Netherlands: Drop in mosque-visits

Netherlands: Drop in mosque-visits

Interesting to note, according to Statistics Netherlands the Dutch Muslim population decreased in the past two years, from 850,000 in 2006 to 825,000 in 2008.  While the number of Muslim Moroccans increased by 36,000, the number of Muslim Turks decreased by 40,000.   


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About half of Dutch adults see themselves as belonging to a religious denomination or a certain life outlook. Of those 20% regularly go to religious gatherings, considerably less than in the past.

There was a sharp decrease in going to churches, mosques and religious gatherings in recent years.  The biggest drop is among Muslims.  In 2004-2008, on average 35% of Muslims went to a mosque at least once a month, compared with 47% in 1998-1999.

Among Catholics it dropped from 31% to 23%, while among protestants it church-going barely decreased.

Of the Dutch population 18 and up, 58% are religious.  Half are Catholic, 9% belong to the Dutch Reformed Church, 4% are Reformed and 6% belong to the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. 

5% of the total population are Muslim, which comes to almost 825,000 people.  About 95% of them are of non-Western origin.  Moroccans, with 296,000 Muslims, make up the largest group, followed by the Turks, with 285,000 Muslims.

Source: Statistics Netherlands (Dutch)

See also:
* Netherlands: 24% of Turks, 22% of Moroccans over 65 in 2050
* Netherlands: 5% are Muslims

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