Georgia

Georgia, located on the Caspian Sea south of Russia, is one of the oldest Christian countries. Christianity became the state religion in the beginning of the fourth century. In the post-Soviet era, however, religion in Georgia is mostly a sign of national-cultural identity. Though it is not clear how many believers observe religious obligations out of religious motivation and how many out of custom or national loyalty, the number of Orthodox Christians has increased from 9.8% in 1998 to 17.5% in 2006.

According to the data of 2006, the population of Georgia comprises 4.7 million, with ethnic Georgians constituting the greatest part of the population, some 83.8%. The number of Orthodox Christians was almost the same as those of ethnic Georgians, 84%, indicating an overlap between those two categories. The remainder of the population were Muslims (9.9%), Armenian Apostolic (3.9%), Roman Catholic (1.2%), and Jews (0.8%). There were also small groups of Jehovah's Witnesses, Pentecostals, Lutherans, and others.