General Information » Culture & Lifestyle » Religion

The main religions in Switzerland are Christian (Catholic and Protestant). Based on the last census in 2000, 41.8% of the population in Switzerland are Roman Catholic, about 33% are Reformed Church (Protestant) and another 4.3% are of other Christian religions. Islamic communities make up about 4.3% of the total population but 18.3%of the foreign population. Jewish communities represent 0.2% of the population.

Despite its past reputation as the ‘Protestant Rome’ there are more than twice as many Catholics as Protestants in Geneva. Many other religious groups have their own places of worship.

All over the city, and in every commune and village, you will hear church bells ringing throughout the day. You could be mistaken for thinking that religious worship is widespread, but the reality is that a considerable proportion of the population will only set foot in a church on special occasions such as marriages, deaths and baptisms. In fact, church bells traditionally also served a practical purpose by informing peasants working in the fields of the time of day (i.e., lunch, rather than prayers!).