<P> The Protestant Church of the Netherlands (PKN) forms by far the largest Protestant denomination, with some 8.6% of the population in 2015, based on in - depth interviewing, down from 60% in the early 20th century . According to the church itself, formal membership was 9.1% (1.562 million members of a total population of 17.081. 505) of the Dutch population in 2017 . </P> <P> The PKN was formed in 2004 as a merger of the two major strands of Calvinism: the Dutch Reformed Church (which then represented roughly 8.5% of the population) and the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (at that time 3.7% of the population) and a smaller Lutheran Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands (0.1%). Since the 1970s these three churches had seen a major decline in adherents and had begun to work together . The PKN itself claims that 9.1% of the Dutch population is a member in 2016 . About 4% of newborns were baptized within the PKN in 2014 . The Church embraces religious pluralism . Research shows that 42% of the members of the PKN are non-theist . Furthermore, in the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN) and several other smaller denominations of the Netherlands, 1 in 6 clergy are either agnostic or atheist . The number of members falls on average by about 2.5% per year . This is caused primarily by the death of older members and little growth among the younger population . A large number of Protestant churches, mostly orthodox Calvinist splits and liberal churches, stayed out of the PKN . They represented some 4% of the population in 2004 . Calvinism is the traditional faith of the Dutch Royal Family--a remnant of the church's historical dominance . </P> <P> The Bible Belt (De Bijbelgordel in Dutch) is the name given to a strip of land in the Netherlands, after the Bible Belt of the United States . The belt is inhabited by a large number of conservative Protestants . The Bible Belt stretches from Zeeland, through the West - Betuwe and Veluwe, to the northern parts of the province Overijssel . However, some communities with strong conservative Protestant leanings are situated outside the belt . For example, Urk, considered by many as one of the most traditional communities in the country, and some municipalities of Friesland have characteristics typical of the Bible Belt . Other places in this area are Yerseke, Tholen, Ouddorp, Opheusden, Kesteren, Barneveld, Nunspeet, Elspeet and Staphorst . The three biggest cities regarded to be part of the Bible Belt are Ede, Veenendaal and Kampen . </P> <P> A 2015 study estimates some 4,500 Christian believers from a Muslim background in the country, most of them belonging to some form of Protestantism . </P>

What are the main religions in the netherlands