Religion in St Vincent and Grenadines

Christian communities have a strong public presence, including Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Pentecostal, Seventh-day Adventist, Baptist and other congregations. The latest published denomination table, from 2012, recorded Pentecostal affiliation at 27.6%, Anglican at 13.9%, Seventh-day Adventist at 11.6%, Spiritual Baptist at 8.9%, Methodist at 8.7%, Roman Catholic at 6.3% and Evangelical at 3.8%. Smaller communities include Jehovah's Witnesses, the Salvation Army, Presbyterian and Congregational churches, Rastafarian communities, Muslims and Hindus. Access to smaller communities may depend on the island and local congregation, and no reliable nationwide directory lists every religious community. The Constitution protects the freedom to choose, change, practise and teach a religion, to worship publicly or privately, and to observe religious practices. The protection is subject to limits connected with public safety, public order, public morality and public health. A guardian's consent is required when a person under 18 is subjected to religious instruction or a religious ceremony belonging to a different religion from the guardian's choice. Religious communities may establish and maintain their own schools. Religious organisations do not generally need a national registration merely to worship or organise. A nonprofit registration may be relevant when an organisation seeks tax exemptions. Another legal form can involve incorporation and a certificate from Parliament. The responsible ministry and required evidence depend on the chosen procedure, while nationally standardised registration costs and processing times are not consistently published. The Ministry of Social Welfare and Community Empowerment, Ecclesiastical Affairs and National Heritage currently holds the relevant government portfolio. The Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Innovation, Digital Transformation and Information oversees schools. The Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Christian Council provides an ecumenical forum, and government engages with registered religious groups. Interfaith engagement involving Christian, Rastafarian and Muslim communities is documented, but no permanent all-faith national forum is reliably established. Public and assisted private primary and secondary schools hold collective worship at the beginning of the school day. Public-school worship must not be specific to one denomination. A denominational school board determines the form used in its schools. Religious Education forms part of the curriculum, but admission and attendance cannot depend on participation. A parent may withdraw a student from worship, religious observance or religious classes. Denominational schools may arrange faith-specific instruction for their own students without imposing it on students of other faiths. Religious services commonly include worship, baptism, communion, confirmation, pastoral care and funerals. These ceremonies follow the rules of the relevant denomination and local congregation. A religious baptism certificate may support a correction to a civil record, but a religious ceremony does not by itself replace the civil procedure for legal recognition. A legally recognised marriage requires the Civil Registry or High Court process and a licence, unless a Governor-General special licence is used. A church ceremony alone is not sufficient. A religious minister who conducts the ceremony must be ordained or licensed, recognised by the denomination, at least 21 years old, of good character and without a criminal record, with a recommendation from the head of the denomination. The minister approval process can include a police background check, an interview with the High Court Registrar, Cabinet consideration and publication in the Gazette. A Governor-General licence costs EC$525, takes one day according to the supplied research and remains valid for three months. A Registrar licence requires EC$15 in revenue stamps, seven days of public notice and remains valid for three months. Church fees are separate and vary locally. In 2026, national public holidays with religious or historical religious significance include Good Friday on 3 April, Easter Monday on 6 April, Spiritual Baptist Liberation Day on 21 May, Whit Monday on 25 May, Christmas Day on 25 December and Boxing Day on 26 December. Spiritual Baptist Liberation Day recognises the history of persecution associated with the former Shakerism Prohibition Ordinance of 1912, which was repealed in 1965, and Act 13 of 2002. No national public-holiday rule for Eid, Diwali or Hanukkah is established in the supplied research. The Criminal Code makes blasphemous or profane public speech punishable by up to three months' imprisonment, although the 2023 International Religious Freedom report stated that the provision was not being enforced. Rastafarian observance can include a cultural and religious connection with cannabis, so the religious practice and any separate legal restrictions must be considered together. Religious affiliation does not remove the constitutional protection against coercion or the need to follow civil rules governing schools, organisations and legal life events.