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The predominantreligion in Brazil isChristianity, withCatholicism being its largest denomination.
In 1891, when the firstBrazilian Republican Constitution was set forth, Brazil ceased to have an official religion and has remained secular ever since, though the Catholic Church remained politically influential into the 1970s. The constitution of Brazil guaranteesfreedom of religion and strongly prohibits theestablishment of any religion by banning government support or hindrance of religion at all levels.[2]
Brazil possesses a richly spiritual society formed from the meeting of theCatholic Church with the religious traditions of enslaved Africans and indigenous people. This confluence of faiths during the Portuguese colonization of Brazil led to the development of a diverse array ofsyncretistic practices within the overarching umbrella ofBrazilian Catholicism, characterized by traditionalPortuguese festivities.[2] Until recently, Catholicism was overwhelmingly dominant. Changes in the 21st century have led to a growth in secularism (no religious affiliation) and toEvangelicalProtestantism. The 2022 census indicates that around 57% of Brazilians consider themselves Catholic, down from 90% in 1970.[1] Despite falling in most of the country, Catholicism remains strong in most of theNortheast.[3][4][5][6] Some analysts have projected Protestants to possibly outnumber Catholics around 2030, with the Catholic Church membership dropping to 38.6%, the Protestant membership in hundreds of independent denominations rising to 39.8%, and the non-Christian population (including the non-affiliated) rising to over 20%.[5][6]
In the 2022 census,[1] 56.75% of the population declared themselves as Catholic, 26.85% as Protestant, 9.28% asnon-religious, and 6.9% as followers of other religions (mostlySpiritists or Kardecists who follow the doctrines ofAllan Kardec,Umbandists,Candomblers,Jehovah's Witnesses,The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and minorities ofBuddhists,Jews,Muslims, and other groups). In ARDA's 2020 study, Spiritists were the second-largest religion practiced among the Brazilian population at 4.83%.[7] Other religions also includes theBaha'i Faith,Buddhism,Chinese folk religions,Afro-Brazilian religions,Hinduism,Judaism,Islam, andnew religious movements.
Brazilian religions are very diversified and inclined tosyncretism, with exception to most Protestants. In recent decades, there has been a great increase ofNeo-Pentecostal churches and in Afro-Brazilian religions,[8] which had decreased the number of members of the Roman Catholic Church as of 2000.[9] The number of Umbandists and Candomblers could be significantly higher than the official census figure since many of them continue to this day to disguise their religion under "Catholic" syncretism.[10] About 90% of Brazilians declared some sort of religious affiliation as of 2004.[11]
Religious intolerance is a crime in Brazil, and several laws ensure freedom of worship and protection for those who profess their faith. The Federal Constitution of 1988 (Arti.5, Clause IV) guarantees that "freedom of conscience and belief is inviolable, ensuring the free exercise of religious cults and guaranteeing, in accordance with the law, the protection of places of worship and their liturgies."[12] As of 2024, however, Evangelical Protestant and Charismatic religious intolerance against non-Evangelicals has grown.[13] Evangelical Protestants, specifically, have also been reported as most intolerant in Brazil.[14]
The Brazilian Penal Code (Decree-Law 2,848/1940), establishes as a crime the act of "publicly mock[ing] someone based on their beliefs or religious function, stop[ping] or disturb[ing] a religious ceremony or practice, or publicly disrespect[ing] acts or objects of religious worship."[15] The penalty for these acts is imprisonment for one month to one year or a fine. Law n. 14.532/2023 added paragraph three to Article 140 of the Penal Code, which determines that, in the case of the crime of insult, if it consists of elements related to religion or the condition of an elderly or disabled person, the penalty for the crime will be imprisonment for one to three years and a fine.[16]
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Brazil has the largest number of Catholics in the world.[17]Catholicism has been Brazil's main religion since the beginning of the 16th century. It was introduced among theNative Brazilians byJesuit missionaries during colonial times, there was no freedom of religion. All Portuguese settlers and Brazilians were compulsorily bound to the Catholic faith and were bound to pay tithes to the church. After Brazilian independence, thefirst constitution introduced freedom of religion in 1824, butCatholicism was kept as theofficial religion. The Imperial Brazilian government paid a salary to Catholic priests and influenced the appointment of bishops. The political-administrative division of the municipalities accompanied the hierarchical division of the bishoprics in "freguesias" (parishes). There were also some hindrances to the construction of temples and cemeteries that belonged to the Catholic Church. The firstRepublican Constitution in 1891 separated religion from state and made all religions equal in the Codes of Law, but the Catholic Church remained very influential until the 1970s. For example, due to the strong opposition of the Catholic Church, divorce was not allowed in Brazil until 1977 even if a separated couple observed a different religion.
