Editing Demographics of Italy (section)

== Religion ==
{{Main|Religion in Italy}}
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Religion in Italy according to the [[Eurobarometer]] survey, 2021<ref name="2021 Eurobarometer">{{cite web|url=https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/s2237_95_2_516_eng?locale=en|via=[[European Data Portal]] (see Volume C: Country/socio-demographics: IT: Question D90.2.)|title=Special Eurobarometer 516|publisher=[[European Union]]: [[European Commission]]|date=September 2021|access-date=24 September 2021}}</ref>
|label1 = [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]]
|value1 = 79.2
|color1 = SkyBlue
|label2 = [[Eastern Orthodoxy]]
|value2 = 3.5
|color2 = Blue
|label3 = [[Protestantism]]
|value3 = 0.3
|color3 = DarkBlue
|label4 = [[List of Christian denominations|Other Christian]]
|value4 = 1.4
|color4 = DarkGreen
|label5 = [[Islam]]
|value5 = 1.0
|color5 = Green
|label6 = [[Buddhism]]
|value6 = 0.4
|color6 = Yellow
|label7 = [[Hinduism]]
|value7 = 0.3
|color7 = Orange
|label8 = [[Judaism]]
|value8 = 0.1
|color8 = Red
|label9 = Other
|value9 = 1.4
|color9 = GreenYellow
|label10 = [[Agnosticism]]
|value10 = 7.5
|color10 = White
|label11 = [[Atheism]]
|value11 = 4.1
|color11 = Black
|label12 = Undeclared
|value12 = 1.0
|color12 = Grey
|label13 = [[Sikhism]]
|value13 = 0.3
|color13 = red
}}
[[Roman Catholicism]] is by far the largest religion in the country, although the Catholic Church is no longer officially the [[state religion]]. In 2006, 87.8% of Italy's population self-identified as Roman Catholic,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Cronache/2006/01_Gennaio/17/cattolici.shtml|title=Italy: 88% of Italy's population declare themselves Catholic|publisher=Corriere della Sera|date=18 January 2006|access-date = 10 May 2009|language=it}}</ref> although only about one-third of these described themselves as active members (36.8%). In 2016, 71.1% of ''Italian citizens'' self-identified as Roman Catholic.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eurispes.eu/content/rapporto-italia-2016-la-sindrome-del-palio|title=Rapporto Italia 2016. La sindrome del Palio|date=28 January 2016 |access-date = 10 November 2018|language=it}}</ref> This increased again to 78% in 2018.<ref name="2016Montaigne-IFOP"/>

Most Italians believe in God, or a form of a spiritual life force. According to a [[Eurobarometer]] Poll in 2005:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_225_report_en.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060524004644/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_225_report_en.pdf|url-status=dead|title=ReportDGResearchSocialValuesEN2.PDF|archivedate=24 May 2006}}</ref> 74% of Italian citizens responded that 'they believe there is a God', 16% answered that 'they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force' and 6% answered that 'they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force'. There are no data collected through census.

===Christianity===
The Italian Catholic Church is part of the global Roman Catholic Church, under the leadership of the Pope, [[curia]] in Rome, and the [[Conference of Italian Bishops]]. In addition to Italy, two other sovereign nations are included in Italian-based dioceses, [[San Marino]] and [[Vatican City]]. There are 225 dioceses in the Italian Catholic Church, see further in this article and in the article [[List of the Roman Catholic dioceses in Italy]]. Even though by law Vatican City is not part of Italy, it is in Rome, and along with [[Latin]], Italian is the most spoken and second language of the [[Roman Curia]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/country_profiles/1066140.stm|publisher=BBC News|title=Country profile: Vatican|date=26 October 2009|access-date=5 May 2010}}</ref>

Italy has a rich [[Catholic culture]], especially as numerous Catholic [[saint]]s, [[martyr]]s and popes were Italian themselves. Roman Catholic art in Italy especially flourished during the [[Middle Ages]], [[Renaissance]] and [[Baroque]] periods, with numerous Italian artists, such as [[Michelangelo]], [[Leonardo da Vinci]], [[Raphael]], [[Caravaggio]], [[Fra Angelico]], [[Gian Lorenzo Bernini]], [[Sandro Botticelli]], [[Tintoretto]], [[Titian]] and [[Giotto]]. Roman Catholic architecture in Italy is equally as rich and impressive, with churches, basilicas and cathedrals such as [[St Peter's Basilica]], [[Florence Cathedral]] and [[St Mark's Basilica]]. Roman Catholicism is the largest religion and denomination in Italy, with around 71.1% of Italians considering themselves Catholic. Italy is also home to the greatest number of [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinal]]s in the world,<ref>{{cite web|authorlink=Salvador Miranda (historian) |last=Miranda |first=Salvador |title= Living cardinals arranged by country|url=https://cardinals.fiu.edu/countrynow.htm#Top|work=The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church |publisher=[[Florida International University]]|oclc=53276621}}</ref> and is the country with the greatest number of Roman Catholic churches per capita.<ref name="kwintessential.co.uk">{{cite web |url=http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/italy-country-profile.html |title=Italy – Italian Language, Culture, Customs and Business Etiquette |publisher=Kwintessential.co.uk |access-date=2 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100812211310/http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/italy-country-profile.html |archive-date=12 August 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Santa Maria del Fiore.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Santa Maria del Fiore]] cathedral in [[Florence]], which has the biggest brick dome in the world,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tripleman.com/index.php?showimage=737 |title=The Duomo of Florence {{pipe}} Tripleman |publisher=tripleman.com |access-date=25 March 2010 |archive-date=6 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091206202243/http://www.tripleman.com/index.php?showimage=737 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brunelleschisdome.com/ |title=brunelleschi's dome – Brunelleschi's Dome |publisher=Brunelleschisdome.com |access-date=25 March 2010}}</ref> and is considered a masterpiece of Italian architecture.]]

