Census shows non religious population more than doubles since 2012

Catholicism continues to be the most dominant faith on the Rock. 

In 2022, 84% of Gibraltarians answered that they were religious, with a vast majority of these Roman Catholics, as has always been the case locally.

The biggest change in this area has seen a 133% increase in people answering that they have no religious affiliation.

The Jewish population grew from 763 in 2012 (2.4%) to 1070 in 2022 (2.8%).

There were 693 Hindus (1.8%) in the most recent census compared to 628 in 2012 (2%).

The number of 'Other Christians' saw an increase from 1,232 (3.8%) to 1,503 (4%) in the same period.

Those belonging to other religions, or those not stating their affiliation, rose from 409 (1.3%) to 779 (2%).

We take a closer look in the latest of our series of reports on the recently published census.

The number of Roman Catholics in the community continues to grow, and they still constitute the largest demographic on the Rock in terms of religious beliefs. That said, the number of Catholics as an overall percentage of the population has declined over the years, dropping just over 5% in the 42 years between 1970 to 2012, with a far sharper decline of 8.6% in the following decade, although still making up close to two thirds of the population.

In 1970 the Muslim population was the second largest on the Rock, and continued to be until a significant decrease in numbers reported in the early to mid 2000s, followed by a rebound between 2012 and 2022.

Church of England members made up 7.9% of the population in 1970, that figure had fallen by just over 1% at the latest count.

The biggest change however, has been seen among people stating that they have no religion – a response that wasn’t even an option on the Gibraltar census until 2001, when just under 3% identified as non religious. 

Since then, it has been the fastest growing demographic in Gibraltar - more than 7% gave this reply in 2012 and this more than doubled over the decade leading up to the last census. 

However, the man who will soon be the spiritual leader of the majority of people on the Rock was not concerned by this increase. Bishop Elect, Mgr Charles Azzopardi, told GBC he believed it was important for people to have positive moral attributes - something which he says are present in many who don't identify as religious.

A full breakdown of religious demographics is available on page 52 of the 2022 census.