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
Share of people who attend religious services frequently in South Africa, 1984–2014
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%.
Share of people who attend religious services frequently in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 60.8% | — |
| 1998 | 69.7% | +14.6% |
| 2004 | 68.4% | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 69.3% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 69.0% | -0.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 69.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 39.5%, 1.7× the median. (9 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
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
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
% 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?"