Losing My Religion in Slovakia

However, Tížik points out it is possible to observe a linear decrease in the number of Slovaks who claim allegiance to the Roman Catholic Church, meaning he expects a further fall over the coming decade.

And rather than the much-discussed topics surrounding abortion and the rights of sexual minorities in society, the sociologist sees natural developments as principally behind this decline.

Priests wait for the arrival of Pope Francis, in Prešov, Slovakia, on September 14, 2021. PHOTO TASR - Michal Svítok Catholic concentrations

In 2021, 1.3 million people in Slovakia, which translates into 23.8 per cent of its inhabitants, did not claim allegiance to any church. In 2011, that number was 725,000 people, or 13.4 per cent.

The Roman Catholic Church, which remains the largest and most influential religious organisation in the country based on the census results, lost some 300,000 members since  the census 10 years previously. The 2021 census showed that there are 3.04 million people claiming allegiance to the Roman Catholic Church, which is about 55.8 per cent of Slovakia's population. Ten years ago, that figure was 3.347 million people, or about 62 per cent.

As well as a quarter of the population claiming to have no religious affiliation at all, there has also been an increase in the number of people who claim allegiance to other churches outside of the major registered ones. Eastern religions have seen an increase in adherents, but, as Tížik notes, these are still statistically insignificant.

Most people without any religious affiliation live in the Bratislava Region, almost 40 per cent. Districts where the number of inhabitants without religious affiliation reached more than 40 per cent are those within...