In 2023, the most prevalent religious affiliation in Brazil was Roman Catholic. Approximately ** percent of Brazilian respondents identified as Catholic, while the second-most selected religion was Evangelical, with around ** percent of the population surveyed.
The share for Catholic and Evangelic believers in Brazil show opposite trends. While in 1994 Catholics gathered 75 percent of the Brazilian population, it is estimated that in 2032 this figure will drop to 39.8 percent. Meanwhile Evangelicals, which at the beginning of the indicated period were only 14 percent of the population, are estimated to reach 38.6 percent by 2032, a growth of 24.6 percentage points. Nevertheless, in 2019, Brazilian catholic believers were still the largest group, with 51 percent.
A survey carried out in Brazil showed that more than two-thirds (68 percent) of believers in Afro-Brazilian religions, such as Umbanda or Candomblé, have suffered prejudice because of their religion. On the other hand, 83 percent of catholic respondents stated they never suffered prejudice due to their faith. Brazilians of Afro-Brazilian religions had also the highest share of disapproval rate of Bolsonaro's government and a high rate of women from this faith defining themselves as feminists.
In 2022, 34 percent of young people aged between 16 and 24 residing in Rio de Janeiro claimed to have no religion. Additionally, 32 percent identified themselves as Evangelical and a further 17 percent said that they were Catholic. The non-religious affiliation between young people in Rio de Janeiro diverges significantly from the overall religious affiliation reported in Brazil in 2020.
As of December 2019, biracial people* constitued the largest part of both Catholicism and Evangelism believers in Brazil, with 41 and 43 percent, respectively. Only two percent of believers in both faiths were natives.
A survey conducted in Brazil in 2019 showed that, with the exception of evangelic believers, more than half of men respondents from all other religions stated they support feminism. Meanwhile, 48 percent of evangelist men said they did not support feminism. In comparison, more than half of women of catholic, evangelic and Kardecist faith did not define themselves as feminists.
In 2023, 66 percent of the population believes that there should be a connection between politics and religion in Brazil. Of those, 48 percent strongly agreed with the statement. In contrast, 32 percent disagreed that there should be a connection between politics and religion in Brazil.
In 2023, about 53 percent of young people in Brazil reported attending mass or other religious services at least once a week. In contrast, 18 percent reported attending only on a special occasion, such as a wedding or funeral.
Based on the 2020 census, the majority of Filipino households were affiliated with the Roman Catholic religion, accounting for about 79 percent. Meanwhile, the share of the Muslim population was 6.4 percent. The Philippines is one of the countries in the world with the highest population professing the Catholic faith, after Brazil and Mexico.
A survey conducted in Brazil in 2019 showed that above 53 percent of women of catholic, evangelic and Kardecist religion did not consider themselves as feminists. On the other hand, 57 percent of women with no religion (or agnostic) and 61 percent of Afro-Brazilian religions, such as umbanda, defined themselves as feminists.
In 2023, SuaEscolha.com – the Brazilian version of EveryStudent.com, a website run by interdenominational Christian parachurch organization Cru – accounted for nearly ********* of religious and esoteric brands' investments in digital advertising in Brazil. Website Isha Tarot Reading and Pentecostal denomination Igreja Cristã Maranata followed with about ** and *** percent, respectively. According to data collected by another source from ad agencies across the South American country, online channels' share in Brazil's ad spend reached **** percent in 2023.
According to a survey carried out in April 2021 in Brazil, 39 percent of respondents practiced their faith only at home, up from 30 percent six months before. The most common religious practice in October 2020 was watching the mass on television or on the Internet, with 45 percent. Only 14 percent of those interviewed went to the church or temple at that time.
According to a survey from November to December 2021, Facebook was the most used social media platform for political information by all major religious groups in Brazil. Instagram ranked second among Catholic and Evangelical respondents, ranking third behind YouTube among respondents who follow none of these religions or do not have one at all. Overall, 78 percent of the survey's participants claimed to use social media for political discussion in the country in 2021.
According to a survey conducted in Brazil in 2022, Bolsonaro's government had its highest approval rate among evangelic believers, with 35 percent of them considering his government to be great or good. The share of Evangelists in the South American country has been experiencing a remarkable increase in the last decades, and is expected to nearly equate the share of Catholics by 2032.
In 2023, 89 percent of respondents in Brazil said they believed in some kind of God. Five percent said they did not believe in God.
This statistic shows the results of a survey on abortion in Brazil as of June 2016. When asked whether they professed any religion, 141 Brazilian women who had had an abortion said they were catholics.
In 2023, about 83 percent of young Brazilians surveyed said spirituality was present in their lives. Fewer than four percent said they were not spiritual.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva became eligible to run in the 2022 Brazilian general elections in May 2021 after the Federal Supreme Court annulled all of Lula's convictions linked to the case Lava Jato. Now that the former president has regained his political rights, a survey carried out months before the elections shows that he could seek a new term. Little more than half of the Catholics surveyed intended to vote for him, whereas only 27 percent of them claimed that they would vote for Jair Bolsonaro. The current president is more popular among Evangelist Brazilians, with a voting intention of 49 percent. Furthermore, while 52 of the Spiritualists voters intended to cast a ballot for Lula, senator Simone Tebet had its largest voting intention in this group: seven percent. Learn more in this Statista's study on the 2022 Brazilian elections.
In 2024, 40 percent of the Catholic population in Brazil believed that abortion should be prohibited in all situations. Among evangelicals, this percentage rose to 44 percent.In Brazil, abortion is decriminalized in three cases: if the pregnancy is a result of rape, if performing an abortion is the only way to save the woman's life, or if the fetus suffers from anencephaly. Most respondents in Brazil oppose abortion legalization.
According to a survey conducted in Brazil in 2019, the highest share of Catholicism and Evangelism believers had completed high school, with 42 and 49, respectively. Catholics holding university degrees were five percent higher than Cvangelics. Moreover, the largest age group in both religions were people between 45 and 59 years old.
In 2023, the most prevalent religious affiliation in Brazil was Roman Catholic. Approximately ** percent of Brazilian respondents identified as Catholic, while the second-most selected religion was Evangelical, with around ** percent of the population surveyed.