. Already just over half of children are baptized in Norway. In 2017, this percentage was exactly 53,1 percent of all newborns. The lowest percentage is in Oslo, where only just over 30 percent of children are baptized. It is worth noting that the trend is downward - in 2001 it was 81,4 percent.

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Problems of the Norwegian Church

It turns out that the low tendency to baptize one's children is not only the result of changes in the religious structure of Norway. It turns out that the downward trend also applies to members of the Norwegian Church themselves. Moreover, its numbers are also decreasing. According to official information, the number is falling declared Protestants. In 2001, 81,8 percent of society described themselves in this way, while in 2017 this percentage dropped to 70,5 percent and was the lowest in history.

Less and less religious activity

Official statistics indicate that the downward trend applies not only to the number of baptisms granted and declared Protestants. This also applies to the religious activity of those who declare themselves in this way. As it turns out, in 2016-2017 number of people actively participating in religious ceremonies decreased by 4,2 percent. The numbers have also dropped church weddings by 1,6 percent. The problem also concerns the attendance in temples. It is estimated that the number of participants in holy masses is 10 percent.

The reform did not help

Representatives of the Church of Norway are also worried by the fact that this trend is declining despite the reform of religious education, which resulted in an increase in the number of teaching positions in the church. It is worth noting that this change cost 250 million Norwegian kroner, however, it did not bring the expected results. In addition, an annual subsidy government is CZK 2 million for the Norwegian Church.

Religious structure of Norway

The Church of Norway, whose members are Protestants of the Evangelical-Augsburg tradition, still constitutes the majority, and is led by King of Norway. It is worth noting that the second religion in terms of the number of followers is Islam, with 2,82 percent of the population admitting it. Catholics are only the third religious group, with 2,76 percent declaring themselves this way inhabitants of Norway. Over recent years, the number of followers of Buddhism has increased. Currently their share in the religious structure is 0,4 percent, and the increase is related to the arrival of immigrants from Asian countries, mainly Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Another interesting fact is the high percentage of people who do not belong to any of them religious community. They constitute over 17 percent of Norwegian society.