Michael Brooks
Brazil is a predominantly Christian country, with Catholicism being its largest denomination. The country has more Roman Catholics than any other country in the world, with an estimated 123 million followers. However, the percentage of Brazilians who identify as Catholic has been steadily decreasing in recent decades, while the percentage of Protestants has been rising. This trend is particularly noticeable in Brazil's cities, which have a much lower proportion of Catholics compared to rural areas. While Brazil has the largest number of Catholics in terms of population, Vatican City has the highest percentage of Catholics, with 100% of its population identifying as Catholic.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Predominant Religion | Christianity |
| Largest Denomination | Catholicism |
| Number of Catholics | 123 million (estimated) or 140 million (more recent estimates) |
| Percentage of Catholics | 38% (2023 IPSOS survey); 57% (2013 Datafolha report); 64.63% (CIA); 68.6% (Pew Research Center); 60% (IBGE census in 2010) |
| Areas with the Largest Proportion of Catholics | Northeast (59%) and South (53%) regions; State of Piauí (85%); Teresina (86.010%) |
| Areas with the Smallest Proportion of Catholics | Center-West region (49%); State of Rio de Janeiro (45.19%) |
| Religious Switching | 45% of Brazilian Pentecostals were converted Catholics |
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What You'll Learn
Brazil's Catholic population is shrinking
Brazil has been predominantly Catholic since it was introduced by Portuguese settlers in the 16th century. However, in recent years, the percentage of Brazilians who identify as Catholic has been steadily declining, while the percentage of Protestants and those with no religious affiliation has been rising.
According to various sources, there are between 123 million and 140 million Catholics in Brazil, making it the country with the largest Catholic population in the world. However, as a percentage of the overall population, the number of Catholics has been decreasing. In 1970, over 80% of Brazilians identified as Catholic, but by 2010, this number had dropped below 70%, and more recent estimates place it at around 57% to 68.6%. This decline is particularly noticeable in Brazil's cities, with less than half of the population of Rio de Janeiro, the country's second-largest city, affiliated with the Catholic Church.
The main factor contributing to the decline in Catholicism appears to be religious switching, with nearly half of Brazilian Pentecostals in a 2006 survey reporting that they had converted from Catholicism. Additionally, as Brazil has become more developed, religious affiliation has generally decreased, particularly in the more prosperous southern region.
Despite the decline in numbers, the practice of Catholicism remains strong in Brazil, with popular traditions including pilgrimages to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida and religious festivals like the "Círio de Nazaré" and the "Festa do Divino." The Catholic Church in Brazil has also historically been a defender of the poor and oppressed, especially during the years of dictatorship from 1964 to 1985.
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Catholicism's influence on Brazilian culture
Brazil has been predominantly Catholic since it was introduced by Portuguese colonisers in the 16th century. It is still the largest denomination of Christianity in the country, with an estimated 123 million Catholics in Brazil, although more recent estimates put this number at 140 million or higher. This makes Brazil the country with the largest Catholic population in the world.
The Catholic Church has been politically influential in Brazil, with the church emerging as a defender of the poor and oppressed during the dictatorship from 1964 to 1985. The church has also been known to work with local television and radio stations, and there are dedicated TV channels for churches in Brazil. The practice of Catholicism is evident in immense popular gatherings such as the pilgrimage to Our Lady of Aparecida, the patron saint of Brazil, and religious festivals like the "Círio de Nazaré" in Belém and the "Festa do Divino" in many cities of Central Brazil.
However, the percentage of Brazilians who identify as Catholic has been steadily decreasing in recent decades, with the share of the population identifying as Catholic falling below 70% in 2010, and further still to 38% in 2023. This decline has been accompanied by a rise in the percentage of Brazilians belonging to Protestant churches, particularly in urban areas. This religious switching is the main factor in the growth of Protestantism in Brazil, rather than demographic factors such as fertility rates or immigration.
Despite the decline in recent decades, Catholicism has had a profound and lasting influence on Brazilian culture. The country has a richly spiritual society, formed from the confluence of the Catholic Church with the religious traditions of enslaved Africans and indigenous people during colonisation. This has resulted in a diverse array of syncretistic practices within the overarching umbrella of Brazilian Catholicism.
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Catholicism's competition with Protestantism
Brazil has the largest number of Catholics in the world, with an estimated 123 million people following the religion. Catholicism has been the country's main religion since the beginning of the 16th century, when the country was colonized by Portugal. However, the share of Brazil's overall population that identifies as Catholic has been dropping steadily in recent decades, while the percentage of Brazilians who are Protestant has been rising.
Protestantism in Brazil largely originated with European and American missionaries in the 19th century. The first Anglican chapel began to offer services to English speakers in Rio de Janeiro in 1822, and the Prussian consul sponsored the founding of a German and French Reformed congregation in the same city in 1827, which is now a Lutheran church. Among the missionaries, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Baptists were the most active. By 1930, there were 700,000 Protestants in Brazil, and they were increasingly in charge of their own affairs.
