Christianity is the predominant religion in Portugal, with Roman Catholicism being its largest denomination; according to the 2021 census, 84.77% of the total population is Christian. Currently, Portugal is a secular state and its constitution guarantees freedom of religion.
Overview According to the 2021 Census, 80.2% of the population of Portugal is Catholic, though in 2001 only about 19% attended Mass and took the sacraments regularly,https://web.archive.org/web/20020711232529/http://www.ecclesia.pt/rpd/totais.htm also possibly a decrease since then https://www.dn.pt/portugal/norte/interior/missas-dominicais-perderam-23-mil-fieis-desde-2001-2376179.html while a larger number wish to have their children baptized, be married in a church, and receive Last Rites.
Portugal is one of the most religious countries in Europe, most Portuguese believe with certainty in the existence of God and religion is important in their lives.Portugueses são mais cristãos e vão mais à igreja do que o resto da Europa ocidentalPortugal é dos países onde mais pessoas garantem que Deus existe According to the Pew Research Center Portugal is the 9th most religious country out of 34 European countries, 40% of Portuguese Catholics pray daily,Five Centuries After Reformation, Catholic-Protestant Divide in Western Europe Has Faded Pew Research Center. and 36% say religion is very important in their lives.
Although Church and State are formally separated since 1911, the Catholic precepts continue to have a significant bearing in Portuguese society and culture. The educational and health care systems were for a long time the Church's preserve, and in many cases, whenever a building, bridge, or highway was opened, it received a blessing from the clergy. The Catholic Church in Portugal is also afforded certain preferential rights and privileges in the country's law.
Demographics According to the 2021 Census, 80.2% of the population aged 15 and older is Catholic, a figure very similar to that recorded in the 2011 Census, when 81.0% selected Catholicism as their religion. About 5% adhere to other forms of Christianity, with 2.1% being Protestant, 0.7% Jehovah's Witnesses, 0.7% Orthodox, and 1% members of other Christian churches. Just over 1% indicated belonging to non-Christian religions, with 0.4% being Muslim, 0.2% Hindu, 0.2% Buddhist and 0.3% members of other religions. 14% indicated not having any religion. +Religion in Portugal - Census 2021ReligionNumberPercentChristianity7,444,78684.77%- Catholicism7,043,01680.20%- Protestantism186,8322.13%- Jehovah's Witnesses63,6090.72%- Orthodoxy60,3810.69%- Other Christian90,9481.04%Non-Christian religions99,9841.14%- Islam36,4800.42%- Hinduism19,4710.22%- Buddhism16,7570.19%- Judaism2,9100.03%- Other non-Christian24,3660.28%No religion1,237,13014.09%Note: Question asked to the population aged 15 and older Census data show some regional differences. Catholicism is strongest in the Azores (91.6%), Madeira (90.9%) and the North region (88.1%). On the other hand, the Setúbal Peninsula (65.3%) and the Algarve (65.9%) have the lowest percentages. It is in the Setúbal Peninsula, the Greater Lisbon and the Algarve that the highest proportions of members of other Christian churches, of other religions and of people without religious affiliation are found. Members of other Christian religions make up more than 10% of the Algarve's population. In the Greater Lisbon and in the Algarve more than 2% of the population follow non-Christian religions and the percentage of the non-religious population varies between around 6% in the Azores and Madeira and 25.6% in the Setúbal Peninsula. +Religion in Portugal, by region - Census 2021RegionTotalChristianity- Catholicism- Other ChristianNon-Christian religionsNo religionNumberPercentNumberPercentNumberPercentNumberPercentNumberPercentNorth3,080,8602,800,19990.9%2,713,42288.1%86,7772.8%13,9010.5%266,7608.7%Central1,423,6831,279,95189.9%1,231,23186.4%48,7203.5%7,7080.5%136,0249.6%West and Tagus Valley689,934587,92385.2%552,90880.1%35,0155.1%6,4700.9%95,54113.8%Greater Lisbon1,719,6461,293,83475.2%1,176,26468.4%117,5706.8%45,3502.6%380,46222.1%Setúbal Peninsula671,313488,90572.8%438,66865.3%50,2377.5%10,7091.6%171,69925.6%Alentejo395,346312,51079.0%298,52575.5%13,9853.5%6,5331.7%76,30319.3%Algarve390,103297,36676.2%257,04665.9%40,320 10.3%7,9512.0%84,78621.7%Azores195,788183,18693.6%179,39591.6%3,7911.9%5210.3%12,0816.2%Madeira215,227200,91293.3%195,55790.9%5,3552.5%8410.4%13,4746.3%Note: Question asked to the population aged 15 and older
In 124 of the 308 municipalities, over 90% of the population indicated being Catholic in the 2021 Census. The municipalities with the highest percentages are Mesão Frio (97.0%), Ribeira de Pena (96.5%), Resende (96.4%) and Baião (96.3%) in the North region, and Vila Franca do Campo (96.3%) in the Azores. The least Catholic municipalities are located in the Algarve and on the Alentejo coast with Lagos (55.2%), Vila do Bispo (56.1%), Sines (56.2%), Aljezur (56.3%) and Odemira (56.7%) with the lowest percentages . The municipalities with the highest proportions of members of other Christian denominations are Lagos (14.3%), Albufeira (13.2%), Portimão (12.7%), Loulé (11.3%) and São Brás de Alportel (11.0%), all in the Algarve. The municipalities with the highest proportion of followers of non-Christian religions are Odemira (16.5%), Albufeira (4.1%), Lisbon (3.9%), Odivelas (3.4%) and Amadora (3.2%), in the Alentejo, Algarve and Greater Lisbon regions. With regard to the non-religious population, the highest percentages are registered in parts of the Alentejo and the Algarve with Sines (35.5%), Vila do Bispo (33.7%), Grândola (31.7%), Aljezur (31.5%) and Aljustrel (31.4%) recording the highest percentages. In 15 municipalities more than a quarter of the population is not religious. On the other hand, in 74 municipalities this percentage is less than 5%.
