Religion in Latin America

Last updated

Religion in Latin America (Pew Research Center 2014) [1]

Contents

   Catholic (69%)
   Protestant (18%)
  Unaffiliated (9%)
  Other (4%)

Religion in Latin America is characterized by the historical predominance of Catholicism, [2] and growing number and influence of a large number of groups that belong to Protestantism, as well as by the presence of Irreligion. According to survey data from Statista in 2020, 57% of the Latin American population is Catholic and 19% is Protestant. [3]

Christianity

The Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil is the second largest in the world, after only of the Basilica of Saint Peter in Vatican City. Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, 2007.jpg
The Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil is the second largest in the world, after only of the Basilica of Saint Peter in Vatican City.

The majority of Latin Americans are Christians (90%), [2] mostly Roman Catholics. [5] [1] Membership in Protestant denominations is increasing, particularly in Brazil, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Puerto Rico. [6] In particular, Pentecostalism has experienced massive growth. [7] [8] This movement is increasingly attracting Latin America's middle classes. [9] Anglicanism also has a long and growing presence in Latin America.

According to the detailed Pew Research Center multi-country survey in 2014, 69% of the Latin American population is Catholic and 19% is Protestant, rising to 22% in Brazil and over 40% in much of Central America. More than half of these are converts. [10] [11] According to the 2014 Pew survey, the 46 countries and territories of Latin America and the Caribbean comprised, in absolute terms, the world's second-largest Christian population (24%; including U.S., British, Dutch and French territories), after the 50 countries and territories of Europe (26%; including Russia, excluding Turkey), but just before the 51 countries and territories of Sub-Saharan Africa (24%; including Mauritania, excluding Sudan). [12] A 2024 survey by M&R Consultadores found that 36.2% of Latin Americans identified as Catholic, 31% as Nondenominational believers and 27.7% as Protestant. [13]

Indigenous and Afro-Latin creeds

Indigenous creeds and rituals are still practiced in countries with large percentages of Amerindians, such as Bolivia, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru. Various Afro-Latin American traditions such as Santería, Candomblé, Umbanda, Macumba, and tribal-voodoo religions are also practiced, mainly in Cuba, Brazil, and Haiti.

Other world religions

Argentina hosts the largest communities of both Jews (180,000-300,000) [14] [15] [16] and Muslims (500,000-600,000) [17] [18] [19] in Latin America. Brazil is the country with more practitioners in the world of Allan Kardec's Spiritism. Practitioners of Judaism, Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Bahá'í Faith, and Shinto are also present in Latin America. [20]

Statistics

CID-Gallup 2010

Religion in Latin America (2010) [21]
Country Christian
(%)
Catholic
(%)
Protestant
(%)
Other religions
(%)
Unaffiliated
(%)
Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina 85,574,710,83,511,0
Flag of Belize.svg  Belize 74,040,533,510,415,6
Flag of Bolivia.svg  Bolivia 94,476,018,42,53,1
Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil 88,764,624,14,38,0
Flag of Chile.svg  Chile 82,166,215,92,515,4
Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia 94,781,713,02,33,0
Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica 89,970,719,24,06,1
Flag of Cuba.svg  Cuba 50,145,84,37,242,7
Flag of Ecuador.svg  Ecuador 93,180,912,22,34,6
Flag of El Salvador.svg  El Salvador 81,851,730,12,216,0
Flag of Guatemala.svg  Guatemala 86,847,139,71,711,5
Flag of Haiti.svg  Haiti 84,368,815,59,85,9
Flag of Honduras.svg  Honduras 88,849,839,03,28,0
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 92,082,99,13,44,6
Flag of Nicaragua.svg  Nicaragua 83,554,429,13,812,7
Flag of Panama.svg  Panama 92,776,016,73,34,0
Flag of Paraguay.svg  Paraguay 96,188,27,92,31,6
Flag of Peru.svg  Peru 93,680,613,03,03,4
Flag of Puerto Rico.svg  Puerto Rico 92,261,530,71,46,4
Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg  Dominican Republic 90,268,921,34,05,8
Flag of Uruguay.svg  Uruguay 52,442,89,64,643,0
Flag of Venezuela.svg  Venezuela 91,475,815,63,35,3

