Christianity is the predominantreligion in Portugal, withCatholicism being its largest denomination.

Portugal is asecular state and its constitution guarantees freedom of religion.

According to the 2021 Census, 80.2% of the population of Portugal is Catholic, though in 2001 only about 19% attendedMass and took thesacraments regularly,^[2] while a larger number wish to have their childrenbaptized, be married in a church, and receiveLast Rites.^[3]

Portugal is one of the most religious countries in Europe, most Portuguese believe with certainty in theexistence of God andreligion is important in their lives.^[4][5] According to thePew Research Center Portugal is the 9th most religious country out of 34 European countries, 40% of Portuguese Catholics pray daily,^[6] and 36% say religion is very important in their lives.^[7]

AlthoughChurch and State are formally separated since 1911, the Catholic precepts continue to have a significant bearing in Portuguese society andculture. The educational and health care systems were for a long time the Church's preserve, and in many cases, whenever a building, bridge, or highway was opened, it received a blessing from theclergy. TheCatholic Church in Portugal is also afforded certain rights and privileges in the country's law.^[8]

According to the 2021 Census, 80.2% of the population aged 15 and older isCatholic, a figure very similar to that recorded in the 2011 Census, when 81.0% selectedCatholicism as their religion. About 5% adhere to other forms ofChristianity, with 2.1% beingProtestant, 0.7%Jehovah's Witnesses, 0.7%Orthodox, and 1% members of other Christian churches. Just over 1% indicated belonging to non-Christian religions, with 0.4% beingMuslim, 0.2%Hindu, 0.2%Buddhist and 0.3% members of other religions. 14% indicated not having any religion.^[9]

Census data show some regional differences.Catholicism is strongest in theAzores (91.6%),Madeira (90.9%) and theNorth region (88.1%). On the other hand, theSetúbal Peninsula (65.3%) and theAlgarve (65.9%) have the lowest percentages. It is in the Setúbal Peninsula, theGreater Lisbon and the Algarve that the highest proportions of members of otherChristian churches, of other religions and of people without religious affiliation are found. Members of other Christian religions make up more than 10% of the Algarve's population. In the Greater Lisbon and in the Algarve more than 2% of the population follow non-Christian religions and the percentage of thenon-religious population varies between around 6% in the Azores and Madeira and 25.6% in the Setúbal Peninsula.^[9]

Religion by municipality - 2021 Census

Percentage of Catholics by municipality

Percentage of members of other Christian denominations by municipality

Percentage of members of other religions by municipality

Percentage of non-religious by municipality

In 124 of the 308municipalities, over 90% of the population indicated being Catholic in the 2021 Census. The municipalities with the highest percentages areMesão Frio (97.0%),Ribeira de Pena (96.5%),Resende (96.4%) andBaião (96.3%) in the North region, andVila Franca do Campo (96.3%) in the Azores. The least Catholic municipalities are located in the Algarve and on the Alentejo coast withLagos (55.2%),Vila do Bispo (56.1%),Sines (56.2%),Aljezur (56.3%) andOdemira (56.7%) with the lowest percentages . The municipalities with the highest proportions of members of other Christian denominations are Lagos (14.3%),Albufeira (13.2%),Portimão (12.7%),Loulé (11.3%) andSão Brás de Alportel (11.0%), all in the Algarve. The municipalities with the highest proportion of followers of non-Christian religions are Odemira (16.5%), Albufeira (4.1%),Lisbon (3.9%),Odivelas (3.4%) andAmadora (3.2%), in the Alentejo, Algarve and Greater Lisbon regions. With regard to the non-religious population, the highest percentages are registered in parts of the Alentejo and the Algarve with Sines (35.5%), Vila do Bispo (33.7%),Grândola (31.7%), Aljezur (31.5%) andAljustrel (31.4%) recording the highest percentages. In 15 municipalities more than a quarter of the population is not religious. On the other hand, in 74 municipalities this percentage is less than 5%.^[9]

