Religion in everyday life — what is visible, what is expected, what no one notices anymore

A rough map — and its limitations

The EU member states can be roughly grouped into four regions based on religious history — although the borders are blurred and each grouping involves simplifications:

• Predominantly Catholic: Poland, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Malta — also shaping society in secularized form
• Predominantly Protestant: Scandinavia (Lutheranism), Netherlands (mixed), historically Northern Germany — today mostly secularized
• Confessionally mixed with strong secularization: Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Czechia, Estonia, Latvia
• Orthodox: Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus (Orthodox tradition with an active church role in politics and education)
• Highly secular republics: France (laïcité), Czechia (one of the least religious countries in Europe)

This map shows what has been historically influential. It does not show how religious people live today. Pew Research and Eurobarometer have measured for decades:

• Weekly church attendance ranges from ~3 % (Czechia, Sweden, Estonia) to ~30 % (Poland, Ireland, Malta, Slovakia)
• Religion as important in one's own life: ~10 % in Sweden, Netherlands, Eastern Germany — up to ~70 % in Romania, Poland, Greece
• Affiliation with a denomination: in France, most people identify as "Catholic" without practicing; in Poland, affiliation is strongly linked to practice

As a migrant, you will not experience a country as uniformly religious or uniformly secular, but rather a specific mix.

What this means in everyday life

Here are some areas where the differences between EU member states become concretely noticeable:

Sunday and holidays

In Germany, Austria, Poland, Italy, Spain, Sundays are clearly different from weekdays due to shop closing laws. Supermarkets are closed, bakeries have limited hours, and authorities are closed. In the Netherlands, Sweden, Czechia, the difference is less pronounced.

Religious holidays are anchored throughout the EU (Christmas, Easter, Pentecost in Western countries; Orthodox dates in Greece, Bulgaria, Romania). In some countries, additional Catholic Marian feasts are observed (Poland, Italy, Spain), while in others they are reduced (Germany, Netherlands). If you come from a non-Christian country, plan for these days — business comes to a standstill.

Food

In Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, food plays a special role on Sundays and religious holidays (family meals, regional dishes). In France, this is secular, but the Sunday meal tradition as a family event is preserved.

The availability of Halal and Kosher food depends heavily on the city, not primarily on the country. Berlin, Paris, Marseille, London (outside the EU), Amsterdam, Vienna, and Brussels have a wide range of options; in small towns across the EU, the selection is thinner everywhere. Finding an overview is feasible with internet research before choosing a city — and better than relying on luck.

Vegetarianism and veganism are practical in Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Czechia; in Spain, Italy, Poland, Greece, they are increasingly common but with less variety outside major cities.

Visibility of religious symbols

Here, the legal and everyday societal situations vary greatly:

• France knows laïcité: in public schools, visible religious symbols for students and staff are largely prohibited (law 2004); in administration and courts, similar rules apply. In private life, there are no restrictions. The practice is controversial and repeatedly the subject of legal disputes, including before the EGMR.
• Belgium, Netherlands, Italy: Visible symbols (headscarf, kippa, cross) are common in private life and on the street. In some professions (teaching, police), restrictions apply, varying by region and municipality.
• Germany: In public education, there are state-specific regulations (headscarf ban in some federal states, allowed in others). In other professional life, religious freedom generally applies; discrimination at work is prohibited by the AGG, but in practice, it occurs.
• Poland, Italy: Christian symbols are common in classrooms, courts, and hospitals and are rarely perceived as religious markers. Other religious symbols are less common.

Religious infrastructure

If you want to practice regularly, clarify before choosing a city:

• Mosques and Muslim communities: well represented in Berlin, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Vienna, in major cities of Spain, Italy (Milan), and increasingly in Scandinavia. In smaller cities of Central and Eastern Europe, infrastructure is often lacking.
• Synagogues: present in most EU capitals but vary greatly in size. Active communities in Germany and France; in many medium-sized cities, only small communities exist.
• Hindu and Sikh communities: strong in London (outside the EU), in the EU mainly in Netherlands, Germany (Frankfurt, Berlin), Italy (Milan)
• Buddhist and East Asian communities: strongest in France, Netherlands, Germany; rare in Central and Eastern Europe
• Pentecostal and free church communities: growing in almost all EU countries, often serving as bridges for migrants from African, Latin American, or Southeast Asian countries

Authorities and religious concerns

Naturalization and residence procedures in the EU are religiously neutral — you won't be asked about your denomination when applying for a visa. However, there are areas where religious practice and authorities intersect:

• Marriage: in some countries, religious weddings have legal effects (Italy — church wedding with civil effect possible; Germany: only civil marriage is legally valid)
• School choice for children: in almost all EU countries, religious education or ethics education is offered, with country-specific variations. In France, no religious education in public schools.
• Burial: requirements for coffin obligation, cemetery burial, religion-specific practices (Muslim burial, Jewish burial) vary by country.

Differences rather than hierarchy

What stands out in this list: In no EU country is it inherently difficult or easy to live religiously. It is different everywhere.

• In Poland, it is normal to be religious — and unusual to be ostentatiously atheist
• In Czechia, it is the opposite
• In France, almost everything is possible in private life, but consciously restrained in public spaces
• In Germany, there is a historical structure with church tax, visible structures, and a secular majority at the same time

If you come from a country where religion has a different visibility in everyday life, you will notice this adjustment — in both directions. Some migrants from highly secular countries feel surprisingly embedded in Poland or Italy; some from more religious countries experience Czechia or Sweden as liberatingly quiet.

What you should not expect

• "Everything in the EU is secular." Not true. EU law guarantees freedom of religion, but the climate in everyday life varies greatly.
• "My denomination will automatically be accepted." Acceptance depends on denomination and country — and the more visible the religious marker, the more frequent the contact with unfamiliar expectations. Eurobarometer values on discrimination based on religion are a good, albeit rough, indicator.
• "I will be able to meet my religious needs in every city." Usually yes in capitals, often not in medium and small towns.

---

vamosa shows you the religious demographic values per country from Pew and Eurostat. We do not give recommendations on which country will make your specific form of belief or non-belief more comfortable — that depends too much on you, your city choice, and your personal approach. Also note: Some EU member states have legally classified certain religious groups or ideological movements in particular ways — they ban individual associations, monitor others through state agencies, or exclude them from recognition as religious communities (such as the French MIVILUDES observatory for sect-like groups, the German monitoring of Scientology by the domestic intelligence service, the banning of certain Islamist associations in several member states). Check the respective country detail page for the specific classifications applicable to your destination country — there you will also find references to interreligious dialogue centers, anti-discrimination agencies, and migrant counseling structures.