Religion in Spain

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Answer to the question 'How do you define yourself in religious matters?' in Spain (CIS survey; sample size: 10,104; September 2023)[1]

  Non-Practicing Catholic (35.2%)
  Practicing Catholic (16.8%)
  Atheist (16.8%)
  Agnostic (14.4%)
  Indifferent/Non-believer (12.9%)
  Believer in another religion (2.4%)
  Did not answer (1.6%)

The Catholic branch of Christianity is the most widely professed religion in Spain, with high levels of secularization as of 2024. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Spanish Constitution.

The Pew Research Center ranked Spain as the 16th out of 34 European countries in levels of religiosity, with 21% of the population declaring they were "highly religious" in the poll.[2] 3% of Spaniards consider religion as one of their three most important values, lower than the 5% European average.[3]

According to the Spanish Center for Sociological Research, 52.0% of Spanish citizens self-identify as Catholics, (35.2% define themselves as non-practising, while 16.8% as practising), 2.4% as followers of other faiths (including Islam, Protestant Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism etc.), and 44.1% identify as: atheists (16.8%), agnostics (14.4%) or non-believers (12.9%), as of September 2023.[4]

Most Spaniards do not participate regularly in weekly religious worship. A July 2021 study shows that of the Spaniards who identify themselves as religious, 36% never attend Mass, 20.8% barely ever attend Mass, 19% attend Mass a few times a year, 6.8% two or three times per month, 13.4% every Sunday and holidays, and 2.9% multiple times per week.[5] According to a 2021 survey, those who go to church several times a year are 17.3% of the total population; those who go several times a month, 9.3%; those who go every Sunday and all holy days of obligation, 14.9%; and those who go several times a week, 4.3%.[6]

Although a majority of Spaniards self-identify as Catholics, younger generations tend to ignore the Church's moral doctrines on issues such as pre-marital sex, homosexuality, same-sex marriage or contraception.[7][8][9][10] The total number of parish priests shrank from 24,300 in 1975 to 18,500 in 2018, with an average age of 65.5 years.[11][12][13] By contrast, many expressions of popular religiosity still thrive, often linked to local festivals. Several instances of Catholic cultural practices are present among the general population, such as Catholic baptisms and funerals, Holy Week processions, pilgrimages (such as the Way of St. James), patron saints and many festivals. [citation needed]

A Survey published in 2019 by the Pew Research Center found that 54% of Spaniards had a favorable view of Muslims, while 76% had a favorable view of Jews.[14] Spain has been regarded[according to whom?] as generally unwelcoming of Protestantism,[better source needed][15][16] with only 1% of Spaniards being Protestant[17] and most Protestants being of an immigrant background.[18][19]

The patron saint of Spain is St. James the Greater.[20]

  1. ^ CIS."Barómetro de Septiembre de 2023", 10,104 respondents. The question was "¿Cómo se define Ud. en materia religiosa: católico/a practicante, católico/a no practicante, creyente de otra religión, agnóstico/a, indiferente o no creyente, o ateo/a?". Page 20.
  2. ^ How do European countries differ in religious commitment? Use our interactive map to find out. Pew Research.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference EUROBAROMETER83 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ CIS."Barómetro de Septiembre de 2023", 10,104 respondents. The question was "¿Cómo se define Ud. en materia religiosa: católico/a practicante, católico/a no practicante, creyente de otra religión, agnóstico/a, indiferente o no creyente, o ateo/a?".
  5. ^ Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas-CIS."Barómetro de Julio de 2021", 3,814 respondents. The question was "¿Cómo se define Ud. en materia religiosa: católico/a practicante, católico/a no practicante, creyente de otra religión, agnóstico/a, indiferente o no creyente, o ateo/a?".
  6. ^ CIS. "Barametro de Junio de 2021."
  7. ^ Morel, Sandrine (1 February 2017). "La sécularisation express des jeunes Espagnols" [The express secularization of the Spanish youth] (in French). Le Monde. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  8. ^ "España experimenta retroceso en catolicismo - El Mundo - Mundo Cristiano" (in Spanish). CBN.com. 7 July 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  9. ^ Tarvainen, Sinikka (26 September 2004). "Reforms anger Spanish church". Dawn International. Retrieved 21 March 2008.
  10. ^ "Zapatero accused of rejecting religion". Worldwide Religious News. 15 October 2004. Archived from the original on 23 October 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2008.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference INFOCAT2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference ESTADISTICA2005 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference LV2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ "European Public Opinion Three Decades After the Fall of Communism — 6. Minority groups". Pew Research Center. 14 October 2019. Archived from the original on 22 October 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference LAM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ "Sharing the Gospel in Spain a Work in Progress". Back to God Ministries International. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  17. ^ "Global Christianity" (PDF). Pew Research Center. December 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  18. ^ "10 milhões vivem em cidades sem presença evangélica, na Espanha". Folha Gospel (in Portuguese). 10 May 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  19. ^ "Spain: 10 million live in towns without evangelical presence". Evangelical Focus Europe. 10 May 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  20. ^ St. James the Greater in Catholic Encyclopedia (New York: Appleton Company, 1910), http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08279b.htm