Catholicism's Dramatic Decline in Latin America as Religious 'Nones' Surge

A comprehensive new study has revealed a profound transformation in the religious landscape of Latin America, with Catholicism experiencing a steep and sustained decline across the region. The research, conducted by the Pew Research Center, shows a significant increase in adults who now identify as religiously unaffiliated—describing themselves as atheist, agnostic, or simply having no particular religious affiliation.

Key Findings from Six Major Nations

The study encompassed adults in six of Latin America's most populous countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. These nations collectively represent approximately 75% of the region's total population, making the findings particularly significant for understanding broader demographic shifts.

Kirsten Lesage, a Pew research associate and lead author of the report, stated: "Our analysis found that the Catholic share of the population in these six countries has significantly declined since 2013-14, while a growing share of adults in the region are religiously unaffiliated."

Quantifying the Religious Shift

The data reveals stark changes over the past decade:

Catholics now constitute between 46% and 67% of the adult population across the six nations
The religiously unaffiliated range from 12% to 33% of adults
In each country, the proportion of Catholics has fallen by at least nine percentage points over the past ten years
Concurrently, the percentage of adults without religious affiliation has risen by seven percentage points or more

Lesage added: "In fact, there are now more religiously unaffiliated adults than Protestants in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Mexico."

Historical Context and Current Reality

This represents a substantial change for a region historically considered a stronghold of the Catholic faith. A decade ago, all six countries boasted Catholic majorities, with about six in ten or more adults identifying as Catholic. Today, the landscape looks markedly different:

Roughly half of Brazilians and Chileans are now Catholic
About two-thirds of Mexicans and Peruvians identify as Catholic
Approximately six in ten Argentinians and Colombians remain Catholic

All these figures represent noticeable decreases from ten years prior, indicating a sustained trend rather than a temporary fluctuation.

Factors Driving the Change

The erosion of the Catholic Church's considerable influence in Latin America is attributed to multiple factors:

Clergy sex abuse scandals that have damaged institutional credibility
Opposition to the church's traditional stances on abortion and LGBTQ+ rights
A broader cultural shift toward seeking spiritual answers beyond traditional religion

In countries like Argentina, many are now exploring alternative spiritual practices such as yoga, tarot, and astrology rather than maintaining traditional religious affiliations.

The Protestant Experience and Unaffiliated Growth

While Protestantism has remained "relatively stable" across Latin America, the most significant shift has been among those with no religious affiliation. In Brazil, which has the largest percentage of Protestants among the surveyed nations, 29% of adults now identify as Protestant—a slight increase from 26% in 2013-14.

The unaffiliated category has seen remarkable growth. For instance, about two in ten Mexican adults now identify as atheist, agnostic, or "nothing in particular," compared to roughly one in ten identifying with any branch of Protestantism.

Persistent Religiosity Amid Changing Identities

Despite these profound shifts in religious identity, Latin Americans largely remain deeply religious people. Lesage noted: "What's striking is that, despite these shifts in religious identity, Latin Americans remain quite religious, on average."

The research reveals that:

Belief in God remains widespread across the region
About nine in ten or more adults surveyed in each country affirm belief in God
Religion holds deep personal importance for many, with approximately half or more of adults in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru considering religion "very important" in their lives
Majorities in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru report praying daily

International Comparisons and Methodology

The Pew analysis concluded that, by these measures, Latin Americans are more religious than adults in many other countries surveyed recently, particularly in Europe where many have left Christianity since childhood. Latin Americans are also as likely to believe in God as they were a decade ago, with most of the religiously unaffiliated across the region still expressing belief in a higher power.

The comprehensive poll surveyed 6,234 Latin American adults between 22 January and 27 April 2024, with a margin of error ranging from plus or minus 4.0 to 4.5 percentage points depending on the country. This robust methodology provides confidence in the findings that document one of the most significant religious transformations in modern Latin American history.