In short
Mexico remains one of the most Catholic countries in the world, but the trend is downward. In the 2020 census, 77.7% of the population (97,864,218 people) declared themselves Catholic, down about 5 points from 82.7% in 2010, according to INEGI. Over the same decade Protestant and evangelical Christians rose to 11.2% (14,095,307 people), and people with no religion reached 8.1% (10,211,052 people). Pew Research, using survey methods and a later reference year, puts the religiously unaffiliated even higher, at roughly 20% by 2024. The two measures differ because they use different methods and years.
- In 2020, 77.7% of Mexicans (97,864,218 people) were Catholic, down from 82.7% in 2010, according to INEGI.
- Protestant and evangelical Christians reached 11.2% in 2020 (14,095,307 people), up 3.7 points over the decade (INEGI).
- People with no religion were 8.1% of the population in 2020 (10,211,052 people), according to INEGI.
- Pew Research finds the religiously unaffiliated roughly tripled to about 20% by 2024, now outnumbering Protestants (Pew Research Center).
Mexico has long been one of the most Catholic countries on earth, and it still is, but the ground is shifting. In the 2020 census, 77.7% of the population, or 97,864,218 people, declared themselves Catholic, down from 82.7% ten years earlier, according to INEGI, the national statistics institute. Over the same decade Protestant and evangelical Christians grew to 11.2% (14,095,307 people) and people with no religion reached 8.1% (10,211,052 people). The Pew Research Center, using survey data and a later reference year, reports an even faster erosion of the Catholic share and a religiously unaffiliated group that has roughly tripled to about 20% by 2024. The figures below draw on the INEGI Censo 2020 and Pew Research, the most authoritative sources on Christianity in Mexico, and explain honestly why their numbers differ.
Key findings at a glance
| Metric | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catholics | 77.7% (97,864,218) | 2020 | INEGI (Censo 2020) |
| Catholic share in 2010 | 82.7% | 2010 | INEGI (Censo 2020) |
| Protestant and evangelical Christians | 11.2% (14,095,307) | 2020 | INEGI (Censo 2020) |
| People with no religion | 8.1% (10,211,052) | 2020 | INEGI (Censo 2020) |
| Religiously unaffiliated (survey) | about 20% | 2024 | Pew Research Center |
How many Mexicans are Catholic?
Catholicism remains the dominant faith in Mexico by a wide margin, but its share of the population is slowly declining. The national census, run by INEGI, records religious affiliation by self-declaration across the entire population every ten years, which makes it the most complete picture available.
In 2020, 77.7% of the population of Mexico, or 97,864,218 people, declared themselves Catholic, according to the INEGI Censo 2020.
In 2010, 82.7% of the population of Mexico was Catholic, meaning the Catholic share fell about 5 points over the decade to 2020, according to INEGI.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catholics in 2020 | 97,864,218 | 2020 | INEGI (Censo 2020) |
| Catholic share in 2020 | 77.7% | 2020 | INEGI (Censo 2020) |
| Catholic share in 2010 | 82.7% | 2010 | INEGI (Censo 2020) |
| Decline in the Catholic share, 2010 to 2020 | about 5 points | 2020 | INEGI (Censo 2020) |
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The rise of evangelicals and the unaffiliated
While the Catholic share slipped, two groups grew: Protestant and evangelical Christians, and people who report no religion at all. Both trends are visible directly in the census counts, before any survey adjustment.
In 2020, 11.2% of the population, or 14,095,307 people, were Protestant or evangelical Christians in Mexico, up 3.7 points over the decade, according to INEGI.
In 2020, 8.1% of the population, or 10,211,052 people, reported having no religion in Mexico, according to INEGI.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protestant and evangelical Christians | 14,095,307 | 2020 | INEGI (Censo 2020) |
| Protestant and evangelical share | 11.2% | 2020 | INEGI (Censo 2020) |
| Rise in Protestant and evangelical share | up 3.7 points | 2020 | INEGI (Censo 2020) |
| People with no religion | 10,211,052 | 2020 | INEGI (Censo 2020) |
| No-religion share | 8.1% | 2020 | INEGI (Censo 2020) |
Pew vs the census: why the "no religion" numbers differ
The census and the Pew Research survey do not report the same figure for the non-religious, and it is worth being clear about why. The census (8.1% in 2020) is a full-population count of self-declared affiliation in one specific year. Pew (about 20% by 2024) is a sample survey conducted later, with different question wording and a different reference year. Both point the same direction, a shrinking Catholic majority and a growing unaffiliated group, but they are not directly comparable.
The religiously unaffiliated in Mexico roughly tripled to about 20% by 2024, according to the Pew Research Center.
Across Latin America the Catholic share dropped by 9 percentage points or more over the past decade, and there are now more religiously unaffiliated adults than Protestants, according to the Pew Research Center.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| No religion (census, self-declared) | 8.1% | 2020 | INEGI (Censo 2020) |
| Religiously unaffiliated (survey) | about 20% | 2024 | Pew Research Center |
| Catholic decline over the past decade (Pew) | 9 points or more | 2024 | Pew Research Center |
| Belief in God across Latin America | very high | 2024 | Pew Research Center |
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 population shares and counts for Catholics, Protestants and evangelicals, and people with no religion come from the INEGI Censo 2020, a full-population count of self-declared religious affiliation in Mexico. The trend and cross-country context, including the roughly tripled unaffiliated share, the 9-point Catholic decline, and high belief in God across Latin America, come from a 2026 Pew Research Center survey with a 2024 reference year. Where the census and the survey report different figures for the non-religious, we show both and explain that they use different methods and years rather than picking one over the other.
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