Religion in Zambia

Religious life in Zambia includes Catholic, Seventh-day Adventist, Pentecostal, United Church of Zambia, New Apostolic, Jehovah's Witness, Baptist, Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Orthodox, Salvation Army and other Christian communities. Islam includes Sunni and Shia communities. Hindu, Baha'i, Buddhist, Sikh, Jewish and African Traditional Religion communities are smaller, and some people combine Christian practice with indigenous beliefs. The census shares describe the national population; international estimates differ because surveys use different methods and definitions. Religious practice commonly includes worship, prayer, fasting, Bible or Quran study, sacraments and community social services. Each denomination or congregation sets its own services, rites, membership practices and local arrangements. The Constitution protects private and public worship, religious teaching, practice and observance, including the choice to change religion. It also protects people from being forced to take part in another religion's instruction or ceremony and from being required to take a religion-conflicting oath. The Office of the Vice President, through the Department of National Guidance and Religious Affairs, works on Christian affairs, religious affairs, interfaith dialogue, public religious celebrations and religious heritage sites. The Registrar of Societies under the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security handles registration of religious groups. Religious mother bodies and organizations such as the Council of Churches in Zambia, Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia, Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops, Islamic Supreme Council of Zambia, Independent Churches of Zambia and the Apostolic Council of Churches of Zambia provide denominational or interfaith platforms, but no single authority governs every faith community. A religious group registering under the Societies Act generally needs at least 10 office bearers. The application can require National Registration Cards, passports or permits, fingerprints, police clearance, police or council endorsement, two copies of the constitution and a recommendation letter. The stated application fee is K2,000, and the basic statutory processing period is generally 28 days, although the current administrative process may require additional documents. New churches may also need evidence of pastoral qualifications, a place-of-worship confirmation and a recommendation from a religious mother body. Registered groups must submit annual returns and maintain compliance. The Ministry of Education's 2024 Religious Education syllabus for Forms 1 to 4 covers Christianity, Hinduism, Zambian Traditional Religion and Islam from an educational perspective. It is not a church doctrine course and is not intended as evangelism. Constitutional protection allows a person to decline religious instruction or a ceremony connected with another religion. A faith community may provide its own religious instruction and social services alongside the school curriculum. No single nationwide fee for religious instruction is established by the available national evidence. Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Monday and Christmas Day are public holidays under the Public Holidays Act. 18 October is a public holiday under Statutory Instrument 78 of 2015 for prayer, fasting, repentance and reconciliation. 29 December is observed as an annual Christian-Nation commemoration; its status as an additional statutory public holiday must be checked against the current official holiday list. Non-Christian religious holidays are not established as nationwide public holidays in the reviewed national list, although individual leave arrangements and institutional practices may differ. Religious marriage has a separate legal pathway from civil and customary marriage. A religious ceremony requires a licensed place of worship and licensed minister, a Registrar's certificate or special licence, and at least two witnesses; the minister sends the marriage certificate within seven days. Baptism, confirmation, Islamic marriage and funeral rites remain matters of the relevant community and do not replace civil birth or death registration. The Constitution and the Refugees Act protect religious freedom, but practical access, registration issues and minority treatment should be checked for the specific institution and situation. Violence against people accused of witchcraft, particularly older people, has also been documented as a serious risk.