religious observance and institutions, and entirely banned religion to the point where Albania was officially declared to be the world's first atheist state. Religious freedom returned to Albania following the regime's change in 1992. Albanian Sunni Muslims are found throughout the country, Albanian Orthodox Christians as well as Bektashis are concentrated in the south, while Roman Catholics are found primarily in the north of the country. According to the 2011 Census, which has been recognised as unreliable by the Council of Europe, in Albania, 58.79% of the population adheres to Islam, making it the largest religion in the country. Christianity is practiced by 16.99% of the population, making it the second largest religion in the country. The remaining population is either irreligious or belongs to other religious groups. Before World War II, there was given a distribution of 70% Muslims, 20% Eastern Orthodox, and 10% Roman Catholics. Today, Gallup Global Reports 2010 shows that religion plays a role in the lives of only 39% of Albanians, and ranks Albania the thirteenth least religious country in the world. For part of its history, Albania has also had a Jewish community. Members of the Jewish community were saved by a group of Albanians during the Nazi occupation. Many left for Israel c. 1990–1992 when the borders were opened after the fall of the communist regime, but about 200 Jews still live in Albania. See also List of Albanians History of Albania Culture of Albania Geography of Albania Notes References Citations Cited sources Note 95 ← External links Books about Albania and the Albanian people (scribd.com) Reference of books (and some journal articles) about Albania and the Albanian people; their history, language, origin, culture, literature, and so on Public domain books, fully accessible online. Albanians in the Balkans U.S. Institute of Peace Report, November 2001 "The Albanians and their Territories" by The Academy of Sciences of the PSR of Albania Indo-European peoples Modern Indo-European peoples Ethnic groups in Albania Ethnic groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina Ethnic groups in Croatia Ethnic groups in Greece Ethnic groups in Italy Ethnic groups in Kosovo Ethnic groups in Montenegro Ethnic groups in North Macedonia Ethnic groups in Serbia Ethnic groups in Turkey Ethnic groups in the Balkans Muslim communities in Europe History of the Albanians Ethnic groups divided by international borders