Tuesday, May 6, 2014

What religions are practised in Peru?

The Constitution of Peru allows for religious freedom, so Peru has no official religion.


Peru was conquered by Spain in the 1500s and was a colony of Spain until the early 1800s.  For this reason, its population, along with those of all other former Spanish colonies, is heavily Roman Catholic.


According to the CIA Factbook, over 81% of Peruvians are Roman Catholic.  The Factbook also lists another 12% or so as evangelical Christians.  Evangelical protestant sects are gaining ground throughout Latin America these days.  There are populations of Seventh-Day Adventists and Mormons, but the Peruvian national census only includes categories for Catholic, evangelical, other, and none so there are no official numbers.


Finally, there are still some Peruvians, mostly indigenous, who practice indigenous pagan religions.

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