| Religion by country |
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 Religionportal |
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. [1] A smaller number of South Americans are also beginning to identify as irreligious. [2] Sizeable adherents of other religions are also present, including of various indigenous religions.
Currently, all countries in the region in general are separate of the Catholic Church and declared secular states, which guarantees freedom of religion for its inhabitants. However, in Peru, Roman Catholicism serves as the official religion. In that country Catholic religious education is mandatory, and in most of the region's nations Roman Catholicism still sways the population.
According to a Pew Research Center projection in 2010, they predicted that 83.4% of the South American population will be Christian in 2020. [4]
In many South American countries Catholicism is the most professed Christian denomination. In Paraguay, Peru, Colombia and Argentina more than three-quarters of the population is Catholic. Catholicism was the only religion allowed in the colonial era; the indigenous were forced to abandon their beliefs, although many did not abandon it at all, for example, countries with predominantly Amerindian population such as Bolivia and Peru there is a syncretism between indigenous religions and the Catholic religion, that has occurred since colonial times. In Brazil or Colombia, Catholicism was mixed with certain African rituals.
Protestantism has had a presence since the nineteenth century, as a minority, but witnessed a strong increase since the 1980's. The majority of Latin American Protestants in general are Pentecostal. [5] Brazil today is the most Protestant country in South America with 22.2% of the population being Protestant, [6] 89% of Brazilian evangelicals are Pentecostal, in Chile they represent 79% of the total evangelicals in that country, 69% in Argentina and 59% in Colombia. [5] On the other part, in Uruguay 66% of evangelicals are Methodist, while only 20% are Pentecostal. [5] There are up to an estimated two hundred million Pentecostals and Renewalists in Latin America. [7] Approximately 160 million Latin Americans are Evangelical. [8] Forty million South Americans are Christians independent from denominations. [9]
Brazil is the country with more practitioners in the world of Allan Kardec's codification of the Spiritism, followed by over 12 million people, with 30 to 45 million sympathizers. Most followers of the Spiritism are people that were mostly Catholic, Protestants and Atheists respectively.
Chico Xavier wrote over 490 books, which complements the spiritualist doctrine.
Eastern Orthodox Christianity was brought to South America by groups of immigrants from several different regions, mainly Eastern Europe and the Middle East. This traditional branch of Eastern Christianity has also spread beyond the boundaries of immigrant communities. There are several Eastern Orthodox ecclesiastical jurisdictions in South America, organized within the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Latin America. [10]
Several groups of Christian immigrants, mainly from the Middle East, Caucasus, Africa and India, brought Oriental Orthodoxy to the South America. This ancient branch of Eastern Christianity includes several ecclesiastical jurisdictions in the South America, like Coptic Orthodox Church in South America and Syriac Orthodox Church. [11]
Practitioners of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Jehovah's Witnesses religions also are exercised in Latin America.
Hinduism is the second-largest religion in both Suriname and Guyana. According to the 2015 census of Suriname, Hindus constitute 23.1% of the population. While according the 2020 census of Guyana, Hindus constitute 31% of the populaition. Guyana and Suriname also have the Third and Fourth largest population of Hindus in the Western Hemisphere respectively, after the United States and Canada.
Indigenous creeds and rituals are still practiced in some countries with large percentages of Amerindians, such as Bolivia and Peru.