There is a very considerable difference in terms of religious composition between the inhabitants withPortuguese nationality and the foreign population residing in the country, which makes up 5.2% of the total population. 82.6% of residents of Portuguese nationality are Catholic, while only 36.4% of foreigners identify with the Catholic Church. Just over 3% of Portuguese nationals belong to other Christian denominations, a percentage that approaches 30% among foreign residents. Only 0.6% of residents of Portuguese nationality reported belonging to non-Christian religions, with this percentage being 12.3% among foreigners. As for the population without religious affiliation, the percentage is 13.7% among residents born in Portugal and 21.5% among residents born abroad.^[10]

Statistics Portugal made available, in November 2023, an anonymized microdata file for public use with a sample of 5% of the responses to the 2021 Census. The question on religion had a very high response rate, of 97.5%.These data show that the percentage ofCatholics is higher among women (83.1%) than men (76.8%). On the other hand, the percentage ofunaffiliated it is higher among men (17.8%) than women (10.9%). There are no relevant differences between genders regarding the affiliation to other Christian denominations and to non-Christian religions.^[11]

The same microdata file shows that older generations are morereligious. The percentage of Catholics varies between 66.9% among the population aged 25–34 and 91.7% among those over 75 years old. It is among younger people that the highest percentages of members of other Christian churches and other religions are found.^[11]

The sample of responses to the Census shows that it is among the population withbasic levels of education (1st, 2nd and 3rd cycles of education) that the highest percentage of Catholics is found (86.6%). On the other hand, the lowest percentage of members of theCatholic Church is found among residents with post-secondary education (68.2%). It is at this level of education that the highest percentage of adherents of other Christian churches is found (8.6%). Regarding the unaffiliated, the biggest percentage is found among the population with higher levels of education (23.0%).^[11]

Catholicism is strongest in therural areas of the country, where 87.0% of residents claimed to belong to this denomination. Inurban areas, the percentage of Catholics is 75.9%. In the urban areas there are higher percentages of members of other Christian denominations, of other religions and non-religious people.^[11]

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As in most provinces of theRoman Empire, the religious beliefs and deities of thePre-Roman populations mingled and coexisted withRoman mythology. In the Portuguese case, those Pre-Roman religions were basicallyProto-Celtic orCeltic, chief amongst them that of theLusitanians (seeLusitanian mythology).

Jewish populations have existed in the area, going back to the Roman era or even before that, and are directly related toSephardi history.

TheRoman Provinces ofLusitania (comprising most of Portugal south of theDouro river) and ofGallaecia (north of the Douro river) were first Christianized while part of the Roman Empire. During this period,Bracara Augusta (the modern city ofBraga) became one of the most importantepiscopal centres, alongsideSantiago de Compostela.Christianity was solidified when theSuevi and theVisigoths—Germanic tribes already Christianized—came into theIberian Peninsula in the fifth century.

Early Visigoths followed theArian heresy, but they joined Roman mainstream after the eighth century. The city of Braga played an important role in the religious history of the period, namely during the renunciation of the Arian andPriscillianist heresies. Two synods were held in Braga in the sixth century, marking the origin of its ecclesiastical significance. TheArchbishops of Braga retains the title of Primate of Portugal, and long claimed supremacy over the whole of the churches ofHispania.

Braga had an important role in the Christianization of the whole Iberian Peninsula. The first known bishop of Braga, Paternus, lived during the end of the fourth century, althoughSaint Ovidius (d. 135 AD) is sometimes considered one of the first bishops of this city.^[12] In the early fifth century,Paulus Orosius, a friend ofSaint Augustine, born in Braga, wrote several theological and historical works of great importance. In the sixth century, another influential figure wasSaint Martin of Braga, a bishop of Braga who converted the Suevi fromArianism toCatholicism. He also founded an important monastery near Braga, inDumio (Dume), now an archaeological site. SeveralEcumenical Councils were held in Braga during this period, a sign of the religious importance of the city.

