Atlas of Religion in Portugal reveals regional differences in Catholic population

The Atlas of Religion in Portugal, coordinated by Alfredo Teixeira at the Centro de Investigação em Teologia e Estudos de Religião (UCP), shows varying levels of Catholic affiliation across the country. José Pereira Coutinho and Alfredo Teixeira report that Catholic populations range from 91.6% to 65.9% depending on the region.

The work, developed by academics from the Universidade Católica Portuguesa and the Instituto de Sociologia da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade do Porto, finds that the Regiões Autónomas dos Açores (91.6%), Madeira (90.9%), the North (88.1%), and the Center (85.1%) exceed the national average of 80.2%. Authors Margarida Franca and Alfredo Teixeira note a trend where Catholic presence decreases from north to south and from the interior toward the coast.

The Tâmega e Sousa sub-region has the highest proportion of Catholics at 94.4%, followed by Alto Tâmega (93.7%) and Douro (93.1%). The municipality of Mesão Frio recorded the highest Catholic percentage in the country at 97.0%. In contrast, the Alentejo Litoral sub-region has the lowest percentage of Catholic faithful at 62.1%, followed by the Algarve at 65.9%.