Protestantism in Mexico

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Protestantism in Mexico is the country’s largest religious minority. It includes many denominations, from traditional Protestant groups to evangelical and non‑denominational churches.

Protestantism arrived in the country in the early 1800s. In 1827, Diego Thompson of the British and Foreign Bible Society brought Bibles and taught Protestant ideas. Presbyterian missionaries later helped spread Protestant faith across Mexico.

The first formal evangelical church was a Baptist church founded on January 30, 1864, in Monterrey. It was started by James Hickey and four others. By 1869, six more Baptist churches had been organized. American and international missionary groups continued to support Mexico, sending many missionaries before 1900.

By 1872, several U.S. Protestant denominations were active in Mexico. They helped form the National Presbyterian Church in Mexico, which held its first synod in 1901 and had about 73 churches and 5,500 members.

The 19th century saw significant persecution of Protestants in Mexico, with many martyrs. Still, Mexican Protestants led much of the early missionary work.

In the 20th century, Protestantism grew a lot, especially in rural and indigenous areas. Growth also affected local cultures and customs in some communities. From 1970 to 1990, the share of Protestants rose from about 2% to around 7%.

Today, about 12% of Mexicans identify with Protestant or evangelical Protestant traditions, while around 78% have a Catholic background. In 2010, Catholics were 83.9%, evangelicals 7.6%, other religions 2.5%, and 4.6% had no religion. Estimates from INEGI suggest roughly 20 million evangelicals, more than 17 million Pentecostal and charismatic believers, and about 8 million Christians who are not affiliated with a denomination. The largest groups include Anglicans, Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, and many non‑denominational churches. In 2015, estimates put about 50,000 Methodists and 30,000 Anglicans in the country.

Protestant churches are strongest in the southern states and in areas near the U.S. border with Texas; they are smaller in other regions such as the central Bajío. The share of Protestants varies by state.

Mexico is a secular country with freedom of religion. In 2023 it was rated as having full religious freedom, and it was described as the 38th most difficult place in the world to be a Christian.