Christianity saw its importance diminish in southern Portugal duringMoorish rule in theAl-Andalus period, beginning in 711 with theUmayyad conquest of Hispania, even if most of the population still followed Christianity according to theMozarabic Rite. In the north, however, Christianity provided the cultural and religious cement that helped hold Portugal together as a distinctive entity, at least since thereconquest ofPorto in 868 byVímara Peres, the founder of theFirst County of Portugal. By the same token, Christianity was the rallying cry of those who rose up against the Moors and sought to drive them out. Hence, Christianity and the Catholic Church pre-dated the establishment of the Portuguese nation, a point that shaped relations between the two.^{[citation needed]}

UnderAfonso Henriques (r. 1139–1185), the firstking of Portugal and the founder of thePortuguese Kingdom, church and state were unified into a lasting and mutually beneficial partnership. To secure papal recognition of his country, Afonso declared Portugal a vassal state of thePope, and was as such recognized in 1179 through thepapal bullManifestis Probatum. The King found the Church to be a useful ally as he drove the Moors towards the South. For its support of his policies, Afonso richly rewarded the Church by granting it vast lands and privileges in the conquered territories. The Church became the country's largest landowner, and its power came to be equal to that of thenobility, themilitary orders, and even, for a time, the Crown. But Afonso also asserted his supremacy over the Church, a supremacy that — with various ups and downs — was maintained.^{[citation needed]}

Although relations between the Portuguese State and the Catholic Church were generally amiable and stable, their relative power fluctuated. In the13th and 14th centuries, the Church enjoyed both riches and power stemming from its role in the reconquest and its close identification with early Portuguese nationalism. For a time, the Church's position vis-à-vis the State diminished until the growth of thePortuguese Overseas Empire made itsmissionaries important agents ofcolonization (see, for example,Kingdom of Kongo).

Until the 15th century, some Jews occupied prominent places in Portuguese political and economical life. For example,Isaac Abrabanel was the treasurer of King Afonso V of Portugal. Many also had an active role in the Portuguese culture, and they kept their reputation of diplomats and merchants. By this time, Lisbon and Évora were home to important Jewish communities.In 1497, reflecting events that had occurred five years earlier in Spain, Portugalexpelled the Jews and the few remaining Moors — or forced them to convert. In 1536, the Pope gave KingJoão III (r. 1521–1557) permission to establish thePortuguese Inquisition to enforce the purity of the faith. Earlier, the country had been rather tolerant, but now orthodoxy and intolerance reigned. TheJesuit Order was placed in charge of all education.

In the 18th century, anti-Church sentiment became strong. TheMarquês de Pombal (r. 1750–1777)expelled the Jesuits in 1759, broke relations with theHoly See inRome, and brought education under the State's control. Pombal was eventually removed from his office, and many of his reforms were undone, butanti-clericalism remained a force in Portuguese society. In 1821, the Inquisition was abolished,religious orders were banned, and the Church lost much of its property. Relations between Church and State improved in the second half of the 19th century, but a new wave of anti-clericalism emerged with the establishment of thePortuguese First Republic in 1910. Not only were Church properties seized and education secularized, but the Republic went so far as to ban the ringing of church bells, the wearing of clerical garb on the streets, and the holding of many popular religious festivals. With the outbreak of theFirst World War thePortuguese First Republic viewed it as a unique opportunity to achieve a number of goals: putting an end to the twin threats of a Spanish invasion of Portugal and of foreign occupation of the colonies and, at the internal level, creating a national consensus around the regime. These domestic objectives were not met and the armed forces, whose political awareness had grown during the war, and whose leaders had not forgiven the regime for sending them to a war they did not want to fight, seemed to represent, to conservative forces, the last bastion of "order" against the "chaos" that was taking over the country. By the mid-1920s the domestic and international scenes began to favour an authoritarian solution, wherein a strengthened executive might restore political and social order.

