Although traditionally a Catholic country, Spain saw a decline in the number of believers over the past years. Compared to 2011, when the share of believers accounted for slightly over 70 percent of the Spanish population, the Catholic community lost approximately 17.8 percentage points of their faithful by July 2023 with a share of 52.9 percent of the surveyed population. Believers of a religion other than Catholicism accounted for approximately 2.4 percent of the Spanish population in 2023 according to the most recent data.
A Catholic majority, a practicing minority
Going to mass is no longer a thing in Spain, or so it would seem when looking at the latest statistics about the matter: over 45 percent of those who consider themselves Catholics almost never attend any religious service in July 2023. Since 2021, the figures only decreased in the past years, with 55.5 percent of the population never going to religious services in 2011 up to 45 percent in 2023. The share of population that stated to be practicing believers and go to mass every Sunday and on the most important holidays accounted for only 15.5 percent in 2023.
The not so Catholic Spain
Around 28.3 percent of the surveyed population stated to be either non-believers or full atheists in 2023. Non-believers or people that do not have a religious faith fluctuated over the past years with the latest figures showing a 12.1 percent of people that categorize themselves as so. The share of Spanish atheists is on the rise according to the most recent surveys, taking up 16.3 percent of respondents in June 2023.
Share of the Spanish population who consider themselves Catholic from 2011 to 2023
Figures resulted from the following question: "How do you define yourself in religious matters: Catholic, believer in another religion, non-believer or atheist?".
*From 2019, the source differentiates between practicing and non-practicing Catholic. The figures provided by Statista are the result of combining the two items.
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Data prior to 2022 was taken from previous versions of the report.
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Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas. (July 28, 2023). Share of the Spanish population who consider themselves Catholic from 2011 to 2023 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/992681/share-of-catholics-in-spain/
Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas. "Share of the Spanish population who consider themselves Catholic from 2011 to 2023." Chart. July 28, 2023. Statista. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/992681/share-of-catholics-in-spain/
Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas. (2023). Share of the Spanish population who consider themselves Catholic from 2011 to 2023. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: July 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/992681/share-of-catholics-in-spain/
Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas. "Share of The Spanish Population Who Consider Themselves Catholic from 2011 to 2023." Statista, Statista Inc., 28 Jul 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/992681/share-of-catholics-in-spain/
Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas, Share of the Spanish population who consider themselves Catholic from 2011 to 2023 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/992681/share-of-catholics-in-spain/ (last visited July 22, 2024)
Share of the Spanish population who consider themselves Catholic from 2011 to 2023 [Graph], Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas, July 28, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/992681/share-of-catholics-in-spain/
