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{{Pie chart
| thumb = right
| caption = Religion in Moldova (2024 census)<ref name="2024-Census">{{Cite web |date=2025-10-21 |title=Rezultatele finale ale Recensământului Populației și Locuințelor 2024: Caracteristici etnoculturale ale populației|url=https://statistica.gov.md/ro/rezultatele-finale-ale-recensamantului-populatiei-si-locuintelor-2024-caracteris-10121_62043.html|access-date=2025-10-21|website=statistica.md|language=ro}}</ref>
| label1 = [[Eastern Orthodoxy in Moldova|Eastern Orthodoxy]]
| value1 = 94.3
| color1 = #9065CA
| label2 = Other [[Christians]]
| value2 = 3.1
| color2 = #B695C0
| label3 = [[Atheism]] / [[Irreligion]]
| value3 = 1.5
| color3 = Beige
| label4 = Other religions
| value4 = 0.3
| color4 = Lightgray
| label5 = Unanswered
| value5 = 0.8
| color5 = Gray
}}

[[File:Ansamblul Catedralei „Nașterea Domnului” 8.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Nativity Cathedral, Chișinău|Cathedral of Christ's Nativity]] in [[Chișinău]].]]
[[Moldova|Moldova's]] constitution provides for freedom of religion and complete separation of church and state, though the constitution cites the "exceptional importance" of [[Eastern Orthodox Christianity]].<ref name=":14">{{Cite web |title=2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Moldova |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/moldova/ |access-date=2023-08-03 |website=[[United States Department of State]] |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Religious discrimination|Discrimination on the basis of religious]] affiliation is illegal, and [[Hate speech|incitement to religious and ethnic hatred]] was made illegal in May 2022.<ref name=":14" /> Moldovans are overwhelmingly adherents of Eastern Orthodoxy. According to the 2024 Moldovan census, 95.2 per cent of the country reported to be of the Eastern Orthodox Christian faith.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2025-03-20 |title=Recensământul Populației și Locuințelor |trans-title=Population and Housing Census |url=https://statistica.gov.md/ro/statistic_indicator_details/56 |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=Recensământul Populației și Locuințelor |language=ro}}</ref> Of this number, around eighty to 90 per cent of Orthodox Moldovans belong to the Moldovan Orthodox Church (formally known as [[Metropolis of Chișinău and All Moldova]]) which is subordinate to the [[Russian Orthodox Church]], and has played a powerful role in deepening Russia's influence in Moldova.<ref name=":14" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Luchenko |first=Ksenia |date=2023-01-31 |title=Why the Russian Orthodox Church Supports the War in Ukraine |url=https://carnegieendowment.org/russia-eurasia/politika/2023/01/why-the-russian-orthodox-church-supports-the-war-in-ukraine?lang=en |access-date=2023-08-03 |website=[[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace]]}}</ref> The remaining 10–20 per cent of Orthodox Moldovans belong to the [[Metropolis of Bessarabia]], which is subordinate to the [[Romanian Orthodox Church]].<ref name=":14" />

As of 2025, the [[Association of Religion Data Archives]] estimates that of the Moldovan population (3.7 million outside of [[Transnistria]], which has a population of 533,000), the remaining non-Orthodox religious demography includes: 5.76% (211,000) non-Orthodox Christian (including [[Catholic Church in Moldova|Catholics]] and [[Protestants]]), 2.45% (90,000) irreligious (including [[agnostics]] and [[atheists]]); 0.46% (17,000) [[Islam in Moldova|Muslim]], and 0.09% (3,000) [[Judaism in Moldova|religious Jews]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Profiles {{!}} World Religion |url=https://www.thearda.com/world-religion/national-profiles?u=151c |access-date=2026-01-04 |website=The Association of Religion Data Archives (the ARDA) |language=en-gb}}</ref> In 2011, the [[Ministry of Justice (Moldova)|Moldovan Ministry of Justice]] recognised the Islamic League of Moldova as an NGO representing [[Islam in Moldova|Moldovan Muslims]].<ref name=":1" /> There are six [[List of synagogues in Moldova|synagogues]] in [[Metropolis of Chișinău and All Moldova|Chișinău]], one in [[Orhei]], one in [[Soroca]], and one in [[Tiraspol]], and one mosque in [[Metropolis of Chișinău and All Moldova|Chișinău]]. The [[Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova]] is an organisation providing religious services for Moldovan Jews. The [[Government of Transnistria|Transnistrian authorities]] estimate that 80% of the Transnistrian population belong to the Moldovan Orthodox Church;<ref name=":14" /> the remainder includes other Christians and Jews.

