Freefall of Swiss Catholicism continues

In Switzerland, the decline in faith and religious practice continues

Few and fewer people residing in Switzerland belong to a religion and practice religious practices, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) emphasizes in a report published on June 23, 2025. For a majority of the population, however, religion and spirituality continue to have a place in difficult times of life.

Switzerland remains predominantly Christian. In 2023, 31% of people were Roman Catholic and 19% were Reformed Evangelical. Other Evangelical and Christian communities constituted 6% of the population, notes the FSO report. These are the only Christian denominations to see their numbers increase slightly.

14,528 people residing in Switzerland participated in the FSO survey, including 52% women and 48% men. The Roman Catholic community has shrunk by just over a third over the past fifty years, and the Protestant community by 60%. This reduction has primarily benefited the "no religious affiliation" group. The overtaking occurred in 2022. That year, the number of people declaring themselves to have no religious affiliation represented a larger proportion of the population than Roman Catholics.

Catholic "leavers" at odds with the Church

The "no religion" group has thus "exploded" in recent decades, rising from 1% in 1970 to 36% today. There has also been a growth in Muslim communities or those of Islamic descent, which now represent 6% of the population, compared to 4% in 2000 and 0.2% in 1970.

The absence or loss of faith (28%) is the most frequently cited reason for leaving one's religion, closely followed by disagreement with the positions of the community concerned (26%). For those who have left the Roman Catholic Church, the latter reason is the most common (38% compared to 23% for the absence or loss of faith).

Less Bible, more YouTube

This "de-Christianization" goes hand in hand with a decline in religious practice and attendance over the past ten years. Fewer and fewer people attend services, follow religious or spiritual events on the radio, television, or online, or take the time to pray or regularly read religious or sacred works. But the fact that people are opening fewer Bibles or Qurans does not mean a lack of interest in the topic of spirituality. According to the OFS, regularly reading books, magazines, or online articles about spirituality has become more popular overall over the past ten years (up from 13% to 20%). The increase in spiritual reading is most significant among 15- to 24-year-olds (+13 percentage points).

Teenagers more religious than their elders

The proportion of the population who believe in God is also steadily declining. In 2014, 46% of respondents believed in a single god, compared to 38% in 2024. The decline is particularly marked among people aged 65 and over (-14 percentage points), with the proportion of believers having barely changed among those under 25.

In fact, 43% of young people aged 15 to 24 believe in one or more gods: a significantly higher proportion than that of those aged 25 to 44 (35%), but equivalent to subsequent generations (45 to 64: 41%, 65 and over: 45%). At the same time, the proportion of people who believe in neither one god nor several, or who doubt the existence of one or more gods, has increased, including among the Roman Catholic and Reformed Evangelical population (rising from 20 to 26% and from 23 to 32%, respectively).

Religion: Important in Difficult Times

However, religion or spirituality continue to play a rather important, or even very important, role in difficult times and in times of illness for the majority of the population (56% and 52%, respectively). It plays an important role for nearly half of respondents (and even 55% of those aged 65 and over) in their perception of the environment and for 45% of parents in their children's education.

Obviously, whether or not they have a religion plays a role in this distribution. Even though 27% of people with no religious affiliation still consider religion or spirituality important in difficult times, in all these contexts, religion or spirituality generally matters more to women than to men.

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