Religion in Togo

The Constitution of 6 May 2024 protects freedom of religion, conscience and worship and allows religious groups to organize within the law, public order, the rights of others and the principle of secular government. The state may not establish a religion, and religious discrimination is prohibited. Political parties may not identify themselves with a religion. The 2010 RGPH4 benchmark recorded Christianity at 58.2%, Islam at 17.8% and traditional religions at 24%. A current religious distribution from the reviewed INSEED publications was not found, so these figures should not be presented as a current population count. Christian communities include Catholic, Protestant, evangelical, Pentecostal, Methodist, Assemblies of God and revival churches. Muslim life includes mosques, imams, Friday prayer, Ramadan, Tabaski and pilgrimage. Traditional practices include Vodun and other indigenous rites, such as libation, invocations, divination and ancestor-related ceremonies; their organization is often local, family-based or informal rather than represented by one national body. Religious practice usually takes place through a local congregation, mosque, prayer centre or traditional religious leader. Sunday is commonly associated with Christian worship, Friday with Islamic worship and Saturday with Adventist worship. Local rules on opening hours and noise can affect services and ceremonies. The Ministry of Territorial Administration, Local Governance and Customary Affairs, especially the Direction des Cultes, handles religious registration, information, recognized places of worship and certain disputes. A formal religious organization uses the association registration process. An application can be submitted by a citizen or foreign resident and generally requires at least two founders, statutes, minutes, governing-body details, identity or residence documents, proof of ordination or training and a lease. The process includes online filing, preliminary review, a study fee, detailed review and issuance of a receipt or order; the official processing time and validity period were not specified in the reviewed material. A fiscal stamp of 500 CFA francs applies, while other costs vary by organization type and study fee. A new place of worship should obtain the relevant registration or authorization before opening, and foreign religious actors may need additional entry and activity permits. Togo legally recognizes religious holidays including Ascension, Assumption, All Saints' Day, Christmas, the Feast of Ramadan and Tabaski under Law 87-08. Islamic dates follow the lunar calendar, and current work or school leave should be checked against the annual notice or regulation. Public schools use a curriculum without compulsory religious instruction. Confessional schools are allowed but require authorization and supervision and must follow the official school calendar. Religious education mainly takes place through congregations and religious institutions. Primary-school data for 2019/2020 recorded 299 Catholic, 571 Protestant and 141 Islamic primary schools, with state support for teachers or staff in parts of the confessional sector. Religious rites may accompany birth, initiation, conversion, marriage and death, but they do not replace civil registration. A marriage acquires civil legal effect through the competent public civil-status officer; a religious wedding is supplementary. Birth, marriage and death records are handled through the civil-status system, and a copy is typically available within 48 working hours after application, subject to dossier fees. Funerals may follow religious or traditional practice while the death remains separately registered with the civil authorities. Interreligious forums held nationally or regionally in 2025 and 2026 brought together Catholic, Protestant, Methodist, Pentecostal, revival, Muslim and indigenous-religion representatives for dialogue, tolerance, conflict prevention, citizenship and peace. No single formal umbrella institution for all religions was identified. The 2022 INSEED infrastructure category counted 18,686 religion-related infrastructures nationwide, including 5,996 in Grand Lomé and 3,980 in the Savanes region; the category represented 25% of all recorded infrastructures and should not be read as an exact count of worship sites. The 2026 Hadj involved 2,425 Togolese pilgrims under coordination involving the CNH, the UMT and the ministry, with health, safety and insurance arrangements. Pilgrimage, agency and travel costs vary. Common practical concerns include noise complaints, unregistered worship sites, fraud, health and security risks, and intolerance or discrimination.