Danish Religion

The official Danish religion is the Evangelical Lutheran church, which is state supported. Even though most Danes are Lutherans, the majority do not attend church on a regular basis.

There are plenty of churches in Denmark, many dating back to the early 1500s. Unfortunately, only a smattering of them have a regular service and very few people show up to them.

The most popular church-going days are Christmas and Easter. Even though the regular attendance is pretty low, 5 - 10% are regular church-goers, and most Danes contribute a portion of their salary to the church in a form of voluntary tax.

You have to opt out of the Folkekirke if you wish to not have the church tax taken out of your paycheck. Most Danes continue to pay the tax. One reason is that it contributes to the upkeep of the many historic churches.

There are many churches that hold services in English, especially in Copenhagen. You can check out Copenhagen This Week for a list of all churches that cater to the various religions including Jewish, Muslim, Catholics and many others.

When you visit some of the Danish historic sites you will see lots of evidence of the early beliefs in the Nordic gods such as Odin. It was not until Harlad Bluetooth reign in 965 that the first signs of Christianity were seen in Denmark. Later in 1536, King Christian III made Denmark Protestant and is represented by the only official state church in Europe called the Folkekirke.

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