Santa Ana Catedral Nuestra Señora de Santa Ana 2

El Salvador's approximately 6.2 million inhabitants are mostly Christian. For percentages it cites the Institute of Public Opinion of the University of Central America May 2017 survey.

Evangelical Protestantism Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "born again", in which an individual experi ...

is experiencing rapid growth in recent decades while the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

share of the population is on decline. El Salvador is a

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...

country and the

freedom of religion Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freed ...

is enshrined in the nation's

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

. However, the constitution grants automatic official recognition to the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and requires other religious groups to apply for official recognition through registration.

Historical Trends

*Sources: Based on Pew Center Research (including historical percentages of Catholicism) and CID-Gallup surveys, top of non-religious population based on the National Technological University Investigation at ends 2003Religions in El Salvador (2003)
/ref>

Religious affiliation

There is some debate about percentages, the Institute of Public Opinion of the

University of Central America José Simeón Cañas Central American University ( es, Universidad Centroamericana "José Simeón Cañas"), also known as UCA El Salvador, is a private university, private university with Nonprofit organization, nonprofit purposes in San Salvado ...

in May 2017 found 47.5% of the population as Roman Catholics, and 35.1% as

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

, 14.5% as not having a religion and the remainder (about 3%) being Jehovah's Witnesses,

International Society of Krishna Consciousness The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known Colloquialism, colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Gaudiya Vaishnava Hinduism, Hindu religious organization. ISKCON was found ...

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

, Baháʼís, Buddhists,

Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The c ...

(Mormons), and members of indigenous religions. However,

Latinobarómetro Latinobarómetro Corporation is a private non-profit organization, based in Providencia, Chile. It is responsible for carrying out Latinobarómetro, an annual public opinion survey that involves some 20,000 interviews in 18 Latin American countrie ...

in 2017 found 39% were Catholic, 28% Protestant, 30% atheist/agnostic/not religious, 2% other religions, and 1% did not answer. It also found in 1996 that 67% of the population considered themselves Catholic and 15% Protestant.

Churches of El Salvador

Iglesia El Rosario, frente a Plaza Libertad.jpg, Iglesia El Rosario, San Salvador File:Catedral Metropolitana de San Salvador.png,

San Salvador Cathedral The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Holy Savior ( es, Catedral Metropolitana de San Salvador) is the cathedral church of the Catholic Archdiocese of San Salvador in San Salvador, El Salvador. History The Cathedral site is the place where the old ...

CATEDRAL DE SAN MIGUEL, EL SALVADOR - panoramio.jpg,

Cathedral Basilica of Queen of Peace, San Miguel The Cathedral Basilica of Queen of Peace ( es, Catedral-Basílica Reina de la Paz), also called San Miguel Cathedral, is a Catholic church located in the city of San Miguel, El Salvador. In 1740 the mayor of San Salvador, Manuel Gálvez del Co ...

Iglesia Don Rua.JPG, Iglesia Don Rua, San Salvador Fachada principal de la Iglesia El Calvario.JPG, Iglesia El Calvario, San Salvador El Carmen SantaTecla.jpg,

Iglesia El Carmen The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen (Spanish for Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel) is a catholic parish church in the city of Santa Tecla, La Libertad Department, El Salvador. It was completed in 1914 in a neo-gothic style. History The ...

, San Salvador Basílica Sagrado Corazón de Jesús.jpg, Basílica del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, San Salvador Iglesia Santa Lucía de Suchitoto.JPG, Iglesia Santa Lucía, Suchitoto Iglesia Catolica Dulce Nombre de Maria.jpg, Church in

Dulce Nombre de María Dulce Nombre de María is a town and municipality in the Chalatenango Department Chalatenango () is a department of El Salvador, located in the northwest of the country. The capital is the city of Chalatenango. The Chalatenango Department en ...

Santa Ana Iglesia El Carmen.jpg, Iglesia El Carmen, Santa Ana, El Salvador Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Asunción..jpg, Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Asunción,

Ahuachapán Ahuachapán () is a city, and municipality, and the capital of the Ahuachapán Department in western El Salvador. The municipality, including the city, covers an area of 244.84 km² and as of 2007 has a population of 110,511 people. Situat ...

Zacatecoluca Catedral Nuestra Señora de los Pobres 2.jpg,

Our Lady of the Poor Cathedral, Zacatecoluca The Our Lady of the Poor Cathedral ( es, Catedral de Nuestra Señora de los Pobres) also known as the Zacatecoluca Cathedral, is the main church of the Catholic Diocese of ''Zacatecoluca'', in the city of Zacatecoluca, in the Central American count ...

San Salvador Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Candelaria.jpg, Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Candelaria,

San Salvador Department San Salvador () is a department of El Salvador in the west central part of the country. The capital is San Salvador, which is also the national capital. The department has North of the Rio Lempa Valley, the "Valle de las Hamacas" (Hammock Valley ...

Iglesia del Cristo Negro de Juayua.jpg, Iglesia del Cristo Negro, Juayua Iglesia de San Pedro Perulapán.jpg, Iglesia de San Pedro Perulapán Iglesia Parroquial de Santiago Apostol, Santiago Texacuangos, San Salvador.jpg, Iglesia Parroquial de Santiago Apostol, Santiago Texacuangos,

Iglesia del Perpetuo Socorro.JPG, Iglesia del Perpetuo Socorro, San Salvador Iglesia El Calvario San Miguel El Salvador.jpg, Iglesia El Calvario San Miguel,

San Miguel, El Salvador San Miguel () is a city in eastern El Salvador. It is the country's third most populous city. It is located 138 km east of the capital, San Salvador. It is also the capital of the department of San Miguel and a municipality. The population ...

