[2025 Religious Perception Survey] Religious Demographics and Activities. Korea Research's regular survey 'Public Opinion within Public Opinion' first began in January 2018. It was conducted monthly until February 2019, and bi-weekly thereafter. Every survey asks if respondents have a religion and, if so, which one. 2025 Religious Demographics Status. 2025 Religious Population Ratio: Protestantism 20%, Buddhism 16%, Catholicism 11%, No religion 51%. Since 2018, the ratio of the population belonging to major religions has remained stable.
The estimated 2025 religious population stands at: Protestantism 20%, Buddhism 16%, Catholicism 11%, and No Religion 51%. This trend has been stable since the survey began in 2018, indicating that the efforts by religious organizations to attract new members only manage to offset existing attrition, resulting in stagnation. Higher proportions of believers are found among women and older age groups. Protestantism, Catholicism, and Buddhism all show increased believer ratios with age. Protestantism remains strong in the Capital Region, Chungcheong, and Honam. Buddhism remains strong in Daegu/Gyeongbuk and Busan/Ulsan/Gyeongnam.
Overall, women and the elderly have higher rates of affiliation, with believers increasing with age. Uniquely, however, in the 20s and 30s demographic, there are more male believers than female believers. Regionally, the dominance of Protestantism in Honam and the Capital Region and Buddhism in the Yeongnam region is clear. 50% of Catholics, 44% of Protestants, and 43% of Buddhists are 60 or older... the aging of the religious population is severe. Over half of Protestant and Catholic believers reside in the Capital Region, whereas 40% of Buddhists live in the Yeongnam region.
Religious demographics show a gender imbalance (more women affiliated, more men non-affiliated). The aging of the religious population is accelerating much faster than the general population, with nearly half of all believers being 60 or older. In terms of location, there is a stark contrast between the concentration of Protestants/Catholics in the Capital Region and the concentration of Buddhists in non-capital regions (Yeongnam). Changes in Affiliation over the Past Year: 6% of people changed their religion in the last year. The attrition rate over the past year for Protestants, Catholics, and Buddhists was 8%, 7%, and 9%, respectively.
The religious landscape is extremely static, with 94% reporting no change in affiliation over the past year. Retention rates for each religion are high, above 90%. The pattern shows a small tendency for believers to abandon religion entirely and become non-affiliated, rather than switching between faiths. Frequency of Religious Activities and Perception of Importance: 37% of religious people participate in activities weekly, an all-time high. While the number of people who do not participate in religious activities is decreasing, still about 4 out of 10 barely participate.
The rate of weekly participation among those who are affiliated currently stands at 37%, steadily rising since COVID-19 to an all-time high for this survey. However, polarization in participation is evident, as nearly 4 out of 10 believers rarely participate in religious activities. Women report higher weekly participation than men. Only 27% of believers under 30 participate weekly, compared to 46% of those 60 or older.
Participation rates are high among women and the elderly; 50% of women 60 or older participate weekly. Conversely, the youth, especially men in their 20s and 30s, not only have fewer affiliates but also significantly lower participation rates, raising concerns about the future vitality of religious organizations. Weekly participation rates by faith: Protestantism 63%, Catholicism 34%, Buddhism 3%. Conversely, 24% of Buddhists, 23% of Catholics, and 9% of Protestants report 'no participation in religious activities.'
Looking at activity patterns by religion, Protestants are the most active, with 63% participating weekly, and Catholics also saw an increase in participation compared to the previous year. However, only 3% of Buddhists participate weekly, and the majority do not participate at all, showing significant differences in the perception and practice of 'religious activity' across faiths. 58% say religious activity is important in their lives, 39% say it is not... similar to last year. 77% of Protestants, 55% of Catholics, and 35% of Buddhists say 'religious activity is important in my life.'
While 58% of believers reported that religious activity is important in their lives, there is a large variation between faiths. 77% of Protestants feel it is important, compared to only 35% of Buddhists, suggesting that the sense of community or solidarity among Buddhists is relatively weak. The belief that 'religious activity is important in my life' is higher among women and those 60 and older. 57% of those who participate in weekly religious activities perceive it as 'very important in my life.'
The importance of religious activity is strongly perceived when participation frequency is high and age is high, but it is low among the youth. Contrary to the current surface-level stability, the rapid aging of believers, youth attrition, and low involvement signal a potential crisis of sharp decline in the religious population in the future. Survey Overview: Target Population: Men and women aged 18+ nationwide. Sampling Frame: Korea Research Master Sample (approx. 970,000 as of Oct '25). Sampling Method: Proportional allocation sampling by region, gender, and age. Sample Size: 2,000 people per survey. Sampling Error: Assuming random sampling, the maximum allowable sampling error at 95% confidence level is ยฑ2.2%p for each survey. Survey Method: Web survey (URL sent via mobile text and email). Weighting Method: Weights assigned by region, gender, and age based on resident registration population data announced by the Ministry of Interior and Safety in Sept 2025 (cell weighting). Response Rate: 69,849 requests, 3,789 participants, 2,000 completed (2.9% of requests, 52.8% of participants). Survey Date: November 21 ~ November 26, 2025. Survey Institution: Korea Research Co., Ltd. (CEO Noh Ik-sang) https://hrcopinion.co.kr/archives/34782
"The consensus is that Koreans might be non-affiliated, but they sure aren't atheistsโthey're just switching their faith from churches to Saju fortune tellers or, worse, to political fanaticism (which is apparently worse than regular worship). And don't forget the militant non-believers who treat their lack of faith like a whole religion."
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