Catholics remain the largest religious group in six Latin American countries surveyed by Pew Research Center, but their share of the population has declined in every country over the past dozen years.
The analysis released Thursday compares a spring 2026 survey with Pew’s 2013-14 research. It examines Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, rather than all of Latin America.
Mexico had the largest Catholic share among the six countries, at 71%, followed by Peru at 67%, Colombia at 57%, Argentina at 56%, Chile at 49% and Brazil at 41%.
Those figures represent declines ranging from 9 percentage points in Peru to 22 points in Colombia. Pew reported that all six changes were statistically significant.
Affiliation changes across the region
Colombia’s Catholic share fell from 79% in 2013-14 to 57% in 2026. Brazil’s dropped from 61% to 41%, while Argentina’s declined from 71% to 56% and Chile’s from 64% to 49%.
Mexico’s share declined from 81% to 71%, and Peru’s from 76% to 67%. The comparisons measure changes in population shares; they do not track the same individuals over time.
Protestants accounted for 35% of adults in Brazil, the largest share among the six countries. They represented 23% in Chile, 20% each in Colombia and Peru, 18% in Argentina and 9% in Mexico.
People without a religious affiliation accounted for 24% in Chile, 22% in Argentina, 20% in Colombia, 18% in Brazil, 16% in Mexico and 10% in Peru.
Christianity as a whole remained the majority affiliation in all six countries. Including Catholics, Protestants and other Christians, its share ranged from 74% in Chile to 89% in Peru.
Religious practice differs by affiliation
Protestants were more likely than Catholics to say religion was very important in their lives in each country surveyed.
In Brazil, 89% of Protestants and 76% of Catholics described religion that way. The corresponding shares were 87% and 68% in Colombia, 82% and 60% in Peru, and 71% and 46% in Mexico.
The gaps were also substantial in Argentina, where 74% of Protestants and 43% of Catholics said religion was very important, and Chile, where the figures were 72% and 45%.
Daily prayer showed a similar pattern. In Colombia, 84% of Protestants and 73% of Catholics said they prayed daily. In Brazil, the shares were 80% and 70%; in Peru, 73% and 61%.
In Argentina, 67% of Protestants and 45% of Catholics reported daily prayer. The shares were 72% and 52% in Chile and 65% and 40% in Mexico.
How Catholics view Pope Leo XIV
Among Catholics, favorable views of Pope Leo XIV were highest in Peru, at 79%. He lived in Peru for more than two decades and became a bishop there in 2014.
About three-quarters of Catholics in Colombia and Brazil viewed him favorably, at 74% and 73%, respectively. The share was 66% in Mexico and 55% each in Argentina and Chile.
Unfavorable views ranged from 10% among Catholics in Peru and Colombia to 20% in Chile. Some respondents offered no opinion, including 32% of Catholics in Argentina, so the remaining share should not be read as uniformly unfavorable.
The spring survey included 6,132 adults: 1,014 in Argentina, 1,054 in Brazil, 1,011 in Chile, 1,025 in Colombia, 1,017 in Mexico and 1,011 in Peru. Estimates for religious subgroups have more uncertainty than estimates for each country’s full sample.
The research was supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts, the John Templeton Foundation and Templeton Religion Trust. The findings describe the countries surveyed and do not provide an estimate for Catholics in the United States.
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