Iglesia Parroquial de San José Guayabal.JPG, Iglesia Parroquial de

San José Guayabal San José Guayabal is a municipality in the Cuscatlán department Cuscatlán () is a department of El Salvador, located in the center of the country. With a surface area of , it is El Salvador's smallest department. It is inhabited by over ...

Catedral San Vicente.jpg,

Cathedral of San Vicente, El Salvador The St. Vincent Cathedral ( es, Catedral de San Vicente) Also San Vicente Cathedral Is the name that receives a religious building affiliated with the Catholic Church that is located in front of the Central Park in Daniel Diaz street near the Anton ...

Iglesia Parroquial San Miguel Arcangel en Ilobasco.JPG, Iglesia Parroquial San Miguel Arcangel in

Ilobasco Ilobasco is a municipality in the Cabañas department of El Salvador. It is located 30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast of the capital, San Salvador. This town is known country wide (and internationally) for its clay (other materials also used) ...

Iglesia San Francisco Gotera - panoramio.jpg, Iglesia San Francisco Gotera Iglesia Santa Barbara en Sensuntepeque, Cabañas.jpg, Iglesia Santa Barbara en

Sensuntepeque Sensuntepeque () is a town and municipality in the Cabañas department of El Salvador. It is the seat of the department and principal town in the area. Sensuntepeque is located about northeast of the capital, San Salvador, at an altitude of . His ...

Iglesia de Chalchuapa.jpg, Parroquia Santiago Apostol,

Chalchuapa Chalchuapa is a town and a municipality located in the Santa Ana department of El Salvador. The city of Chalchuapa is in a wide valley at 650 meters above sea level, and watered by the Pampe River. Overview It is situated 15 kilometers west ...

IGLESIA EL CALVARIO.JPG, Iglesia el Calvario, Santa Ana, El Salvador Iglesia de San Pedro Nonualco.JPG, Iglesia de

San Pedro Nonualco San Pedro Nonualco is a municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The te ...

Iglesia de la Parroquia Nuestra Señora de los Dolores Izalco.jpg, Iglesia de la Parroquia Nuestra Señora de los Dolores

Izalco Izalco (in Nawat: ''Itzalku'') is a municipality in the Sonsonate department of El Salvador. Volcan Izalco is an icon of the country of El Salvador, a very young Volcano on the flank of Santa Ana volcano. From when it was born in 1770 until 1 ...

Catedral de Sonsonate.jpg,

Sonsonate Cathedral The Most Holy Trinity Cathedral ( es, Catedral de la Santísima Trinidad ) Also Sonsonate Cathedral is the name given to a religious building affiliated with the Catholic Church located in the city of Sonsonate in the department of the same name, i ...

Iglesia Parroquial San Juan Evangelista, San Juan Opico, El Salvador. Fachada.jpg, :Iglesia Parroquial San Juan Evangelista, San Juan

Opico Opico (or San Juan Opico) is a municipality in the La Libertad department of El Salvador. It is located 42 kilometers from San Salvador, capital of the republic. The municipality has an area of 218 km² and a population of 74,280 inhabitan ...

100 4073.JPG, Iglesia de

Panchimalco Panchimal is a town in the San Salvador department of El Salvador. Panchimalco ("The Place of Flags and Shields," from the Nahuatl, "Pantli," meaning banner or flag; "Chimalli," meaning shield or herald, and "co," place) Its 35,000 inhabitants, s ...

Protestant denominations

Mision Cristiana Elim Internacional is a large

pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

denomination started in El Salvador. It claims that its main church in San Salvador has 120,000 attending. The Assemblies of God claim 285,226 members (2007). The Mormons claim 120,317 people in 164 congregations and 1 temple (2015) which if correct would be just under 2% of the population. An IUDOP study in 2009 found that Mormons were 2% of the Protestants they surveyed or about .8% of the total population. They started evangelizing in El Salvador in 1951. The Anglican Church in El Salvador (a diocese of the province of the

Anglican Church in Central America The Anglican Church in Central America ( es, Iglesia Anglicana de la Región Central de América, link=no) is a province of the Anglican Communion, covering five sees in Central America. History Four of the five dioceses of the Iglesia Anglican ...

) claims 6,000 members in 18 congregations. The Baptist Association of El Salvador claims 4,427 members and the Salvadorean Lutheran Synod about 15,000 in 68 congregations.

Religious freedom

The

of El Salvador provides for the freedom of religion and prohibits religious discrimination. Publicly offending others' religious beliefs or damaging religious objects is punishable by imprisonment. Members of the clergy may not hold senior government positions, and are forbidden from joining political parties.
International Religious Freedom Report 2017 El Salvador
', US State Department, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. Religious groups may register with the government for the purposes of tax-exemption and acquiring building permits. Special visas are required for individuals who wish to travel to El Salvador to engage in proselytizing. Public school education is secular. Private schools may include religious content in their curricula, but do not receive government support. Since 2016, clergy have limited access to prisons, due to concerns that some members of the clergy were using prison visits to smuggle items into prisons.

References

CIA.gov

External links

* {{North America topic, Religion in