Religion in South Sudan

South Sudan has no state religion and formally separates religion from the state. The Transitional Constitution provides for freedom of religion and belief, worship and assembly, places of worship, religious teaching, religious publications, religious materials, voluntary contributions, faith-based charitable institutions and the appointment or election of religious leaders. It also protects religious holidays, ceremonies and days of rest, and prohibits religious discrimination, including during a state of emergency. Estimated 2023 figures place Christians at 60.5 percent of the population, Indigenous or animist religions at 32.9 percent and Muslims at 6.2 percent. These are estimates rather than results of a current religious census, and displacement, mobility among pastoralist communities and limited statistical capacity create uncertainty. Christian communities include Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Sudan Interior, Presbyterian Evangelical and African Inland churches, as well as smaller Eritrean Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox and Greek Orthodox communities, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Seventh-day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses. Indigenous religious practices occur throughout the country and often continue alongside Christianity or Islam. They usually rely on community, ritual and elder-based access rather than a central clergy structure or formal national registration. Muslim communities are present throughout the country; the Islamic Council of South Sudan is used as a local umbrella term, but its current institutional reach has not been independently verified. The Office of the President, through the Bureau or Directorate of Religious Affairs, and state governments are involved in religious matters. The Ministry of General Education and Instruction and the National Curriculum Development Center oversee formal religious education. The South Sudan Council of Churches serves as an ecumenical umbrella for ten member or associate churches. State-level implementation remains uneven, and access to worship and religious services can be limited by conflict, displacement, travel conditions and local security risks. Religious groups generally register with the state government where they operate. Typical documents include a constitution, a statement of faith, doctrines, objectives and holy books, and a list of executive members. A 2023 source identified a registration fee of 3,500 South Sudanese pounds, approximately 3 US dollars at that time, but the current fee and procedure have not been independently confirmed. Faith-based organizations carrying out advocacy, humanitarian or development work may also need registration with the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission. International organizations generally need prior registration in their home country and a commissioning letter. Many faith-based organizations operate in practice without registration, so formal requirements and actual enforcement do not always match. The National Curriculum Development Center lists Christian Religious Education from Primary 1 to Primary 8 and an official Christian Religious Education catalogue from Senior 1 to Senior 4. The reviewed catalogue did not show a separate Islamic Religious Education pathway. This is a finding about the examined catalogue, not proof that no Islamic or other religious teaching exists elsewhere. Confessional and Indigenous education may take place through local or institutional arrangements outside the reviewed national curriculum. Christmas, Easter, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are regularly observed as public religious holidays, with dates depending on the relevant calendar. Ministry of Labour circulars determine workplace closures; for example, Eid al-Fitr was observed from 30 March to 1 April 2025 and Easter from 3 to 6 April 2026. Local ritual details, participation costs and arrangements for marriage, baptism, naming and funerals are usually handled by clergy, imams, faith communities or elders. South Sudan has no single national religious procedure or central tariff for these life events, and the legal effect of a religious ceremony compared with civil registration is not sufficiently documented. The Penal Code Act 9 of 2008, sections 203 to 205, provides criminal penalties for intentional damage or desecration of a place or object of worship, disruption of a religious assembly and interference with a burial place or funeral. The maximum penalty can be three years' imprisonment, a fine or both. In practice, documented church occupations, detention of a pastor, allegations against religious leaders and the burning of a Seventh-day Adventist church show that protection is not applied consistently. Violence against religious buildings or personnel is often intertwined with wider conflict and ethnic security conditions and should not automatically be classified as solely religiously motivated. Religious organizations also support shelter, aid and assistance to displaced people. Christian and Muslim leaders take part in mediation, reconciliation, peacebuilding, humanitarian access and efforts to reduce hate speech. The South Sudan Council of Churches, Christian-Muslim coordination initiatives and interfaith committees have supported these functions, including forums and workshops in Greater Jonglei, Juba, Wau and Maridi. These activities concern religious dialogue and mediation; broader social relations belong to a different subject. The practical availability of worship, education, registration and religious services therefore depends on the state, the institution, the security situation and whether the practice is formal, local or community-based.