The 1992 Law on Religions, which codifies religious freedoms, contains restrictions that inhibit the activities of unregistered religious groups. Although the law was amended in 2002, many of the restrictions remain in place. The law provides for freedom of religious practice, including each person's right to profess his or her religion in any form. It also protects the confidentiality of the confessional, allows denominations to establish associations and foundations, and states that the Government may not interfere in the religious activities of denominations. The law specifies that "to organize and function", religious organizations must be registered with the Government, and unregistered groups may not own property, engage employees, or obtain space in public cemeteries in their own names.

==Christianity==
[[Image:Condrița_monastery,_Moldova.jpg|thumb|Moldavian Orthodox church in [[Condrița]]|left]]
===Eastern Orthodox Church===
{{Main|Eastern Orthodoxy in Moldova}}
The primary religion is [[Christianity]], 95.2 per cent of the population nominally being [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] according to data of the 2024 census.<ref name=":3" /> Administratively, there are two [[autocephaly|autonomous]] churches belonging to two [[autocephaly|autocephalous]] churches (Russian and Romanian) within the Eastern Orthodox [[full communion|communion]]. The autonomous [[Metropolis of Chişinău and Moldova]] (belonging to the [[Russian Orthodox Church]]), according to the State Service on Religious Issues, has 1,194 parishes; the autonomous [[Metropolis of Bessarabia]] (belonging to the [[Romanian Orthodox Church]]) has 124 parishes. Besides followers of the [[Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church]] ([[Old Believers]]) make up approximately 0.09 per cent of the population.
[[File:Biserica Sf. Cuvios Vasile din Orhei St. Basil Church in Orhei (48002809927).jpg |thumb|left|Romanian church in [[Orhei]]]]During the 2004 census, 93.34 per cent of the population declared themselves to be Eastern Orthodox.<ref>[http://www.statistica.md/pageview.php?l=ro&idc=295&id=2234#idc=205& 2004 census]</ref> 80–90 per cent of Orthodox Moldovans belong to the Moldovan Orthodox Church (formally known as [[Metropolis of Chișinău and All Moldova]]) which is subordinate to the [[Russian Orthodox Church]], and has played a powerful role in deepening Russia's influence in Moldova.<ref name=":14" /><ref name=":0" /> The remaining 10–20 per cent of Orthodox Moldovans belong to the [[Metropolis of Bessarabia]], which is subordinate to the [[Romanian Orthodox Church]].<ref name=":14" />

The religious traditions of Eastern Orthodoxy are entwined with the culture and patrimony of the country. Many self-professed atheists routinely celebrate religious holidays, cross themselves, and even light candles and kiss icons if local tradition and the occasion demand.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}

===Catholic Church===
{{Main|Catholic Church in Moldova}}

Moldova forms a single diocese, the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Chişinău]]. It is not part of any [[ecclesiastical province]], and therefore depends directly upon the [[Holy See]] for [[Metropolitan bishop|Metropolitan]] authority. About 0.5 per cent of Moldovans adhere to the Catholic faith.

=== Other denominations ===
There are also a growing number of [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Seventh-day Adventists]], [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical Christians]], and [[Lutheranism|Lutherans]].<ref name=":14" /> [[Baptists]], [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], and [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostals]] number between 15,000-30,000 each. [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ukraine#Moldova|The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (Mormons) has two congregations in the country, and a combined total of approximately 455 members.<ref>{{cite web |title=LDS Statistics and Church Facts - Total Church Membership |url=https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/moldova |access-date=16 June 2023 |website=Mormon Newsroom}}</ref>

