Lutheran

Lutheranism is the branch of Protestantism that grew from Martin Luther's 16th-century Reformation in the German lands, dating from the 1517 publication of his Ninety-Five Theses against the sale of indulgences. Its theology is defined by the central insistence that a person is justified before God by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, with scripture as the ultimate authority. The tradition holds two sacraments — baptism and the Lord's Supper — and affirms the real presence of Christ "in, with, and under" the bread and wine. Worship retains much of the older catholic liturgy, including vestments, a church calendar, and strong congregational hymn singing, for which Luther himself composed classics like "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." Governance varies: Scandinavian Lutherans often retain bishops, while many American Lutheran bodies are more congregational. Worldwide, Lutherans number roughly 75 million, most heavily concentrated in Germany, Scandinavia, and parts of Africa and North America.

Countries by Lutheran Population (6)

1. 1. 🇩🇰 Denmark 71.4%
2. 2. 🇫🇮 Finland 66.6%
3. 3. 🇱🇻 Latvia 36.2%
4. 4. 🇭🇺 Hungary 1.8%
5. 5. 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein 1.2%
6. 6. 🇱🇹 Lithuania 0.6%

Note: This list reflects only countries where the CIA World Factbook — our data source — explicitly uses the “Lutheran” label. Adherents in many other countries are rolled into broader buckets such as Protestant, Evangelical, or country-specific denominations, so this ranking undercounts global presence.