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A decline ofChristianaffiliation in theWestern world has been observed in the decades since the end ofWorld War II (1939–1945). While most countries in the Western world were historically almost exclusively Christian, the post–World War II era has seendeveloped countries with modern,secular educational facilities shifting towardspost-Christian, secular,globalized,multicultural, andmultifaith societies.
WhileChristianity is currently the predominant religion inNorth America,[1][2][3]Latin America,[4] andEurope, the religion is declining in many of these areas, particularly inWestern Europe,[5][6] theUnited States,[7]Australia, andNew Zealand. A decline in Christianity among countries in Latin America'sSouthern Cone has also contributed to a rise inirreligion in Latin America.[8]
In theWestern world, historical developments since theReformation era in the sixteenth century led to a gradualseparation of church and state from the eighteenth century onward. Since at least the mid-twentieth century, there has been a gradual decline in adherence to established Christianity. In a process described assecularization, "unchurched spirituality" is gaining more prominence overorganized religion.[a] Recent studies indicate that church attendance is increasing among young people—especially young men—while Christian self-identification has steadied across theWestern world.[10]
According to a 2012Pew Research Center survey, Christianity will remain theworld's largest religion throughout the next four decades. However, Christianity may experience the largest net losses in terms of religious conversion, according to expectations. Worldwide, religious conversions are projected to have a "modest impact on changes in the Christian population" between 2010 and 2050[11] and may negatively affect the growth of the Christian population and its share of the world's population "slightly".[11] However, these forecasts lack reliable data on religious conversion in China, but according to media reports and expert assessments, it is possible that the rapid growth ofChristianity in China may maintain, or even increase, the current numerical advantage of Christianity as the largest religion in the world.[11] In the United States, there have been some conversions to Christianity among those who grew upnon-religious, but they have not been in numbers that make up for those who were raised as Christians but became religiously unaffiliated later in their lives.[12] According to aPew study in 2020, among adults aged 18 to 54 in 117 countries, 83% of those who were raised Christian remain Christian. The remaining 17% now identify as non-Christian, and the vast majority of former Christians no longer identify with any religion.[13]
Scholars have proposed that church institutions decline in power and prominence in most industrialized societies, except in cases in which religion serves some function in society beyond merely regulating the relationship between individuals and God.[14] Developing countries in Latin America and Africa are not experiencing a decline, mostly because ofreligious conversion in those countries where the church offers broad social support services.[15][16][17] Together with the decline of Western Christians, increasing numbers of Christians in theGlobal South will form a "new Christendom" in which the majority of the world's Christian population will be found in the South.[15][18] According to various scholars and sources,Pentecostalism – aProtestant Christianmovement – is the fastest-growing religion in the world;[19][20][21][22] this growth is primarily due toreligious conversion.[17]
TheEuropean Values Study found that in most European countries in 2008, the majority of young respondents identified themselves asChristians.[23] Unlike Western Europe, inCentral andEastern European countries, the proportion of Christians has either been stable or it has increased in the post-communist era.[24] A large majority (83%) of those who were raised as Christians in Western Europe still identify as such. The remainder mostly self-identify as religiously unaffiliated.[25]Christianity is still the largest religion inWestern Europe, where 71% of WesternEuropeans identified themselves as Christian, according to a 2018 study by thePew Research Center.[25]
A 2015 analysis of theEuropean Values Study in theHandbook of Children and Youth Studies identified a "dramatic decline" in religious affiliation across Europe from 1981 to 2008;[23] however, according to the same analysis, "the majority of young respondents in Europe claimed that they belonged to a Christian denomination".[23]
