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 ten percent of their faithful by 2021 with a share of 61 percent of the surveyed population. Believers of a religion other than Catholicism accounted for approximately 2.6 percent of the Spanish population in 2021 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 60 percent of those who consider themselves Catholics almost never attend any religious service in February 2020. With the exception of 2021, the figures only increased in the past years, with 55.5 percent of the population never going to religious services in 2011 up to 63.1 percent in 2020. 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 16.4 percent in 2021.
The not so Catholic Spain
Around 27 percent of the surveyed population stated to be either non-believers or full atheists in 2018. Non-believers or people that do not have a religious faith maintained steadily over 14 percent over the past years with the latest figures showing a 16 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 14 percent of respondents in 2021.
Share of the Spanish population who consider themselves Catholic from 2011 to 2020
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 2020 was taken from previous versions of the report.
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Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas. (January 30, 2021). Share of the Spanish population who consider themselves Catholic from 2011 to 2020 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved November 28, 2021, 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 2020." Chart. January 30, 2021. Statista. Accessed November 28, 2021. https://www.statista.com/statistics/992681/share-of-catholics-in-spain/
Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas. (2021). Share of the Spanish population who consider themselves Catholic from 2011 to 2020. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: November 28, 2021. 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 2020." Statista, Statista Inc., 30 Jan 2021, 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 2020 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/992681/share-of-catholics-in-spain/ (last visited November 28, 2021)
