The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050
As of 2010, nearly a third of the world’s population identified as Christian. But if demographic trends persist, Islam will close the gap by the middle of the 21st century.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
As of 2010, nearly a third of the world’s population identified as Christian. But if demographic trends persist, Islam will close the gap by the middle of the 21st century.
Latin Americans tend to express traditional views about sexuality, marriage and social mores. For example, majorities in most Latin American countries are opposed to allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry legally. And solid majorities in almost all countries surveyed say abortion should be illegal in all or most circumstances. Across the region, Protestants are […]
Media Contact: Katherine Ritchey, Communications Manager 202-419-4372, kritchey@pewresearch.org Washington, Nov. 13, 2014 — Latin America is home to more than 425 million Catholics – nearly 40% of the world’s total Catholic population. Yet identification with Catholicism has declined throughout the region, according to a major new Pew Research Center survey that examines religious affiliations, beliefs […]
Religion is central to the lives of many Latin Americans. Indeed, majorities in most countries surveyed say religion is very important to them. Two-thirds or more express this view in Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia and Venezuela. In the United States, by comparison, […]
On the whole, Latin Americans embrace free-market principles. Majorities in most countries surveyed say that people are better off in a free-market economy. Yet majorities in half of the countries point to the gap between rich and poor as a major national problem. Overall, Catholics and Protestants differ little in their views of the free […]
In most of the Latin American countries surveyed, at least one-in-six adults report that they no longer belong to the religion in which they were raised. Roughly one-in-three have changed their faith in Nicaragua, Uruguay and El Salvador. At the other end of the spectrum, much smaller proportions of adults in Mexico (12%), Panama (12%) […]
The Pew Research survey of 18 Latin American countries and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico finds relatively few statistically significant differences between Catholics and Protestants when it comes to demographic characteristics, such as age, gender and educational attainment. In a few countries, however, Protestants are less likely than Catholics to have at least a […]
Latin Americans generally embrace democracy as their preferred form of government. In most of the countries surveyed, majorities or pluralities also say they would prefer a government that refrains from promoting religious values and beliefs. But Latin Americans are more divided on the extent to which religious leaders should influence politics. Democracy Favored Over Strong […]
Overall, many Latin Americans see a basic tension between religion and science. Indeed, half or more in most countries surveyed think that faith and science generally are at odds with one another. Despite the general belief that there is a conflict between religion and science, roughly half or more in most countries polled agree that […]