In 2017, a report which was released bySt. Mary's University,London, concluded that Christianity "as a norm" was gone for at least the foreseeable future. In at least 12 out of the 29 European countries which were surveyed by the researchers, based on a sample of 629 people, the majority of young adults reported that they were not religious.[26][5] The data was obtained from two questions, one asking, "Do you consider yourself as belonging to any particular religion or denomination?" to the full sample and the other one asking "Which one?" to the sample who replied with "Yes".[27] ThePew Research Center criticized the methodology of the two-step approach: "Presumably, this is because some respondents who are relatively low in religious practice or belief would answer the first question by saying that they have no religion, while the same respondents would identify as Christian, Muslim, Jewish, etc., if presented with a list of religions and asked to choose among them. The impact of these differences in question wording and format may vary considerably from country to country".[25]
In 2018, thePope lamented the ongoing trend of repurposing churches: some of them were being used aspizza joints, skating parks, strip clubs and bars. In Germany, 500 Catholic churches have closed since 2000. Canada has lost 20% of its churches in this time frame. This is the result of a lack of clergy who are willing to staff churches as well as the result of the churches' inability to meet costs. After a scandal inNaples where a deconsecrated church became the venue for aHalloween party which featured scantily cladwitches who were seated on the former altar,Pope Francis, acknowledging the decline in Church attendance, implored that the deconsecrated churches be placed in service to fulfill the social needs of caring for the poor.[28]
In a new study published in 2022, Pew Research Center projects that if the rate of switching continues to accelerate (primarily to no religious affiliation), Christians will make up less than half of the American population by 2070, with estimated ranges for that year falling between 35% and 46% of the American population (down from 64% in 2022 and down from 91% in 1976).[29] The same study found a retention rate among American Christians closer to 67%, with one-third of those who were Christian in childhood leaving the religion by age 30.[29] As of 2024, Christianity's decline in the United States may have leveled off or slowed, according to the Pew Research Center[30] and Gallup.[31] In 2024, about 73% of Americans raised Christian still identify as Christian, while 27% are no longer Christian. Most former Christians describe themselves religiously asatheists,agnostics or nothing in particular.[30]
After years of steep decline, Christian affiliation across much of theWestern world has leveled off. In theUnited States, for example, studies reports that since around 2020 the share of adults identifying as Christian has steadied at roughly 62 percent. Among Generation Z, the reversal is even clearer: church membership climbed from 45 percent to 51 percent between 2023 and 2024, while the proportion of religiously unaffiliated "nones" slipped from 45 percent to 41 percent.[32][33] A similar pattern is evident in Australia,[34] Austria, Canada, France,[35] Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom,[36][37] where studies report that church attendance is rising among young people—particularly young men—and that Christian self-identification has stabilized.[38]
Reports also note that young men are converting in notable numbers to what they see as more "masculine expressions" of Christianity, such as theEastern andOriental Orthodox churches,confessional branches ofEvangelical Lutheranism andtraditionalist branches ofCatholicism.[39][40][41][42][43][44] While exact figures are difficult to verify, Pew Research Center data indicate that the Orthodox Christian population is now about 64% male, up from 46% in 2007, suggesting a marked demographic shift toward men within these communities.[45] Congregations ofConservative Anabaptist denominations have experienced continued growth, with Conservative Anabaptists having "large families and high retention rates".[46]
In Western countries with large enough Christian samples to analyze, most people who currently identify as Christian were also raised Christian. However, in other regions, a significant share of those who call themselves Christian were not brought up in the faith. Notably, in countries such as Singapore,South Korea, andSri Lanka, Christian accession rates exceed 10%. InSingapore in particular, nearly half of Christians (47%) say they were raised outside of Christianity.[47]