In the 20th century, former Catholic bishop Carlos Duarte Costa founded the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church after disagreeing with clerical celibacy and other doctrines. Since then, American missionaries have introduced Evangelical Protestantism and Pentecostalism, which have grown rapidly, with funding from American businesspeople, religious leaders, denominations, politicians, and the CIA. The 2010 census reported that 22.2% of Brazilians were Protestant, or about 44 million people.
The rapid growth of Protestantism in Brazil is largely due to religious switching, with a 2006 Pew Research survey of Brazilian Pentecostals finding that nearly half (45%) had converted from Catholicism. As of 2020, 70.57% of Brazilians were Catholic, 15.12% were Protestant, 12.23% were independent, 0.12% were Orthodox, and 0.09% were unaffiliated Christians. Some analysts have projected that Protestants could outnumber Catholics around 2030, with Catholic Church membership dropping to 38.6% and Protestant membership rising to 39.8%.
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Catholicism in Brazilian cities vs rural areas
Brazil has been predominantly Catholic since it was colonized by Portugal in the 16th century. Catholicism was the official religion of the country until 1891, when Brazil became a secular republic. Even after this, the Catholic Church remained politically influential into the 1970s.
However, the share of Brazil's population that identifies as Catholic has been dropping steadily in recent decades, while the percentage of Brazilians who identify as Protestant has been rising. This shift is particularly pronounced among younger Brazilians and city dwellers. In 1970, the religious profiles of rural and urban residents were very similar, but today, Brazilian cities have a much lower proportion of Catholics than the country's rural areas. For example, less than half (46%) of the population of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's second-largest city, is affiliated with the Catholic Church.
According to the 2010 census, 78% of Brazilians who live in rural areas are Catholic, compared with 62% of urban dwellers. Brazilian Catholics tend to be older and live in rural areas, while Protestants tend to be younger and live in cities. The 2022 Brazilian census found that 56.7% of Brazilians identified as Catholic, a decrease from 65.1% in 2010. During the same period, Protestants increased from 21.6% to 26.9%.
The Catholic Church in Brazil has struggled to keep up with the country's rapid changes. Its centralized, hierarchical, and slow-moving structure has been unable to match the agility of Evangelical churches, which are more flexible and quicker to establish congregations in areas with high numbers of migrants, filling the institutional void left by the absence of Catholic infrastructure. This shift is less common in areas with low migration rates or in rural interiors, where the population is more likely to remain affiliated with the religion in which they were raised.
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Catholicism and politics in Brazil
Brazil has more Roman Catholics than any other country in the world, with an estimated 123 million people following the religion. However, the percentage of Brazilians identifying as Catholic has been steadily decreasing in recent decades, while the percentage of Protestants has been increasing.
Catholicism was the predominant faith during colonial rule, and when Brazil gained independence, it became the country's official religion. The first Brazilian Republican Constitution, set forth in 1891, separated religion from the state and made all religions equal in the Codes of Law. Despite this, the Catholic Church remained politically influential in Brazil until the 1970s. For example, due to the Church's strong opposition to divorce, it was not legalised in Brazil until 1977.
The liberation theology movement within the Catholic Church in the late 20th century helped in the quest for social justice and human rights during military rule. This progressive wing of the Church organised ecclesiastical base communities throughout the country to work for social and political causes at the local level. However, when Cardinal Ratzinger became responsible for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he launched a successful campaign against liberation theology, and the conservative wing of the Church gained power.
The decline in the number of Catholics in Brazil has been attributed to religious switching, with nearly half of Brazilian Pentecostals having converted from Catholicism. The rise of Evangelical Protestantism, influenced by American religio-political missionary activities, has also contributed to the changing religious landscape in Brazil. By 2032 or 2036, it is estimated that Protestants will outnumber Catholics in Brazil for the first time in the country's history.
The increasing influence of Evangelical Protestants in Brazilian politics has been noted, particularly with the election of far-right former army captain Jair Bolsonaro as president in 2018. The attempted Bolsonarist coup in 2022 and the reactionary response to Bolsonaro's 2024 indictment further highlight the growing political influence of Evangelical groups in the country.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Brazil has more Roman Catholics than any other country in the world, with an estimated 123 million Catholics. However, the percentage of Brazilians who identify as Catholic has been steadily decreasing in recent decades.
The predominant religion in Brazil is Christianity, with Catholicism being the largest denomination. However, the percentage of Christians following other denominations, such as Protestantism, has been rising.
Since the Portuguese colonization of Brazil in the 16th century, it has been overwhelmingly Catholic. While the number of Catholics in the country rose between 1970 and 2000, the share of the population that identifies as Catholic has been falling. In recent years, Brazil has seen a rise in other denominations, such as neo-Pentecostalism and Protestantism, with a growing number of individuals also identifying with no religion.
Brazil has several popular Catholic traditions, including pilgrimages to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, the patron saint of Brazil. Religious festivals such as the "Círio de Nazaré" in Belém and the "Festa do Divino" in Central Brazil are also widely celebrated.
