Religion in El Salvador

The iconic Jesus statue Monumento al Divino Salvador del Mundo, a landmark located in the country's capital, San Salvador.

There is some debate about percentages, the Institute of Public Opinion of the University of Central America in May 2017 found 47.5% of the population as Roman Catholics, and 35.1% as Protestant, 14.5% as not having a religion and the remainder (about 3%) being Jehovah's Witnesses, International Society of Krishna Consciousness, Muslims, Jews, Bahais, Buddhists, Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and members of indigenous religions.[1] However Latinobarómetro in 2017 found 39% were Catholic, 28% Protestant, 30% atheist/agnostic/not religious, 2% other religions, and 1% did not answer.[4] It also found in 1996 that 67% of the population considered themselves Catholic and 15% Protestant.[4]

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  Iglesia El Rosario, San Salvador
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  San Salvador Cathedral
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  Cathedral Basilica of Queen of Peace, San Miguel
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  Iglesia Don Rua, San Salvador
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  Iglesia El Calvario, San Salvador
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  Iglesia El Carmen, San Salvador
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  Basílica del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, San Salvador
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  Cathedral of Santa Ana (El Salvador)
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  Iglesia Santa Lucía, Suchitoto
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  Church in Dulce Nombre de María
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  Iglesia El Carmen, Santa Ana, El Salvador
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  Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, Ahuachapán
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  Our Lady of the Poor Cathedral, Zacatecoluca
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  Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, San Salvador Department
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  Iglesia del Cristo Negro, Juayua
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  Iglesia de San Pedro Perulapán
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  Iglesia Parroquial de Santiago Apostol, Santiago Texacuangos, San Salvador Department
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  Iglesia del Perpetuo Socorro, San Salvador
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  Iglesia El Calvario San Miguel, San Miguel, El Salvador
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  Iglesia Parroquial de San José Guayabal
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  Cathedral of San Vicente, El Salvador
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  Iglesia Parroquial San Miguel Arcangel in Ilobasco
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  Iglesia San Francisco Gotera
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  Iglesia Santa Barbara en Sensuntepeque
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  Parroquia Santiago Apostol, Chalchuapa
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  Iglesia el Calvario, Santa Ana, El Salvador
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  Iglesia de San Pedro Nonualco
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  Iglesia de la Parroquia Nuestra Señora de los Dolores Izalco
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  Sonsonate Cathedral
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  :Iglesia Parroquial San Juan Evangelista, San Juan Opico
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  Iglesia de Panchimalco

Mision Cristiana Elim Internacional is a large pentecostal denomination started in El Salvador. It claims that its main church in San Salvador has 120,000 attending.[6] The Assemblies of God claim 285,226 members (2007).[7]

The Mormons claim 120,317 people in 164 congregations and 1 temple (2015)[8] which if correct would be just under 2% of the population. An IUDOP study in 2009 found that Mormons were 2% of the Protestants they surveyed or about .8% of the total population.[5] They started evangelizing in El Salvador in 1951.[8]

The Anglican Church in El Salvador (a diocese of the province of the Anglican Church in Central America) claims 6,000 members in 18 congregations.[9] The Baptist Association of El Salvador claims 4,427 members[10] and the Salvadorean Lutheran Synod about 15,000 in 68 congregations.[11]

The constitution of El Salvador provides for the freedom of religion and prohibits religious discrimination. Publicly offending others' religious beliefs or damaging religious objects is punishable by imprisonment. Members of the clergy may not hold senior government positions, and are forbidden from joining political parties.[13]

Religious groups may register with the government for the purposes of tax-exemption and acquiring building permits. Special visas are required for individuals who wish to travel to El Salvador to engage in proselytizing.[13]

Public school education is secular. Private schools may include religious content in their curricula, but do not receive government support.[13]

Since 2016, clergy have limited access to prisons, due to concerns that some members of the clergy were using prison visits to smuggle items into prisons.[13]

• Demographics of El Salvador
• Roman Catholicism in El Salvador
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in El Salvador
• Islam in El Salvador
• Judaism in El Salvador

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/es.html

• Stephen Offutt, New Centers of Global Evangelicalism in Latin America and Africa (Cambridge University Press, 2015) focuses on El Salvador and South Africa. online review