religious_group_by_EU_member_state_-_Eurobarometer_2019.svg)
According to scholars, in 2017, Europe's population was 77.8% Christian (up from 74.9% in 1970).[49][50] These changes were largely the result of thecollapse of Communism andconversions to Christianity in the former Soviet Union andEastern Bloc countries.[49] According to the 2021Eurobarometer survey,Christianity was the largest religion in theEuropean Union, accounting for 66.1% of the EU population,[51] down from 72% in 2012.[52]
In 2017, Pew Research Center found that the number of Christians in Europe is in decline. This is mainly because the number of deaths is estimated to exceed the number of births among European Christians, in addition to lower fertility rates and switching to no religious affiliation.[53]
In 2018, Pew Research Center found a retention rate among Western European Christians of around 83% (ranging from 57% in the Netherlands to 91% in Austria).[25] Despite the decline in Christian affiliation in Western Europe, Christianity is still the largest religion inWestern Europe, where 71% of WesternEuropeans identified themselves as Christian, according to a 2018 study by thePew Research Center.[25] Unlike Western Europe, inCentral andEastern European countries the proportion of Christians has been stable or even increased in the post-communist era.[24]
In Western Europe, Christians have relatively low retention rates in the Netherlands (57%), Norway (62%), Belgium and Sweden (65%); the majority of those who have left Christianity in these countries now identify as religiously unaffiliated.[25] Meanwhile, Christians have relatively high retention rates in Austria (91%), Switzerland and Italy (90%), and Ireland and the United Kingdom (89%).[25] The proportion of respondents who currently identify as Christian has been in decline in Czechia and Slovakia; meanwhile, the proportion of respondents who currently identify as Christian has been stable or even increased in the rest of theCentral andEastern European countries.[24]
In Austria, between 1971 and 2021, Christianity declined from 93.8% to 68.2% (Catholicism from 87.4% to 55.2% and Protestantism from 6% to 3.8%) while people with no religion rose from 4.3% to 22.4%.[54] According to the 2021 national survey conducted byStatistics Austria, among Christians, 80.9% were Catholics, 7.2% were Orthodox Christians, 5.6% were Protestants, while remaining 6.2% were Christians, belonging to other denominations of the religion or not affiliated with any denomination, and 22.4% declared they did not belong to any religion, denomination or religious community.
In absolute terms, theCatholic Church lists about 4.7–4.8 million members in 2022 (50–52% of the population). In 2022. 90,808 Austrians formally left the Catholic Church in 2022 and 85,163 left in 2023.[55] Between 2019 and 2023, Catholicbaptisms andCatholic Weddings decreased from over 45,000 to ~39,000 and ~11,000 to ~8,000 respectively. A survey shows roughly 322–348 thousand attendedSunday Mass in 2023, down from over 500,000 in pre-pandemic attendance trends.[56] The Catholic bishops cite "unfavorable ratio between baptisms and deaths" as the key driver for this change.[55]
Self-identification with Christianity has been steadily declining inFinland. In 2023, 64.6% of Finns counted themselves as belonging to a Christian church, compared with 86.2% in 2000.[57]
The number of church members leaving the Church saw a particularly large increase during the fall of 2010. This was caused by statements regarding homosexuality and same-sex marriage – perceived to be intolerant towardsLGBT people – made by a conservative bishop and a politician representingChristian Democrats in a TV debate on the subject.[58]
Christianity has been declining inFrance steadily since the 1960s. In 2021, a French poll showed that over half of French citizens do not believe in God or consider Christianity to be irrelevant. People who identified as Catholic declined from 81% in 1986 to 47% in 2020, while the number of people who identified as not religious rose from 16% to 40%.[59] In 2021, around 50% of all French respondents identified as Christians.[60]
In 2024, it was estimated that about 48% of the German population were Christians. About 45% were members of the two large Christian churches.[61][62] Attendance and membership in both Catholic and Protestant churches inGermany have been declining for several decades. In 2021, for the first time, fewer than half of German citizens belonged to the two larger churches.[63]
