Joshua Bennett
The Netherlands has a long and complex religious history. From the early Middle Ages to the 16th century, the region was predominantly Catholic. However, in the 1580s, the Dutch Republic banned Catholicism, and the country became officially Protestant. Catholics were systematically discriminated against by the Protestant government until the second half of the 20th century. Despite this, Catholicism remained the mainstream religion in the southern provinces, and the country has a rich Catholic heritage. In recent decades, the number of Catholics in the Netherlands has declined, with a significant drop in church attendance. However, Catholicism remains the largest religion in the country, with around 20% of the population identifying as Catholic.
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What You'll Learn
Catholicism is the largest religion in the Netherlands
The Netherlands has been predominantly Christian since the Middle Ages, with Catholicism being the only mainstream religion for many centuries. However, since the 19th century, the country has become increasingly secular, with a significant decline in religious affiliation, especially among the major Christian denominations. Despite this, Catholicism remains the single largest religion in the Netherlands, with around 20% of the population identifying as Catholic in recent years.
Historically, the Netherlands was a predominantly Catholic country, particularly in the southern provinces. However, in the 16th century, the Dutch Republic banned the Catholic religion, and the country became officially Protestant. Despite this, Catholicism remained a significant force in the country, and in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Catholics formed a separate social pillar, with their own institutions and communities. During this period, known as "The Rich Roman Life", Catholic church life and institutions flourished.
In the early 20th century, about 60% of the population was Protestant, while 35-38.7% was Catholic. However, since then, there has been a steady decline in Catholicism, with the number of adherents decreasing in recent decades. In 2015, it was reported that only 2.7% of Dutch Catholics attended church regularly. Nevertheless, Catholicism remains the largest Christian denomination in the country, surpassing Protestantism after the First World War.
The decline in Catholicism and other major religions is attributed to the rise of secularism, socialism, and liberalism in the Netherlands. In recent years, the country has seen a religious revival in the Protestant Bible Belt and the growth of Muslim and Hindu communities due to immigration and high birth rates. While Catholicism is still the largest religion, the majority of the Dutch population is now secular, with over half of the population aged 15 and over declaring no religious affiliation in recent surveys.
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Catholics attend church services the least
The Netherlands was dominated by Christianity between the 10th and 20th centuries. In the late 19th century, roughly 60% of the population was Calvinist and 35% was Catholic. However, since World War II, there has been a significant decline in Catholicism and especially Protestant Christianity, with Protestantism declining to such a degree that Catholicism became the foremost form of the Christian religion. The Catholic Church in the Netherlands is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. Its primate is the Metropolitan Archbishop of Utrecht, Willem Jacobus Eijk since 2008. In 2015, Catholicism was the single largest religion in the Netherlands, forming about 23% to 24% of the Dutch people, based on in-depth interviewing, down from 40% in the 1960s. Although the number of Catholics in the Netherlands has decreased in recent decades, the Catholic Church remains today the largest religious group in the Netherlands.
Catholics show one of the larger drops in attendance, from 45% in the 2000s to 33% in the 2020s, a diminishment of 12%. While it is the exact same change as the national average, it is also the widest gap seen in any of the most popular faiths in the US. Only about 1 in 4 US Catholic adults attend Mass weekly, with a solid half of them seldom or never visiting a church at all. The data, accumulated through some 32,000 surveys, found fewer adults attending weekly church services of nearly all faiths than they have in the last two decades. On a list of the most prominent religions in the US, Catholics landed at 4th – the middle of the pack – with just 23% (~1/4) of respondents reporting attending Mass weekly. The figure rises to 33% (1/3) when adding those who attend “almost every week”, but it was eclipsed by the solid 50% who reported seldom or never darkening a church’s doors.
In the US, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church, are the most observant, with two-thirds attending church weekly or nearly weekly. Protestants (including nondenominational Christians) rank second, with 44% attending services regularly, followed by Muslims (38%) and Catholics (33%). The frequency by which adults attend church services also varies on a state-by-state basis in the United States. In advanced industrial societies, there is a gradual general decline in church attendance, with people shifting from weekly to monthly or holiday attendance. Sociologists have attributed this trend to a number of reasons, starting from boredom during services and lack of motivation, to generational incompatibility of belief systems and social changes attributed to modernity.
In the Netherlands, in 2015, 82% of the population said they never or almost never visited a church, and 59% stated that they had never been to a church of any kind. In 2017, non-religious people were in the majority for the first time. Only 49% of people older than 15 years identified as religious, compared to 54% in 2012. The Catholic Church in the Netherlands has also been marred by reports of child abuse. In December 2011, a report detailed 1,800 instances of abuse "by clergy or volunteers within Dutch Catholic dioceses" since 1945. Church attendance by Catholics has decreased in recent decades to 98,600 or 2.7% of Dutch Catholics in a regular weekend of May 2022.
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Catholics were discriminated against until the 20th century
The Netherlands has a complex religious history, and while it is not a Catholic country today, Catholicism has played a significant role in its past, with discrimination against Catholics being a sad feature of its history until the 20th century.
