Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

is the predominant religion in Tuvalu, with

Calvinism Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyteri ...

being the single largest denomination. Approximately 86% of the population belonged to the Church of Tuvalu ( Tuvaluan: ''Te Ekalesia Kelisiano Tuvalu'', EKT) in the 2022 census and it is the state church of

Tuvalu Tuvalu ( ) is an island country in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean, about midway between Hawaii and Australia. It lies east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands (which belong to the Solomon Islands), northeast of Van ...

, although in practice this merely entitles it to "the privilege of performing special services on major national events"; it is

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

in orientation and has a Congregationalist polity.

Church of Tuvalu

Adherents of the Church of Tuvalu comprise about 86% of the 10,632 inhabitants of Tuvalu. All nine islands of Tuvalu, encompassing a combined land area of , have traditional chiefs ( alikis) who are members of the Church of Tuvalu. The most prominent building on

Funafuti Funafuti is an atoll, comprising numerous islets, that serves as the capital of Tuvalu. As of the 2017 census, it has a population of 6,320 people. More people live in Funafuti than the rest of Tuvalu combined, with it containing approximately 6 ...

is the ''Fētu'ao Lima'' (Morning Star Church) of the Church of Tuvalu.

Other religions/denominations

Most followers of other religions or denominations, making up small populations of members of the

Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sa ...

(2%), the Tuvalu Brethren Church (a

charismatic Charisma () is a personal quality of magnetic charm, persuasion, or appeal. In the fields of sociology and political science, psychology, and management, the term ''charismatic'' describes a type of leadership. In Christian theology, the term ...

Protestant denomination) (3%), the

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co-fou ...

(1%) and

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

s (1%), are found in the capital city,

. The

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

constitutes 1% of the population. The Baháʼís are mainly found on Nanumea, and also

. The Catholic community is served by the Mission Sui Iuris of Funafuti. The sole Catholic church in the country is Teone Church in Vaiaku. There are also smaller numbers of

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

Baptists Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

, members of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

and atheists. As of 2010, the

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Ahmadiyya, officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ), is an Islamic messianic movement originating in British India in the late 19th century. It was founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908), who said he had been divinely appointed a ...

had approximately 50 members in the country, representing 0.5% of the population.

Religious demographics

The population of Tuvalu was 11,500 as of 2022 estimates, up from 10,837 in the 2012 census. , the various denominations following

make up roughly (rounding errors with small overall population) 96% of the population. Overall, the largest faith groups were: * Church of Tuvalu 86% * Brethren 3% * Seventh-day Adventist Church 2% *

Assemblies of God The World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF), commonly known as the Assemblies of God (AG), is a global cooperative body or communion of over 170 Pentecostal denominations that was established on August 15, 1989. The WAGF was created to provi ...

2% * Catholic 1% * LDS 1% * Jehovas Witnesses 1% * Baháʼí Faith 1%

Religious freedom

The Constitution of Tuvalu was amended in 2023, its preamble states that the people of Tuvalu are "thankful that our islands and oceans, known by its ancient name as the Tuvalu Islands, were given by God as our home in the Pacific Ocean", and later affirms "our identity as a Christian nation", and reaffirms Tuvalu as a "free and democratic sovereign nation based on Christian Principles, Tuvaluan values and culture and the Rule of Law". Section 23 (2) of the Constitution specifically establishes the freedom of belief, which is stated as including – "(a) freedom of thought, religion and belief; and (b) freedom to change religion or belief; and (c) freedom, either alone or with others, to show and to spread, both in public and in private, a religion or belief, in worship, teaching, practice and observance." Section 23 (8) states that: "The protection given by this section to freedom of religion or belief applies equally to freedom not to have or hold a particular religion or belief, or any religion or belief."

Court protection

In 2003, some members of the Tuvalu Brethren Church on Nanumanga reported that discrimination, including acts and threats of violence, hindered their religious freedom on that island, which prompted them to commence proceedings in the High Court of Tuvalu in 2004; the case moved through the courts, and in 2009 the Court of Appeal of Tuvalu determined that the constitutional rights of these members had been breached. In 2008, four members of the Tuvalu Brethren Church on Nanumaga sued in the High Court claiming unlawful dismissal from their employment on grounds that included unlawful discrimination on the basis of religion and that their constitutional right to freedom of belief, expression and association had been denied. Three of the claims were dismissed, with a fourth plaintiff being awarded general damages and aggravated damages.

References