Under theEstado Novo, thecorporatisttotalitarian regime ofAntónio de Oliveira Salazar (r. 1932–1968), the Church experienced a revival. Salazar was himself deeply religious and infused with Catholic precepts. Before studyinglaw, he had been aseminarian; his roommate at theUniversity of Coimbra,Manuel Gonçalves Cerejeira, later becameCardinalPatriarch of Lisbon. In addition, Salazar's corporatist principles and hisconstitution and labour statute of 1933 were infused with Roman Catholic precepts from the papal encyclicalsRerum novarum (1891) andQuadragesimo anno (1931).

Salazar's state claimed to base itself on the principles of traditional Roman Catholicism, with an emphasis on order, discipline, and authority. Class relations were supposedly based on harmony rather than theMarxist concept of conflict. The family, the parish, and Christianity were said to be the foundations of the State. Salazar went considerably beyond these principles, however, and established a full-fledged dictatorship. His corporate government, in the opinion of some, contained about equal blends of Roman Catholic principles andBenito Mussolini-likefascism.^{[citation needed]}

In 1940, aConcordat governing Church–State relations was signed between Portugal and theVatican. The Church was to be "separate" from the State but to enjoy a special position. The Concordat of 1940 reversed many of the anticlerical policies adopted during the First Republic, and the Catholic Church was given exclusive control over religious instruction in the public schools. Only Catholic clergy could serve as chaplains in the armed forces. Divorce, which had been legalized by the republic, was made illegal for those married in a Church service, but remained legal with respect to civil marriage. The Church was given formal "juridical personality," enabling it to incorporate and hold property.^{[citation needed]}

Under Salazar, critics believe that Church and State in Portugal maintained a comfortable and mutually reinforcing relationship. While assisting the Church in many ways, however, Salazar insisted that it stay out of politics — unless it praised his regime. Dissent and criticism were forbidden; those clergy who stepped out of line — an occasional parish priest and once theBishop of Porto — were silenced or forced to leave the country. The rest of the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, led by CardinalManuel Gonçalves Cerejeira, a great friend and supporter of Salazar, remained silent on the issue.^{[citation needed]}

In thePortuguese Constitution of 1976, after theCarnation Revolution of 1974 and thetransition to democracy, Church and State were again formally separated. The Church continues to have a special place in Portugal, but for the most part, it has been disestablished. Other religions are now free to organize and practice their beliefs.^{[citation needed]}

In addition to constitutional changes, Portugal became a more secular society. The practice of religion has since declined. The number of men becoming priests fell, as did charitable offerings and attendance at Mass. By the early 1990s, most Portuguese still considered themselves Roman Catholic in a vaguely cultural and religious sense, but only about one-third of them attended Mass regularly. Indifference to religion was most likely among men and young people. Regular churchgoers were most often women and young children.^{[citation needed]}

The Church no longer had its former social influence. During the 19th century and on into the Salazar regime, the Church was one of the most powerful institutions in the country—along with the Army and the social and economic elite. In fact, military, economic, governmental, and religious influences in Portugal were closely intertwined and interrelated, often literally so. Traditionally, the first son of elite families inherited land, the second went into the army, and the third became a bishop. By the early 1990s, however, the Catholic Church no longer enjoyed this pre-eminence but had fallen to seventh or eighth place in power among Portuguese interest groups.^{[citation needed]}

By the 1980s, the Church seldom tried to influence how Portuguese voted, knowing such attempts would probably backfire. During the height of the revolutionary turmoil in the mid-1970s, the Church urged its communicants to vote for centrist and conservative candidates and to repudiate communists, especially in northern Portugal, but after that the Church refrained from such an overt political role.^{[citation needed]}

The Church was not able to prevent the enactment of the constitution of 1976, which separated Church and State, nor could it block legislation liberalizingdivorce orabortion, issues it regarded as moral and within the realm of its responsibility.

