Einar H. Dyvik
Research expert covering Nordics and global data for society, economy, and politics
Religious preferences of Canadians - Statistics & Facts
While Canada has no state religion, it has been a predominantly Christian country over the course of its history since the arrival of Europeans. Today, though Christianity remains the religion with the greatest number of followers in Canada, its supremacy has diminished. Other religions, partially fueled by a growing number of immigrants, have grown in followers, as has the population of the irreligious. In fact, those claiming no religious affiliation (who totaled almost 8 million people in 2011, nearly a quarter of Canada’s total population) are the second largest group in Canada in regards to religion. Their numbers have grown by 80 percent between 2001 and 2011. The number of Catholics, the largest group of Christian Canadians, has remained virtually unchanged with nearly 13 million adherents according to census data from 2001 and 2011. The number of Muslims has nearly doubled over the same time period, standing at over 1 million followers in 2011.
