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Catholicism Endures as Latin America’s Dominant Faith Despite Rising Religious Diversity, Pew Study Finds

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A painting depicting 25 Mexican martyr saints canonized by Saint John Paul II in 2000, with the recent addition of Saint José Sánchez del Río. The artwork is located in the Expiatory Temple of Christ the King, the former Basilica of Guadalupe, in Mexico City. Credit: David Ramos/ACI Prensa.

Pew report finds Catholics remain Latin America’s largest faith group, even as more adults switch to Protestantism or become unaffiliated.

Newsroom (21/01/2026 Gaudium PressA new Pew Research Center report reveals that Catholicism continues to anchor Latin America’s spiritual life, even as increasing numbers of adults move toward Protestantism or religious non-affiliation. The findings, released on January 21, 2026, highlight both continuity and change in a region long regarded as the world’s Catholic stronghold.

The study, “Catholicism Has Declined in Latin America Over the Past Decade,” draws on face-to-face interviews with 6,234 adults conducted between January and April 2024 in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. It is part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures project, which examines how faith evolves across societies worldwide.

Despite growing diversity in religious identities, the survey found that belief in God remains nearly universal across Latin America. In Peru and Brazil, 97% and 98% of adults respectively said they believe in God, with similar high levels reported in Colombia (97%), Mexico (94%), Argentina (90%), and Chile (89%). This enduring faith contrasts sharply with secularization trends in Europe, where many have left Christianity altogether.

Faith by the Numbers: Catholics Still Lead

Across the six nations surveyed, Catholics remain the largest religious group. As of 2024, 67% of adults in both Peru and Mexico identify as Catholic, along with 60% in Colombia, 58% in Argentina, and nearly half of adults in Brazil (46%) and Chile (46%).

Religious devotion also runs deep. Three-quarters of Brazilians (76%), 71% of Colombians, and 58% of Peruvians said they pray daily or more often. “Religion continues to play a central role in the everyday lives of Latin Americans,” Pew’s researchers noted.

However, the numbers show a clear erosion compared to a decade ago. Between 2013 and 2024, Catholic affiliation declined in all six countries, with Colombia seeing the sharpest drop—down 19 percentage points. Peru saw a more modest decline of nine points.

The Rise of the “Nones” and Protestants

Much of this shift stems from what Pew calls “religious switching.” Across the countries studied, about one in five adults said they were raised Catholic but have since left the faith. Former Catholics in Brazil more often transition to Protestantism (13%) than to being unaffiliated (7%), while in Peru, both destinations attract roughly equal numbers.

Elsewhere, the unaffiliated—often described as “nones”—outnumber Protestants, particularly in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. Many in this group still express belief in God, even as they step away from formal religion.

The resilience of personal spirituality underscores a broader pattern. While traditional Catholic observance declines, faith itself remains deeply ingrained in Latin American identity. Pew found that half or more of adults in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru say religion is “very important” in their lives, suggesting that while institutions may weaken, the spiritual impulse remains strong.

Echoes Across Borders: Hispanic Catholics in the U.S.

The transformation is mirrored among Hispanic communities in the United States. Pew’s 2023–24 Religious Landscape Study found that only 42% of Hispanic adults now identify as Catholic, compared with 58% a decade earlier. Roughly one in four now identifies as atheist, agnostic, or “nothing in particular.”

Even so, religious sentiment persists. Of U.S. Hispanic adults, 83% said they believe in God, 47% pray daily, and 40% consider religion very important in their lives.

A Shifting but Steadfast Faith

Pew’s latest data paint a portrait of a region where Catholicism, though diminished, remains a cultural cornerstone. The growth of Protestant and non-religious identities signals a continuing pluralization of Latin American spirituality—a shift that reflects broader global currents of faith, identity, and personal belief.

For many in Latin America, the church still stands as a symbol of community, tradition, and continuity. But the spiritual landscape it overlooks is becoming ever more diverse, dynamic, and distinctly modern.

  • Raju Hasmukh with files from CNA

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