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The practice of religion in Portugal has shown striking regional differences. Even in the early 1990s, 60 to 70 percent of the population in the traditionally Catholic North regularly attended religious services, compared with 10 to 15 percent in the historically anti-clericalSouth. In theGreater Lisbon Area, about 30 percent were regular churchgoers.

The traditional importance of Catholicism in the lives of the Portuguese is evident in the physical organization of almost every village in Portugal. The village churches are usually in prominent locations, either on the main square or on a hilltop overlooking the village. Many of the churches and chapels were built in the 16th century at the height of Portugal's colonial expansion, and were often decorated with wood and gold leaf from the conquests. In recent decades, however, they were often in disrepair, for there were not enough priests to tend them. Many were used only rarely to honor the patron saints of the villages.^{[citation needed]}

Much of the country's religious life has traditionally taken place outside the formal structure and official domain of the Catholic Church. This is especially true in rural areas where the celebration of saints' days and religious festivals is popular. The most famous religious event in Portugal has been the claimed apparition of theVirgin Mary to three children inCova da Iria, in the village ofFátima, in 1917. Two of the children,Jacinta and Francisco Marto, were beatified in 2000 and canonized saints in 2017 byPope Francis.^[13] The apparition of theHeavenly Mother in this small village in the district ofSantarém has led hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to visit theSanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima each year, many in the hope of receiving healing.^{[citation needed]}

Women tended to practice their religion more than men did, as evidenced bychurch attendance. The image of the Virgin, as well as that of Christ, were commonly displayed, even inlabour union offices or on signs in demonstrations.

Other aspects of Portuguese folk religion were not approved by the official Church, includingwitchcraft,magic, andsorcery. Formal religion, folk beliefs, and superstition were frequently jumbled together. Particularly in the isolated villages of northern Portugal, belief in witches, witchcraft, and evil spirits was widespread. Some persons believed in the concept of the "evil eye" and feared those who supposedly possessed it. Again, women were the main practitioners. Almost every village had its "seers," practitioners of magic, and "healers." Evil spirits and evenwerewolves were thought to inhabit the mountains and byways, and it was believed that people must be protected from them. Children and young women were thought to be particularly vulnerable to the "evil eye."^{[citation needed]}

As people became better educated and moved to the city, they lost some of these folk beliefs. But in the city and among educated persons alike, superstition could still be found, even in the early 1990s. Sorcerers, palm readers, and readers of cards had shops, particularly in poorer neighborhoods, but not exclusively so. In short, a strong undercurrent of superstition still remained in Portugal. The formal Church disapproved of superstitious practices but was powerless to do much about them.^{[citation needed]}

In contrast to that ofSpain, Roman Catholicism in Portugal was softer and less intense. The widespread use of folk practices and the humanization of religion made for a loving though remote God, in contrast to the harshness of the Spanish vision. In Portugal, unlike Spain, God and his saints were imagined as forgiving and serene. In Spain, the expressions depicted on the faces of saints and martyrs were painful and anguished; in Portugal they were complacent, calm, and pleasant.^[14]

For most of Portugal's history, few non–Roman Catholics lived in the country; those who did could not practice their religion freely. They had been kept out of the country for three centuries by the Inquisition. However, theBritish began settling in Portugal in the nineteenth century brought other Christian denominations with them. Most belonged to the AnglicanChurch of England, but others were ProtestantMethodists,Congregationalists,Baptists, andPresbyterians. The establishment of a constitutional monarchy in 1834 granted limited religious toleration, and consequently led to the opening of anAnglican chapel (St. George's Church, Lisbon). A second chapel was opened in 1868. The Anglican mission coincided with the growing influence of theOld Catholic movement in Portugal. Congregations were created from Roman Catholic priests andlaypeople who refused to accept the dogmas of theinfallibility anduniversal ordinary jurisdiction of thePope, as defined by theFirst Vatican Council in 1870. TheLusitanian Catholic Apostolic Evangelical Church was formed as a result in 1880 (and has been a member church of theAnglican Communion since 1980); however, laws still restricted the activities of non–Roman Catholics.St Andrew's Church, Lisbon - a congregation of theChurch of Scotland - was built in 1899.