== Judaism ==
{{More|History of the Jews in Moldova}}
[[File:Synagoga Szklarzy.jpg|thumb|Synagogue of the Glaziers, [[Chișinău]].]]
Judaism is a minority religion in Moldova, but Jews have lived in the region since the 1st century [[AD]] when [[History of the Jews in the Roman Empire|Roman Jews]] lived in the cities of the province of [[Moesia|Lower Moesia]]. [[History of the Jews in Bessarabia|Bessarabian Jews]] have been living in the area for some time. Between the 4th-7th centuries [[Anno Domini|AD]], Moldova was part of an important trading route between [[Asia]] and [[Europe]], and bordered the [[Khazars|Khazar Khaganate]], where [[Judaism]] was the state religion. Prior to the [[World War II|Second World War]], violent antisemitic movements across the [[Bessarabia|Bessarabian region]] badly affected the region's Jewish population. In the 1930s and 40s, under the Romanian governments of [[Octavian Goga]] and [[Ion Antonescu]], government-directed pogroms and mass deportations led to the concentration and extermination of Jewish citizens followed, leading to the extermination of between 45,000-60,000 Jews across Bessarabia. The total number of [[History of the Jews in Romania|Romanian]] and [[History of the Jews in Ukraine|Ukrainian Jews]] who perished in territories under Romanian administration is between 280,000 and 380,000.

Today, the Jewish community in Moldova has been revived and are primarily represented by the Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova (JCM) organisation. The group was registered in its current form in 1997, but its roots stretch back to founding of the Union of Jewish Communities in Bessarabia on 3 November 1935.

The [[World Jewish Congress]] (of which the JCM is an affiliate member) states that there has been "a widespread development of a national self-consciousness and a return to their roots by the Jews of Moldova, with [[Jewish identity]] and [[Jewish culture|culture]] being celebrated in a number of forms". Diplomatic relations with [[Israel]] began in 1992 and the [[List of diplomatic missions of Israel|Israeli consulate]] is located in the capital city, [[Chișinău|Chişinău]]. Since 2014, Moldova has been an observer country to the [[International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance]], and since 2019 has adopted the IHRA [[Working definition of antisemitism|Working Definition of Antisemitism]] for official use. The Museum of Jewish History was opened in [[Orhei]] on 30 January 2023.

== Islam ==
{{More|Islam in Moldova}}
The Islamic League of Moldova (Liga Islamică din Moldova) was registered with Moldova's [[Ministry of Justice (Moldova)|Ministry of Justice]] in March 2011 and therefore received official government recognition of its role as a representative of Moldova's Muslim community. It is the first legally recognised Muslim association in Moldova.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=2011-04-28 |title=Moldovan Muslim Leader 'Disappointed' By Anti-Islamic Remarks |language=en |work=[[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]] |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/moldovan_muslims_orthodox_church/16797096.html |access-date=2023-08-04}}</ref> There is one mosque in Moldova, located in the capital city, [[Chișinău|Chişinău]].

Although the Constitution of Moldova protects freedom of religion in theory, in practice Muslims in Moldova often face discrimination, especially from local government and the [[Metropolis of Chișinău and All Moldova|Orthodox Church]]. The municipal government of Chişinău has repeatedly refused requests by the Islamic League of Moldova "allot a plot of land for the Muslim community at the state-run cemetery", in violation of Moldovan law which "provides the right to burial space in public cemeteries for all registered religious groups. The mayoralty rejected both requests sent by the community in January and in March [2022]."<ref name=":14" /> Prior to the groups registration in 2011, "Drop-ins by police on worship services were regularly reported, as well as alleged harassment."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Puiu |first=Victoria |date=2015-06-23 |title=ISIS-Related Arrests Pose Challenge for Moldova's Muslims |url=https://eurasianet.org/isis-related-arrests-pose-challenge-for-moldovas-muslims |access-date=2023-08-04 |website=[[Eurasianet]]}}</ref>

Following the 2011 recognition of the Islamic League of Moldova, the [[Bishop (Orthodox Church)|Bishop]] of the [[Metropolis of Chișinău and All Moldova]], [[Vladimir (Cantarean)]], described the formal recognition of the Muslim association as "a humiliation" for Moldova's Christians. "Other senior church officials suggested that the Muslim association will seek to "cause trouble" in Moldova."<ref name=":1" /> Former [[President of Moldova]], [[Vladimir Voronin]], also condemned the registration.<ref name=":1" /> Members of the Moldovan public organised a protest march in May of 2011. Attenders of the rally made [[Islamophobia|Islamophobic]] claims that "the Muslims are like a virus. If you let in just a few they will multiply," and that "Muslims would introduce [[polygamy]] and "[[Harem|harems]]" to Moldova. And a priest named Gheorghe was quoted by local media as saying at the rally that the Muslims "are all instructed in [[terrorism]]."<ref>{{Cite news |date=2011-05-18 |title=Moldovans Rally To Protest Formal Recognition Of Islam |language=en |work=[[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]] |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/moldovans_rally_against_recognition_of_islam/24179150.html |access-date=2023-08-04}}</ref>

Nevertheless, as of 2016, the [[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights]] concluded that Muslims are "thriving" in Moldova.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2016-07-08 |title=Muslim community thriving in Moldova |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2016/07/muslim-community-thriving-moldova |access-date=2023-08-04 |website=[[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights]] |language=en}}</ref> Following the personal involvement of [[United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief]] [[Heiner Bielefeldt]] after these protests, as well as the personal actions of [[Ministry of Justice (Moldova)|Minister of Justice]], [[Alexandru Tănase|Alexandru Tonase]], the situation was calmed down and the protests came to an end.<ref name=":2" /> Veaceslav Balan, UN Human Rights Office Coordinator in Moldova said that Islamophobia is still, however, "a major challenge facing Muslims today in the country."<ref name=":2" />

==Attitudes towards religion==
According to a survey conducted in 2014, by the Institute of Public Policy in Moldova, 80 per cent of the respondents show a high degree of trust in the Church as an institution, but 85 per cent consider that the church should remain separate from the political sphere and 76 per cent consider that the church should not become involved with governmental issues.

Also, the survey showed that 58 per cent of the respondents go to church less than once per month and ten per cent do not go at all.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fpc.org.uk/fsblob/1707.pdf|title=Traditional religion and political power: Examining the role of the church in Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine and Moldova|publisher=[[Foreign Policy Centre]]|website=fpc.org.uk|access-date=13 April 2018|archive-date=18 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918102552/http://fpc.org.uk/fsblob/1707.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Church and state==
Although the Constitution declares the separation of church and state, the [[Moldovan Orthodox Church]] (Metropolis of Chișinău and All Moldova under the Russian Orthodox Church) is sometimes active in political debate.<ref> D. Carnevale - A Context-Grounded Approach to Religious Freedom: The Case of Orthodoxy in the Moldovan Republic, https://www.mdpi.com/458996 </ref>

In [[2010 Moldovan parliamentary election|June 2010]] Metropolitan [[Vladimir (Cantarean)|Vladimir]] featured in the campaign advertisements of Valeriu Pasat, apparently endorsing his candidacy.

In October 2015 the same Orthodox Church leveraged its authority in a failed attempt to influence the trial of former prime minister [[Vlad Filat]], who was accused of passive corruption and traffic of influence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jurnal.MD/en/justice/2016/1/5/a-new-trial-in-case-file-former-premier-has-appeared-in-front-of-court/|title=A new trial in case Filat: Former premier has appeared in front of court|work=Jurnal.MD - Ca să ştii total!}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://mitropolia.MD/spell-inaltpreasfintitului-mitropolit-Vladimir-adresat-tuturor-institution-status-implicate-in-cercaria-lazuli-domnului-Vlad-flat/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151020023214/http://mitropolia.md/all-inaltpreasfintitului-mitropolit-Vladimir-adresat-tuturor-institution-status-implicate-in-cercaria-lazuli-domnului-Vlad-flat/|title=Apelul ÎPS Mitropolit Vladimir adresat tuturor instituțiilor status implicate în cercetarea lazuli Domnului Vlad Filat|archive-date=20 October 2015|work=Mitropolia Chişinăului şi a Întregii Moldove}}</ref>

In December 2015 the Metropolis of Chișinău and All Moldova challenged the State Tax Service of the Republic of Moldova, refusing to provide revenue reports, although religious organizations lost their tax-exempt status in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deschide.MD/or/news/social/22260/Metropolia-Moldovei-Este-nemul%C8%9Bumit%C4%83-de-impozitare.htm|title=Mitropolia Moldovei Este nemulțumită de impozitare|work=Deschide.md|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2016, on the eve of the first round of the [[2016 Moldovan presidential election|presidential elections]], metropolitan bishop Vladimir called on church members to cast their votes for [[Igor Dodon]], the pro-Russian leader of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova. A group of Moldovan clergy of the same church, headed by bishop [[Marchel (Mihăescu)|Marchel]], later called on citizens to vote for Igor Dodon in the November election runoff, stating that the Socialist candidate supported the Orthodox Church, while his competitor [[Maia Sandu]] would fight against it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.publika.md/moldovan-clerics-get-involved-in-electioneering-make-scandalous-assertions_2630299.html|title=Moldovan clerics get involved in electioneering, make scandalous assertions|first=Publika.MD - AICI Sunt|last=Știrile|date=4 November 2016|website=publika.md|access-date=13 April 2018|archive-date=25 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425013152/https://en.publika.md/moldovan-clerics-get-involved-in-electioneering-make-scandalous-assertions_2630299.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Statistics==
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Population of Moldova by religious group<br><small>(excluding [[Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank of the Dniester|Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank]] / Transnistria)</small>
|-bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! rowspan="2" | Religious<br />group
! colspan="2" | census 2014
! colspan="2" | census 2024
|-bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Number
! %
!Number
! %
|-
| [[Eastern Orthodoxy in Moldova|Eastern Orthodoxy]]
| align="right" | 2,350,041
| align="right" | 90.53
| align="right" | 2,271,105
| align="right" | 94.27
|-
| [[Baptists|Baptist]]
| align="right" | 24,426
| align="right" | 0.94
| align="right" | 26,226
| align="right" | 1.09
|-
| [[Jehovah's Witnesses]]
| align="right" | 16,776
| align="right" | 0.64
| align="right" | 16,505
| align="right" | 0.68
|-
| [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]]
| align="right" | 9,504
| align="right" | 0.37
| align="right" | 12,606
| align="right" | 0.52
|-
| [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Adventist]]
| align="right" | 8,339
| align="right" | 0.32
| align="right" | 6,982
| align="right" | 0.29
|-
| [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical]]
| align="right" | 4,655
| align="right" | 0.18
| align="right" | 6,364
| align="right" | 0.26
|-
| [[Old Believers]]
| align="right" | 2,447
| align="right" | 0.09
| align="right" | 4,053
| align="right" | 0.17
|-
| [[Catholic Church in Moldova|Catholic]]
| align="right" | 2,527
| align="right" | 0.10
| align="right" | 2,586
| align="right" | 0.11
|-
| '''Christianity''' (total)
| align="right" | '''2,418,715'''
| align="right" | '''93.18'''
| align="right" | '''2,346,427'''
| align="right" | '''97.39'''
|-
| [[Islam in Moldova|Islam]]
| align="right" | 1,798
| align="right" | 0.07
| align="right" | 3,138
| align="right" | 0.13
|-
| Other
| align="right" | 3,277
| align="right" | 0.12
| align="right" | 4,720
| align="right" | 0.20
|-
| Agnostic / Atheist
| align="right" | 5,800
| align="right" | 0.22
| align="right" | 16,768
| align="right" | 0.69
|-
| No religion
| align="right" | 286
| align="right" | 0.01
| align="right" | 20,051
| align="right" | 0.83
|-
| Undeclared
| align="right" | 165,895
| align="right" | 6.39
| align="right" | 18,103
| align="right" | 0.75
|-
|-bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! align="left" | Total
! colspan="2" | 2,595,771
! colspan="2" | 2,409,207
|-
| colspan="5" | Source: [https://statistica.gov.md/ro/rezultatele-finale-ale-recensamantului-populatiei-si-locuintelor-2024-caracteris-10121_62043.html National Bureau of Statistics]
|}

==See also==
*[[Baháʼí Faith in Moldova]]
*[[Catholic Church in Moldova]]
*[[Eastern Orthodoxy in Moldova]]
*[[Freedom of religion in Moldova]]
*[[History of the Jews in Moldova]]
*[[Islam in Moldova]]
*[[Protestantism in Moldova]]
*[[Religion by country]]
*[[Religion in Transnistria]]
*[[Slavic Neopaganism]]
*[[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ukraine#Moldova|The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Moldova]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
*The article is based on a 2004 [[public domain]] [[USDoS]] webpage. [[Breadcrumb navigation|Breadcrumb trail]]: [https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/ USDoS Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor] > Releases > International Religious Freedom > 2004 > Europe and Eurasia > [https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2004/35473.htm Moldova]

==External links==
* {{commonscatinline}}

{{Moldova topics}}
{{Religion in Europe}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Religion In Moldova}}
[[Category:Religion in Moldova| ]]

Religion in Moldova - Revision history

NikeNuara: made stub - done