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Protestantism in Brazil

Protestantism in Brazil began in the 19th century and grew in the 20th century. The 2010 Census reported that 22.2% of the Brazilian population was Protestant, while in 2020 the percentage was estimated to have risen to 31% of the population,[1] over 65 million individuals, making it the second largest Protestant population in the Western world.

Brazilian Protestantism is primarily represented by Evangelical and Pentecostal churches, and a smaller proportion of Baptists. The remainder is made up of Lutherans, Adventists, Presbyterians and other mainline Protestant traditions.


Since 2010, the number of Catholics in Brazil has dropped by an average of 1.2% per year; conversely, the number of Evangelicals has grown by 0.8% per year.[2]

: 25,370,484

Pentecostals

According to 2010 IBGE Census, the following are the biggest Protestant denominations in Brazil.[19] Only those with more than half a million members are listed.

Religion in Brazil

Evangelicalism in Brazil

Methodist Church in Brazil

Birman, Patrícia, and Márcia Pereira Leite. "Whatever Happened to What Used to Be the Largest Catholic Country in the World?," Daedalus (2000) 129#2 pp. 271-290

in JSTOR

Burdick, John. " Why is the Black Evangelical Movement Growing in Brazil?" Journal of Latin American Studies (2005) 37#2 pp 311-332.

Chesnut, R. Andrew. "The Salvation Army or the Army's Salvation?: Pentecostal Politics in Amazonian Brazil, 1962-1992," Luso-Brazilian Review (1999) 36#2 pp 33-49

Chesnut, R. Andrew. Born Again in Brazil: The Pentecostal Boom and the Pathogens of Poverty (1997)

excerpt and text search

Corten, Andre. Pentecostalism in Brazil: Emotion of the Poor and Theological Romanticism (1999)

excerpt and text search

Freston, Paul. "Neo-Pentecostalism" in Brazil: Problems of Definition and the Struggle for Hegemony," Archives de sciences sociales des religions (1999) 44#105 pp. 145-162

in JSTOR

Londono, Diana. "Evangelicals in Brazil,"

Hemispheric Affairs Dec. 5, 2012

Willems, Emilio. "Protestantism as a Factor of Culture Change in Brazil," Economic Development and Cultural Change (1955) 3#4 pp. 321–333

in JSTOR

. Beliefnet.com. Archived from the original on June 21, 2006.

"Brazilian Evangelical Rally Draws 3 Million"

- ABC News

Pope Visits Brazil, Church Loses Ground

- Inter Press Service

Catholic Church Losing Followers in Droves

- Reuters

Rising Protestant tide sweeps Catholic Brazil

- WWRN

Protestants making inroads in Brazil, world's most populous Catholic country

- latinamericanstudies.org

Census reveals more Protestants in Brazil

- BBC News

Brazilians embrace Protestant faiths

- USA Today

Pope heads to Brazil where church losing ground

- The New York Times

Pragmatic Protestants Winning Converts in Brazil