Catholics Are Hemorrhaging Members in 21 of 24 Countries Studied: Protestants Are Surging in Many

Pew Research Documents Net Catholic Losses in Italy, Chile, and Brazil as Protestant Movements Grow in Brazil, Mexico, Ghana, and the Philippines

A landmark new Pew Research Center study examining religious switching across 24 countries has found that the Catholic Church is losing members through religious switching in 21 of them, while Protestant Christianity is gaining ground in many of the same regions.

The picture in Italy is stark: 22 percent of adults raised Catholic no longer identify as Catholic, while only 1 percent have converted into the faith, a net decline of 21 percentage points.

Pew Research Reveals Catholic Decline and Protestant Growth Across the Globe

In Chile, 19 percent of adults now identify as former Catholics with no religious affiliation. In Brazil, 15 percent have joined Protestant churches after a non Protestant upbringing, while only 6 percent of those raised Protestant have left. The strongest Protestant gains are concentrated in Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, Ghana, the Philippines), while strongest Protestant losses appear in Sweden, Germany, and the UK.

Poland stands out as a fortress of Catholic loyalty, with 92 percent of adults remaining lifelong Catholics. The Philippines remains 80 percent Catholic. Hungary is one of the rare Catholic gainers. The data is drawn from Pew's spring 2024 surveys and the 2023 to 2024 US Religious Landscape Study.

The Crusader's Opinion

The Catholic Church is bleeding adults in nearly every country it once dominated, while Pentecostal and evangelical Protestantism is growing fastest exactly where Christianity is most alive. Brazil, Nigeria, the Philippines. The shift is one of the largest religious realignments in centuries. Catholics must ask hard questions about what they are teaching at the parish level. Protestants must avoid arrogance and remember that growth without depth is sand. Both must focus on what unites every faithful believer: the bodily resurrection, the authority of Scripture, and the call to evangelise. Christ's Church grows where the Gospel is preached.

Take Action

• Read: The full Pew study at pewresearch.org
• Discuss: The findings with your pastor or priest and ask what your local church is doing
• Pray: For Catholic renewal in Italy, Chile, and the historic Catholic heartlands
• Support: Mission organisations active in growing regions like Brazil and Nigeria
• Share: The 21 of 24 statistic and ask "What is happening to global Catholicism?"