Religion in Albania

Albania is a secular and religiously diverse country with no official religion. The constitution guarantees freedom of religion, belief and conscience. In the 2023 census, Islam was the largest religious affiliation in Albania at around 51% of the population, mostly Sunni Muslims with a minority of Bektashians. Christianity was the second-largest religion at around 16%, including Catholics, Eastern Orthodox and Evangelicals. About 17% of Albanians identified as irreligious (Atheists and other non-religious), while around 16% did not declare an affiliation. However, religious practice is low even among those who identify with a religion: a 2018 survey by the UNDP found that 62.7% of respondents said they do not actively practice religion, while 37.3% said they do.

Albania has been a secular state since 1912 and thus and currently according to the constitution, the state has to be "neutral in questions of belief and conscience": The former socialist government started the anti-religious campaign in 1967 and declared Albania the world's first constitutionally "atheist state" in 1976 in which believers faced harsh punishments, and many clergymen were killed. Nowadays religious observance and practice is generally lax, and polls have shown that, compared to the populations of other countries, few Albanians consider religion to be a dominant factor in their lives. When asked about religion, people generally refer to their family's historical religious legacy and not to their own choice of faith.