnostics or atheists (another poll[63] sets the proportion of atheists equal to 27%), 10% identified as being from other religions or being without opinion, 4% identified as Muslim, 3% identified as Protestant, 1% identified as Buddhist, 1% identified as Jewish.
According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll 2005,[64] 34% of French citizens responded that “they believe there is a god”, whereas 27% answered that “they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force” and 33% that “they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, god, or life force”. One other study shows 32% of people in France declaring themselves to be atheists, and another 32% declaring themselves “sceptical about the existence of God but not an atheist”.[65]
The current Jewish community in France numbers around 600,000 according to the World Jewish Congress and is the largest in Europe. Estimates of the number of Muslims in France vary widely. According to the 1999 French census returns, there were only 3.7 million people of “possible Muslim faith” in France (6.3% of the total population). In 2003, the French Ministry of the Interior estimated the total number of Muslims to be 5–6 millions.[66][67]
The concept of laïcité exists in France and because of this, since 1905, the French government is legally prohibited from recognizing any religion (except for legacy statutes like those of military chaplains and Alsace-Moselle). Instead, it merely recognizes religious organizations, according to formal legal criteria that do not address religious doctrine. Conversely, religious organizations should refrain from intervening in policy-making. Tensions occasionally erupt about alleged discrimination against minorities, especially Muslims (see Islam in France).
Certain body of beliefs such as Scientology, Children of God, the Unification Church, or the Order of the Solar Temple are considered sects and therefore do not have the same status as religions in France. "Sect" is considered a pejorative term in France.
