Religious affiliation trends in Portugal show rise in non-religious population

Data from the 2021 Census and the study “Um Atlas da Religião em Portugal” by the Catholic University of Portugal reveal significant shifts in the country's religious landscape. While Catholicism remains the predominant faith, with approximately 7 million people or 80% of the population aged 15 and older identifying as Catholic, the number of people declaring no religion has grown significantly.

Nationally, the non-religious population increased from 6.8% in 2011 to 14.1% in 2021, a growth of over 100% in a decade. Regionally, the southern part of the country shows higher proportions of non-religious residents. In the municipality of Vila do Bispo, 33.7% of residents report no religious affiliation, ranking second nationally behind Sines, which stands at 35.5%. Other municipalities with high non-religious populations include Grândola (31.7%), Aljezur (31.5%), and Lagos (28.5%).