Religion in Ivory Coast

Religion in Ivory Coast is diverse, with no particular religion representing the majority of the population. According to the 2021 census, Islam (mainly Sunni) is professed by 42.5% of the total population, while adherents of Christianity (mainly Catholic and Evangelical) represented 39.8% of the population. In addition, 12.6% of Ivorians reported to be non-religious and 2.2% claimed to follow Animism or traditional faiths.^[1][3][4] Between the 2014 and 2021 censuses, the share of Christians increased from 33.9 to 39.8 percent, while the share of Muslims declined from 42.9 to 42.5 percent of the total population.^[1][5]

According to the 2020 estimate by the Pew Research Center, Muslims are the largest religious group at 44% of the total population, followed by Christians at 37.2% of the population. It also projected 8.1% of Ivorians to be unaffiliated and 10.5% as adherents of Traditional African religions.^[6][4]

Christianity is practised in a variety of forms throughout the country though mostly in the south.^[4][7] Islam has been practised in the far north for roughly seven centuries, shifting in influence over time due to contact with the Muslim areas to the north and immigration.^[7] Christian missionaries arrived at the coast in the 17th century but did not win converts in large numbers until the 19th century.^[7] Christianity's appeal was strongest among educated Africans and those who sought advancement through European contact.^[7]