ESTIMATED PROTESTANT POPULATION IN CENTRAL
AMERICA
BY COUNTRIES: 1935-2006 (TABLE)
Compiled by Clifton L. Holland, Director of PROLADES: 9 January 2008
| 1935 | 1950 | 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 1997 | 2000 | 2003 | 2006 | |
| GUATEMALA | 2.8% | 2.8% | 3.2% | 5.8% | 13.8% | 18.0% | 21.0% | 25.3% | 30.0% | 30.7% |
| EL SALVADOR | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 8.0 | 14.0 | 17.0 | 25.2 | 25.0 | 28.2 |
| HONDURAS | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 9.0 | 15.0 | 21.0 | 22.5 | 23.0 | 28.0 |
| NICARAGUA | 1.0 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 11.0 | 16.4 | 18.0 | 23.2 | 29.0 |
| COSTA RICA | 1.0 | 2.5 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 10.6 | 14.0 | 15.1 | 18.0 | 16.7 |
| PANAMA | 2.0 | 5.0 | 7.6 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 8.0 | 9.3 | 10.2 | 24.0 | 26.0 |
| CAM | 1.5% | 2.8% | 3.8% | 4.8% | 9.3% | 12.8% | 16.5% | 19.4% | 23.9% | 26.4% |
NOTE: There is a need to verify the
validity of the public opinion polls on religious affiliation in Panama between 1980 and
2006,
because the available data indicates that the Protestant population grew from 10.2%
in 2000 to 24.0% in 2003;
this is a statistical problem that needs to be investigated further. It is not
known if all of these polls are a representative sample
of religious affiliation nationally for the respective dates or if different
methodologies were used that skewed the data.
SOURCES: Census documents, public opinion polls and estimates by PROLADES for specific dates.
PROLADES
Apartado 1524-2050
San Pedro, Costa Rica
Telephone: (506) 283-8300; Fax 234-7682
E-Mail: prolades@racsa.co.cr
Internet: www.prolades.com