    2014 Pew Research Center data

    Religion in Latin America (2014) [1]
    CountryCatholic (%)Protestant (%)Unaffiliated (%)Other (%)
    Flag of Paraguay.svg Paraguay 89712
    Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico 81974
    Flag of Colombia.svg Colombia 791362
    Flag of Ecuador.svg Ecuador 791353
    Flag of Bolivia.svg Bolivia 771643
    Flag of Peru.svg Peru 761743
    Flag of Venezuela.svg Venezuela 731774
    Flag of Argentina.svg Argentina 7115123
    Flag of Panama.svg Panama 701974
    Flag of Chile.svg Chile 6417163
    Flag of Costa Rica.svg Costa Rica 622594
    Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil 612685
    Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg Dominican Republic 5723182
    Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Puerto Rico 563382
    Flag of El Salvador.svg El Salvador 5036123
    Flag of Guatemala.svg Guatemala 504163
    Flag of Nicaragua.svg Nicaragua 504074
    Flag of Honduras.svg Honduras 4641102
    Flag of Uruguay.svg Uruguay 4215376
    Latin America691984

      Number of followers by country (2015 Pew Research Center projections for 2020)

      CountriesPopulation TotalChristians %Christian PopulationUnaffiliated %Unaffiliated PopulationOther religions %Other religions PopulationSource
      Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina 44,830,00085.4%38,420,00012.1%5,320,0002.5%1,090,000 [22]
      Flag of Bolivia.svg  Bolivia 11,830,00094%11,120,0004.1%480,0001.9%230,000 [23]
      Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil 210,450,00088.1%185,430,0008.4%17,620,0003.5%7,400,000 [24]
      Flag of Chile.svg  Chile 18,540,00088.3%16,380,0009.7%1,800,0002%360,000 [25]
      Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia 52,160,00092.3%48,150,0006.7%3,510,0001%500,000 [26]
      Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica 5,270,00090.8%4,780,0008%420,0001.2%70,000 [27]
      Flag of Cuba.svg  Cuba 11,230,00058.9%6,610,00023.2%2,600,00017.9%2,020,000 [28]
      Flag of Ecuador.svg  Ecuador 16,480,00094%15,490,0005.6%920,0000.4%70,000 [29]
      Flag of El Salvador.svg  El Salvador 6,670,00088%5,870,00011.2%740,0000.8%60,000 [30]
      Flag of Guatemala.svg  Guatemala 18,210,00095.3%17,360,0003.9%720,0000.8%130,000 [31]
      Flag of Guyana.svg  Guyana 850,00067.9%580,0002%20,00030.1%250,000 [32]
      Flag of Haiti.svg  Haiti 11,550,00087%10,040,00010.7%1,230,0002.3%280,000 [33]
      Flag of Honduras.svg  Honduras 9,090,00087.5%7,950,00010.5%950,0002%190,000 [34]
      Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 126,010,00094.1%118,570,0005.7%7,240,0000.2%200,000 [35]
      Flag of Nicaragua.svg  Nicaragua 6,690,00085.3%5,710,00013%870,0001.7%110,000 [36]
      Flag of Panama.svg  Panama 4,020,00092.7%3,720,0005%200,0002.3%100,000 [37]
      Flag of Paraguay.svg  Paraguay 7,630,00096.9%7,390,0001.1%90,0002%150,000 [38]
      Flag of Peru.svg  Peru 32,920,00095.4%31,420,0003.1%1,010,0001.5%490,000 [39]
      Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg  Dominican Republic 11,280,00088%9,930,00010.9%1,230,0001.1%120,000 [40]
      Flag of Suriname.svg  Suriname 580,00052.3%300,0006.2%40,00041.5%240,000 [41]
      Flag of Uruguay.svg  Uruguay 3,490,00057%1,990,00041.5%1,450,0001.5%50,000 [42]
      Flag of Venezuela.svg  Venezuela 33,010,00089.5%29,540,0009.7%3,220,0000.8%250,000 [43]
      Latin America653,390,00089.7%585,850,0008%52,430,0002.3%15,110,000 [44]

      See also

      Related Research Articles

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Brazil</span>

      The predominant religion in Brazil is Christianity, with Catholicism being its largest denomination.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Argentina</span>

      Christianity is the most widely professed religion in Argentina, with Roman Catholicism being its largest denomination. This historical background is very much due to the Spanish influence brought about through the newly conquered territories. However, affiliation with Protestant churches is increasing and immigration throughout the 20th century has brought other religions from various regions to Argentina.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Belgium</span>

      Christianity is the largest religion in Belgium, with the Catholic Church representing the largest community, though it has experienced a significant decline since the 1950s. Belgium's policy separates the state from the churches, and freedom of religion of the citizens is guaranteed by the country's constitution.

