These Countries Give the Most Money to Churches Through Taxes

• Germany has the wealthiest churches with an annual contribution of $211 billion through its 9% church tax.
• Finland sees one of the highest monthly contributions per person at $97.90, despite having a much smaller Christian population than top-ranking countries.
• High-income countries like Switzerland collect substantial church funds even with minimal tax rates.

A recent study by MyCross ranked 10 countries based on total annual tax contributions made to churches. Key metrics included church tax rate, average taxable income, and number of self-identified Christians. Monthly contributions were calculated as taxable income multiplied by the church tax rate. Annual totals were derived by multiplying monthly tax by 12 and by the Christian population. To rank total contributions, values were normalized per capita using Min-Max Scaling. All data reflects mandatory or formalized contributions based on national tax structures.

You can see the full research here.

Germany ranks first among all countries, with churches receiving approximately $211.1 billion annually. This is driven by a high 9% church tax applied to income and a large Christian population of 44.9 million. The average monthly contribution per person is $391.80, far exceeding every other country in the study.

Italy takes second place with $14.9 billion paid to churches annually. While the church tax is only 0.8%, its 53.2 million Christians generate the second-highest total due to population scale.

Sweden ranks third, collecting around $6.3 billion annually through a 2% church tax. Despite a smaller Christian base (6.6 million), the average monthly contribution of $79.60 lifts it ahead of countries with much larger populations.

Austria follows closely with $4.5 billion in annual contributions. The 1.5% church tax and a relatively high income level lead to monthly per-person contributions of $72. Austria’s position reflects a balance of moderate taxation and strong earnings.

Finland ranks fifth at $4.35 billion, trailing Austria. With just 3.7 million Christians, Finland’s strong showing is due to a relatively high 2.25% tax rate. The $98 monthly contribution per person is the second highest in the study, behind only Germany—despite Finland having one of the smallest Christian populations.

Denmark’s$2.23 billion annual contribution places it sixth. Its 0.7% tax rate is the lowest among top-ranking countries, but a high average income of $6,023 brings the per-person contribution to $42.20. That’s less than half of Finland’s, despite similar economic conditions—emphasizing the outsized role of the tax rate.

Hungary ranks seventh with $1.13 billion in annual church taxes. A 1% rate applied to a modest $1,452 average income results in a $14.50 monthly contribution, which is less than one-third of Denmark’s despite Hungary having a larger Christian population (6.5 million vs. 4.4 million).

Switzerland ranks eighth with $1.02 billion, just behind Hungary. Its 0.17% church tax is the lowest in the study, but a high $8,765 average income keeps monthly contributions at $14.90—slightly above Hungary’s. This suggests that tax rate, more than income, drives total church revenue.

In ninth, Liechtenstein sees a total of $34.9 million annually from its 30,000 Christian residents. Though small in total, the 1.5% tax and $6,472 average income result in a $97.10 monthly contribution—second only to Germany and just ahead of Finland, despite its minuscule population.

Iceland rounds out the top ten with $25.3 million in yearly contributions. Its 0.11% tax rate and $6,778 average income translate to a $7.76 monthly contribution per person—the lowest in the study, even though its economic base is comparable to Liechtenstein and Switzerland.