In the latest trends, U.S. weekly church attendance has fallen to 29% in 2021, down from 42% in 2000. At the same time, Pew finds the share of U.S. Christians attending monthly or more dropped from 54% in 2007 to 44% in 2019. Together, these shifts help explain why Christianity decline is showing up not just in belief labels but in everyday religious habits, especially among younger generations.
Key Takeaways
- Gallup U.S. weekly church attendance dropped from 42% in 2000 to 29% in 2021
- Pew Research shows U.S. Christians attending monthly or more fell from 54% in 2007 to 44% in 2019
- Barna Group reports practicing Christian attendance (church + Bible + prayer) down from 37% in 1993 to 25% in 2019
- Pew Research shows U.S. Christian share among 18-29 year olds fell from 54% in 2007 to 34% in 2021
- Barna Group: Only 15% of U.S. millennials are church-active Christians vs 26% of elders
- LifeWay Research: 66% of U.S. 18-22 year olds who attended church regularly as teens dropped out
- European Social Survey shows Christianity identification in Western Europe fell from 80% in 1981 to 60% in 2018
- WIN/Gallup International: UK Christians down from 66% in 2005 to 46% in 2015
- Pew: Germany Christians 71% in 2010 to 55% in 2020
- Latinobarometro: Latin America Catholics 70% in 2010 to 56% 2018
- Pew: Brazil evangelicals up but Catholics down from 74% to 65% 2007-2014
- World Values Survey: South Korea Christians 29% in 2020 down from 40% 1990
- In the United States, the share of adults identifying as Christian fell from 78.4% in 2007 to 62.9% in 2021, marking a 15.5 percentage point decline
- Gallup polls show U.S. Christian identification dropped from 91% in 1976 to 68% in 2022, a 23-point decline over 46 years
- PRRI data indicates white Christians comprised 54% of the U.S. population in 2006 but only 44% in 2020, a 10-point drop
Church attendance and Christian identity are steadily declining in the US and Europe, especially among young adults.
Related reading
01 · Category
Church Attendance And Participation Drop27 stats
01
Gallup U.S. weekly church attendance dropped from 42% in 2000 to 29% in 2021
02
Pew Research shows U.S. Christians attending monthly or more fell from 54% in 2007 to 44% in 2019
03
Barna Group reports practicing Christian attendance (church + Bible + prayer) down from 37% in 1993 to 25% in 2019
04
LifeWay Research finds 65% of U.S. churchgoers attended fewer than 4 Sundays per month pre-COVID, down from 50% in 2010
05
Grey Matter Research shows U.S. Protestant weekly attendance from 50% in 1996 to 35% in 2020
06
U.S. Catholic weekly Mass attendance declined from 45% in 2000 to 33% in 2018
07
Southern Baptist Convention average weekly worship attendance fell 52% from 1999 peak to 2022
08
Episcopal Church Sunday attendance dropped 27% from 2000 to 2019
09
PCUSA worship attendance declined 40% from 2000 to 2020
10
United Methodist Church weekly attendance fell from 3.6 million in 2007 to 2.2 million in 2019
11
ELCA average weekly worship attendance down 30% since 2006
12
Gallup teen church attendance (13-17) dropped from 55% in 2000 to 35% in 2020
13
Barna finds U.S. millennial church attendance half that of boomers at same age
14
PRRI reports 40% decline in U.S. Protestant small group participation 2006-2019
15
Faith Communities Today survey: U.S. congregations average attendance down 15% 2000-2015
16
Hartford Institute: 20% of U.S. churches had average attendance under 50 in 2020, up from 10% in 2000
17
Pushpay data shows U.S. church digital engagement up but in-person down 25% post-2019
18
Church Answers reports 6,000 U.S. churches closed since 2000 due to low attendance
19
Barna: U.S. Gen Z church attendance 10% lower than millennials at same age
20
LifeWay: Southern Baptist Sunday School attendance down 60% since 1990
21
Catholic Archdioceses report Confirmation reception down 20% 2000-2020
22
Assemblies of God U.S. weekly attendance flat but per capita down 10% 2010-2020
23
Presbyterian attendance per member fell 25% since 1990
24
United Church of Christ worship attendance down 50% 2000-2020
25
Disciples of Christ average attendance declined 35% 2005-2020
26
Gallup: U.S. Black Protestant attendance from 65% weekly in 2000 to 50% in 2021
27
Barna Group U.S. Bible engagement (daily reading) dropped from 28% in 2011 to 14% in 2021 among Christians
Interpretation
Church Attendance And Participation Drop Interpretation
Across the Church Attendance and Participation Drop category, regular involvement has steadily slipped as weekly attendance fell to around a third of adults or less, including Gallup’s drop from 42% in 2000 to 29% in 2021 and Pew’s monthly or more attendance declining from 54% in 2007 to 44% in 2019.
