Religion in Latin America

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]

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

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

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.[4]

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]

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
The Mosque of Omar Ibn Al-Khattab in Maicao, Colombia.

Argentina hosts the largest communities of both Jews (180,000-300,000)[13][14][15] and Muslims (500,000-600,000)[16][17][18] 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.[19]

Statistics

CID-Gallup 2010
Religion in Latin America (2010)[20]
Country Christian
(%)		 Catholic
(%)		 Protestant
(%)		 Other religions
(%)		 Unaffiliated
(%)
 Argentina85,574,710,83,511,0
 Belize74,040,533,510,415,6
 Bolivia94,476,018,42,53,1
 Brazil88,764,624,14,38,0
 Chile82,166,215,92,515,4
 Colombia92,777,715,02,35,0
 Costa Rica89,970,719,24,06,1
 Cuba50,145,84,37,242,7
 Ecuador93,180,912,22,34,6
 El Salvador81,851,730,12,216,0
 Guatemala86,847,139,71,711,5
 Haiti84,368,815,59,85,9
 Honduras88,849,839,03,28,0
 Mexico92,082,99,13,44,6
 Nicaragua83,554,429,13,812,7
 Panama92,776,016,73,34,0
 Paraguay96,188,27,92,31,6
 Peru93,680,613,03,03,4
 Puerto Rico92,261,530,71,46,4
 Dominican Republic90,268,921,34,05,8
 Uruguay52,442,89,64,643,0
 Venezuela91,475,815,63,35,3

    2014 Pew Research Center data
    Religion in Latin America (2014)[1]
    CountryCatholic (%)Protestant (%)Unaffiliated (%)Other (%)
    Paraguay Paraguay 89 7 1 2
    Mexico Mexico 81 9 7 4
    Colombia Colombia 79 13 6 2
    Ecuador Ecuador 79 13 5 3
    Bolivia Bolivia 77 16 4 3
    Peru Peru 76 17 4 3
    Venezuela Venezuela 73 17 7 4
    Argentina Argentina 71 15 12 3
    Panama Panama 70 19 7 4
    Chile Chile 64 17 16 3
    Costa Rica Costa Rica 62 25 9 4
    Brazil Brazil 61 26 8 5
    Dominican Republic Dominican Republic 57 23 18 2
    Puerto Rico Puerto Rico 56 33 8 2
    El Salvador El Salvador 50 36 12 3
    Guatemala Guatemala 50 41 6 3
    Nicaragua Nicaragua 50 40 7 4
    Honduras Honduras 46 41 10 2
    Uruguay Uruguay 42 15 37 6
    Latin America 69 19 8 4

      Number of followers by country (2015 Pew Research Center projections for 2020)
      Countries Population Total Christians % Christian Population Unaffiliated % Unaffiliated Population Other religions % Other religions Population Source
       Argentina 44,830,00085.4% 38,420,000 12.1% 5,320,000 2.5% 1,090,000 [21]
       Bolivia 11,830,00094% 11,120,000 4.1% 480,000 1.9% 230,000 [22]
       Brazil 210,450,00088.1% 185,430,000 8.4% 17,620,000 3.5% 7,400,000 [23]
       Chile 18,540,00088.3% 16,380,000 9.7% 1,800,000 2% 360,000 [24]
       Colombia 52,160,00092.3% 48,150,000 6.7% 3,510,000 1% 500,000 [25]
       Costa Rica 5,270,000 90.8% 4,780,000 8% 420,000 1.2% 70,000 [26]
       Cuba 11,230,000 58.9% 6,610,000 23.2% 2,600,000 17.9% 2,020,000 [27]
       Ecuador 16,480,00094% 15,490,000 5.6% 920,000 0.4% 70,000 [28]
       El Salvador 6,670,000 88% 5,870,000 11.2% 740,000 0.8% 60,000 [29]
       Guatemala 18,210,000 95.3% 17,360,000 3.9% 720,000 0.8% 130,000 [30]
       Guyana 850,00067.9% 580,000 2% 20,000 30.1% 250,000 [31]
       Haiti 11,550,000 87% 10,040,000 10.7% 1,230,000 2.3% 280,000 [32]
       Honduras 9,090,000 87.5% 7,950,000 10.5% 950,000 2% 190,000 [33]
       Mexico 126,010,000 94.1% 118,570,000 5.7% 7,240,000 0.2% 200,000 [34]
       Nicaragua 6,690,000 85.3% 5,710,000 13% 870,000 1.7% 110,000 [35]
       Panama 4,020,000 92.7% 3,720,000 5% 200,000 2.3% 100,000 [36]
       Paraguay 7,630,00096.9% 7,390,000 1.1% 90,000 2% 150,000 [37]
       Peru 32,920,00095.4% 31,420,000 3.1% 1,010,000 1.5% 490,000 [38]
       Dominican Republic 11,280,000 88% 9,930,000 10.9% 1,230,000 1.1% 120,000 [39]
       Suriname 580,00052.3% 300,000 6.2% 40,000 41.5% 240,000 [40]
       Uruguay 3,490,00057% 1,990,000 41.5% 1,450,000 1.5% 50,000 [41]
       Venezuela 33,010,00089.5% 29,540,000 9.7% 3,220,000 0.8% 250,000 [42]
      Latin America 653,390,000 89.7% 585,850,000 8% 52,430,000 2.3% 15,110,000 [43]

      See also

      References
      1. "Religion in Latin America, Widespread Change in a Historically Catholic Region". Pew Research Center. 13 November 2014. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
      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. LeElef, Ner. "World Jewish Population". Retrieved 2008-01-09.
      14. The Jewish People Policy Planning Institute; Annual Assessment, 2007
      15. United Jewish Communities; Global Jewish Populations Archived 2008-05-31 at the Wayback Machine
      16. Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs - Background Note: Argentina
      17. International Religious Freedom Report 2008 - Argentina
      18. Árabes y musulmanes en América Latina
      19. LANIC religion page
      20. The Latin American Socio-Religious Studies Program / Programa Latinoamericano de Estudios Sociorreligiosos (PROLADES) PROLADES Religion in America by country
      21. "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050". www.pewforum.org. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
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      Further reading
      • Colby, Gerard. Thy Will Be Done: The Conquest of the Amazon: Nelson Rockefeller and Evangelism in the Age of Oil. HarperCollins.
      • D'Antonio, William V., and Frederick B. Pike, jt. eds. Religion, Revolution, and Reform: New Forces for Change in Latin America. New York: F.A. Praeger, 1964
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