South Slavs - Religion

Religion

The religious and cultural diversity of the region the South Slavs inhabit has had a considerable influence on their religion. Originally a polytheistic pagan people, the South Slavs have also preserved many of their ancient rituals and traditional folklore, often intermixing and combining it with the religion they later converted to.

Today, the majority of South Slavs are Orthodox Christians- the most Bulgarians, Macedonians, Serbs and Montenegrins, whilst most Slovenes and Croats are Roman Catholics. Bosniaks, other minor ethnic groups (Gorani, Muslims by nationality) and sub-groups (Torbesh and Pomaks) are Muslims.

South Slavic ethnic groups by religion:

  • Mainly Orthodox Christians
    • Bulgarians
    • Serbs
    • Macedonians
    • Montenegrins
  • Mainly Roman Catholics
    • Croats
    • Slovenes
  • Mainly Muslims
    • Bosniaks

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