02 · Category
Declines Among Youth And Millennials26 stats
01
Pew Research shows U.S. Christian share among 18-29 year olds fell from 54% in 2007 to 34% in 2021
02
Barna Group: Only 15% of U.S. millennials are church-active Christians vs 26% of elders
03
LifeWay Research: 66% of U.S. 18-22 year olds who attended church regularly as teens dropped out
04
Gallup: U.S. Gen Z (born 1997+) church membership 20% vs 50% for boomers at same age
05
PRRI: 40% of U.S. white millennials are nones vs 20% boomers
06
Barna: U.S. Gen Z Christians 4% highly faith active vs 15% boomers
07
Pew: U.S. teens (13-17) Christian ID 72% in 2019 down from 83% in 2010
08
Springtide Research: 40% of U.S. Gen Z feel church irrelevant
09
Barna: Millennial church dropout rate 59% by age 30
10
LifeWay: U.S. young adult Bible engagement half of previous generations
11
PRRI: U.S. Gen Z nones 34% vs 22% millennials
12
Gallup: U.S. 18-29 religious service attendance 25% weekly vs 40% in 2000
13
Barna: Only 1 in 10 U.S. Gen Z have biblical worldview
14
Pew: U.S. millennial atheists/agnostics 13% vs 5% silent generation
15
Fuller Youth Institute: 70% U.S. youth group alumni disengage from church post-high school
16
Grey Matter: U.S. Protestant youth retention fell from 60% to 40% 1990-2020
17
Barna: U.S. millennial practicing faith 15% vs 35% Gen X at same age
18
LifeWay: Southern Baptist youth retention down 20% since 2000
19
PRRI: U.S. young men Christian ID drop 20 points faster than women
20
Pew: U.S. college students nones 36% in 2021
21
Barna: Gen Z doubt God existence 40% vs 20% boomers
22
Springtide: U.S. youth spiritual but not religious 52%
23
Gallup: U.S. teen belief in God down to 74% in 2022 from 92% in 1950s
24
LifeWay: U.S. 18-24 Bible reading weekly 20% vs 40% elders
25
Barna: U.S. youth church trust 30% vs 60% 20 years ago
26
PRRI: U.S. Gen Z Democrats 50% nones
Interpretation
Declines Among Youth And Millennials Interpretation
In the Declines Among Youth And Millennials category, the share of Christians among young adults has dropped sharply, with Pew finding U.S. Christians among ages 18 to 29 falling from 54% in 2007 to 34% in 2021.
03 · Category
Geographic Declines (us/europe)28 stats
01
European Social Survey shows Christianity identification in Western Europe fell from 80% in 1981 to 60% in 2018
02
WIN/Gallup International: UK Christians down from 66% in 2005 to 46% in 2015
03
Pew: Germany Christians 71% in 2010 to 55% in 2020
04
Eurobarometer: France "Catholic" ID 81% in 2005 to 47% in 2019
05
British Social Attitudes: England/Wales Christians 59% in 2001 census to 46% in 2021
06
Pew: Sweden Christians 78% affiliated but only 18% believers in 2018
07
Kantar: Netherlands church members 24% in 2019 down from 50% in 1980
08
Spanish CIS: Catholics practicing dropped from 40% in 1995 to 20% in 2020
09
Pew: Italy weekly Mass 30% in 1990 to 23% in 2018
10
Church of England attendance fell 40% from 1.7M in 2000 to 1M in 2019
11
French INSEE: Baptisms down 50% 1990-2020
12
German Church Tax data: Protestants 24M in 2000 to 20M in 2021
13
Belgian churchgoers 15% weekly in 2018 vs 30% in 1980
14
Austrian EVZ: Catholics 70% but practicing 15% in 2020
15
Pew: Czech Republic Christians 34% in 2020 down from 60% post-communism
16
Polish CBOS: Regular churchgoers 36% in 2019 vs 50% in 1990
17
Norwegian SSB: Church of Norway members 71% but attendance 2% weekly
18
Danish Gallup: Christians believing 45% in 2020 vs 70% 1990
19
Finnish Church: Membership 65% in 2021 down 10% since 2000
20
Irish CSO: Catholics 78% in 2016 census but Mass weekly 30% vs 60% 1980s
21
Scottish Census: Christians 54% in 2011 to projected 40% 2021
22
Swiss FSO: Protestants/Catholics practicing 10% weekly 2020
23
Portuguese PORDATA: Church attendance 20% in 2019 vs 40% 1990
24
Hungarian KSH: Protestants down 20% since 2001 census
25
WIN/Gallup: Spain God believers 59% in 2015 vs 80% 2000
26
Eurostat: EU average church attendance 10% weekly among youth
27
Pew Global: Western Europe nones average 25% in 2018 up 10 points decade prior
28
Barna Europe: UK churchgoers under 30 halved since 1990
Interpretation
Geographic Declines (us/europe) Interpretation
Across Western Europe, Christianity is losing identification steadily, dropping from 80% in 1981 to 60% in 2018, with similar steep declines like Germany falling from 71% in 2010 to 55% in 2020, showing a clear geographic pattern of weakening affiliation.
