Religious Affiliation in the Seychelles (2022 Census) [1]
Christianity is the largest religion in Seychelles , with Roman Catholicism being its largest denomination. [1]
The country is officially secular and its constitution guarantees freedom of conscience and religious practice.
According to the most recent census of 2022, the majority of the population follows Christianity. Most of the Christian were Roman Catholics (61.3%). About 5% are Anglican Christians and 8.6 % follows other sects of Christianity, [1] like Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, Assemblies of God, the Pentecostal Church, Nazarites, Greek Orthodox, [2] and Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Hinduism is the largest non-christian faith in Seychelles followed by 5.4% of its population. [1] Hinduism is followed mostly by the Indo-Seychellois community.
Islam is followed by 2.4% of the population. [1] There is also a small number of followers of Rastafarians, Baha’is and Brahma Kumaris. [3]
The initial settlers in Seychelles were Roman Catholics, and the country has remained so, despite ineffective British efforts to establish Protestantism in the islands during the nineteenth century. [4] The nation has been a bishopric since 1890, and mission schools had a virtual monopoly on education until the government took over such schools in 1944. [4] Sunday masses are well attended, and religious holidays are celebrated throughout the nation both as opportunities for the devout to practice their faith and as social events. [4] Practicing Catholicism, like speaking French, historically conferred a certain status by associating its adherents with the settlers from France. [4]
Most Anglicans are descendants of families converted by missionaries in the late 19th and early 20th century. [4] Evangelical Protestant churches are active and growing, among them Pentecostals and Seventh-day Adventists. [4] A Hindu temple [5] and mosque exist on Mahé. [6] Some tax exemptions are granted to groups which are registered with the Finance Ministry. [3]
Although the clergy and the civil authorities disapprove, many Seychellois see little inconsistency between their orthodox religious observance and belief in magic, witchcraft, and sorcery. [4] It is not uncommon to consult a local seer - known as a bonom di bwa - for fortune-telling or to obtain protective amulets or charms, called gri-gri, to bring harm to enemies. [4]
In 2023, the country was scored 4 out of 4 for religious freedom. [7]
The predominant religion in Brazil is Christianity, with Catholicism being its largest denomination.
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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.
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.
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Religion in Greece is dominated by Christianity, in particular the Greek Orthodox Church, which is within the larger communion of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It represented 90% of the total population in 2015 and is constitutionally recognized as the "prevailing religion" of Greece. Religions with smaller numbers of followers include Islam, Roman Catholicism, Greek Catholicism, Judaism, Evangelicalism, Hellenic paganism, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Also a small number of Greek atheists exist, not self-identifying as religious. Religion is key part of identity for most Greeks, with 76% of Greeks in a 2015–2017 survey saying that their nationality is defined by Christianity. According to other sources, 81.4% of Greeks identify as Orthodox Christians and 14.7% are atheists.
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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.
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.
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Religion in Guyana is dominated by various branches of Christianity, with significant minorities of the adherents of Hinduism and Islam.
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Religion in Suriname is characterized by a range of religious beliefs and practices due to its ethnic diversity. The government is vocally supportive of religious diversity and tolerance, and these attitudes are present in general society as well. According to the most recent census (2012), 48.4 percent of the population is Christian 22.3 percent is Hindu, 13.9 percent is Muslim, 1.8 percent follows Winti, and 0.8 percent is Kejawen. In addition 2.1 percent of the population follows other faiths, 7.5 percent are atheist or agnostic, and 3.2 percent did not answer the question about their religion. Later estimates suggest that Christians made up just over half the population in 2020.
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Mauritius is a religiously diverse nation, with Hinduism being the most widely professed faith. According to the 2011 census made by Statistics Mauritius, Hinduism is the major religion at 48.54%, followed by Christianity at 32.71%, followed by Islam 17.30% and Buddhism 0.18% in terms of number of adherents.
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