Younger adults are more likely than older adults in some places to change religions and to disaffiliate | Pew Research Center

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March 24, 2025

Around the World, Many People Are Leaving Their Childhood Religions

Younger adults are more likely than older adults in some places to change religions and to disaffiliate

Younger adults are more likely than older adults in some places to change religions and to disaffiliate

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Younger adults are more likely than older adults in some places to change religions and to disaffiliate

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Around the World, Many People Are Leaving Their Childhood Religions
Countries included in this report
About 20% or more of adults in many countries in East Asia, Europe and the Americas have switched religions
Most religious switching has been by people who were raised in a religion and are now unaffiliated
Most religious disaffiliation is from Christianity
Christianity is experiencing large losses from religious switching in many countries
In many countries, the religiously unaffiliated are making large gains from religious switching
Younger adults are more likely than older adults in some places to change religions and to disaffiliate
In some countries, people with more education are more likely to have changed religions and to have disaffiliated
In some countries, more men than women have switched religions and have disaffiliated