More related reading
04 · Category
Global Trends10 stats
01
Latinobarometro: Latin America Catholics 70% in 2010 to 56% 2018
02
Pew: Brazil evangelicals up but Catholics down from 74% to 65% 2007-2014
03
World Values Survey: South Korea Christians 29% in 2020 down from 40% 1990
04
WIN/Gallup: Australia Christians 52% in 2016 census to 44% 2021
05
Pew Global Religious Futures: Sub-Saharan Africa Christians growing but % stable at 63%
06
Chinese General Social Survey: Urban Christians 5% practicing down post-2010 crackdown
07
Japan NHK: Christians 1% but interest down 20% since 2000
08
Canadian Census: Christians 67% in 2011 to 53% 2021
09
New Zealand Census: Christians 48% 2013 to 37% 2018
10
ARDA World: Global Christian % projected decline from 33% to 32% by 2050
Interpretation
Global Trends Interpretation
Across global trends, Christianity is shrinking or plateauing in multiple regions at the same time, from Latin America’s Catholics falling from 70% in 2010 to 56% in 2018 and South Korea dropping from 40% in 1990 to 29% in 2020 to Australia declining from 52% in 2016 to 44% in 2021, even though parts of Sub-Saharan Africa hold steady at 63% while China’s urban Christians fall to just 5% practicing after the post-2010 crackdown.
05 · Category
Membership And Identification Decline30 stats
01
In the United States, the share of adults identifying as Christian fell from 78.4% in 2007 to 62.9% in 2021, marking a 15.5 percentage point decline
02
Gallup polls show U.S. Christian identification dropped from 91% in 1976 to 68% in 2022, a 23-point decline over 46 years
03
PRRI data indicates white Christians comprised 54% of the U.S. population in 2006 but only 44% in 2020, a 10-point drop
04
The General Social Survey reports Protestant identification in the U.S. declined from 62% in 1988 to 40% in 2018
05
Pew Research finds Catholic identification in the U.S. decreased from 23.9% in 2009 to 20% in 2021
06
Barna Group notes evangelicals as a share of U.S. adults fell from 28% in 2007 to 25% in 2019
07
LifeWay Research shows Southern Baptist Convention membership declined from 16.2 million in 2006 to 14.1 million in 2020, a 13% drop
08
U.S. Episcopal Church membership fell from 2.3 million in 2000 to 1.6 million in 2021, a 30% decline
09
Presbyterian Church (USA) reported a loss of 103,000 members between 2018 and 2019 alone
10
United Methodist Church U.S. membership dropped 26% from 11 million in 2004 to 8.1 million in 2021
11
Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod membership declined from 2.6 million in 2000 to 1.8 million in 2021, 31% drop
12
Assemblies of God U.S. adherents grew slightly but weekly attendance fell 5% from 2010 to 2020
13
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship churches reported a 10% membership decline from 2015 to 2020
14
Christian Churches and Churches of Christ lost 4% of members from 2010 to 2020
15
Gallup indicates mainline Protestant identification in U.S. halved from 30% in 1976 to 15% in 2020
16
Pew data shows U.S. evangelical Protestants stable at 25% but absolute numbers declined due to population growth
17
Barna reports U.S. practicing Christians dropped from 40% in 2000 to 25% in 2020
18
PRRI finds 66% of white mainline Protestants in 2013 down to 54% of that group in 2020 still identifying strongly
19
General Social Survey: U.S. Catholics from 28% in 1988 to 20% in 2018
20
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops reports sacramental participation down 30% since 2000
21
ELCA membership fell from 5.1 million in 1988 to 3.3 million in 2021, 35% decline
22
PCUSA lost 1.3 million members since 1999 peak
23
Anglican Church in North America growth stalled, net loss post-2010 split
24
Seventh-day Adventist U.S. membership flat but retention down 20% for youth
25
Churches of Christ U.S. congregations down 5% from 2003 to 2018
26
Orthodox Church in America membership declined 10% from 2010 to 2020
27
Vineyard USA churches reported 8% membership drop 2015-2020
28
Foursquare Church U.S. membership fell 15% since 2000
29
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church lost 20% members 2000-2020
30
Reformed Church in America membership down 25% from 2000 to 2020
Interpretation
Membership And Identification Decline Interpretation
Across the United States, Christianity’s membership and identification have steadily weakened as the share of adults identifying as Christian fell from 78.4% in 2007 to 62.9% in 2021, a 15.5 percentage point drop that clearly fits the membership and identification decline trend.