The Catholic faith practiced in Brazil is full of popular festivities rooted in centuries-old Portuguese traditions, but also heavily influenced by African andNative Brazilian usage. Popular traditions include pilgrimages to theNational Shrine ofOur Lady of Aparecida (Nossa Senhora Aparecida), thepatron saint of Brazil, and religious festivals like the "Círio de Nazaré" inBelém and the "Festa do Divino" in many cities of Central Brazil. Areas that received many European immigrants in the last century, especially Italian and German, have Catholic traditions closer to that practiced in Europe.
As of 2008, the largest proportion of Catholics is concentrated in theNortheast (59%) andSouth (53%) regions. The smallest proportion of Catholics is found in theCenter-West region (49%). The State ofPiauí has the largest proportion of Catholics (85%) and the State ofRio de Janeiro has the smallest one (45.19%). Among the state capitals,Teresina has the largest proportion of Catholics in the country (86.010%), followed byAracaju,Fortaleza,Florianópolis andJoão Pessoa.[18][19]
Alternatively, in the 20th century, former Catholic bishopCarlos Duarte Costa founded theBrazilian Catholic Apostolic Church after disagreements withclerical celibacy and other doctrines.[20]
Protestantism in Brazil largely originated with American missionaries in the second half of the 19th century, following up on efforts that began in the 1830s.EvangelicalProtestantism andPentecostalism have grown very rapidly in Brazil since the 20th century,[21] with American religio-political missionary influence, funded by American businesspeople, religious leaders, denominations, politicians, and theCIA.[22][23] The 2010 census reported that 22.2% of the Brazilian population was Protestant, or about 44 million people. Brazil has many versions of Protestantism. These include neo-Pentecostals, old Pentecostals, and Traditional Protestants (most of themBaptists,Presbyterians andMethodists) predominantly fromMinas Gerais to the South. TheAnglican Episcopal Church of Brazil, part of theAnglican Communion, has some 120,000 members. Centers of neo-Pentecostalism areLondrina inParaná state, as well the cities ofSão Paulo,Rio de Janeiro andBelo Horizonte (capital of Minas Gerais), especially the suburban and nearby areas of these cities.Lutherans are concentrated mostly in the states ofRio Grande do Sul,Santa Catarina and in countryside regions of the states ofRio de Janeiro andEspírito Santo.