Argentina has the largest communities of both Jews [12] [13] [14] and Muslims [15] [16] [17] in Latin America. Practitioners of the Judaism, Buddhist, Islamic, Hinduism, Bahá'í Faith, denominations and religions also exercised in Latin America. [18]
Country By Religion in South America (2020 estimate):
| Countries | Total Population | Christians % | Christians Population | Unaffiliated % | Unaffiliated Population | Other % | Other Population | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina | 47,327,407 | 85.4% | 37,420,000 | 12.1% | 5,320,000 | 2.5% | 2,000,000 | [4] [19] |
 Bolivia | 11,830,000 | 94% | 11,120,000 | 4.1% | 480,000 | 1.9% | 230,000 | [4] |
 Brazil | 210,450,000 | 88.1% | 185,430,000 | 8.4% | 17,620,000 | 3.5% | 7,400,000 | [4] |
 Chile | 18,540,000 | 88.3% | 16,380,000 | 9.7% | 1,800,000 | 2% | 360,000 | [4] |
 Colombia | 50,000,000 | 95.5% | 47,750,000 | 4% | 2,000,000 | 0.5% | 250,000 | [4] [20] |
 Ecuador | 16,480,000 | 94% | 15,490,000 | 5.6% | 920,000 | 0.4% | 70,000 | [4] |
 Guyana | 850,000 | 67.9% | 580,000 | 2% | 20,000 | 30.1% | 250,000 | [4] |
 Paraguay | 7,630,000 | 96.9% | 7,390,000 | 1.1% | 90,000 | 2% | 150,000 | [4] |
 Peru | 32,920,000 | 95.4% | 31,420,000 | 3.1% | 1,010,000 | 1.5% | 490,000 | [4] |
 Suriname | 632,638 | 52.3% | 300,000 | 6.2% | 40,000 | 41.5% | 240,000 | [4] |
 Uruguay | 3,407,213 | 57% | 1,990,000 | 41.5% | 1,450,000 | 1.5% | 50,000 | [4] |
 Venezuela | 29,789,730 | 89.5% | 29,540,000 | 9.7% | 3,220,000 | 0.8% | 250,000 | [4] |
| South America | 422,194,269 | 83.43% | 385,210,000 | 9.18% | 35,480,000 | 7.39% | 11,080,000 |
The predominant religion in Brazil is Christianity, with Catholicism being its largest denomination.
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.
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."
The culture of South America draws on diverse cultural traditions. These include the native cultures of the peoples that inhabited the continents prior to the arrival of the Europeans; European cultures, brought mainly by the Spanish, the Portuguese and the French; African cultures, whose presence derives from a long history of New World slavery; and the United States, particularly via mass culture such as cinema and TV.
Freedom of religion in Colombia is enforced by the State and well tolerated in the Colombian culture. The Republic of Colombia has an area of 439,735 square miles and its population is estimated at 46 million.
The Brazilian Catholic Church, or Catholic Church in Brazil, is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome, and the influential National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, composed of over 400 primary and auxiliary bishops and archbishops. There are over 250 dioceses and other territorial jurisdictions in Brazil. The primate of Brazil is Dom Sérgio da Rocha.
Christianity is the predominant religion in Mexico, with Catholicism being its largest denomination representing around 78% of the total population as of 2020. In recent decades the share of Catholics has been declining, due to the growth of other Christian denominations – especially various Protestant churches, Jehovah's Witness and Mormonism – which now constitute larger shares of the population. Conversion to non-Catholic denominations has been considerably lower than in Central America, and central Mexico remains one of the most Catholic areas in the world.
Protestantism in Brazil began in the 19th century and grew in the 20th century. The 2010 Census reported that 22.2% of the Brazilian population was Protestant, while in 2020 the percentage was estimated to have risen to 31% of the population, over 65 million individuals, making it the second largest Protestant population in the Western world.
Christianity has dominated Guatemalan society since its Spanish colonial rule, but the nature of Christian practice in the country has changed in recent decades.
As of 2017, South America has an estimated population of 418.76 million people.
Christianity is the most widely professed religion in Peru, with Catholicism being its largest denomination.
The National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) does not collect religious statistics, and accurate reports are difficult to obtain. However, based on various studies and a survey, about 90% of the population adheres to Christianity, the majority of which (70.9%) are Roman Catholic, while a significant minority (16.7%) adhere to Protestantism and other Christian groups.
Religion in Colombia is dominated by various branches of Christianity and is an expression of the different influences in the Colombian culture including the Spanish, the Native Amerindian and the Afro-Colombian, among others.
Christians, most of whom are ethnic Russians, constitute less than 11% of the population in Turkmenistan; Eastern Orthodoxy in Turkmenistan is the main form of Christianity.
When it comes to religion, the Ecuadorian society is relatively homogeneous, with Christianity being the primary religion. Catholicism is the main Christian denomination in the country. There are also small minorities of other religions.
Christianity is the predominant religion in Paraguay, with Catholicism being its largest denomination. Before the arrival of Spanish missionaries, the people residing in the territory of modern day Paraguay practiced a variety of religions.
The predominant religion in Honduras is Christianity, with Catholicism and Evangelicalism being its main denominations. The country is secular and the freedom of religion is enshrined in the nation's constitution.
Religion in Latin America is characterized by the historical predominance of Catholicism, 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.
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.