According to some sources, Christianity is declining inHungary. Between 1992 and 2022, Christianity declined from 92.9% to 42.5% (Catholicism from 67.8% to 29.2%). In 2022, only 35.5% of people with age group 30-39 identified as Christians, the number further dropping to 32.8% of people with age group 20–29.[64] Among Catholics, only 12% regularly attend church.[65][66] On the other hand, a series of surveys conducted by Pew Research Center in 2018 found that the share of Christians has remained fairly stable in Hungary (75% who say they were raised Christian versus 76% who say they are Christian now).[24]
Catholicism remains the predominant religion in theRepublic of Ireland. In the 2022 census, 75.7% of the population identified as Christian.[67] However, recent social changes, including thelifting of a ban on abortion and thelegalizing of same-sex marriage, have accelerated a shift toward more secular or liberal attitudes in Ireland, particularly within younger demographics. This increased secularization is exemplified when comparing mass attendance, weekly Mass attendance stood at 81% in 1990; this dropped to 48% by 2006.[68] This process is characterized by scholars as a move toward a "Post-Catholic" state, i.e. one from where traditional Catholicism, which held a "monopoly on the Irish religious market" and had a strong relationship with state power, is being displaced.[69]
An Irish priest, Fr. Kevin Hegarty, asserted in 2018 that the church's authority was undermined by thepapal encyclical, calledHumanae Vitae, that established the Church's opposition tocontraception. He reported that there is only one priest under the age of 40 in the entirediocese of Killala; only two priests have been ordained over the last 17 years, and there have been no candidates for the priesthood since 2013. Hegarty blames this decline on the Church's positions onfemale ordination, contraception and sexuality.[70] A continued requirement for children enteringIrish Catholic-owned schools to be baptized keeps the overall level of baptisms high, though the number of individuals practicing a faith or attending church is decreasing.
Problems arising from thesexual abuse of children and the historical persecution of single mothers and their families have also greatly contributed to the decline of Catholicism in Ireland.[71] The clerical scandals and the poor handling of them damaged the Churches credibility.[68]
The Netherlands has tolerated greater religious diversity among Christian sects than Scandinavian countries, where "automatism" (default registration in theLutheran Church by birth) has been the norm. Non-denominationalism increased in the Netherlands during the 19th century. This process slowed between the 1930s and 1960s, after which non-denominational affiliation increased. The Church's ministry to the poor was not needed in the modern Netherlands that had developed systems of government welfare and secular charity. The declining influence of religious institutions in public life allowed great religious, philosophical and theological pluralism in the private and individual spheres of Dutch society.[72][73] During the 1960s and 1970s,pillarization weakened as people became less religious. In 1971, 39% of the Dutch population were Roman Catholics; by 2014, its share of the population had dropped to 23.3% (church-reported KASKI data), or 23.7% (large sample survey by Statistics Netherlands in 2015). The proportion of adherents of Calvinism and Methodism declined in the same period from 31% to 15.5%.[74]
In 2015,Statistics Netherlands, the government institute that gathers statistical information about the Netherlands, found that Christians made up 43.8% of the total population.[74] With only 49.9% of the Dutch in 2015 adhering to a religion, the Netherlands is one of the leastreligious countries of the European Union, after the Czech Republic and Estonia. By the 1980s, religion had largely lost its influence on Dutch politics, and as a result, Dutch policy on women's rights, abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality and prostitution became very liberal in the 1980s and 1990s. Subsequently, the two major strands of Calvinism, theDutch Reformed Church and theReformed Churches in the Netherlands and a small Lutheran group, began to cooperate as theSamen op weg Kerken ('Together on the road churches'). In 2004, these churches merged to form theProtestant Church in the Netherlands.[citation needed]