The oldest Portuguese-speaking Protestant denomination is theIgreja Evangélica Presbiteriana de Portugal (Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Portugal), tracing its origins back to the work of a Scottish missionary on Madeira in the early 19th century.^[15][16]

By the early 1990s, only some 50,000 to 60,000Anglicans andProtestants lived in Portugal, less than 1 percent of the total population. The 1950s and 1960s saw the arrival ofPentecostals,The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, andJehovah's Witnesses, all of whom increased in numbers more rapidly than the earlier arrivals did. All groups, however, were hampered by prohibitions and restrictions against the free exercise of their religions, especially missionary activities.^{[citation needed]}

These restrictions were lifted after the Revolution of 1974. The constitution of 1976 guarantees all religions the right to practice their faith. Non–Roman Catholic groups came to be recognized as legal entities with the right to assemble. Portuguese who were both not Roman Catholics and were conscientious objectors had the right to apply for alternative military service. The Roman Catholic Church, however, still sought to place barriers in the way of missionary activities.^{[citation needed]}

TheEastern Orthodox Church is present in small numbers in Portugal, mostly through diaspora from Eastern European countries with a native Eastern Orthodox population. Some are organised through local jurisdictions of their mother churches, most often headed from Spain or other neighbouring countries. These include:

• TheGreek Orthodox Metropolis of Spain and Portugal [fr], part of theEcumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and based inMadrid. It was established in 2003 from part of theGreek Orthodox Metropolis of France.
• TheSerbian Orthodox Eparchy of Western Europe, based inParis, has one missionary parish in Portugal.^[17]
• TheRomanian Orthodox Metropolis of Western and Southern Europe, based in Paris, has an auxiliary bishop in Spain and Portugal.
• TheEparchy of Central and Western Europe of theBulgarian Orthodox Church (with seat in Berlin), has one parish in Portugal.
• TheDiocese of Geneva and Western Europe [ru] of theRussian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, headed from Geneva by ArchbishopMichael (Donskoff), also has one parish in Portugal.
• TheSpanish-Portuguese Exarchate of theRussian Orthodox Church, based in Madrid, claims 11 parishes in Portugal.^[18] It was established in December 2018 following therupture of relations between Moscow and Constantinople. The latter had previously cared for Russian parishes through theArchdiocese of Russian Orthodox churches in Western Europe, based in Paris.

There is also a non-canonical jurisdiction, theLusitanian Catholic Orthodox Church, which defines itself as bothIndependent Catholic andEastern Orthodox. It does not have any recognition from the canonical jurisdictions above.^{[citation needed]}

The first visitor of theBaháʼí Faith to Portugal was in 1926.^[19] Its first BaháʼíLocal Spiritual Assembly was elected inLisbon in 1946.^[19] In 1962 the Portuguese Baháʼís elected their firstNational Spiritual Assembly.^[20] In 1963 there were nine assemblies.^[21] The population of the Baháʼí community Ain Portugal was estimated at some 2,100 members in 2010 according to theAssociation of Religion Data Archives (relying onWorld Christian Encyclopedia).^[22]

Many Sikhs started to emigrate to Portugal since the 1990s fromPunjab, India for work in the agricultural, tourism and manufacturing sectors. Many Sikhs have opened upIndian restaurants around Portugal. The Indian Embassy of Portugal has estimated there to be 35,000Sikhs. Many of whom are currently unrecognised in the official census data due to lack of residency documentation.^[23]

Most Sikhs can be found inLisbon,Porto andAlbufeira where there areGurdwaras (Sikh Place of Worship).

