Religion in Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein has a broad religious landscape, although Roman Catholicism remains dominant. The 2020 census recorded 39,055 residents: 27,179 Roman Catholics, 3,155 Protestants, 2,356 Muslims, 578 Christian Orthodox residents, 483 people belonging to other religions, 3,751 people without religious affiliation and 1,553 people who gave no information. Between 2015 and 2020, Roman Catholic affiliation fell by 1.5%, while the number of people without religious affiliation rose by 43% and Orthodox affiliation by 22.5%. These figures describe reported affiliation and do not show how regularly people attend services or observe religious practices. Religious life is organized through parishes, churches, associations and local contacts rather than through a national religious authority. The Liechtenstein national administration and its School Office, the Landtag, municipalities, parish offices and religious associations each have different responsibilities. A person normally contacts the relevant parish or association for worship, membership, pastoral care, religious instruction outside school, ceremonies and community contributions. Liechtenstein has no central tariff source covering sacraments, pastoral care or association fees, so costs and arrangements depend on the community and the specific service. Public religious education is not shown with a separate fee in the available information. Roman Catholic parishes provide the most extensive religious network in the country. Their services include Mass, baptism, weddings, funerals and pastoral care. The Dompfarrei Vaduz holds festive and choral services and provides a livestream for some services. Protestant worship is centered especially around Vaduz, with a regular Sunday service at 10:00 and Communion approximately every six weeks. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Liechtenstein holds services in Vaduz and provides Communion and pastoral support in care institutions. The Orthodox Kirchenverband Liechtenstein connects Greek, Serbian and Russian pastoral contacts, and access is arranged through the responsible clergy or association. The Islamische Gemeinschaft im Fürstentum Liechtenstein, known locally as IGFL, has existed as an association since 15 May 1995. It provides prayer times, pastoral care, welfare support and religious education for children, young people and adults. The Jewish community is present through an association and community events, but the available research does not establish a local synagogue or cemetery. Other religious and Christian communities include the Freie Evangelische Gemeinde Schaan, Life Church, the Bahá’i community and the Buddhist monastery Letzehof. Their services, activities and access arrangements are handled directly by the respective institutions or associations. The Constitution protects freedom of belief and conscience. It permits other religious communities to profess their faith and conduct worship within the limits of public morality and public order. The property and financial rights of religious societies are protected, and civil and political rights do not depend on a person’s religious affiliation. The Roman Catholic Church is currently the only nationally recognized religious community and receives full state protection. Other communities generally have private-law status. A reform proposal concerning religious communities and the Constitution was discussed in 2024, but the Landtag decided not to enter into the parliamentary initiative on 7 May 2025. No enacted general recognition reform is documented in the available research, so rights connected with publicly funded religious services, institutional pastoral care, state religious education or public funding cannot be assumed for every community. Schools offer different forms of religious and ethical education. In primary school, families can choose Catholic or Protestant religious education. They can withdraw through the school leadership and use Ethics and Religions within the subject covering nature, people and society. A child without religious affiliation may attend confessional religious education if the required agreement exists. At secondary school, students can choose Ethics and Religions or Catholic or Protestant religious education. The choice is made during the transition after fifth grade and normally applies for one school year. A course generally starts with at least six students for one lesson or eight students for two lessons. The School Office also organizes Islamic religious education as an elective, either additionally or outside regular teaching time. Confessional communities remain responsible for the teachers and content of their own religious education. The confessional choice can be renewed each year. Several statutory holidays have Christian associations. They include New Year’s Day, Epiphany, Easter Monday, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, Corpus Christi, Assumption Day, the Nativity of Mary, All Saints’ Day, the Immaculate Conception, Christmas Day and Saint Stephen’s Day. The public holiday on 15 August is also Liechtenstein’s national holiday. Ramadan, Eid and other non-Christian festivals can be observed by religious communities, but the available research does not document equal statutory holiday status for them. Whether a workplace, school or institution can accommodate a religious observance depends on its rules and the specific situation. Civil authorities and religious communities have separate roles in life events. The civil status office registers births, marriages, registered partnerships and deaths. Religious ceremonies such as baptism, church marriage, funeral services, confirmation, Communion and community-specific rites are arranged separately with the relevant parish or association. A church wedding takes place only after a civil marriage. In the event of a death in Liechtenstein, the responsible parish and municipality should be contacted immediately. Questions about transferring a body abroad or arranging a burial outside the country can involve KINTRA. The IGFL describes its religious support as covering the period from birth to death, while Orthodox, Protestant, Lutheran and Jewish arrangements depend on their local contacts and available community structures. Liechtenstein has no single state religious ceremony. Muslim burial arrangements remain a practical local issue. As of 2025, no nationwide Muslim cemetery was documented, and suitable burial space was still being discussed with municipalities. Ritual washing and Muslim pastoral care in institutions were not documented as standard services throughout the country. A family therefore needs to clarify available facilities, timing, religious requirements and municipal responsibilities with the Islamic community and the relevant municipality. Ecumenical and interreligious cooperation has become more visible. The Round Table of Religions has operated since 20 June 2023 after being initiated by the Verein Menschenrechte Liechtenstein and Haus Gutenberg. Participants have included Catholic, Protestant, Lutheran, Orthodox, Muslim, Turkish-Islamic, free-church, Life Church, Bahá’i and Buddhist representatives. Activities include a marketplace, peace concert, film week, public encounters and school-related programmes. Practical dialogue is established through these activities, but the available research does not show a general legal duty requiring every religious community to participate in dialogue.