Staff Reporter
FIVE decades ago, 90 percent of Spanish people said they were Catholic. This figure has now dropped to 55 percent.
The decline in people following Catholicism is especially apparent among young people.
In 2002, 60% of the population aged 18 to 29 identified as Catholic, while in 2024 only 32% did so.
Compared to those aged 70 and over, identification as Catholic fell from 89% to 77% over the same period.
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The country’s religious landscape is changing, with more people reporting they do not identify with any religion.
Funcas attribute the decline in those following religion to older people who grew up Catholic passing away. It found people are also changing their views on religion as they age.
For example, 83% of those born between 1943 and 1952 identified themselves as Catholic in 2002, when they were between 50 and 59 years old, but by 2024, when they were between 70 and 79 years old, that figure had fallen to 73%.
The trend is even more apparent among younger generations.
This information comes from the latest edition of Funcas’s Social Situation Notes, which analysed the European Social Survey.