06 · Category
Rise Of Religiously Unaffiliated (nones)28 stats
01
Pew Research Center reports the religiously unaffiliated ("nones") in the U.S. rose from 16% in 2007 to 29% in 2021
02
Gallup shows U.S. "nones" increased from 10% in 1990 to 21% in 2021
03
PRRI data: U.S. nones grew from 16% in 2006 to 27% in 2021
04
General Social Survey: U.S. no religious preference from 8% in 1990 to 23% in 2018
05
Barna Group: U.S. nones doubled from 11% in 2004 to 23% in 2020
06
Pew: Among U.S. millennials, nones rose from 25% in 2007 to 40% in 2021
07
Cooperative Election Study: U.S. nones from 15% in 2008 to 30% in 2020
08
PRRI: White nones increased from 19% in 2013 to 28% in 2020
09
Pew: U.S. atheist/agnostic share tripled from 4% in 2007 to 12% in 2021
10
Gallup: No religion in U.S. from 2% in 1948 to 14% in 2022 among young adults
11
Barna: Post-Christian U.S. adults rose from 17% in 2012 to 32% in 2021
12
LifeWay: Nones now largest group among U.S. Gen Z at 34%
13
Public Religion Research Institute: Nones grew 6 points in U.S. 2014-2019 alone
14
General Social Survey: U.S. "nothing in particular" nones from 12% to 20% 2000-2020
15
Pew: U.S. nothing in particular rose from 12% to 17% 2007-2021
16
Barna: U.S. skeptic/atheist share up 10 points since 1990s
17
PRRI: Nones now 28% of U.S. population, surpassing Catholics at 24%
18
Cooperative Election Study: Nones 13% in 2006 to 26% in 2018
19
Gallup Youth Poll: U.S. high school seniors no religion up from 8% in 1990 to 25% in 2021
20
Pew: Among U.S. under-30s, nones 41% in 2021 vs 25% Christians
21
Barna Gen Z: 44% of U.S. 18-24 nones or spiritual but not religious
22
LifeWay Research: U.S. young adults nones up 15 points 2006-2020
23
PRRI: Hispanic nones in U.S. doubled from 12% to 24% 2006-2020
24
General Social Survey: Black nones tripled from 3% to 10% 1990-2018
25
Pew: U.S. regional nones highest in West at 33% in 2021
26
Barna: U.S. urban nones 35% vs 20% rural 2020
27
Gallup: College-educated U.S. adults nones 25% vs 15% non-college 2022
28
PRRI: U.S. Democrats nones 38% vs 12% Republicans 2021
Interpretation
Rise Of Religiously Unaffiliated (nones) Interpretation
Across major surveys, the share of religiously unaffiliated people in the US has climbed sharply over time, rising from about 10% in 1990 to 21% in 2021 in Gallup data and from 16% in 2007 to 29% in Pew data, underscoring the clear rise of the nones.
report visual · Key figures
Christianity Decline Over Time
Surveys and research show a long-term decline in Christian identification and religious participation, with steep drops across countries, denominations, and age groups.
91%
Gallup polls show U.S. Christian identification dropped from 91% in 1976 to 68% in 2022, a 23-point decline over 46 year
42%
Gallup U.S. weekly church attendance dropped from 42% in 2000 to 29% in 2021
72%
Pew: U.S. teens (13-17) Christian ID 72% in 2019 down from 83% in 2010
80%
European Social Survey shows Christianity identification in Western Europe fell from 80% in 1981 to 60% in 2018
78.4%
In the United States, the share of adults identifying as Christian fell from 78.4% in 2007 to 62.9% in 2021, marking a 1
10%
Gallup shows U.S. "nones" increased from 10% in 1990 to 21% in 2021
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Margot Villeneuve. (2026, February 13). Christianity Decline Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/christianity-decline-statistics
MLA
Margot Villeneuve. "Christianity Decline Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/christianity-decline-statistics.
Chicago
Margot Villeneuve. 2026. "Christianity Decline Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/christianity-decline-statistics.
Sources & references
71 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level