In 2015, an opinion survey found that 63% of Dutch people thought that religion did more harm than good.[75] A quarter of the people thought that morality would be threatened if no one believed in God, down from 40% in 2006. The number of people reporting that they never pray rose from 36% in 2006 to 53% in 2016.[citation needed] In 2015,Statistics Netherlands found that 50.1% of the adult population declared no religious affiliation.[74]
In2021 Polish census, 71.3% of Polish people identified as Catholic, although 20.53% refused to answer the question about their religion. A 2022 poll showed that 84% of Polish people identify as Catholic, but only 42% are practicing Catholics, and among 18- to 24-year-olds only 23% are practicing Catholics, compared to 69% in 1992. TheCatholic sex abuse scandal and the largerestrictions on abortions in Poland contributed to this decline in Catholicism among the younger generations.[76]
Adherence to established forms of church-related worship is in rapid decline in Italy and Spain, and Church authority on social, moral and ethical issues has been reduced.[14] Daily church attendance has declined, but Catholicism still remains the predominant religion in Spain and Italy. However, according to the SpanishCenter for Sociological Research, 55.6% of Spaniards self-identified as Catholic in 2023, but only 18.3% claimed to be "practicing" Catholics.[77]
In Italy, about 68% of participants in a 2023 poll byIpsos self-identified as "Christians".[78] However, although most of the population claimsreligious affiliations,[b] according to theItalian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) data, less than 19%[c] of Italians have declared themselves to be practicing. While the proportion of those who have never practiced a religion has doubled, from 16% in 2001 to 31% in 2022.[79][80][81]
In the2021 census inEngland and Wales, 46.2% of the population identified asChristian. Around 37.2% of the population identified asirreligious.[82]
Attendance at Anglican churches had begun to decline in the United Kingdom by theEdwardian era, with both membership in mainstream churches and attendance at Sunday schools declining.[83]Infant baptism declined afterWorld War II. In 2014,Archbishop of CanterburyRowan Williams stated that the UK had become a "post-Christian country". That same year, only 4.3% of the population participated in aChurch of England (C of E) Christmas service.[84] Nevertheless, around 60% of all respondents still identified as Christians in the 2011 Census.[85][86]
TheRoman Catholic Church has witnessed the highest retention rate among all Christian denominations. In 2015, 9.2% of the UK population was Catholic. According to scholar Stephen Bullivant, based on theBritish Social Attitudes Survey andEuropean Social Survey, the decline in Anglicanism has slowed thanks to "the return of patriotism and pride in Christianity", and the number of followers of the Anglican Church has increased slightly by 2017.[87] This growth, however, is still below that needed and is mainly from African immigrants. Anglicanism has been majority African since 2001. In 2017, a report commissioned by the Christian group Hope Revolution indicated that 21% of British youth identified as "active followers of Jesus".[88]
According to the 2018British Social Attitudes Survey (BSA), 33% of over-75s identified as C of E, while only 1% of people aged 18−24 did so. The report stated that "Britain is becoming more secular not because adults are losing their religion but because older people with an attachment to the C of E and other Christian denominations are gradually being replaced in the population by younger unaffiliated people."[89]
In the 2022 Scotland census, for the first time, a majority of people stated that they did not identify with any religion—51.1%, up from 36.7% in 2011.[90][91] However, according to a report by Bible Society, among 18- to 24-year-olds in the UK has increased from 4% in 2018 to 16% in 2024, sparking conversations about a revival in the UK, especially after theCOVID-19 pandemic.[92][93][94]
The percentage of people belonging to some form of Christianity decreased from 52.2% in the 2016 Census to 43.9% in the 2021 Census. Meanwhile, those declaring that they had no religion increased from 30% in the 2016 Census to 38.9% in the 2021 Census.[95] In a 2017 survey of teenage Australians aged 13–18, 52% declared that they had no religion, compared with 38% Christian, 3% Muslim, 2% Buddhist and 1% Hindu.[96]
The only form of Christianity that showed significant growth in the 2016 Census is thePentecostal church, increased from 2.1% up from 1.7% in 2011.[97][95][98] However, like other forms of Christianity, it also has declined in 2021 Census.[99] Most of the followers of the Pentecostal churches are young, as the average age among them is 25.[97][100]