The country has historically been dominated by Protestant denominations, particularly the Dutch Reformed Church, which became the country's official religion during the Dutch Revolt in the 16th century. This period saw the rise of Calvinism, which became a key element of Dutch Golden Age culture and society. During this time, Catholics were heavily discriminated against, as the Dutch Reformed Church became the de facto state religion. Catholics made up a significant minority of the population, and they were often treated with suspicion and subjected to legal restrictions. They faced various forms of discrimination, including being banned from holding public office and serving in the military, and their religious practices were restricted.
This discrimination continued well into the 17th and 18th centuries. Catholics were often excluded from participating fully in public life and were not allowed to build churches in many areas. They were also prohibited from attending university, which limited their access to higher education and certain professions. During this period, the Dutch Republic was often at war with Catholic France and Spain, which further fueled anti-Catholic sentiment.
The situation began to improve gradually in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, with the rise of Enlightenment ideas and the French occupation under Napoleon, who brought a more secular outlook to the country. However, it was not until the second half of the 19th century that Catholics gained equal rights and freedom of worship. A key moment in this process was the establishment of a Catholic political party, which successfully lobbied for the removal of discriminatory laws and the recognition of Catholic schools.
By the 20th century, Catholics had finally gained full acceptance in Dutch society, and the country became officially secular, with a separation of church and state. While Catholicism is no longer a dominant force in the country, its influence can still be seen in certain regions, particularly the south, where Catholic traditions remain a part of local culture. Today, the Netherlands is one of the least religious countries in the world, with a large proportion of the population identifying as agnostic or atheist. However, its history as a predominantly Protestant country with a significant Catholic minority has shaped its culture and society in significant ways.
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Catholicism surpassed Protestantism after World War I
The Netherlands has a diverse religious landscape, and its relationship with Catholicism and Protestantism has evolved over time. While the country was once predominantly Protestant, with a strong Calvinist influence during and after the Dutch Golden Age (16th and 17th centuries), the religious makeup started to change in the 20th century.
After World War I, the Catholic Church in the Netherlands underwent a significant transformation. This period marked a shift in the country's religious landscape, as Catholicism experienced a resurgence and gradually surpassed Protestantism in numbers. This shift can be attributed to several factors that created an environment conducive to Catholic growth.
One key factor was the social and political climate of the time. The post-war era brought about a sense of instability and uncertainty, which led many people to seek spiritual guidance and comfort. The Catholic Church, with its structured traditions and rituals, offered a sense of stability and community that appealed to a significant number of Dutch citizens. Additionally, the Catholic Church actively engaged in social and charitable work, establishing schools, hospitals, and social programs that benefited people from all walks of life, not just Catholics. This practical demonstration of the Church's impact attracted those seeking tangible solutions to the problems of the time.
Furthermore, the Catholic Church in the Netherlands underwent internal reforms during this period, making it more adaptable and responsive to the needs of its congregation. These reforms, known as the "Roman Catholic Revival," included a renewed focus on spiritual practice and a more centralized church structure. The Church also placed an emphasis on personal piety and religious experience, which resonated with many individuals seeking a deeper connection with their faith. The Catholic Church's efforts to modernize and adapt to the changing societal landscape made it more appealing to a broader range of people.
The post-World War I era also witnessed a shift in the country's demographics. The Netherlands experienced immigration from Catholic-majority countries, particularly from neighboring Belgium and later, in the 1960s, from Southern Europe, including Italy, Spain, and Portugal. This influx of Catholics contributed to the growing number of Catholic adherents in the country. Additionally, the Catholic Church actively reached out to these immigrant communities, providing them with spiritual support and helping them integrate into Dutch society.
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Church attendance has decreased in recent decades
The Netherlands was dominated by Christianity between the 10th and 20th centuries. In the late 19th century, roughly 60% of the population was Calvinist, and 35% was Catholic. However, since World War II, there has been a significant decline in Catholic and especially Protestant Christianity. In 2015, Statistics Netherlands found that 50.1% of the adult population declared no religious affiliation. Christians comprised 43.8% of the total population, with Catholicism at 23.7% and members of the Protestant Church of the Netherlands at 15.5%.
The decline in church attendance is particularly notable in the Catholic Church. In 2018, 153,800 people attended Mass on a regular weekend, according to the Catholic Institute for Ecclesiastical Statistics (KASKI). The number of parishes in the Netherlands has dropped from 1525 in 2003 to 641 in 2021. In May 2022, only 2.7% of Dutch Catholics attended Mass regularly. This is a continuation of a decades-long trend, as between 1965 and 1975, church attendance dropped by half. The decline has been attributed to various factors, including the rise of secularism, socialism, and liberalism, as well as events in the mid-1960s such as the publication of a report detailing child abuse within the Catholic Church in the Netherlands.
The increasing trend towards secularism in the Netherlands is countered by a religious revival in the Protestant Bible Belt and the growth of Muslim and Hindu communities due to immigration and high birth rates. However, overall, the number of members of Christian groups in the Netherlands has decreased, and the majority of the Dutch population is now secular.
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Frequently asked questions
No, the Netherlands is not a Catholic country. While Catholicism was the single largest religion in the Netherlands in 2015, forming 23% of the population, the majority of the country is secular.
As of 2021, 55% of the Dutch population does not adhere to any religion.
Catholicism was the only mainstream religion in the Netherlands from the early Middle Ages until the 16th century when the Dutch Republic banned the religion. Catholicism was surpassed by Protestantism after the First World War.
As of 2020, 20% of the Dutch population belonged to the Catholic Church.
