Religious tradition

Barrett's Encyclopaedia, from whose data Table 18.1 is drawn, documented religious practices in the 1970s. The religious affiliations in Table 18.1 are a guide to religious heritage rather than contemporary belief, and while in some countries the number describing themselves as having no religion was already substantial, it has almost certainly risen further since.

In terms of the broad historical influence of religious traditions, the 18 countries fall into five groups. First, and by itself, is Japan – the only country among our 18 with a predominantly non-Christian tradition. The predominant religions in Japan are Buddhism and Shinto, with many Japanese professing both.

The second group consists of those where Catholicism is dominant and where Protestantism never established itself very broadly in the population. It comprises the five countries at the top of table 18.1: Ireland, Belgium, Austria, Italy and France. In each, the Catholic Church has played an important role in the country's politics, and religious conflict has figured not as Catholic versus Protestant but rather clerical versus anti-clerical.

The four Scandinavian countries near the bottom of the table form a third group. Here Protestantism triumphed to become the dominant religion. Historically the eclipse of Catholicism was to some extent tied in with their development as nations and their national identity. Monarchs in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, for example, are obliged to be Protestant.