As of the year 2000, the largest proportion of Protestants was found inNorth (19.8%),Central-West (18.9%) andSoutheast (17.5%) regions. Among the state capitals,Rio de Janeiro has the largest proportion of non-Pentecostal Protestants in the country (10.07%), followed byVitória,Porto Velho,Cuiabá andManaus. ButGoiânia is the state capital with the largest proportion of Pentecostal Protestants in the country (20.41%), followed byBoa Vista,Porto Velho,Belém andBelo Horizonte.[24][25] A 2023 IPSOS survey found that 38% of Brazilians identified as Catholic and 29% as Protestant,[26] and a 2020 ARDA survey estimated that 70.57% of its population was Catholic and 15.12% Protestant.[7]
While Catholicism was politically dominant before the secularization of Brazil, Protestants have been involved in influencing Brazilian and international politics;[27][28] Evangelical Protestant influence has also been implicated in theattempted 2022 Bolsonarist coup.[29] FollowingBolsonaro's 2024 indictment, the country's Evangelical Caucus threatened a reactionary response.[30] Overall, Evangelicals, like their Catholic counterparts, began reconsidering religion as a political factor in elections as of 2025.[31]
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TheEastern Orthodox Church is also present in Brazil. TheOrthodox Metropolitan Cathedral, located inSão Paulo, is the See of the Archdiocese of theGreek Orthodox Church of Antioch in São Paulo. It is an example ofByzantine architecture that can be appreciated inSouth America. Its construction, which began in the 1940s, was inspired by theBasilica of Hagia Sophia ofIstanbul and was inaugurated in January 1954. According to IBGE, there were 131,571 Orthodox Christians in Brazil.[32] There are alsoOriental Orthodox communities in Brazil.[33]
In 2022, according to the denomination, Brazil had 909,879Jehovah's Witnesses with 12,439 congregations and a ratio of 1 Witness to 238 residents.[34] However, the 2010 census reported nearly 1.4 million people listed themselves as members.[32]
TheLatter-day Saints arrived inBrazil in1913 throughGerman immigrants,[35] but proselytizing efforts only began in 1929. It is the fastest-growing church in Brazil in terms of membership.[36] According to the religious institution's records, it has about 1.5 million members,[37] making Brazil the third country in the world with the most members, behind only theUnited States andMexico. The Church has 36 missions, 2,172 congregations, 21 temples, and 524 Family History Centers.[38][39]
According to the Church's doctrine, these temples perform sacred ordinances such asvicarious baptism,celestial marriage, and family sealing, in addition to being places of learning and spirituality.[40] Only baptized and worthy members are allowed to enter the temples.[41] The Church also holds worship meetings on Sundays in its chapels throughout Brazil, which are open to the public.[42][43]
The Church is active incommunity assistance in Brazil, notably through the "Helping Hands" program. This initiative mobilizes members and volunteers in activities such asblood donation,food drives, support fornatural disasters, health and education campaigns, and revitalization of public spaces. The church undertakes these actions to contribute to the well-being of its members and local communities.[44][45]
Despite being Christians, they believe themselves to be therestored Church of Christ on Earth.[46] Therefore, they are part of theRestorationist branch[47][48] and not affiliated with any other traditional religious movements such asCatholicism,Protestantism,Spiritism, or otherChristian denominations, although they respect all denominations.[49][50]
There are small populations of people professingBuddhism, Judaism,Islam,Shinto,Rastafari and many other religions. They comprise 21st centuryimmigrants fromEast Asia, theMiddle East, or of recent immigrant descent.
Afro-Brazilian religions are syncretic religions, such asCandomblé, that have many followers, mainlyAfro-Brazilians. They are concentrated mainly in large urban centers in the Northeast, such asSalvador,Recife, orRio de Janeiro in the Southeast. The cities ofSão Paulo,Porto Alegre andFlorianópolis have a great number of followers, but in the South of Brazil the most common African influenced Ritual is Almas e Angola, which is anUmbanda like a ritual. Nowadays, there are over 70 "terreiros" (temples) in Florianópolis, which are the places where the rituals run. In addition to Candomblé which arose through a process of syncretism between several of the traditional religions of West Africa, especially that of the Yoruba, and theRoman Catholic form of Christianity, there is also Umbanda, asyncreticBrazilian religion that blends African traditions with Roman Catholicism,Spiritism, and Indigenous American beliefs. There are also Catholics, Protestants, and other kinds of Christians who hold a dual belief system and go to both churches and terreiros.
