Three in Four Koreans in Their 20s Have No Religion

Three out of four South Koreans in their 20s have no religion, according to a recent survey, with the sustained indifference of young people toward religion accelerating the aging of both believers and clergy.

According to Gallup Korea's recently released report "Religion of Koreans 1983–2025," 40% of the 4,606 adults surveyed last year said they currently have a religion. By type, Protestants accounted for 18%, Buddhists 16%, and Catholics 6%.

The share of religious adults rose from 44% in 1983 to 54% in 2004 but has declined since. It dropped to 37% in 2022, toward the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, before edging up slightly last year.

By age, younger Koreans were more likely to have no religion. As of last year, the share of religious believers stood at 24% among those in their 20s, 29% in their 30s, 37% in their 40s, 45% in their 50s, and 52% among those aged 60 and older. In other words, more than three in four people in their 20s have no religion.

While the share of religious believers in their 20s has shown some recovery since the pandemic, it remains far below the 45% recorded in 2004.

The most common reason for not following a religion was "lack of interest" at 58%, followed by "lack of time or mental capacity" (20%), "distrust of or disappointment with religion" (9%), and "greater trust in one's own beliefs" (9%).

Combined with the overall aging of the population, young people's indifference to religion is accelerating the aging of religious communities.

In the survey, 56% of Buddhists were aged 60 or older. The figures for Protestants and Catholics were relatively lower at 34% and 32%, respectively, but a high share of elderly believers was a common feature across all faiths.

According to the "Statistics of the Catholic Church in Korea 2025" recently released by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, the number of believers aged 29 or younger fell 34% over the past decade (2015–2025), while those aged 65 or older rose 80.4%.

The share of Catholics aged 65 or older stood at 28.9% last year, higher than the 21.2% share of those aged 65 or older in the overall population. The figures indicate that the Catholic community had already entered a "super-aged society" as of 2019.

The aging of clergy is also pronounced. According to the same statistics, the share of diocesan priests aged 65 or older rose from 11.0% in 2015 to 19.7% in 2025. Meanwhile, the number of seminarians fell 41.9% and newly ordained diocesan priests declined 42.1%, suggesting that further aging will be unavoidable. The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism has also seen the number of people entering monastic life fall to one-third of the level 20 years ago, with elderly monks reportedly accounting for more than 30% of the total.