There is a very considerable difference in terms of religious composition between the inhabitants with Portuguese nationality and the foreign population residing in the country, which makes up 5.2% of the total population. 82.6% of residents of Portuguese nationality are Catholic, while only 36.4% of foreigners identify with the Catholic Church. Just over 3% of Portuguese nationals belong to other Christian denominations, a percentage that approaches 30% among foreign residents. Only 0.6% of residents of Portuguese nationality reported belonging to non-Christian religions, with this percentage being 12.3% among foreigners. As for the population without religious affiliation, the percentage is 13.7% among residents born in Portugal and 21.5% among residents born abroad.
Statistics Portugal made available, in November 2023, an anonymized microdata file for public use with a sample of 5% of the responses to the 2021 Census. The question on religion had a very high response rate, of 97.5%.These data show that the percentage of Catholics is higher among women (83.1%) than men (76.8%). On the other hand, the percentage of unaffiliated it is higher among men (17.8%) than women (10.9%). There are no relevant differences between genders regarding the affiliation to other Christian denominations and to non-Christian religions. ReligionMaleFemaleCatholicism76.8%83.1%Other Christian 4.0%5.1% Non-Christian religions1.4%0.9% No religion 17.8% 10.9% The same microdata file shows that older generations are more religious. The percentage of Catholics varies between 66.9% among the population aged 25–34 and 91.7% among those over 75 years old. It is among younger people that the highest percentages of members of other Christian churches and other religions are found. Religion15-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465-7475+Catholicism70.9%66.9%74.4%81.0%85.4%88.3%91.7%Other Christian 5.2%6.2%6.2%4.9%3.9%3.2%2.6% Non-Christian religions1.3%2.9%1.9%1.0%0.5%0.4%0.2% No religion 22.5% 24.1%17.5%13.2%10.2%8.0%5.5% The sample of responses to the Census shows that it is among the population with basic levels of education (1st, 2nd and 3rd cycles of education) that the highest percentage of Catholics is found (86.6%). On the other hand, the lowest percentage of members of the Catholic Church is found among residents with post-secondary education (68.2%). It is at this level of education that the highest percentage of adherents of other Christian churches is found (8.6%). Regarding the unaffiliated, the biggest percentage is found among the population with higher levels of education (23.0%). ReligionNo formal educationBasic educationUpper secondaryPost secondaryHigher educationCatholicism83.5%86.6%73.5%68.2%71.6%Other Christian 5.9%3.7%6.4%8.6%4.1% Non-Christian religions2.3%0.7%1.6%1.3%1.3% No religion 8.3% 9.0%18.4%21.9%23.0% Catholicism is strongest in the rural areas of the country, where 87.0% of residents claimed to belong to this denomination. In urban areas, the percentage of Catholics is 75.9%. In the urban areas there are higher percentages of members of other Christian denominations, of other religions and non-religious people. ReligionRural areasUrban areasCatholicism87.0%75.9%Other Christian 2.9%5.6% Non-Christian religions0.6%1.5% No religion 9.5% 16.9%
History
As in most provinces of the Roman Empire, the religious beliefs and deities of the Pre-Roman populations mingled and coexisted with Roman mythology. In the Portuguese case, those Pre-Roman religions were basically Proto-Celtic or Celtic, chief amongst them that of the Lusitanians (see Lusitanian mythology).
Jewish populations have existed in the area, going back to the Roman era or even before that, and are directly related to Sephardi history.
The Roman Provinces of Lusitania (comprising most of Portugal south of the Douro river) and of Gallaecia (north of the Douro river) were first Christianized while part of the Roman Empire. During this period, Bracara Augusta (the modern city of Braga) became one of the most important episcopal centres, alongside Santiago de Compostela. Christianity was solidified when the Suevi and the Visigoths—Germanic tribes already Christianized—came into the Iberian Peninsula in the fifth century.
Early Visigoths followed the Arian heresy, but they joined Roman mainstream after the eighth century. The city of Braga played an important role in the religious history of the period, namely during the renunciation of the Arian and Priscillianist heresies. Two synods were held in Braga in the sixth century, marking the origin of its ecclesiastical significance. The Archbishops of Braga retains the title of Primate of Portugal, and long claimed supremacy over the whole of the churches of Hispania.
Braga had an important role in the Christianization of the whole Iberian Peninsula. The first known bishop of Braga, Paternus, lived during the end of the fourth century, although Saint Ovidius (d. 135 AD) is sometimes considered one of the first bishops of this city.Santi Beati In the early fifth century, Paulus Orosius, a friend of Saint Augustine, born in Braga, wrote several theological and historical works of great importance. In the sixth century, another influential figure was Saint Martin of Braga, a bishop of Braga who converted the Suevi from Arianism to Catholicism. He also founded an important monastery near Braga, in Dumio (Dume), now an archaeological site. Several Ecumenical Councils were held in Braga during this period, a sign of the religious importance of the city.