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In New Zealand, there has been a significant decrease in Christianity and increase in the population declaring "No religious affiliation". The reason for this is attributed to the decline in belief in institutional religion and increase in secularism.[101] In the 1991 census, 20.2% of the New Zealand population followed "No religion".[102]
This proportion more than doubled in two decades, to reach 41.9% in the 2013 census, and the figure increased again to 48.2% in the 2018 census. In 2023 Census, the figure reached 51.6%, crossing the 50% mark for the first time. At the same time, the Christian population declined from 47.65% in 2013 Census to 37.31% in 2018 Census and finally 32.3% in 2023 Census. In the 2018 Census, the New Zealand population claiming "No religion" officially overtook Christianity.[103][104]
In 2008, Research by the Bible Society of New Zealand indicated that only 15% of Christians attend church at least once a week, and 20% attend at least once a month.[105]
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In 2021,Statistics Canada found that only 68% of Canadians 15 years and older reported having a religious affiliation, marking the first time the number had dipped below 70% since StatCan began tracking religious affiliation in 1985.[106] Christianity remains the largest religion inCanada; in the 2021 census, 53.3% of the population identified as Christians.[107]
InQuebec, since theQuiet Revolution, over 500 churches (20% of the total) have been closed or converted for non-worship–based uses.[108] In the 1950s, 95% of Quebec's population went to Mass; in the present day, that number is closer to 5%.[109] Despite the decline inchurch attendance, Christianity remains the largest religion in Quebec, where 64.82% of people were Christians, according to 2021 census.[107]
With the loss of Christianity's monopoly after having once been central and integral toCanadian culture and daily life,[110] Canada has become apost-Christian andsecular state.[111][112][113][114][115][116]
Although Mexico is the second largest Catholic country in the world in terms of members, Catholicism has been declining over the past 30 years, from 89.7% of the population in 1990 to 77.7% in 2020. The number of Catholics in Mexico have decreased by 20.5% since 1950.[117][118] In 2020, 8.1% of Mexicans did not identify with any religion.[119]
The National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) reported that the number of evangelicals or Protestants rose from 4.9% in 1990 to 5.2% in 2000, reaching 7.6% in 2010,[120] and 11.7% in 2020.[121] The Institute estimates that 20 million Mexicans are evangelical.[122] More than 17 million Mexicans are Pentecostal and Charismatic.[123] There 8 million Christians independent from denominations in Mexico.[124]
Christianity, the largest religion in the United States, experienced a 20th-century high of 91% of the total population in 1976.[29] This declined to 73.7% by 2016[125] and 64% in 2022.[29] The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) lost about 30% of its congregation and closed 12.5% of its churches: the United Methodist church lost 16.7% of its congregation and closed 10.2% of its churches. ThePresbyterian Church had the sharpest decline, losing over 40% of its congregation and 15.4% of its churches between 2000 and 2015.[126] Infant baptism has also decreased; nationwide, Catholic baptisms declined by nearly 34%, and ELCA baptisms by over 40%.[126] As of 2024, Christianity's decline may have leveled off or slowed, according to the Pew Research Center[30] and Gallup,[31] though according to thePublic Religion Research Institute, it has continued to decline.[127]
In a study published in 2022, Pew Research Center projected that if the rate of decline continued to accelerate, Christians would make up less than half of the American population by 2070, with estimated ranges for that year falling between 35% and 46% of the American population.[29] In 2024, Pew Research Center published a study stating that the percentage of American adults who identify as religiously unaffiliated, known as "nones", numbered 28%, higher than Catholics at 23% and Evangelical Protestants at 24%.[128] However, Pew reported in 2025 that Christianity's decline has begun to "slow…or level off." Some speculate that a revival of Christianity has begun in the U.S.[129][130]
