In short
In the 2022 Census, 56.7% of Brazilians (100.2 million) were Roman Catholic, down from 65.1% (105.4 million) in 2010. Evangelical Christians rose to 26.9% (47.4 million), up from 21.6% in 2010, a gain of about 12 million people. People with no religion reached 9.3% (16.4 million), up from 7.9% in 2010. Belief in God nonetheless remains very high across Latin America, including Brazil, according to the Pew Research Center.
- Roman Catholics made up 56.7% of Brazilians (100.2 million) in 2022, down from 65.1% (105.4 million) in 2010 (IBGE 2022 Census).
- Evangelical Christians reached 26.9% (47.4 million) in 2022, up from 21.6% in 2010, a gain of about 12 million people (IBGE 2022 Census).
- People with no religion rose to 9.3% (16.4 million) in 2022, up from 7.9% in 2010 (IBGE 2022 Census).
- Despite the decline of Catholicism, belief in God remains very high across Latin America, including Brazil (Pew Research Center).
Brazil is the largest Catholic country in the world, but its religious landscape is shifting fast. In the 2022 Census, 56.7% of Brazilians, about 100.2 million people, identified as Roman Catholic, down from 65.1% (105.4 million) in 2010, according to the IBGE. Over the same period, Evangelical Christians climbed to 26.9% (47.4 million) and people with no religion rose to 9.3% (16.4 million). These are figures from the official national census, not survey estimates. At the same time, belief in God remains very high across Latin America, including Brazil, according to the Pew Research Center. The figures below draw on the IBGE 2022 Census and Pew, the most authoritative sources on Christianity in Brazil.
Key findings at a glance
| Metric | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roman Catholics | 56.7% (100.2 million) | 2022 | IBGE (2022 Census) |
| Evangelical Christians | 26.9% (47.4 million) | 2022 | IBGE (2022 Census) |
| People with no religion | 9.3% (16.4 million) | 2022 | IBGE (2022 Census) |
| Roman Catholics in 2010 | 65.1% (105.4 million) | 2010 | IBGE (2022 Census) |
| Evangelical Christians in 2010 | 21.6% | 2010 | IBGE (2022 Census) |
| People with no religion in 2010 | 7.9% | 2010 | IBGE (2022 Census) |
Still Catholic, but a slim majority
Brazil remains the country with the most Roman Catholics in the world, but Catholicism is in clear decline. In the 2022 Census, Catholics were still the majority, yet a much slimmer one than a decade earlier, and their absolute number fell even as the total population grew.
In 2022, 56.7% of Brazilians, about 100.2 million people, identified as Roman Catholic, according to the IBGE 2022 Census.
In 2010, 65.1% of Brazilians, about 105.4 million people, identified as Roman Catholic, according to the IBGE.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roman Catholics 2022 | 56.7% (100.2 million) | 2022 | IBGE (2022 Census) |
| Roman Catholics 2010 | 65.1% (105.4 million) | 2010 | IBGE (2022 Census) |
| Change in share | -8.4 percentage points | 2010-2022 | IBGE (2022 Census) |
| Change in absolute number | -5.2 million | 2010-2022 | IBGE (2022 Census) |
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The evangelical surge
The clearest growth story in Brazilian religion is the rise of Evangelical Christianity. Evangelicals gained both share and millions of adherents between the two censuses, becoming the second-largest religious group and reshaping the national picture.
In 2022, 26.9% of Brazilians, about 47.4 million people, identified as Evangelical Christians, according to the IBGE 2022 Census.
In 2010, 21.6% of Brazilians identified as Evangelical Christians, according to the IBGE.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evangelical Christians 2022 | 26.9% (47.4 million) | 2022 | IBGE (2022 Census) |
| Evangelical Christians 2010 | 21.6% | 2010 | IBGE (2022 Census) |
| Change in share | +5.3 percentage points | 2010-2022 | IBGE (2022 Census) |
| Change in absolute number | about +12 million | 2010-2022 | IBGE (2022 Census) |
The rise of the unaffiliated
Alongside the evangelical surge, a growing share of Brazilians report no religion at all. This group increased between 2010 and 2022, mirroring a broader trend across Latin America.
In 2022, 9.3% of Brazilians, about 16.4 million people, reported having no religion, according to the IBGE 2022 Census.
In 2010, 7.9% of Brazilians reported having no religion, according to the IBGE.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| People with no religion 2022 | 9.3% (16.4 million) | 2022 | IBGE (2022 Census) |
| People with no religion 2010 | 7.9% | 2010 | IBGE (2022 Census) |
| Change in share | +1.4 percentage points | 2010-2022 | IBGE (2022 Census) |
How we compiled these statistics
Every number on this page is traceable to a primary source and dated to the year the data were collected. The affiliation shares and counts come from the IBGE 2022 Census, the official national count of religious identity in Brazil, compared against the 2010 Census. The context on belief in God comes from the Pew Research Center, which reports that belief in God remains very high across Latin America, including Brazil, even as Catholicism has declined. Where figures differ between census years, we label each with its year so the trend is clear.
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