While Brazil is the largest Catholic country in the world, there are many other religions represented amongst Brazil’s 190 million people. Catholics now represent about 68 percent of the population, and Evangelical Christians encompass around 20 percent. Evangelical sects are on the rise, including Pentacostalists, Neo-Pentacostalists, Mormons, and others. In fact, Mormonism is one of the fastest growing religions in Brazil:
There are also traditional Protestants, including Lutherans and Episcopalians. Plus, there are around half a million members of the Eastern Orthodox Church, made up of descendants of Middle Eastern, Greek, and Eastern European immigrants. There’s also around 700,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Around 1 percent of the population is Spiritist, a set of beliefs developed by Frenchman Allan Kardec, Brazilian Chico Xavier, and others. Brazil is the only country in the world with a large population of spiritists. Another percentage, less than 1 percent, practice syncretic religions like Candomblé and Umbanda, a mixture of Catholic and African beliefs and traditions. There are also nearly 250,000 Buddhists, many of whom are descendants of Japanese immigrants, and South America’s largest Buddhist temple is located in São Paulo. There are also over 180,000 Jews, many of Eastern European descent, as well as around 150,000 Muslims.
This week, Brazil’s IBGE (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística) released new information about the shifting religious landscape in Brazil. Have a look:
