The most common religion in Dominica is Christianity, with a majority of practitioners identifying as Roman Catholic. Various minority religious groups are also present on the island. The constitution of

Dominica Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...

establishes the freedom of religion, which is broadly respected by both the government and general society.

Demographics

According to the 2001 population and housing census, approximately 61 percent of

's population is Roman Catholic.International Religious Freedom Report 2008: Dominica

U.S. Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

(2008). Followers of evangelical churches represent 18 percent of the population, Seventh-day Adventists 6 percent, and Methodists 3.7 percent. Minority religious groups and denominations, whose members range from 1.6 percent to 0.2 percent of the population, include Rastafarians,

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...

, Anglicans, and Muslims. According to the census, 1.4 percent of the population belongs to "other" religious groups, including Baptist, Nazarene,

Church of Christ Church of Christ may refer to: Church groups * When used in the plural, a New Testament designation for local groups of people following the teachings of Jesus Christ: "...all the churches of Christ greet you", Romans 16:16. * The entire body of Ch ...

, Brethren Christian, the Bahá’í Faith and Buddhist; 6 percent of the population claims no religious affiliation. According to the Association of Religion Data Archives, in 2010 the World Christian Database reported that the non-Christian religious groups were spiritualism, followed by 2.6% of the population; Bahai followed by 1.7%;

Agnosticism Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficient ...

followed by 0.5%; Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam followed by 0.1% each; and Chinese folk religion, Neoreligions, and

Atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no d ...

each followed by less than 0.1% of the population.

Religious freedom

The constitution of

provides for the freedom of religion and thought. This is enforced by the government, although the Rastafarian community objects to the illegal status of cannabis in Dominica, as cannabis plays an important role in their religious practice.
International Religious Freedom Report 2017 Dominica
', US Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. Possession of up to 28grams (1oz) of cannabis was legalized in October 2020. Residents of Dominica may grow up to 3 cannabis plants per househol

The government subsidizes the salaries of teachers at private religious schools. Public schools typically include optional non-denominational prayers in morning assemblies. Religious groups may register with the government in order to receive non-profit status. According to the US Department of State, there have been no significant societal breaches of religious freedom in Dominica.

References

Religion in the British Empire {{reli-country-stub

Demographics

Religious freedom

See also

References