In Italy, in 2022, a historic low was reached in the number of people who are practicing Catholics: only one in five Italians goes to mass, the ANSA Latina news agency reports on August 16, citing data from the state statistical institute ISTAT, reviewed by the religious information portal Settimana News.
Churches in Italy are emptying, in 2022 a record low in the number of active believers was reached. Only 18.8% of Italians in 2022 went to mass at least once a week.
31% of the respondents crossed the threshold of the church only in connection with some specific event: a wedding, a funeral, etc. In 20 years, the number of active religious believers in Italy has halved: from 36.4% of the population in 2001 to less than 19% last year.
In the pandemic years of 2019-2020, a severe blow was dealt to the number of believers who regularly attend temples. It should be noted that with the end of the pandemic, the situation not only did not return to the pre-pandemic level, but also worsened.
In the last twenty years, the proportion of those who never go to church has doubled, from 16% in 2001 to 31% in 2022.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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