Religion in Guinea-Bissau

Religion in Guinea-Bissau is diverse, with country ranking as the seventh most religiously diverse in the world. Recent sources indicate Islam is the largest religion practised by approximately half the population, while followers of Christianity and traditional African religions also constitute major religious groups in the country. The relative share of Christians and Traditionalists in Guinea-Bissau is heavily disputed, and there exists little certainty on the precise religious demographics of the country. Syncretism is especially common in Guinea-Bissau among both Christians and Muslims, with some ethnic groups that have converted to Islam retaining animistic practices related to local spirits and ancestors.

Christians mostly live along the coastal regions and belong to the Roman Catholic Church (including Portuguese Bissau-Guineans) and various Protestant denominations. In 2017, Sunni Islam, including that of Sufi-oriented, were most concentrated in the northern and northeastern parts of the country, while practitioners of traditional indigenous religious beliefs generally live in all but the northern parts of the country.

Guinea-Bissau is legally defined as a secular state, though in practice politicians often consider the religious sentiments of the public. There has traditionally been a prevailing sense of national cohesion across ethnic and religious lines in the country, owing to the unifying effect of the war of independence and the common Creole language spoken by most of the population.