In short
Brazil remains a heavily Christian country, but practice varies sharply by tradition. About 36% of Brazilian Catholics attend religious services at least weekly, according to the Pew Research Center. Evangelicals are far more active: 60% attend church and pray daily, versus 23% of Catholics. The affiliation map is shifting too. Datafolha found Catholics had fallen to 51% of Brazilians in 2024, while evangelicals rose to 31%, a steep decline from the 65.1% who identified as Catholic in the 2010 IBGE Census.
- About 36% of Brazilian Catholics attend religious services at least weekly in 2024, according to the Pew Research Center.
- Evangelicals practice far more intensely: 60% attend church and pray daily, versus 23% of Catholics (Pew Research Center).
- Catholics fell to 51% of Brazilians in 2024, while evangelicals rose to 31% (Datafolha).
- In 2010, 65.1% of Brazilians identified as Catholic, showing how fast the majority has shrunk (IBGE 2010 Census).
Brazil is home to more Catholics than any other country on earth, and religion remains woven through daily life. But the picture is changing fast, and the headline share tells only part of the story. About 36% of Brazilian Catholics attend religious services at least weekly, according to the Pew Research Center, while evangelicals are far more likely to attend and pray every day. At the same time the Catholic majority is shrinking: Datafolha put Catholics at 51% of Brazilians in 2024, down from the 65.1% recorded in the IBGE 2010 Census, as evangelicals climbed to 31%. The figures below draw on the Pew Research Center, Datafolha, and the IBGE, the most authoritative sources on church attendance and religious practice in Brazil.
Key findings at a glance
| Metric | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catholics attending services at least weekly | 36% | 2024 | Pew Research Center |
| Evangelicals who attend and pray daily | 60% | 2024 | Pew Research Center |
| Catholics who attend and pray daily | 23% | 2024 | Pew Research Center |
| Brazilians who identify as Catholic | 51% | 2024 | Datafolha |
| Brazilians who identify as evangelical | 31% | 2024 | Datafolha |
| Catholic share in the 2010 Census | 65.1% | 2010 | IBGE (2010 Census) |
How often do Brazilians attend church?
Formal affiliation says little about how often people actually show up. In Brazil, weekly attendance is common but far from universal among Catholics, the largest group. The Pew Research Center measures attendance directly through nationally representative surveys, which makes it the most reliable read on lived practice.
About 36% of Brazilian Catholics attend religious services at least weekly, according to the Pew Research Center.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catholics attending services at least weekly | 36% | 2024 | Pew Research Center |
| Catholics who attend and pray daily | 23% | 2024 | Pew Research Center |
| Evangelicals who attend and pray daily | 60% | 2024 | Pew Research Center |
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The evangelical practice gap
The sharpest divide in Brazilian religious life is not between believers and non-believers, but between Catholics and evangelicals. Evangelicals attend church and pray far more intensely, which helps explain why their share of the population keeps rising even as the Catholic majority shrinks.
About 60% of Brazilian evangelicals attend church and pray daily, versus 23% of Catholics, according to the Pew Research Center.
About 23% of Brazilian Catholics attend church and pray daily, well below the 60% recorded among evangelicals, according to the Pew Research Center.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evangelicals who attend and pray daily | 60% | 2024 | Pew Research Center |
| Catholics who attend and pray daily | 23% | 2024 | Pew Research Center |
| Catholics attending services at least weekly | 36% | 2024 | Pew Research Center |
A shrinking Catholic majority
Brazil is still the largest Catholic country in the world, but the majority is thinning quickly. Datafolha, the polling institute of Folha de S.Paulo, tracks self-declared religious identity, while the IBGE Census provides the historical baseline against which the decline can be measured.
In 2024, Catholics had fallen to 51% of Brazilians, while evangelicals rose to 31%, according to Datafolha.
In 2010, 65.1% of Brazilians identified as Catholic, according to the IBGE Census.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazilians who identify as Catholic | 51% | 2024 | Datafolha |
| Brazilians who identify as evangelical | 31% | 2024 | Datafolha |
| Catholic share in the 2010 Census | 65.1% | 2010 | IBGE (2010 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. Attendance and daily-practice figures come from the Pew Research Center study of religious and spiritual practices in Latin America, based on nationally representative surveys. Self-declared affiliation figures for 2024 come from Datafolha, the polling institute of Folha de S.Paulo. The historical Catholic baseline comes from the IBGE 2010 Census, the official national count. Where a percentage combines attendance and prayer, we report it as the source frames it rather than splitting it, so the comparison between Catholics and evangelicals stays exact.
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