Share of people who attend religious services frequently in South Africa

South Africa: Share of people who attend religious services frequently was 69.0% in 2014. ▲ Rising

Latest (2014)
69.0%
World rank
2nd
of 38 countries
All-time high
69.7%
in 1998
All-time low
60.8%
in 1984
Years of data
5
1984–2014

Share of people who attend religious services frequently in South Africa, 1984–2014

02040601984199920141984: 60.8 %1998: 69.7 %2004: 68.4 %2010: 69.3 %2014: 69 %

Source: Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 69.0% for share of people who attend religious services frequently in 2014.

The figure is up 0.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of people who attend religious services frequently in South Africa peaked at 69.7% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 60.8%, in 1984.

South Africa ranks 2nd of 38 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 60.8% 60.8% 60.8% 1
1990s 69.7% 69.7% 69.7% 1
2000s 68.4% 68.4% 68.4% 1
2010s 69.1% 69.0% 69.3% 2

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 1 Nigeria 90.3% compare
  2. 3 Poland 64.3% compare
  3. 4 India 62.7% compare
  4. 5 Mexico 60.6% compare

See the full ranking of 38 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of people who attend religious services frequently in South Africa?
Share of people who attend religious services frequently in South Africa was 69.0% in 2014, according to Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of people who attend religious services frequently recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 69.7% in 1998.
What is the lowest share of people who attend religious services frequently recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 60.8% in 1984.
How does South Africa rank for share of people who attend religious services frequently?
South Africa ranks 2nd out of 38 countries with data for 2014.
Is share of people who attend religious services frequently rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of people who attend religious services frequently. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator
Share of people who attend religious services frequently
Unit
%
Source
Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
38 places, 217 data points, 1984–2022
Last refreshed

% of respondents replying "more than once a week", "once a week" or "once a month" when asked "Apart from weddings, funerals and christenings, about how often do you attend religious services these days?"