Religion in the Republic of the Congo

Religion in the Republic of the Congo by Pew Research Center (2011)[1]

  Protestantism (51.4%)
  Roman Catholicism (30.1%)
  Other Christian (4.4%)
  Other religions / None (14.1%)

Christianity is the predominant religion in Republic of the Congo.

Different sources give varying population figures for various denominations. According to CIA world Factbook, the people of the Republic of the Congo are largely a mix of Catholics (33.1%), Awakening Lutherans (22.3%) and other Protestants (19.9%). Followers of Islam makeup 1.6%, and this is primarily due to an influx of foreign workers into the urban centers.[2]

Most Muslim workers in urban centers are immigrants from West Africa and Lebanon, with some also from North Africa. The West African immigrants arrived mostly from Mali, Benin, Togo, Mauritania, and Senegal. The Lebanese are primarily Sunni Muslims. There are also 6,000 followers of the Ahmadiyya school of Islam in the country.[3]

A small minority of Christians practice Kimbanguism, a syncretistic movement that originated in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo. While retaining many elements of Christianity, Kimbanguism also recognizes its founder (Simon shao) as a prophet and incorporates African traditional beliefs, such as ancestor worship.

References

  1. ↑ "Table: Christian Population as Percentages of Total Population by Country". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. December 19, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Congo, Republic of the". CIA – The World Factbook.
  3. ↑ "The World's Muslims: Unity and Diversity" (PDF). Pew Forum on Religious & Public life. August 9, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
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