Candomblé, Umbanda, Batuque,Xango, andTambor de Mina are Afro-Brazilian religions influenced by the native cults brought by blackslaves shipped from Africa to Brazil. These black slaves would summon their gods, calledOrixas, Voduns, or Inkices with chants and dances they had brought from Africa. These cults were persecuted throughout most of Brazilian history,[citation needed] largely because they were believed to bepagan or evensatanic. However, the Brazilianrepublic government legalized all of them on the grounds of the necessary separation between the State and the Church in 1889.
In current practice, Umbanda followers leave offerings of food, candles, and flowers in public places for the spirits. Candomblé terreiros have similar practices, and there are a number of festivals that occur yearly especially in the Northeast, with celebrations such as the famous Iyemanja Festival and the Waters of Oxala.
FromBahia northwards there are different practices such as Catimbo, and Jurema with heavy indigenous elements. All over the country, but mainly in theAmazon rainforest, there are many Indians still practicing their original traditions. Many of their beliefs and use of naturally occurring plant derivatives are incorporated into African, Spiritualists, and folk religions.
These religions have suffered increasing hostility from Protestant churches, with attacks on temples and the defacement of statues of the gods.[51][52][53] There has also been a documented murder of a priestess in 2023.[54] In recent years measures have been taken to counter religious conflict.[51]
Spiritism is a religion, founded in the 19th century by the French educatorAllan Kardec, which proposes the study of "the nature, origin, and destiny of spirits, and their relation with thecorporeal world".[55]Spiritism followsJesus's moral teachings, and therefore its status as a non-Christian religion is an object of debate between its followers and mainstreamChristians. It is the largest non-Christian religion in Brazil as of 2020.[7] It studies topics such as life after death, reincarnation, spirits, moral teachings and much more.
Buddhism is probably the largest of all minority religions, with about 215,000 followers, and, as of 2020, forming 0.25% of the religious population.[7] Brazil is home to the third-largest Buddhist population in the Americas, after the United States and Canada. This is mostly because of the largeJapanese Brazilian community. About a fifth of the Japanese Brazilian community are followers of Buddhism. Japanese Buddhist sects likeJodo Shinshu,Nichiren Buddhism (most notably theSoka Gakkai), andZen are the most popular.Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana) is also present, sinceChagdud Tulku Rinpoche founded the Khadro Ling center inTrês Coroas,Rio Grande do Sul (where he lived until his death in 2002), and many other institutions across the country. However, in recent years both Chinese Mahayana and South East Asian Theravāda sects are gaining popularity. Buddhism was introduced to Brazil in the early twentieth century, by Japanese immigrants, although now, 60% of Japanese Brazilians are now Christian due to missionary activities and intermarriage. Nevertheless, Japanese Brazilian culture has a substantial Buddhist influence. A number of Buddhist organizations and groups are also active in Brazil, with nearly 150 temples spread across the states.
The first Jews arrived in Brazil ascristãos-novos (New Christians) orconversos, names applied to Jews or Muslims who converted to Catholicism, most of them forcibly. According to theInquisition reports, many New Christians living in Brazil during colonial times were condemned for secretly observingJewish customs.[56]
In 1630, the Dutch conquered portions of northeast Brazil and permitted the open practice of any religion. Many Jews came from the Netherlands to live in Brazil in an area dominated by the Dutch. Most of them were descendants of the Portuguese Jews who had been expelled from Portugal in 1497. In 1636, theKahal Zur Israel Synagogue, the firstsynagogue in the Americas was built inRecife, the capital ofDutch Brazil.[56] The original building remains to this day,[57] but the Jews were forced to leave Brazil when the Portuguese-Brazilians retook the land in 1654.[58]
The first Jews that stayed in Brazil and openly practiced their religion came when the first Brazilian constitution granted freedom of religion in 1824, just after the independence. They were mainlyMoroccan Jews.
The first wave ofSephardic Jews was exceeded by the larger wave of immigration byAshkenazi Jews that came at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, mainly from Russia, Poland,Belarus andUkraine. A final significant group came, fleeingNazism or the destruction that followed World War II.
