Catholicism has declined in Latin American countries over the past decade, while an increasing proportion of adults consider it as such Religiously unaffiliatedThey describe themselves as atheists, agnostics, or “nothing in particular.”
Those are among the key findings in a report released by the Pew Research Center on Wednesday based on surveys conducted in early 2024 of adults in six of the region’s most populous countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.
“Our analysis found that the Catholic share of the population in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru — which together make up about 75% of the Latin American population — has declined significantly since 2013-2014, while a growing share of adults in the region do not belong to any religion,” said Christine Lesage, a Pew research associate and lead author of the report.
Most of the population of Latin America is Christian, and Catholicism remains the dominant religion. But exodus from the Church continues in a region that was once a stronghold of the Catholic faith and has close ties to it Pope Leo XIVwho served for decades in Peru before being elected in 2025, and his Argentine-born predecessor, Pope Francis.
The survey found that Catholics constitute 46% to 67% of the adult population in these six countries, and the percentage of religiously unaffiliated ranges from 12% to 33%.
But the percentage of Catholics has declined in every country over the past decade by at least 9 percentage points. At the same time, the study found that the proportion of unaffiliated adults rose by 7 percentage points or more.
“In fact, there are now more religiously unaffiliated adults than Protestants in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Mexico,” Lesage said.
A decade agoThe report says Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru have Catholic majorities: about 6 in 10 adults or more in each country identify as Catholic.
Today, about half of Brazilians and Chileans identify as Catholic. About two-thirds of Mexicans and Peruvians are Catholic, as are about 6 in 10 adults in Argentina and Colombia, but all of these majorities are smaller than they were 10 years ago.
The strong influence of the Catholic Church in Latin America subsequently eroded Scandals of sexual assaults against clergy and opposing the church’s positions against abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.
Many people, in countries such as Argentina, are now seeking to achieve this Spiritual answers outside the church – In yoga, tarot, astrology and beliefs outside of religion.
Within a decade, the proportion of religiously unaffiliated adults has increased dramatically across the region, rising to about a quarter of adults in Argentina and Colombia.
A decade ago, Pew survey It focused on how Latin Americans born into Catholic families increasingly left the faith for Protestant churches, while many others dropped organized religion altogether in a major shift in the region’s religious identity.
But since then, Protestantism has remained “relatively stable” across Latin America, according to a Pew analysis. In Brazil – which has the largest proportion of Protestants of the six countries surveyed – 29% of adults now identify as Protestant, compared to 26% in 2013-14.
The main shift is among those who have no affiliation.
The analysis found that there are now more religiously unaffiliated adults than Protestants in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Mexico.
When asked about their current religion, about 2 in 10 Mexican adults identify as atheist, agnostic, or “nothing in particular.” By contrast, approximately 1 in 10 Mexicans belong to any branch of Protestantism.
“What is striking is that despite these shifts in religious identity, Latin Americans remain quite religious, on average,” Lesage said.
Belief in God is widespread. Religion is very important to many people; Prayers are fairly common:
— About 9 in 10 or more adults surveyed in each country say they believe in God.
– About half or more of adults surveyed in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Peru say religion is “very important” in their lives.
The majority of adults in Brazil, Colombia and Peru say they pray at least once a day.
“By these measures, Latinos are more religious than adults in many other countries the center has surveyed in recent years, especially in Europe, where many adults have left Christianity since childhood,” the Pew analysis said.
Latin Americans are also as likely to believe in God as they were a decade ago. Even among those with no religious affiliation, most across the region say they believe in God.
The poll surveyed 6,234 Latin American adults from January 22 to April 27, 2024. The margin of error varies by country, ranging from plus or minus 4.0 percentage points to 4.5 percentage points.
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP cooperation With The Conversation US, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., the AP is solely responsible for this content.