This article records tradition as it has been passed down and reported. Its sources are not yet part of the atlas's verified catalogue.
The Marshall Islands, a scatter of coral atolls and low reef islands strung across two chains in the central Pacific, is overwhelmingly Christian, over 96 per cent by the 2021 census, with the United Church of Christ, Congregational, the descendant of Boston missionary work that reached the islands in 1857, still holding a plurality even as Assemblies of God, Catholic, Latter-day Saint and a home-grown movement called Bukot nan Jesus have all grown since. Public and government functions typically open and close with Christian prayer led by whichever major denomination is present.
Formal independence came on 21 October 1986, when the Compact of Free Association with the United States took effect, ending the US-administered Pacific Islands Trust Territory and leaving the Marshall Islands self-governing while the United States retains defense responsibility and maintains its Kwajalein Atoll missile range, one of the country's few large sources of formal employment.