In 2019, 65% of American adults described themselves as Christians.[131] In 2020, 47% of Americans said that they belonged to a church, down from 70% in 1999; this was the first time that a poll found less than half of Americans belonging to a church.[132] Nationwide Catholic membership increased between 2000 and 2017, but the number of churches declined by nearly 11% and by 2019, the number of Catholics decreased by 2 million people,[133] dropping from 23% of the population to 21%.[134] Since 1970, weekly church attendance among Catholics has dropped from 55% to 20%, the number of priests declined from 59,000 to 35,000 and the number of people who left Catholicism increased from under 2 million in 1975 to over 30 million today.[135]
In 2022, there were fewer than 42,000 nuns in the United States, a 76% decline over 50 years, with fewer than 1% of nuns under age 40.[136] TheSouthern Baptist Convention has experienced decline: between 2006 and 2020, it lost 2.3 million members, representing a 14% decrease in membership during that period.[137][138] TheLutheran Church – Missouri Synod reported in 2021 that the denomination has been declining in membership.[139] In 2020, the church reported approximately 1.8 million total baptized members, a decline from its peak in 1971 when it reported nearly 2.8 million total baptized members.[140][141]
The 2014 Religious Landscape Study found a large majority of those who were raised as Christians in the United States still identify as such (retention rate of 87.6% among those raised Christian), while those who no longer identify as Christians mostly identify as religiously unaffiliated.[142] More recent studies have found a retention rate closer to 67%, with one-third of those who were Christian in childhood leaving the religion by age 30.[29] The 2014 study found that 84% of all adults who were raised ashistorically Black Protestant continue to identify as such or identify now with different Christian denominations,[142]Evangelical Protestant (81%),Mormon (76%),Catholic (75%),Orthodox Christian (73%),mainline Protestant (70%), andJehovah's Witnesses (62%) continue to identify as such or identify now with differentChristian denominations.[142] Significant minorities of those raised in nearly allChristian denominational families now say they areunaffiliated, ranging from 13% among those raised historically Black Protestant to 35% of those raised Jehovah's Witnesses.[142] A small minority of those raised in nearly all Christian denominational families identify now with another faith, ranging from 3% among those raised historically Black Protestant, Evangelical Protestant, Mormon, Orthodox Christian, and Jehovah's Witnesses to 4% of those raised Catholic and mainline Protestant.[142] A 2022 Pew Research study found that 30% of Latinos in the United States were religiously unaffiliated, and half of Latinos age 18–29 were religiously unaffiliated.[143]
Moderate and liberal denominations in the United States have been closing down churches at a rate three or four times greater than the number of new churches beingconsecrated.[144] However, according toThe Christian Century, the rate of annual closures is approximately 1% and quite low relative to other types of institutions. It has been asserted that of the approximately 3,700 churches that close each year, up to half are unsuccessful new churches.[145] The more conservativeevangelical denominations have also declined, representing 23% of the population in 2006 and 14% in 2020 according to thePublic Religion Research Institute.[146]
ThePublic Religion Research Institute's2020 Census of American Religion showed that the overall decline of white Christians in America had slowed, stabilizing at around 44% of the population.[147][148] It also showed that, contrary to expectations, white evangelicals had continued to decline and that they were now outnumbered by white mainline Protestants.[148][149][150] Conversely, the Pew Research Center found in 2022 that the decline had continued to accelerate over the previous fifty years.[29]
As of 2019, Catholicism in Argentina was around 63%, down from 76.5% in 2004.[151][152][153][154] Irreligiosity grew from 12% to 19% in 9 years.[154][152][151]
A 2019 survey made online by the Universidad de San Andrés showed that 76% of Argentinians believed in God (a decrease from 91% in 2008), 44% believed in heaven, 32% believed in hell, around 29% prayed daily, only 13% attended religious services weekly and about 24% considered religion to be very important in their lives.[155]
