Ukraine Hosts 9,900 Religious Organizations of the UOC (MP), Including 16 Educational Institutions – State Ethnopolicy

The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolicy and Freedom of Conscience has released new data regarding the number of religious organizations operating within Ukraine. As of January 1, 2026, the country is home to almost 9,900 religious organizations affiliated with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), as well as more than 8,700 organizations belonging to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU).

According to the report from the State Ethnopolicy, there are a total of 34,882 religious organizations functioning in Ukraine as of the beginning of 2026. Among these, there are 385 religious centers or administrations that unite 33,213 communities, of which 26,565 hold the status of legal entities. Additionally, Ukraine counts 551 monasteries, comprising 243 female and 308 male monasteries, along with 84 brotherhoods, 354 missions, and 195 spiritual educational institutions, including 67 secondary and 128 higher education institutions.

At the start of the year, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine had 8,763 religious organizations. This includes 54 religious centers or administrations that oversee 8,547 communities, with 7,295 of them recognized as legal entities. Within the OCU, there are also 87 monasteries (23 female and 64 male), 14 brotherhoods, 35 missions, and 26 spiritual educational institutions, of which 13 are secondary and 13 are higher education institutions.

In comparison to the data from January 1, 2025, the number of religious organizations within the OCU has decreased by 252, as there were 8,511 at that time. Regarding the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), as of January 1, 2026, there were 9,874 religious organizations operating in Ukraine. Of these, 49 are religious centers or administrations, which encompass 9,550 communities, with 7,269 recognized as legal entities. The UOC (MP) also includes 209 monasteries (101 female and 108 male), 33 brotherhoods, 17 missions, and 16 spiritual educational institutions, of which 10 are secondary and 6 are higher education institutions.

Throughout 2025, the number of religious organizations associated with the UOC (MP) increased by 244, as there were 10,118 at the beginning of that year. In terms of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), as of early 2026, there are 3,682 religious organizations in Ukraine. This includes 26 religious centers or administrations, which oversee 3,502 communities, with 3,209 recognized as legal entities. The UGCC comprises 110 monasteries (53 female and 57 male), 2 brotherhoods, 26 missions, and 16 spiritual educational institutions, of which 9 are secondary and 7 are higher education institutions.

At the beginning of 2025, there were 3,674 religious organizations of the UGCC, which is 8 organizations fewer than at the start of 2026. It is important to note that on August 20, 2024, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a bill in its second reading and as a whole, which prohibits the activities of religious organizations affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church. This bill, numbered 8371, is titled 'On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Sphere of Activities of Religious Organizations.' Between 2022 and 2025, nearly 1,400 religious communities transitioned from the UOC (MP) to the OCU, indicating significant changes in the religious landscape of Ukraine.