During a survey conducted in 2023, approximately 54 percent of respondents in 17 Latin American countries claimed to be catholic. Meanwhile, 14.9 percent of the people participating in the survey said they did not profess any religion.In Mexico, more than 69 percent of respondents said they professed Catholicism. Particularly in Honduras, Colombia and Ecuador, most Christians think religion is very important in their lives.
Roman Catholic is the most common religious affiliation in Colombia. In a survey carried out in 2023, nearly ** percent of Colombian respondents claimed to be of Catholic faith, whereas the second most chosen religion was Evangelism, with **** percent of the people interviewed. More than ** percent of respondents answered they had no religious affiliation.
The advent of evangelicalism in Colombia and LAC
The share of Catholics in Colombia is above the average in Latin America and the Caribbean, where about ** percent of adults identify as followers of Catholicism. Nevertheless, even if Colombia stood out historically as one of the countries with the largest share of Catholics in the region, their numbers have been dwindling considerably in the past few decades: in the year 2000, **** of Colombians identified as Catholics, over ** percent points more than two decades later. Meanwhile, Evangelism keeps gaining ground in both the country and the region. While merely *** percent of Colombians were evangelical in 1996, this share had grown almost five-fold by 2020, while atheists and agnostics passed from *** to **** in the same lapse of time. The whole of Latin America is experiencing a similar trend, with evangelists accounting for more than one fifth of the population in countries such as Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Brazil. The success of Evangelical Churches in Latin America is related, among other things, to the creation of social safety nets in poor communities, the rise of conservative political parties and movements, and more flexible standards for ordination.
Religiosity among young Colombians
Interestingly, eastern religions such as Buddhism enjoy the same popularity as Evangelism and Protestantism among young Colombians. Religion seems to have a considerable impact on youngsters’ life. More than half of surveyed Colombians aged between 15 and 29 claimed that religious beliefs provided them with inner peace, while another **** and ** percent said that it helped them to quit drugs and gangs, respectively. Only *** percent of the respondents affirmed that religious beliefs had no influence on their lives. As for the religiosity of young Catholic Colombians, very few claimed to be very observant. Around ** percent considered themselves not very observant, while around a third classified as somewhat observant.
Roman Catholic was the most common religion affiliation in Mexico in 2023. In a survey carried out that year, roughly **** percent of Mexican respondents claimed to be of catholic faith. Mexico ranks among the Latin American countries with the highest share of Catholics. More than nine percent of respondents answered they didn't profess any religion.
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During a survey conducted in 2023, approximately 54 percent of respondents in 17 Latin American countries claimed to be catholic. Meanwhile, 14.9 percent of the people participating in the survey said they did not profess any religion.In Mexico, more than 69 percent of respondents said they professed Catholicism. Particularly in Honduras, Colombia and Ecuador, most Christians think religion is very important in their lives.