Religion in Catalonia has lost ground in society, while the group of those who consider themselves "non-believers" has grown, according to the latest data from the barometer of the Centre for Sociological Research (CIS).

These data do not match the trends compiled two years ago by the regional government, published in its Barometer of Religiosity, according to which up to 71% of the population identified with some belief or tradition.

According to the CIS, 71% of young people under 35 in Catalonia say they do not believe in anything. Between 36 and 50 years of age, the figure drops, although it is still more than half (60%).

For those aged 51 and over, the figure falls to less than half (47%), and for those aged 65 and over, it is slightly over a third (64%).

The same data show that in 2008, the percentage of young "non-believers" was 48%, i.e. 23 points lower. The other age groups have also grown over the last fifteen years.

Catholicism, the main and most affected religion

Roman Catholicism continues to be the main faith in Catalonia. However, it is also the most affected by the progressive secularisation of society. Whereas in 2008 there were 38% of young people under the age of 35 who identified with this religion, now only about 20% do.

The Catholic Church has also experienced a severe loss in the population between the ages of 36 and 50, dropping from 45% to 30% today.

Minority religions

The greatest contrast between the data published by the CIS and those of the Barometer of Religiosity carried out by the Regional Government of Catalonia is in the percentages of minority religions.

The CIS gives this category a 5% share among young people aged between 18 and 35 and adults aged between 36 and 50.

After that, the percentage drops. In 2021, the Catalan government estimated that there were only 7% Protestant Christians in the territory, apart from Muslims (4.3%), Orthodox Christians (1.3%) and Jehovah's Witnesses (1%).

Together, those figures account for over 12% of the Catalan population.

 

More women and foreign families

The CIS adds data on the gender and geographical origin of believers in Catalonia.

The vast majority of practising Catholics under 35 (62%) are women, while the majority of those who consider themselves "non-believers" are men (54%).

After the age of 35, the figures rise to 66% and 55% respectively.

In terms of geographical origin, most of those under 34 years of age who practise a minority religion in Catalonia (37%) stated that both their parents came from outside the country, while in the case of "non-believers" the figure was only 4%.