Evangelicals have become the largest religious group among some of Brazil's youngest people, according to newly released detailed data from the country's 2022 census. 

Figures published by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) show evangelicals account for 31.6% of children aged between 10 and 14. 

Across the population, more than 80 per cent of Brazilians continue to identify as Christian, although the religious make-up of the country is changing significantly. 

Evangelicals now represent 26.9% of the population, around 56 million people. 

The largest evangelical category is those who describe themselves simply as "evangelical" or "believer", without identifying a particular church or denomination. 

Pentecostals account for 8.1% of the population, around 14.3 million people, while historic Protestant denominations, including Baptists, Presbyterians and Methodists, represent 3.2%. 

Experts have warned the true number of Pentecostal Christians could be higher because of changes to the way people's religious affiliation was recorded. 

Roman Catholicism remains Brazil's largest religion but has continued to decline. Catholics accounted for 74.4% of the population in 2000 and 65.5% in 2010, falling to 57%, around 100.6 million people in 2022. 

Meanwhile, the number of Brazilians reporting no religious affiliation has risen to 16.4 million. 

Afro-Brazilian religions including Umbanda and Candomblé have also recorded growth, while the proportion identifying with Spiritism has fallen.