Editing European Union (section)

===Religion===
{{Main|Religion in the European Union}}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible plainrowheaders floatright" style="font-size: 90%;"
|+ Religious affiliation in the EU (2015)<ref name="EB2015">{{Cite web |year=2015 |title=Discrimiation in the EU in 2015 |url=http://zacat.gesis.org/webview/index.jsp?headers=http%3A%2F%2F193.175.238.79%3A80%2Fobj%2FfVariable%2FZA6595_V355&V355slice=1&previousmode=table&stubs=http%3A%2F%2F193.175.238.79%3A80%2Fobj%2FfVariable%2FZA6595_V10&weights=http%3A%2F%2F193.175.238.79%3A80%2Fobj%2FfVariable%2FZA6595_V42&analysismode=table&study=http%3A%2F%2F193.175.238.79%3A80%2Fobj%2FfStudy%2FZA6595&tabcontenttype=row&gs=362&V10slice=1&mode=table&top=yess |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200314105932/https://zacat.gesis.org/webview/index.jsp?headers=http%3A%2F%2F193.175.238.79%3A80%2Fobj%2FfVariable%2FZA6595_V355&V355slice=1&previousmode=table&stubs=http%3A%2F%2F193.175.238.79%3A80%2Fobj%2FfVariable%2FZA6595_V10&weights=http%3A%2F%2F193.175.238.79%3A80%2Fobj%2FfVariable%2FZA6595_V42&analysismode=table&study=http%3A%2F%2F193.175.238.79%3A80%2Fobj%2FfStudy%2FZA6595&tabcontenttype=row&gs=362&V10slice=1&mode=table&top=yess |archive-date=14 March 2020 |access-date=15 October 2017 |website=[[Eurobarometer|Special Eurobarometer]] |series=437 |publisher=[[European Commission]] |via=[[GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences|GESIS]] |location=European Union}}</ref>
! scope="col" | Affiliation
! colspan="2" scope="colgroup" | Per cent of EU population
|-
! scope="row" | [[Christianity|Christian]]
| style="text-align: right;" | {{Bartable|71.6||2||background:darkblue}}
|-
! scope="row" style="text-indent: 15px;" | [[Catholic]]
| style="text-align: right;" | {{Bartable|45.3||2||background:lightblue}}
|-
! scope="row" style="text-indent: 15px;" | [[Protestant]]
| style="text-align: right;" | {{Bartable|11.1||2||background:lightblue}}
|-
! scope="row" style="text-indent: 15px;" | [[Eastern Orthodox]]
| style="text-align: right;" | {{Bartable|9.6||2||background:lightblue}}
|-
! scope="row" style="text-indent: 15px;" | Other Christian
| align=right |{{Bartable| 5.6||2||background:lightblue}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[Muslim]]
| style="text-align: right;" | {{Bartable| 1.8||2||background:green}}
|-
! scope="row" | Other faiths
| style="text-align: right;" | {{Bartable| 2.6||2||background:purple}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[Irreligion|Irreligious]]
| style="text-align: right;" | {{Bartable| 24.0||2||background:grey}}
|-
! scope="row" style="text-indent: 15px;" | Non-believer/[[Agnosticism|Agnostic]]
| style="text-align: right;" | {{Bartable| 13.6||2||background:lightgrey}}
|-
! scope="row" style="text-indent: 15px;" | [[Atheism|Atheist]]
| style="text-align: right;" | {{Bartable| 10.4||2||background:lightgrey}}
|-
|}