Brazil has the second-largest Jewish population in Latin America of 120,000 people, making up a total of 0.06% of Brazil's population in 2010.[59] As of 2017, Rio de Janeiro's Jewish population was 22,000, with 24 active synagogues and São Paulo has a Jewish population of 44,000.[59]
By Pew in 2010, there were 204,000 Muslims in Brazil, representing 0.1% of the total population.[60] The Federation of Muslim Associations of Brazil estimates there are about 1.5 million Muslims and others say about 400,000 to 500,000. There are over 150 mosques where Muslims perform their daily prayers.
Islam in Brazil may be presumed to have first been practiced by African slaves brought from West Africa. Scholars note that Brazil received more enslaved Muslims than anywhere else in the Americas.[61] DuringRamadan, in January 1835, a small group of black slaves and freedmen fromSalvador da Bahia, inspired byMuslim teachers, rose up against the government in theMalê Revolt, the largestslave rebellion in Brazil. (Muslims were calledmalê inBahia at this time, fromYorubaimage that designated aYoruba Muslim.) Fearing the example might be followed, the Brazilian authorities began to watch themalês very carefully and in subsequent years intensive efforts were made towards conversions to Catholic Christianity and erase the popular memory of and affection towardsIslam.[62] However, the African Muslim community was not erased overnight, and as late as 1910 it is estimated there were still some 100,000 African Muslims living in Brazil.[63]
A recent trend has been the increase inconversions to Islam among non-Arab citizens.[64]
Most of the Brazilian Hindus are ethnic EastIndians. However, there are new converts due to the missionary effects ofHare Krishnas.
There are as many as 1500 PIOs in the Indian community in Brazil, and only 400 NRIs since foreign nationals can acquire local citizenship without any discrimination after 15 years of domicile in this country. Brazil has also no bar against dual citizenship. But in recent years, it has been granting immigration visas only in high technology fields. The only exceptions are theSindhis in Manaus (who have formed an Indian Association with about a hundred members) and theGoans in São Paulo.
Besides the PIOs, there areHindu organizations such asISKCON as well asBrahma Kumaris which are very active in Brazil. The number of adherents of these organizations is not officially recorded but is estimated to be a few thousand. TheVedic Astrology,vedanga of Hinduism, is increasingly popular in Brazil, especially by the efforts of the Academia Brasileira de Astrologia Védica (ABAV) which promotes this branch of the Vedic culture in the country.
DemographicsAccording to the 2000 census, there were about 2,905 Hindus in Brazil.[65] According to the 2011 census, there were about 9,500 Hindus in Brazil constituting 0.005% of the population of Brazil.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2,905 | — |
| 2011 | 9,500 | +227.0% |
| Year | Percent | Increase |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | -% | - |
| 2011 | 0.005% | +0.005% |
Many confuse Spiritism with Afro-Brazilian Religions likeUmbanda,Candomblé, and others that have a following of almost 600,000 adherents. One of the most unusual features of the rich Brazilian spiritual landscape are the sects that useayahuasca (an Amazonianentheogenic tea), includingSanto Daime,União do Vegetal, and Centro de Cultura Cósmica. This syncretism, coupled with ideas prevalent during the military dictatorship, has resulted in a church for the secular, based on philosopherAuguste Comte's principles ofpositivism, based at thePositivist Church of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro.[citation needed]
TheBaháʼí Faith in Brazil started in 1919 with Baháʼís first visiting the country that year,[66] and the first BaháʼíLocal Spiritual Assembly in Brazil was established in 1928. There followed a period of growth with the arrival of coordinatedpioneers from the United States finding national Brazilian converts and in 1961 an independent national Baháʼí community was formed. During the 1992Earth Summit, which was held in Brazil, the international and local Baháʼí community were given the responsibility for organizing a series of different programs, and since then the involvement of the Baháʼí community in the country have continued to multiply. TheAssociation of Religion Data Archives (relying onWorld Christian Encyclopedia) estimated some 42,100 Baháʼís in Brazil in 2010.[67]
There are, in Brazil, many followers ofJapanese new religions likeOomoto,PL Kyodan,Seicho-no-Ie and theChurch of World Messianity. The total number of adherents, if merged, maybe in the hundreds of thousands.[citation needed]
A 2009 poll, made byDatafolha and published in newspaperFolha de S. Paulo, asked diverse questions about the beliefs of the Brazilian people. In this poll, 64% reported to be Catholics, 17%Pentecostal Protestants, 5% non-Pentecostal Protestants, 3%Kardecists or Spiritists, 3% followers of other religions, 7% non-religious or atheists. Less than 1% reported to followAfro-Brazilian religions.[68][69][70]
In 2023, the country was scored 4 out of 4 for religious freedom;[71] it was noted Afro-Brazilian religious groups face considerable discrimination and violence.
