Catholicism Declines Across Latin America as Religious 'Nones' Rise, Pew Study Reveals
A comprehensive new report from the Pew Research Center has documented a significant religious shift across Latin America over the last decade. The study, based on extensive surveys, reveals a marked decline in the Catholic population alongside a substantial increase in the number of adults who identify as religiously unaffiliated.
Key Findings from the Pew Research Center Report
The analysis, released on Wednesday, draws from surveys conducted in early 2024 across six of the region's most populous nations: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. These countries collectively represent approximately 75% of Latin America's total population. The Catholic share of the adult population has seen a significant decrease since 2013-14, while the proportion of adults describing themselves as atheist, agnostic, or having no particular religion has grown considerably.
"Our analysis found that the Catholic share of the population in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru has significantly declined since 2013-14, while a growing share of adults in the region are religiously unaffiliated," stated Kirsten Lesage, a Pew research associate and the lead author of the report.
The Scale of the Religious Shift
While Christianity remains the dominant faith and Catholicism is still the largest single religious group in the region, the exodus from the Catholic Church is pronounced. The survey indicates that Catholics now constitute between 46% and 67% of the adult population in these six nations. In contrast, the religiously unaffiliated segment ranges from 12% to 33%.
Each country has witnessed a decline in its Catholic population of at least 9 percentage points over the past ten years. Concurrently, the percentage of unaffiliated adults has risen by 7 percentage points or more. Notably, the report highlights that there are now more religiously unaffiliated adults than Protestants in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico.
A decade ago, all six nations surveyed had clear Catholic majorities, with roughly six in ten or more adults identifying as Catholic. Today, only about half of Brazilians and Chileans identify as Catholic. Approximately two-thirds of Mexicans and Peruvians remain Catholic, as do about six in ten adults in Argentina and Colombia, but all these figures represent a decrease from the previous decade.
Factors Behind the Rise of the 'Nones'
The erosion of the Catholic Church's once-strong influence in Latin America is attributed to several factors. These include widespread clergy sex abuse scandals and opposition to the Church's traditional stances on social issues such as abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. In response, many individuals, particularly in countries like Argentina, are seeking spiritual guidance outside traditional religious structures, turning to practices like yoga, tarot, astrology, and other non-religious belief systems.
The previous major religious shift in the region saw many born Catholics leaving for Protestant churches. However, the new Pew analysis indicates that Protestantism has now remained "relatively stable" across Latin America. For instance, in Brazil—which has the highest percentage of Protestants among the surveyed countries—29% of adults now identify as Protestant, compared to 26% in 2013-14. The most dramatic change is clearly among those with no religious affiliation.
Enduring Religious Belief Amid Changing Identities
Despite these significant changes in formal religious identity, the report underscores that Latin Americans remain, on average, deeply religious. Belief in God is nearly universal, religion holds profound importance for many, and prayer is a common practice.
- About nine in ten or more adults in each surveyed country affirm a belief in God.
- Approximately half or more adults in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru state that religion is "very important" in their lives.
- Majorities in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru report praying at least once daily.
"What's striking is that, despite these shifts in religious identity, Latin Americans remain quite religious, on average," Lesage noted. The analysis points out that Latin Americans are more religious by these measures than adults in many other regions surveyed in recent years, particularly Europe. Furthermore, belief in God is as prevalent as it was a decade ago, even among the religiously unaffiliated, most of whom across the region still say they believe in God.
The poll surveyed 6,234 Latin American adults between January 22 and April 27, 2024. The margin of error varies by country, ranging from plus or minus 4.0 to 4.5 percentage points.