      Latin Americans are the citizens of Latin American countries.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Church by country</span>

      The Catholic Church is "the Catholic Communion of Churches, both Roman and Eastern, or Oriental, that are in full communion with the Bishop of Rome ." The church is also known by members as the People of God, the Body of Christ, the "Temple of the Holy Spirit", among other names. According to Vatican II's Gaudium et spes, the "church has but one sole purpose–that the kingdom of God may come and the salvation of the human race may be accomplished."

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Protestantism by country</span>

      There are 0.8 — 1.05 billion Protestants worldwide, among approximately 2.5 billion Christians. In 2010, a total of more than 800 million included 300 million in Sub-Saharan Africa, 260 million in the Americas, 140 million in Asia-Pacific region, 100 million in Europe and 2 million in Middle East-North Africa. Protestants account for nearly forty percent of Christians worldwide and more than one tenth of the total human population. Various estimates put the percentage of Protestants in relation to the total number of the world's Christians at 33%, 36%, 36.7%, and 40%, while in relation to the world's population at 11.6% and 13%.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity by country</span>

      As of the year 2023, Christianity had approximately 2.4 billion adherents and is the largest religion by population. According to a PEW estimation in 2020, Christians made up to 2.38 billion of the worldwide population of about 8 billion people. It represents nearly one-third of the world's population and is the largest religion in the world, with the three largest groups of Christians being the Catholic Church, Protestantism, and the Eastern Orthodox Church. The largest Christian denomination is the Catholic Church, with 1.3 billion baptized members. The second largest Christian branch is either Protestantism, or the Eastern Orthodox Church.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Europe</span>

      Religion has been a major influence on the societies, cultures, traditions, philosophies, artistic expressions and laws within present-day Europe. The largest religion in Europe is Christianity. However, irreligion and practical secularisation are also prominent in some countries. In Southeastern Europe, three countries have Muslim majorities, with Christianity being the second-largest religion in those countries. Ancient European religions included veneration for deities such as Zeus. Modern revival movements of these religions include Heathenism, Rodnovery, Romuva, Druidry, Wicca, and others. Smaller religions include Indian religions, Judaism, and some East Asian religions, which are found in their largest groups in Britain, France, and Kalmykia.

      Growth of religion involves the spread of individual religions and the increase in the numbers of religious adherents around the world. In sociology, desecularization is the proliferation or growth of religion, most commonly after a period of previous secularization. Statistics commonly measure the absolute number of adherents, the percentage of the absolute growth per-year, and the growth of converts in the world.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in North America</span>

      Religion in North America is dominated by various branches of Christianity and spans the period of Native American dwelling, European settlement, and the present day. Religion has been a major influence on art, culture, philosophy and law of the continent.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Guatemala</span>

      Christianity has dominated Guatemalan society since its Spanish colonial rule, but the nature of Christian practice in the country has changed in recent decades.

      Religion in South America has been a major influence on art, culture, philosophy and law and changed greatly in recent years. Roman Catholicism has rapidly declined. Most of this is due to the growth of Protestantism, particularly evangelical Christians. A smaller number of South Americans are also beginning to identify as irreligious. Sizeable adherents of other religions are also present, including of various indigenous religions.

      Latin American Muslims are Muslims from countries in Latin America. A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2010 found that Muslims make up 0.1% of all of Latin America's population.

      Christian population growth is the population growth of the global Christian community. According to a 2011 Pew Research Center survey, there were more than 2.2 billion Christians around the world in 2010, more than three times as many as the 600 million recorded in 1910. However, this rate of growth is slower than the overall population growth over the same time period. In 2020, Pew estimated the number of Christians worldwide to be around 2.38 billion. According to various scholars and sources, high birth rates and conversions in the Global South were cited as the reasons for the Christian population growth. In 2023, it was reported: "There will be over 2.6 billion Christians worldwide by the middle of 2023 and around 3.3 billion by 2050, according to a report published in early January by the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary."

