Christianity in Kyrgyzstan
Christianity has a long history in Kyrgyzstan, with the earliest archaeological remains of churches belonging to the Church of the East in modern-day Suyab dating back to the 7th century. By the 9th century an archdiocese of the Church of the East cared for the Christians of Kyrgyzstan and adjacent areas in eastern Turkestan. Although primarily Turkic there was also an Armenian community in what today is Kyrgyzstan by the 14th century. By the 15th century, however, there were no longer ecclesiastical structures of any church caring for what is today Kyrgyzstan and Islam gained the ascendancy amongst the Kyrgyz people. Demographics In 2020, figures showed that 4.39% of the population followed Christianity, with 3.53% of the population identifying as Orthodox, 0.31% as Protestant, 0.01% as Catholic and 0.61% as other Christian. Eastern Orthodox Christianity is the largest Christian denomination in Kyrgyzstan, with members primarily comprising the country's ethnic Russians and Ukrainians. A small minority of ethnic Germans are also Christian, mostly Lutheran and Anabaptist, with Baptists, Pentecostals, evangelicals and Adventists also active in the country. At least 92,000 Christians are from majority Muslim ethnic groups. Discrimination against Christians has been reported in 2022. Orthodox Christian Church The modern history