Catholicism is losing more followers than it gains in much of the world, while Protestantism is seeing growth in several regions, according to a new analysis of global religious trends.
A Pew Research Center study examining religious “switching” — when people change their religious identity from childhood to adulthood — found that Catholicism experienced net losses in 21 of 24 countries surveyed, often driven by people leaving the church rather than joining it.
In many cases, those leaving Catholicism either become religiously unaffiliated or convert to Protestant denominations. In countries like Italy, for example, far more adults say they were raised Catholic but no longer identify with the faith than those who have joined it later in life.
Former Catholics make up at least 10% of the population in 15 of the countries studied, highlighting the scale of the shift. Despite those losses, Catholicism remains the majority religion in several countries, including Poland and the Philippines.
Protestantism, by contrast, shows a more mixed but often more favorable trend. The study found that in nearly as many countries as it loses followers, Protestantism gains them — particularly in parts of Latin America, where many converts come from Catholic backgrounds.
In Brazil, for instance, a significantly larger share of adults have joined Protestantism than left it, resulting in measurable growth through religious switching.
Researchers also found that people leaving Protestantism are more likely to become religiously unaffiliated rather than convert to another faith.
Overall, the findings point to a broader reshaping of religious identity worldwide, with traditional affiliations shifting as more people move between denominations or away from organized religion altogether.
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