However, affiliation withProtestant churches is increasing,[151] as of 2019,Protestantism in Argentina was around 15.3%, rose from 9% in 2004.[151] While Pentecostal churches originally attracted mostly the lower class, they show an increasing appeal to the urban middle class.[156] Middle-class congregations develop a distinctive style of Pentecostalism, more adapted to society.[157]
Cases of sexual abuse, attempts to hide information, and interference in government affairs are suggested as the main causes of the decline of Christianity inChile.[158] According to the public broadcasterTVN, the number of Chileans who declare themselves Catholics fell from 73% in 2008 to 45% in 2018.[159] In addition, it is theLatin American country that has less trust (36%) in the Church throughout the region according to Latinobarómetro.[160] 63% of the Chilean population profess some branch of Christianity, according to theEncuesta Nacional Bicentenario identifies as Christian, with an estimated 45% of Chileans declaring to be part of theCatholic Church and 18% ofPentecostal churches. 5% of the population adhere to other religion.[161]
Attempts to restore the Roman Catholic Christian faith in Chile have failed. The Argentine newspaperClarín reported that Pope Francis's State visit to Chile in 2018 "had been the worst in his five years of pontificate."[162] After the papal visit, the crisis in the Chilean Catholic Church increased.[163] According to theBicentenario survey, atheism has grown from 21% in 2018 to 32% in 2019 and then to 36% in 2020 and 37% in 2021. Despite the decline of Roman Catholic Church,Pentecostalism still maintains the same percentage of adherents since 2012.[164]
Uruguay is one of the world's most secular nations. A recent study indicated that almost 44.5% of Uruguayans are unaffiliated.[165]
| Country | Christian percentage | |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2020 | |
 United States | 78.3 | 64.0 |
 Germany | 62.2 | 56.2 |
 United Kingdom | 62.4 | 49.4 |
 France | 57.1 | 46.5 |
 Italy | 88.5 | 80.5 |
 Spain | 78.6 | 69.5 |
 Canada | 67.2 | 53.3 |
 Poland | 97.3 | 91.2 |
 Australia | 67.1 | 46.8 |
 Netherlands | 42.7 | 35.1 |
 Belgium | 61.1 | 51.0 |
 Czech Republic | 30.0 | 26.4 |
 Portugal | 91.8 | 85.1 |
 Hungary | 72.6 | 72.4 |
 Sweden | 72.8 | 60.8 |
 Austria | 80.4 | 68.2 |
 Switzerland | 73.3 | 61.6 |
 Denmark | 80.2 | 76.9 |
 Finland | 81.8 | 72.3 |
 Slovakia | 75.1 | 73.7 |
 Norway | 78.8 | 71.4 |
 New Zealand | 49.1 | 40.3 |
 Croatia | 93.7 | 90.9 |
 Lithuania | 92.5 | 92.2 |
 Slovenia | 72.4 | 65.4 |
 Estonia | 61.2 | 52.6 |
 Luxembourg | 74.4 | 65.9 |
 Malta | 97.1 | 88.6 |
Worldwide, religious switching is projected to have a modest impact on changes in the Christian population. Christians would make up a slightly larger share of the world's inhabitants in 2050 (32% rather than 31%) if religious switching were not taken into account.Full report PDF
In the projection model, all directions of switching are possible, and they may be partially offsetting. In the United States, for example, surveys find that some people who were raised with no religious affiliation have switched to become Christians, while some who grew up as Christians have switched to become unaffiliated.Full report PDF
At the heart of this religious resurgence areIslam and Pentecostalism, a branch of Protestant Christianity. Islam grew at an annual average of 1.9 percent between 2000 and 2017, mainly as the result of a high birth rate. Pentecostalism grew at an average of 2.2 percent each year, mainly by conversion. Half of developing-world Christians are Pentecostal, evangelical or charismatic (all branches of the faith emphasize theauthority of the Bible and they also emphasize the need for a spiritual rebirth). Why are people so attracted to it?.
Pentecostalism grew at a rate of 2.2 percent each year, mainly by conversion. Half of developing-world Christians arePentecostal,evangelical orcharismatic.
Pentecostalism is the fastest-growing religious movement in the world
With its remarkable ability to adapt to different cultures, Pentecostalism has become the world's fastest growing religious movement.
Pentecostalism is widely recognized as the fastest-growing Christian movement in the world by religious scholars, reaching into many different denominations.
Pentecostalism arguably has been the fastest growing religious movement in the contemporary world
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Confessional and liturgical Lutheran churches have also enjoyed an influx of young men and women, which is part of an overall trend that has arrested the long-term decline in Christian affiliation in the US.
WELS ministry in Asia now serves people in at least a dozen countries. The church is growing quickly, but it faces many pressures.