Relgious faith declining in Netherlands; Only 42 percent belong to a faith community

Religious faith is declining in the Netherlands. Last year, 42 percent of Netherlands residents aged 15 or older indicated that they belonged to a religious community, down from 53 percent a decade earlier. Roman Catholic is still the biggest faith community in the country, but also the most rapidly declining, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported.

Last year, 17 percent of Dutch people considered themselves Roman Catholic, followed by Protestant (13 percent) and Muslim (6 percent). Another 6 percent had a different faith. Compared to 2013, the share of Roman Catholics dropped the most, at -9 percent. There were also 3 percent fewer Protestants, while Muslims increased by 1 percent.

Religious faith is much more common among senior citizens than among younger generations. 63 percent of people over 75 said they belong to a religious community, over twice as many as the youngest age group—around 30 percent of people aged 15 to 35 consider themselves religious. Women (44 percent) are more likely to be religious than men (39 percent).

Of the three largest religious communities in the Netherlands, Roman Catholics are the oldest, with an average age of 59. The average age of Protestants is 54. “A large proportion of these religious groups consist of people over 65. Only a small proportion are younger than 25.”

People who belong to the Islamic community, on the other hand, are relatively young. The average age of Muslims in the Netherlands is 36 years. “Just over a quarter of them are younger than 25 years old. In addition, only 4 percent are 65 or older.”

Of the religious people in the Netherlands, 18 percent attended a religious service at least weekly in 2023. “That percentage has been stable for years,” CBS said. Protestants were the most avid church goers, with 33 percent attending at least weekly. 27 percent of Muslims visited the mosque at least once a week, and only 6 percent of Catholics went to church on a weekly basis.