From the mid-1990s on there was an influx of Hindus of Nepalese origin in Portugal as a result of labour migration originated from that South Asian country. It is also possible to find in the Metropolitan Areas of all the regions several Hare Krishna communities, consisting mainly of non-Portuguese Europeans, Brazilians, US citizens and a few Portuguese. Besides this, there is a Hindu community of approximately 19,471Hindus actually inPortugal,^[9] which largely traces its origins to Indians who emigrated from the former Portuguese colonies of Lusophone Africa, particularly from Mozambique, and from the former colony of Goa and other possessions in Portuguese India.^[9]

Hindus in Portugal are, according to the Indian Embassy in Lisbon, mainly Gujaratis (Gujarati is taught at the Hindu Community Cultural Centre in Lisbon), Punjabis and Goans. The majority of the Hindus live in the Lisbon and Porto Metropolitan areas.

TheJewish community in Portugal numbered between 500 and 1,000 as of the early 1990s. The community was concentrated in Lisbon, and many of its members were foreigners. The persecution of Portuguese Jewry had been so intense that until the twentieth century Portugal had no synagogue or even regular Jewish religious services (theLisbon Synagogue was founded in 1904). The few Jewish Portuguese were hence isolated from the main currents of Judaism. Their community began to revive when larger numbers of foreign Jews (embassy personnel, business people, and technicians) began coming to Portugal in the 1960s and 1970s. In northern Portugal, there are a few villages whereMarranos, descendants of Jews who converted to Christianity to avoid persecution and whose religion was a mixture of Judaism and Christianity, still exist (seeBelmonte Jews) numbering several thousand.^{[citation needed]}

Portugal'sMuslim community consists of a small number of immigrants from Portugal's former colonies inAfrica, namelyMozambique andGuinea-Bissau, and small numbers of recent immigrant workers fromNorthern Africa, mainlyMorocco. In the 1991 census the number of Muslims in Portugal was under 10,000. The Muslim population in 2019 is approximately 65,000 people.^[24] The main Mosque in Portugal is theLisbon Mosque. The majority of Muslims in the country areSunnis, followed by approximately 5,000 to 7,000Nizari Ismaili Shia Muslims. There is also a limited number ofAhmadiyya Muslims.^[25]

In 2015, Lisbon was chosen to be the global seat of theNizariShi'a community; the second largest Shi'a denomination in the world. Their spiritual leader, theAga Khan IV, purchased the historical Mendonça Palace to use as its headquarters, as well as the headquarters ofhis foundation.^[26]

There is also a small population of between 50,000 and 80,000Buddhists and Buddhist sympathisers (respectively) in Portugal. More than any other non-Christian denomination, and more than any other when it comes tosympathizers. A new BuddhistVihara called Sumedharama, has been founded in July 2010 and located at north west of Lisbon, near Ericeira.^[27] The Bacalhôa Buddha Eden Oriental Park, nearBombarral, is also a recent Buddhist inspired garden, although not strictly a worshipping place; It was built as a protest to the destruction of the Bamyan Buddhas in Afghanistan in the early 2000s.^[28]

There is a small population ofLatter Day saints living in Portugal. The Church reports 45,576 members and 67 congregations.^[29] The Church also completed and dedicated its first temple in Portugal in 2019.

There are between 420,960 and 947,160 (4 to 9% of total population)atheist,agnostic, andirreligious people,^[30] according to other sources 6.5% of the population.^[31]

According to the 2021 Census, there were 1,237,130 (14.09%) people who specifically stated they were without religion.

• Catholic Church and the Age of Discovery
• Cult of the Holy Spirit
• Dissolution of the monasteries in Portugal
• Fifth Empire
• History of Roman Catholicism in Portugal
• Sebastianism
• Hinduism in Portugal
• Protestantism in Portugal

This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. Country Studies.Federal Research Division.

• Religion in Portugal
• Catholicism in Portugal

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