      According to public opinion polls, irreligion in Uruguay ranges from 30 to 40 to over 47 percent of the population. Uruguay has been the least-religious country in South America due to nineteenth-century political events influenced by positivism, secularism, and other beliefs held by intellectual Europeans. The resistance of the indigenous population to evangelization, which prevented the establishment of religion during the colonial era, has also been influential. According to Nestor DaCosta (2003), irreligion has historically been a feature of Uruguayan identity.

      Irreligion in Latin America refers to various types of irreligion, including atheism, agnosticism, deism, secular humanism, secularism and non-religious. According to a Pew Research Center survey from 2014, 8% of the population is not affiliated with a religion. According to Latinobarómetro, the share of irreligious people in Latin America quadrupled between 1996 and 2020, from 4% to 16%.

      The Catholic charismatic renewal is a recent movement in the Catholic Church to re-emphasize the charisms of the Holy Spirit in lay people's everyday lives.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Decline of Christianity in the Western world</span> Decline Christian affiliation within Western society

      A decline of Christian affiliation in the Western world has been observed in the decades since the end of World War II. While most countries in the Western world were historically almost exclusively Christian, the post-World War II era has seen developed countries with modern, secular educational facilities shifting towards post-Christian, secular, globalized, multicultural and multifaith societies.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Political influence of Evangelicalism in Latin America</span>

      Marginal at first, news reports and political analysts have pointed the important weight that the Evangelical Christian community has and its impact in electoral politics in Latin America, even helping in the electoral victories of conservative candidates.

      References

      1. 1 2 3 "Religion in Latin America, Widespread Change in a Historically Catholic Region". Pew Research Center. 13 November 2014. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
      2. 1 2 Christians – Pew Research Center
      3. "Religion affiliations in Latin America 2020". Statista. 2021-10-09. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
      4. Facts of Basilica of Aparecida
      5. "Las religiones en tiempos del Papa Francisco" (in Spanish). Latinobarómetro. April 2014. p. 7. Archived from the original (pdf) on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2015. Alt URL
      6. Religion in Latin America Widespread Change in a Historically Catholic Region
      7. Allan., Anderson (2004). An introduction to Pentecostalism : global charismatic Christianity. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   0521825733. OCLC   53919445.
      8. Pierre., Bastian, Jean (1997). La mutación religiosa de América Latina : para una sociología del cambio social en la modernidad periférica (1st ed.). México: Fondo de Cultura Económica. ISBN   9681650212. OCLC   38448929.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
      9. Koehrsen, Jens (2017-09-01). "When Sects Become Middle Class: Impression Management among Middle-Class Pentecostals in Argentina". Sociology of Religion. 78 (3): 318–339. doi: 10.1093/socrel/srx030 . ISSN   1069-4404.
      10. Alec Ryrie, "The World's Local Religion" History Today (2017) online
      11. "Religion in Latin America: Widespread Change in a Historically Catholic Region" Pew Research Center: Religion & Public Life Nov 13, 2014
      12. "The Global Religious Landscape" (PDF). Pewforum.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 January 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
      13. Lazo, Valeria (2024-08-14). "AFILIACIÓN, PARTICIPACIÓN Y PRÁCTICAS RELIGIOSAS EN LATINOAMÉRICA_1RA OLA 2024". M&R_Consultores (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-10-05.
      14. LeElef, Ner. "World Jewish Population" . Retrieved 2008-01-09.
      15. The Jewish People Policy Planning Institute; Annual Assessment, 2007
      16. United Jewish Communities; Global Jewish Populations Archived 2008-05-31 at the Wayback Machine
      17. Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs - Background Note: Argentina
      18. International Religious Freedom Report 2008 - Argentina
      19. Árabes y musulmanes en América Latina
      20. LANIC religion page
      21. The Latin American Socio-Religious Studies Program / Programa Latinoamericano de Estudios Sociorreligiosos (PROLADES) PROLADES Religion in America by country
      22. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
      23. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
      24. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
      25. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
      26. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
      27. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
      28. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
      29. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
      30. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
      31. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
      32. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
      33. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
      34. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
      35. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
      36. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
      37. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
      38. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
      39. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
      40. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
      41. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
      42. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
      43. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
      44. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. Retrieved 2020-10-18.

      Further reading