Limburg is the only province where most people still identify as religious

• The percentage of people who identify as religious decreased slightly in 2025, following a small increase in 2024.
• The province of Limburg has the highest proportion of people who identify with a particular religion, mainly Catholicism.
• People in Zeeland are the most likely to attend church or another place of worship regularly.

The share of people who say they belong to a religion (or other life stance) has fallen slightly once again, following a previous small increase. Limburg, in the south of the Netherlands, is the only province where more than half of the population still identifies with a particular religion. This is according to new figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS).

In 2025, 42 percent of the population of the Netherlands aged 15 and older said they belonged to a religion. A total of 16 percent identified as Roman Catholic, 12 percent as Protestant, 6 percent as Muslim and 7 percent identified with some other religion or life stance. This was slightly lower than in 2024, when 44 percent of respondents indicated this. In the longer term, the share of religious believers has declined. In 2010, 55 percent said they belonged to a church or religious group.

Limburg has the highest share of believers, but it is declining

Limburg is the only province where the majority still say they belong to a particular religious faith, averaging 58 percent between 2021 and 2025. The provinces of Groningen and Drenthe have the lowest shares of religious believers.

Between 2016 and 2020, there were four Dutch provinces where a majority of the population identified as religious: Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Gelderland and Overijssel. However, in Limburg, the share of religious people has declined: from 2016 to 2020, 67 percent of people in Limburg identified as religious. In Noord-Brabant, too, the share of believers has fallen rapidly: from 57 to 47 percent.

Catholics are the largest religious group in Limburg, while Zeeland has a relatively high number of Protestants

Roman Catholics represent the largest group of religious believers in Limburg, where 46 percent of residents identify as Catholic. In Zeeland, almost a quarter of the population identifies as Protestant.

In Overijssel, 20 percent of people identify as Protestant, but there are significant differences within the province: there are more Protestants in the north, while in Twente and the southwest of the province, Roman Catholics are the largest group. Similar differences can be found within Gelderland: there are more Protestants in the Veluwe and in southwest Gelderland, while there are more Catholics in the Achterhoek and around Nijmegen.

People who identify as Muslims are found mainly in Flevoland, Zuid-Holland and Noord-Holland, often in or around the larger cities. For example, 11 percent of people in Amsterdam and the surrounding areas identify as Muslim, and 10 percent in The Hague and the surrounding areas.

Protestants attend church more frequently than Catholics

In 2025, 13 percent of the population aged 15 and older attended a service in a church, mosque, synagogue, temple or other place of worship at least once a month. This number has remained virtually unchanged in recent years.

Among Roman Catholics, 14 percent attended church monthly, compared to 53 percent of those identifying as Protestants. Among Muslims, 48 percent visited a mosque regularly.

Although people in Limburg are the most likely to identify with a particular religion, those in Zeeland are the most likely to attend church. Eighteen percent of residents in Zeeland regularly go to a church, mosque or other place of worship. In Limburg, the share is 8 percent.

Women aged 75 and over are the most likely to identify as religious

Older people are more likely to identify with a church or religious group than younger people. In 2025, 30 percent of people aged 18-24 identified as religious, compared to 59 percent of people aged 75 and over. In the 65-74 age group, 49 percent were religious in 2025 (this was a majority in 2024). 42 percent of those aged between 15 and 17 identify with a particular religious faith.

Roman Catholics and Protestants tend to be older. The average age of Roman Catholics is 58 and that of Protestants is 54. Muslims, on the other hand, are relatively young, with an average age of 38. Meanwhile, people who do not identify as religious are 45 years old, on average.

Women are more likely to belong to a religious faith than men: 45 percent compared to 40 percent. This difference is the greatest among people aged 75 and over: 64 percent of women compared to 54 percent of men.