Irreligion in Peru refers to atheism, deism, religious skepticism, secularism, and humanism in Peruvian society. According to article 2 of the Peruvian Constitution: "No person shall be persecuted on the basis of his ideas or beliefs".[1] According to the 2017 Peruvian Census data, 1,180,361 Peruvians or 5.1% of the population older than 12 years old describes themselves as being irreligious,[2] but some sources put this number higher at 8.2%.[3]

The irreligious population is predominantly urban (85,5% live in cities) and males (61,4% are male), and most are young people within the ages between 18 and 29 (40,4%). Only 11,8% of irreligious people are 50 years old or older.[2]

Even though Peru is considered to be a Secular state, according to article 50 of the Peruvian Constitution[1] the subject of Roman Catholicism is mandatory in Peruvian public schools.[4] Many non-profit organizations promote the removal of the subject of Roman Catholicism in public schools, such as the Secular Humanist Society of Peru, or the Association of Peruvian Atheists.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Political Constitution of Peru" (PDF). Portal Institucional e Información sobre la Actividad Parlamentaria y Legislativa del Estado Peruano. September 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Perú: Perfil Sociodemográfico - Informe Nacional" (PDF). Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática. August 2018.
  3. ^ "La visita del Papa Francisco a nuestro país" (PDF). Compañía Peruana de Estudios de Mercados y Opinión Pública. February 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  4. ^ "Perú: niegan retiro de clases de religión en los colegios públicos". February 2017. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  5. ^ Perú, Redacción El Comercio (October 27, 2018). "Más de un millón de peruanos no profesan ninguna religión". El Comercio Perú. Retrieved May 15, 2020.


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