The EU has no formal connection to any religion. Article 17 of the [[Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Consolidated version of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union |url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Consolidated_version_of_the_Treaty_on_the_Functioning_of_the_European_Union/Part_One:_Principles#Article_17 |via=Wikisource}}</ref> recognises the "status under national law of churches and religious associations" as well as that of "philosophical and non-confessional organisations".<ref name="Consolidated Treaties" /> The preamble to the [[Maastricht Treaty|Treaty on European Union]] mentions the "cultural, religious and humanist inheritance of Europe".<ref name="Consolidated Treaties">{{Cite web |title=Consolidated versions of the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv%3AOJ.C_.2010.083.01.0001.01.ENG&toc=OJ%3AC%3A2010%3A083%3ATOC |access-date=1 January 2022 |website=eur-lex.europa.eu |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lähdesmäki |first=Tuuli |date=2022 |title=The role of Christianity in the European Union's heritage and history initiatives |journal=[[Journal of European Studies]] |volume=52 |issue=3–4 |pages=170–186 |doi=10.1177/00472441221115571 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Discussion over the draft texts of the European Constitution and later the [[Treaty of Lisbon]] included proposals to mention [[Christianity]] or a [[god]], or both, in the preamble of the text, but the idea faced opposition and was dropped.<ref name="EUO Merkel God">{{Cite news |last=Castle |first=Stephen |date=21 March 2007 |title=EU celebrates 50th birthday-with a row about religion |work=The Independent |location=London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/europe/eu-celebrates-its-50th-birthday--with-a-row-about-religion-440976.html |url-status=dead |access-date=4 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080405065450/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/europe/eu-celebrates-its-50th-birthday--with-a-row-about-religion-440976.html |archive-date=5 April 2008}}</ref>

Christians in the EU include [[Catholic Church|Catholics]] of both [[Latin Church|Roman]] and [[Eastern Catholic Churches|Eastern Rite]], numerous [[Protestantism|Protestant]] denominations with [[Lutheranism|Lutherans]], [[Anglicans]], and [[Reformed tradition|Reformed]] forming the majority of Protestant affiliations, and the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]. In 2009, the EU had an estimated [[List of countries by Muslim population|Muslim population]] of 13&nbsp;million,<ref name="mgmpPRC">, about 3 per cent of the population, {{Cite web |title=Muslims in the European Union – Discrimination and Islamophobia |url=http://www.fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/attachments/Manifestations_EN.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722185047/http://fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/attachments/Manifestations_EN.pdf |archive-date=22 July 2012 |access-date=1 November 2010 |publisher=Europa |website=EUMC }}</ref> and an estimated [[Jewish population]] of over a million.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Jewish Agency for Israel – U.S. |url=https://www.jewishagency.org/ |access-date=21 December 2022 |website= jewishagency.org}}</ref> The other world religions of [[Buddhism]], [[Hinduism]], and [[Sikhism]] are also represented in the EU population.

[[Eurostat]]'s [[Eurobarometer]] opinion polls showed in 2005 that 52 per cent of EU citizens believed in a god, 27 per cent in "some sort of spirit or life force", and 18 per cent had no form of belief.<ref name="Eurostat Religion">{{Cite journal |last=Eurostat |author-link=Eurostat |date= June 2005 |title=Social values, Science and Technology |url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_225_report_en.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=Special Eurobarometer 225 |publisher=Europa |page=9 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060524004644/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_225_report_en.pdf |archive-date=24 May 2006 |access-date=11 June 2009}}</ref> Many countries have experienced falling church attendance and membership in recent years.<ref name="About SecE">{{Cite news |last=Ford |first=Peter |date=22 February 2005 |title=What place for God in Europe |work=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-02-21-god-europe_x.htm |agency=The Christian Science Monitor |access-date=24 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100831045337/https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-02-21-god-europe_x.htm |archive-date= 31 August 2010 }}</ref> The countries where the fewest people reported a religious belief were Estonia (16 per cent) and the Czech Republic (19 per cent).<ref name="Eurostat Religion" /> The most religious countries were Malta (95 per cent, predominantly Catholic) as well as Cyprus and Romania (both predominantly Orthodox) each with about 90 per cent of citizens professing a belief in God. Across the EU, belief was higher among women, older people, those with religious upbringing, those who left school at 15 or 16, and those "positioning themselves on the right of the political scale".<ref name="Eurostat Religion" />