| Region | Catholic (%) | Protestant (%) | Spiritism (%) | Afro-Brazilian religion (%) | Other (%) | Irreligion (%) | Asian religions (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Piauí | 85.1 | 9.7 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 3.4 | 0.0 |
 Alagoas | 79.2 | 9.9 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 6.5 | 4.7 | 0.1 |
 Ceará | 78.8 | 14.6 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 1.8 | 4.0 | 0.2 |
 Paraíba | 77.0 | 15.1 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 5.7 | 0.1 |
 Sergipe | 76.4 | 11.8 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 8.1 | 0.5 |
 Rio Grande do Norte | 76.0 | 15.4 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 10.4 | 0.0 |
 Maranhão | 74.5 | 17.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 6.3 | 0.3 |
 Santa Catarina | 73.1 | 20.0 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 3.3 | 0.4 |
 Minas Gerais | 70.4 | 20.2 | 2.1 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 3.9 | 1.1 |
 Rio Grande do Sul | 68.8 | 18.3 | 3.2 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 5.3 | 0.6 |
 Tocantins | 68.3 | 23.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 2.2 | 5.9 | 0.4 |
 Paraná | 67.7 | 22.2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2.6 | 4.6 | 2.9 |
 Pernambuco | 65.9 | 20.3 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 1.8 | 10.4 | 1.7 |
 Bahia | 65.2 | 17.4 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 4.0 | 12.0 | 0.0 |
 Brazil | 64.6 | 22.2 | 2.0 | 0.1 | 3.1 | 8.0 | 2.2 |
 Pará | 63.7 | 25.8 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 2.1 | 7.0 | 0.9 |
 Amapá | 63.5 | 28.0 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 5.5 | 0.3 |
 Mato Grosso | 63.4 | 24.5 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 3.0 | 6.6 | 1.1 |
 São Paulo | 60.1 | 24.1 | 3.3 | 0.3 | 4.1 | 5.1 | 3.0 |
 Goiás | 58.8 | 28.1 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 2.5 | 8.1 | 0.0 |
 Amazonas | 58.3 | 31.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 2.9 | 6.0 | 1.2 |
 Mato Grosso do Sul | 57.4 | 26.5 | 1.9 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 9.2 | 2.0 |
 Federal District | 56.6 | 25.8 | 3.5 | 0.2 | 3.7 | 9.2 | 1.0 |
 Espírito Santo | 52.2 | 33.1 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 2.0 | 10.4 | 1.1 |
 Acre | 51.9 | 32.7 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 2.9 | 11.8 | 0.1 |
 Roraima | 47.9 | 30.3 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 6.6 | 13.0 | 1.2 |
 Rondônia | 47.6 | 33.8 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 3.7 | 13.3 | 1.0 |
 Rio de Janeiro | 45.8 | 29.4 | 4.0 | 0.9 | 4.3 | 14.6 | 1.0 |
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