In short
Church attendance in Canada has declined sharply in a single generation. Monthly group religious attendance fell by nearly half, from 43% to 23%, between 1985 and 2019, according to Statistics Canada. Over the same period the share of Canadians reporting a religious affiliation dropped from 90% to 68%, while those reporting no religion rose from 16.5% in 2001 to 34.6% in 2021. Personal practice has fallen too: weekly personal religious or spiritual activity dropped from 46% in 2006 to 30% in 2019.
- Monthly group religious attendance in Canada fell by nearly half, from 43% to 23%, between 1985 and 2019 (Statistics Canada).
- The share of Canadians reporting a religious affiliation dropped from 90% in 1985 to 68% in 2019 (Statistics Canada).
- Canadians reporting no religion rose from 16.5% in 2001 to 34.6% in 2021 (Statistics Canada).
- Weekly personal religious or spiritual activity fell from 46% in 2006 to 30% in 2019 (Statistics Canada).
Canada was long a country where regular churchgoing was the norm, but that has changed within a single generation. Between 1985 and 2019, monthly group religious attendance fell by nearly half, from 43% to 23%, according to Statistics Canada, the national statistical agency. Over the same period the share of Canadians reporting a religious affiliation of any kind dropped from 90% to 68%. The Census of Population tells the same story from another angle: the share of people reporting no religion more than doubled, from 16.5% in 2001 to 34.6% in 2021. Personal, private practice has followed the same downward path. The figures below draw entirely on Statistics Canada, the most authoritative source on religion in Canada.
Key findings at a glance
| Metric | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly group religious attendance | 23% | 2019 | Statistics Canada |
| Monthly group religious attendance (earlier) | 43% | 1985 | Statistics Canada |
| Report a religious affiliation | 68% | 2019 | Statistics Canada |
| No religious affiliation | 34.6% | 2021 | Statistics Canada |
| Weekly personal spiritual activity | 30% | 2019 | Statistics Canada |
Attendance cut in half in a generation
The clearest sign of the change is how often Canadians take part in group religious activities such as church services. Statistics Canada tracks this through its General Social Survey, and the trend is unmistakable: participation has fallen by nearly half within a single generation.
In 2019, 23% of Canadians took part in a group religious activity at least once a month, down from 43% in 1985, a decline of nearly half, according to Statistics Canada.
In 1985, 43% of Canadians took part in a group religious activity at least once a month, according to Statistics Canada.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly group religious attendance | 43% | 1985 | Statistics Canada |
| Monthly group religious attendance | 23% | 2019 | Statistics Canada |
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The surge of the unaffiliated
Falling attendance is matched by a rising share of Canadians who report no religion at all. The Census of Population, which reaches the whole population rather than a survey sample, shows this group more than doubling in two decades.
In 2021, 34.6% of Canadians reported no religion, up from 16.5% in 2001, according to Statistics Canada.
In 2001, 16.5% of Canadians reported no religion, according to Statistics Canada.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| No religious affiliation | 16.5% | 2001 | Statistics Canada |
| No religious affiliation | 34.6% | 2021 | Statistics Canada |
Belief without belonging
Formal affiliation and group attendance tell only part of the story. Statistics Canada also measures private, personal practice, and here too the trend points downward. Reporting an affiliation on a survey is not the same as an active, weekly spiritual life.
In 2019, 68% of Canadians reported a religious affiliation, down from 90% in 1985, according to Statistics Canada.
In 2019, 30% of Canadians engaged in a personal religious or spiritual activity on their own at least once a week, down from 46% in 2006, according to Statistics Canada.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Report a religious affiliation | 90% | 1985 | Statistics Canada |
| Report a religious affiliation | 68% | 2019 | Statistics Canada |
| Weekly personal spiritual activity | 46% | 2006 | Statistics Canada |
| Weekly personal spiritual activity | 30% | 2019 | Statistics Canada |
How we compiled these statistics
Every number on this page comes from Statistics Canada, the national statistical agency, and is dated to the year the data were collected. The affiliation, group attendance, and personal-practice figures draw on the General Social Survey series, which asks a representative sample of Canadians about their religious participation over time. The share of people reporting no religion comes from the Census of Population, which covers the whole population rather than a sample. Where data years differ, we use the year Statistics Canada reports for each measure and label it. No figures are estimated or interpolated beyond what Statistics Canada publishes.
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