Croatia Religious Records

Demographics

According to the 2011 census the majority of Croatians (86%) belong to the Roman Catholic Church. Croatia and Poland are the two most Catholic Slavic countries. Orthodox Christians make up 4.42 percent of the population, Muslims 1.47 percent, and Protestants 0.41 percent of the population. 4.57% of Croatians are non-believers or agnostics.[1] In the Eurostat Eurobarometer Poll of 2005, 67% of the population of Croatia responded that "they believe there is a God". In a 2009 Gallup poll, 70% answered yes to the question "Is religion an important part of your daily life?"[2]

Interaction between religious and secular life 

Public schools allow religious teaching in cooperation with religious communities having agreements with the state, but attendance is not mandated Religion classes (Croatian: vjeronauk) are organized widely in public elementary and secondary schools, most commonly coordinated with the Catholic Church.

The public holidays in Croatia also include the religious festivals (Croatian: blagdan) of Epiphany, Easter Monday, Corpus Christi Day, Assumption Day, All Saints' Day, Christmas, and St. Stephen's or Boxing Day. The primary holidays are based on the Catholic liturgical year, but other believers are legally allowed to celebrate other major religious holidays.

Marriages conducted by the religious communities having agreements with the state are officially recognized, eliminating the need to register the marriages in the civil registry office.