The number of people in Spain with no religion has reached an all time high, according to a new report.
The report, published last month by the Ferrer i Guardia Foundation, found that religious "nones" reached 39.3% of the population in 2022, a dramatic leap from 27.5% in 2019, prior to the start of the pandemic.
Commenting on the findings, the foundation said that the pandemic had "accelerated the process of secularisation" in Spain.
The number of nones is even higher among younger Spaniards - 57.9% of 25 to 34 year olds, and rising again to 60.3% among 18 to 24 year olds.
Religious nones have grown almost year-on-year in Spain since 1980 when they numbered only 8.5% of the population in the traditionally Catholic country.
Even among those who identify as religious, most are now non-practising, the report said.
In the year 2000, 60% of those who said they were religious practised their faith, compared to 40% who did not.
By 2022, this had changed dramatically, with 64.2% of Spaniards who identify as religious saying they do not practise their faith.
"Since March 2020 and the Covid lockdown, the number of non-religious has increased considerably. Even after the end of the health crisis, the trend has continued its growth in a more gradual form," the foundation said.
