This table shows the German population’s religious affiliation for the years 1910, 1925, 1933 and 1939. For the year 1939 the territory of the German Reich as of December 31, 1937 – i.e. before the “Anschluss” of Austria and the annexation of the Sudetenland – was taken as the basis. For the years 1925, 1933 and 1939, the development is also broken down by gender.

The majority of the population in the German Reich belonged to either the Protestant or Roman Catholic Church. In 1910, just under one percent of the population were Jews. The proportion of Jews in the total population initially fell only slightly in the following years, but between 1933 and 1939 it fell by more than half to 0.3 percent. In view of the antisemitic legislation and persecution by the Nazi regime, many German Jews felt compelled to emigrate from 1933 onwards and left Germany if they had the opportunity to do so.