Even though the main Christian denomination in Italy is Roman Catholicism, there are some minorities of [[Protestant]], [[Waldensian]], [[Eastern Orthodox]] and other Christian churches.

Immigration from [[Western Africa|Western]], [[Central Africa|Central]], and Eastern Africa at the beginning of the 21st century has increased the size of [[Baptist]], [[Anglicanism|Anglican]], Pentecostal and Evangelical communities in Italy, while immigration from Eastern Europe has produced large Eastern Orthodox communities.

In 2006, Protestants made up 2.1% of Italy's population, and members of Eastern Orthodox churches comprised 1.2% or more than 700,000 Eastern Orthodox Christians including 180,000 [[Greek Orthodox Church|Greek Orthodox]],<ref>[http://www.ortodossia.it/The%20Holy%20Orthodox%20Archdiocese%20of%20Italy%20ed%20Malta.htm The Holy Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy and Malta] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305214703/http://www.ortodossia.it/The%20Holy%20Orthodox%20Archdiocese%20of%20Italy%20ed%20Malta.htm |date=5 March 2009}}</ref> 550,000 Pentecostals and Evangelists (0.8%), of whom 400,000 are members of the [[Assemblies of God]], about 250,000 are [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] (0.4%),<ref>{{cite book|title=2015 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses|publisher=Watch Tower Society|page=182}}</ref> 30,000 [[Waldensians]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chiesavaldese.org/pages/storia/dove_viviamo.php|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060211233818/http://www.chiesavaldese.org/pages/storia/dove_viviamo.php|url-status=dead|title=Waldensian Evangelical Church|archivedate=11 February 2006}}</ref> 25,000 [[Seventh-day Adventists]], 22,000 Mormons, 15,000 Baptists (plus some 5,000 Free Baptists), 7,000 [[Lutheranism|Lutherans]], 4,000 [[Methodists]] (affiliated with the Waldensian Church).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oikoumene.org/en/member-churches/regions/europe/italy/evangelical-methodist-church-in-italy.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130325172232/http://www.oikoumene.org/en/member-churches/regions/europe/italy/evangelical-methodist-church-in-italy.html|url-status=dead|title=World Council of Churches|archivedate=25 March 2013}}</ref>

===Other religions===
The longest-established religious faith in Italy is Judaism, Jews having been present in [[Ancient Rome]] before the birth of Christ. Italy has seen many influential Italian-Jews, such as prime minister [[Luigi Luzzatti]], who took office in 1910, [[Ernesto Nathan]] served as mayor of Rome from 1907 to 1913 and [[Shabbethai Donnolo]] (died 982). During the [[The Holocaust|Holocaust]], Italy took in many Jewish refugees from [[Nazism|Nazi]] Germany. However, with the creation of the Nazi-backed puppet [[Italian Social Republic]], about 15% of 48,000 Italian Jews were killed. This, together with the emigration that preceded and followed the Second World War, has left only a small community of around 45,000 Jews in Italy today.

Due to immigration from around the world, there has been an increase in non-Christian religions. As of 2009, there were 1.0&nbsp;million [[Muslims]] in Italy<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Religion/?id=3.0.3202304679|title=Italy: Country's muslims raise funds to help quake victims – Adnkronos Religion|website=adnkronos.com}}</ref> forming 1.6 percent of population; independent estimates put the Islamic population in Italy anywhere from 0.8&nbsp;million<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4385768.stm|publisher=BBC News|title=Muslims in Europe: Country guide|date=23 December 2005|access-date=5 May 2010}}</ref> to 1.5&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/24/world/europe/24iht-rome.html?_r=1|work=The New York Times|date=25 July 2005|access-date=31 March 2010|first=Elisabeth|last=Rosenthal|title=Pressure is growingon Muslims in Italy}}</ref> 50,000 Italian Muslims hold [[Italian citizenship]].

There are more than 200,000 followers of faiths originating in the Indian subcontinent, including some 70,000 [[Sikhs]] with 22 [[gurdwaras]] across the country,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nriinternet.com/EUROPE/ITALY/2004/111604Gurdwara.htm|title=NRI Sikhs in Italy|website=nriinternet.com}}</ref> 70,000 [[Hindus]], and 50,000 [[Buddhists]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.buddhismo.it/ente.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070404034319/http://www.buddhismo.it/ente.htm|url-status=dead|title=Unione Buddhista Italiana – UBI: L'Ente|archivedate=4 April 2007|website=www.buddhismo.it}}</ref> There were an estimated 4,900 [[Baháʼí Faith|Bahá'ís]] in Italy in 2005.<ref name="WCE-05">{{cite web|title = Most Baha'i Nations (2005)|work = QuickLists > Compare Nations > Religions >|publisher = The Association of Religion Data Archives|year = 2005|url = http://www.thearda.com/QuickLists/QuickList_40c.asp|access-date = 30 January 2010|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100414021730/http://www.thearda.com/QuickLists/QuickList_40c.asp|archive-date = 14 April 2010|url-status = dead}}</ref>