Catholic and Presbyterian baptisms drop by 30% and 36% - but churches report growing faith among youth
The number of children being baptised as Catholics and Presbyterians across the island has dropped by 30% and 36% respectively - but church leaders are also reporting a noticeable trend of young adults coming to faith.
Figures from Catholic dioceses, compiled by the faith-based advocacy group the Iona Institute, show that between 2015 and 2025, baptisms in the Dublin Catholic archdiocese declined by 40%.
Irish government figures show births registered in the Republic fell almost 18% from 2015 to 2025, while birth rates fell 21% in Northern Ireland.
Dublin saw a 40% fall in Catholic baptisms over the ten years, while Kerry fell 22.3%. Down & Connor, which contains Belfast, recorded a 38% fall, RTE reported.
QUB sociologist Dr Gladys Ganiel said the figures are not surprising.
"They are in line with every way that sociologists would measure secularisation; church attendance, marriage rates, identification as a Christian and [Christian] vocations have all declined," she told the News Letter.
However, Dr Ganiel found the substantial decline in birth rates across the island much more concerning.
"They are quite significant because that obviously has social applications for an ageing society."
"To a certain extent, immigration can fill that gap, but on the other hand you can't rely on that entirely." Policymakers need to make having children more affordable, she added.
Fr Paddy McCafferty from Corpus Christi in West Belfast also said the slumping baptism figures were not surprising.
"The birth rates have dropped and we also have an influx of people from abroad who are not necessarily Christians at all," he told the News Letter. "So obviously they're not going to be seeking baptism."
"But overall I don't think any of it is anything to be alarmed about because these things go through their phases. It is also a great opportunity for evangelisation."
He said there is a noticeable increase in young people joining the Catholic church, which he believes is part of a global trend across several denominations – despite much larger drops in church memberships.
"In St Peter's Cathedral on the Falls Road at Easter the bishop baptised and confirmed over 30 young people in their twenties and thirties from across Down and Connor."
The Presbyterian Church also told the News Letter it had seen a substantial drop in baptisms of 36% from 2014-2025.
However, a spokesman said that it too is noting young adults people coming to faith later in life and being baptised.
"There are also examples of this across the denomination, where young people who attend the various expressions of church in the PCI family, including in our new church plants, are coming forward to be baptised.”
Charlotte Curran, Pastor of Christian Fellowship Church in East Belfast, also reported a surge in young people joining her church.
"In our very ordinary, local church, without any strategy or planning, people started to come to faith. It started one Sunday evening when a young man stumbled through our doors and immediately began to weep," she wrote on the Centre of Contemporary Christianity website in March.
"Since then, we have seen more people come to faith in a year than I have in my entire Christian ministry. Most of the stories are the same: 'I woke up one morning and just knew God was real'.”
A Church of Ireland spokeswoman, however, said there had been little change its it’s baptism rates.
"Figures for baptisms in the Church of Ireland have remained consistent and steady,” she said. "The trend over recent years shows only very marginal changes.
"Indeed, the number of baptisms last year increased to 1,803, up 22 on the figure of 2024. That said, when compared to 2023, the number last year was down 151. Overall, the average has remained in the 1,800 ballpark. It’s clear from these figures that parents view baptism as a cornerstone on the life of the infant and this is to be welcomed and encouraged."