Religion by Country
Religion in Mexico: Statistics, Demographics & Trends
Mexico remains overwhelmingly Catholic, but the 2020 census recorded continued growth in evangelical Christianity and in the share of Mexicans reporting no religion.
Quick answer
Mexico's 2020 census recorded Catholics at 77.7% of the population, Protestant and evangelical Christians at 11.2%, and 8.1% with no religion, with a further 2.5% reporting belief in a higher power without formal religious affiliation. Catholicism has declined by about five percentage points since the 2010 census as evangelical Christianity and non-affiliation have both grown.
- Largest religion
- Catholicism — 77.7%
- Largest minority faith
- Protestant / Evangelical — 11.2%
- No religion
- 8.1%
- Data source
- National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI)
- Reference year
- Census 2020
Mexico at a glance
Mexico's 2020 census, run by the national statistics agency INEGI, confirmed that Catholicism remains by far the dominant religion, though its share has fallen roughly five percentage points since the 2010 census. The main beneficiary of that decline has been evangelical and other Protestant Christianity, which has grown steadily across Mexico for several decades, alongside a smaller but rising share of the population reporting no formal religion.
| Religion | Population | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | census share | 77.7% |
| Protestant / Evangelical | census share | 11.2% |
| No religion | census share | 8.1% |
| Believes in higher power, no formal religion | census share | 2.5% |
| Other religion | census share | 0.2% |
The major religious groups
Catholicism (77.7%) remains the overwhelming majority religion, a legacy of Spanish colonisation from the 16th century, though Mexico's Catholic share is now well below the near-universal levels recorded in earlier decades. Protestant and evangelical Christianity (11.2%) is Mexico's fastest-growing religious category, with particularly strong growth in southern states such as Chiapas, which has one of the country's largest evangelical populations. People with no religion (8.1%), plus a further 2.5% who describe belief in a higher power without formal affiliation, together represent a modest but steadily growing non-traditional segment.
Regional patterns
Catholic affiliation remains highest in central Mexico and the Bajío region, while evangelical Protestantism has its strongest footholds in the south and southeast, particularly Chiapas, Tabasco and parts of the Yucatan Peninsula, regions with significant Indigenous populations among whom Protestant missionary activity has had particular success since the mid-20th century.
A historically Catholic, constitutionally secular state
Mexico has a complex history of church-state relations: the country's 1917 constitution imposed strict, sometimes anticlerical, limits on the Catholic Church's public role, restrictions that were significantly eased through reforms in 1992 that restored diplomatic relations with the Vatican and expanded religious freedoms. For comparison with another large, historically Catholic Latin American nation undergoing a similar evangelical shift, see religion in Brazil.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main religion in Mexico?
Catholicism is Mexico's overwhelming majority religion, reported by 77.7% of the population in the 2020 census, though this share has declined by roughly five percentage points since 2010.
How many Evangelical Christians live in Mexico?
Protestant and evangelical Christians made up 11.2% of Mexico's population in the 2020 census, making it the country's fastest-growing religious category, with particular strength in southern states like Chiapas.
Is Mexico becoming less religious?
Modestly. The share of Mexicans with no religion rose to 8.1% in the 2020 census, with a further 2.5% describing belief in a higher power without formal religious affiliation, both up from the 2010 census.
Where in Mexico is evangelical Christianity strongest?
Evangelical and Protestant Christianity has its strongest presence in southern and southeastern Mexico, particularly the state of Chiapas, and parts of Tabasco and the Yucatan Peninsula, regions with significant Indigenous populations.
Sources & methodology
Figures are from the 2020 Census of Mexico, conducted by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), which records self-declared religious affiliation for the population aged 5 and over.
- National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), Census 2020, religion results.
- Evangelical Focus, coverage of INEGI 2020 religion data (evangelicalfocus.com).