Fewer people in NL are religious, Catholics are biggest group
The number of people considering themselves to be religious in the Netherlands has fallen again to 42%, national statistics office CBS said on Friday.
Some 16% of the population consider themselves to be Catholic, 12% part of one of the many streams of Protestantism, 6% Muslim and 7% members of other faiths. Some 15 years ago, 55% said they belonged to a religious group.
The percentage of Catholics has dropped the most. Fifteen years ago, 28% said they were Catholic, while 18% considered themselves Protestant. The percentage of Muslims has risen from 5% 15 years ago and has hovered between 6% and 7% for the past few years.
The only one of the 12 Dutch provinces where a majority say they are religious is Limburg, where almost six in 10 claim membership of some sort of church. The lowest number – at just 33% – is in Groningen and Drenthe.
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