{"id":284200,"date":"2026-01-21T09:52:27","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T14:52:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?p=284200"},"modified":"2026-03-26T08:08:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T12:08:22","slug":"catholicism-has-declined-in-latin-america-over-the-past-decade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/2026\/01\/21\/catholicism-has-declined-in-latin-america-over-the-past-decade\/","title":{"rendered":"Catholicism Has Declined in Latin America Over the Past Decade"},"content":{"rendered":"

Growing numbers of Latin Americans are religiously unaffiliated, but belief in God remains high across the region<\/h2>\n\n\n
\"Colorful
(Inti St Clair via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
About this research<\/summary>\n

This report describes how the religious affiliation of people in six Latin American countries has changed over the past decade. It also examines their religious beliefs and practices. It focuses on several of the largest countries in the region: Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Peru are the five most populous<\/a> countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, while Chile has the region\u2019s seventh-largest population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did we do this? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pew Research Center conducts opinion surveys, demographic studies and other research to better understand the role of religion in public life, among other topics. Some of our recent reports on religion and spirituality around the world have focused on religious switching<\/a>, beliefs about life after death<\/a> and public opinion on Pope Francis<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about Pew Research Center<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did we do this? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This report is based mainly on a Pew Research Center survey conducted in spring 2024 that included more than 6,200 Latin American adults (ages 18 and older).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the questions and responses used for this report<\/a>, along with the survey methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who funded this work?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This analysis was produced by Pew Research Center as part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures project<\/a>, which analyzes religious change and its impact on societies around the world. Funding for the Global Religious Futures project comes from The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John Templeton Foundation (grant 63095). This publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

The Catholic share of the population in several Latin American countries has shrunk over the last 10 years, while a growing percentage of Latin American adults are religiously unaffiliated, describing themselves as atheist, agnostic or \u201cnothing in particular.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Catholicism still appears to be Latin America\u2019s largest religion, according to Pew Research Center surveys in six of the region\u2019s most populous countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Bar<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Today, Catholics make up 46% to 67% of the adult population in each of these countries, while the share of adults who are religiously unaffiliated ranges from 12% to 33%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the Catholic shares have dropped by 9 percentage points or more in all six countries over the past decade, while the percentages of adults who are unaffiliated have risen by 7 points or more. In several countries, unaffiliated adults \u2013 sometimes called religious \u201cnones\u201d \u2013 now outnumber Protestants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite these shifts, Latin Americans remain quite religious, on average. For instance:<\/p>\n\n\n\n