How many people are religious?
The majority of the population aged 15 years or older consider themselves to be part of a religious group. In 2021, 85 percent of the people on Bonaire belonged to a religious denomination or ideological group; this was 78 percent on St Eustatius and 80 percent on Saba.
| Eiland | Roman Catholicism | Methodism | Adventism | Anglicanism | Pentecostalism | Evangelicalism | Other | None |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonaire | 60.3 | . | 2.0 | 0.4 | 4.9 | 6.0 | 11.2 | 15.2 |
| St Eustatius | 23.3 | 24.8 | 18.9 | 1.7 | 3.2 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 22.1 |
| Saba | 50.1 | . | 3.6 | 8.9 | 6.7 | 2.4 | 7.9 | 20.4 |
On Bonaire and Saba, Catholicism is by far the largest religion. The respective shares of those belonging to the Roman Catholic Church are 60 and 50 percent. On St Eustatius, there are three religious groups of approximately the same size: Methodists (25 percent), Roman Catholics (23 percent), and Seventh-day Adventists (19 percent).
Decline on St Eustatius
On St Eustatius, the percentage of people who say they are part of a religious denomination or ideological group decreased from 85 percent in 2017 to 78 percent in 2021. There were no significant differences between these years on Bonaire and Saba. However, the percentage of Evangelists on Bonaire rose from 3 percent in 2017 to 6 percent in 2021. On St Eustatius, the percentage of people describing themselves as Pentecostals fell from 7 percent in 2017 to 3 percent in 2021.
| Kenmerk | 2021 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|
| Bonaire | 85 | 81 |
| St Eustatius | 78 | 85 |
| Saba | 80 | 76 |
Lower educated more likely to be religious
On Bonaire and Saba, people with a low level of education are more likely to be religious than people with a high level of education. The biggest difference can be witnessed on Saba, where 92 percent of the population with a low education level are religious, against 72 percent of those with an intermediate or high education level. On St Eustatius, more women (88 percent) than men (68 percent) are religious.
In the European Netherlands, a much smaller share of the population consider themselves to be part of a religious denomination or ideological group: 43 percent in 2022.
| Kenmerk | Bonaire | St Eustatius | Saba |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 84.8 | 77.9 | 79.6 |
| Sex | . | . | . |
| Men | 83.3 | 68.4 | 80.1 |
| Women | 86.5 | 87.8 | 79.1 |
| Age | . | . | . |
| 15 to 44 yrs | 82.2 | 73.5 | 77.6 |
| 45 yrs and over | 87.1 | 81.8 | 81.6 |
| Level of education | . | . | . |
| Low | 90.5 | 80.4 | 92.4 |
| Intermediate/High | 79.1 | 73.8 | 72.4 |