In short
In 2021, about 60% of South Koreans reported having no religion, making the unaffiliated the clear majority. Christians were the largest religious group at roughly 23% combined: 17% Protestant and 6% Catholic. Buddhists came next at 16%. South Korea is unusual in Asia for its large Protestant minority, a legacy of rapid 20th-century growth, but affiliation is now declining, especially among the young.
- In 2021, about 60% of South Koreans reported no religion, the clear majority (Gallup Korea).
- Christians were the largest religious group at about 23% combined: 17% Protestant and 6% Catholic (Gallup Korea).
- Buddhists were 16% of South Koreans in 2021, just behind Protestants (Gallup Korea).
- South Korea is unusual in Asia for its large Protestant minority, though affiliation is now falling, especially among the young (Pew Research Center).
South Korea is one of the most striking religious landscapes in Asia. Christianity, and Protestantism in particular, grew rapidly across the 20th century, giving the country a large Christian minority that is rare in the region. Yet by 2021, the religiously unaffiliated had become the clear majority. According to Gallup Korea, about 60% of South Koreans reported having no religion, while Christians together made up roughly 23% (17% Protestant and 6% Catholic) and Buddhists 16%. The shift is generational: affiliation is now declining, most sharply among the young. The figures below draw on the 2021 Gallup Korea survey and the Pew Research Center, the most authoritative sources on religion in South Korea.
Key findings at a glance
| Metric | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| No religion (the largest group) | 60% | 2021 | Gallup Korea |
| Christians combined (Protestant plus Catholic) | about 23% | 2021 | Gallup Korea |
| Protestant | 17% | 2021 | Gallup Korea |
| Buddhist | 16% | 2021 | Gallup Korea |
| Catholic | 6% | 2021 | Gallup Korea |
A non-religious majority
The most important fact about religion in South Korea today is that most people report no religion at all. In the 2021 Gallup Korea survey, the unaffiliated were the clear majority, well ahead of any single religious group. This marks a decisive shift for a country once seen as a rare Asian stronghold of rapid Christian growth.
In 2021, about 60% of South Koreans reported having no religion, according to Gallup Korea.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| No religion | 60% | 2021 | Gallup Korea |
| Any religion (all faiths combined) | about 40% | 2021 | Gallup Korea |
| Christians combined (Protestant plus Catholic) | about 23% | 2021 | Gallup Korea |
| Buddhist | 16% | 2021 | Gallup Korea |
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Christianity, the largest religion
Among South Koreans who do report a religion, Christianity is the largest. Protestants make up the biggest single group, with Catholics a smaller but significant community. Taken together, Christians outnumber Buddhists, making South Korea unusual in Asia for the size of its Protestant minority.
In 2021, 17% of South Koreans identified as Protestant, the largest single religious group, according to Gallup Korea.
In 2021, 6% of South Koreans identified as Catholic, according to Gallup Korea.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protestant | 17% | 2021 | Gallup Korea |
| Catholic | 6% | 2021 | Gallup Korea |
| Christians combined (Protestant plus Catholic) | about 23% | 2021 | Gallup Korea |
Buddhism and the wider landscape
Buddhism remains a major presence in South Korea and is the second-largest single religious identity after Protestantism. Together with the large unaffiliated majority, it shapes a landscape where Christianity, Buddhism, and the non-religious sit alongside one another, a mix that Pew and others note is distinctive within Asia.
In 2021, 16% of South Koreans identified as Buddhist, just behind Protestants, according to Gallup Korea.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| No religion | 60% | 2021 | Gallup Korea |
| Protestant | 17% | 2021 | Gallup Korea |
| Buddhist | 16% | 2021 | Gallup Korea |
| Catholic | 6% | 2021 | Gallup Korea |
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 come from the 2021 Gallup Korea national survey, the most-cited measure of religious identity in South Korea, in which about 60% reported no religion, 17% Protestant, 16% Buddhist, and 6% Catholic. The wider context, that South Korea is unusual in Asia for its large Protestant minority and that affiliation is declining especially among the young, draws on the Pew Research Center summary of the same data. Where sources report the figures slightly differently, we use the Gallup Korea values and label the data year.
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