How many Protestants live in France in 2026? Recent surveys do not all give the same result. An Ifop study conducted in late 2024 for the Protestant Federation of France estimates that Protestants and evangelical Christians account for 2% of the population in metropolitan France, or around 1.3 million people according to the estimate put forward at the time. Another Ifop survey, conducted in 2025, puts the proportion of adults who identify as Protestant at 4%.
The first study, entitled “Protestants in Metropolitan France: Practices, Beliefs and Attitudes”, was conducted between November 18 and December 11, 2024. Ifop surveyed 32,612 people to identify 700 Protestant or evangelical respondents aged 18 and over. In the initial sample, 1.4% identified as Protestant and 0.6% as evangelical or evangelical Christian. Adding these two categories together produces the figure of 2%.
The survey published in November 2025 for the journal Écran de veille provides a different measure. In its study of changes in the religious landscape in France, Ifop indicates that 4% of respondents identify as Protestant, compared with 43% as Catholic and 7% as Muslim. This figure comes from a different survey using a different formulation of the question about religious affiliation.
These results highlight a particular feature of French religious statistics: the population census does not ask residents to declare their religion. Estimates depend on opinion surveys, the populations they cover, and the ways in which individuals define themselves. The term “Protestant” can be used in a broad sense, while some believers prefer to describe themselves as “evangelicals” without spontaneously using the Protestant label.
This diversity also has historical roots. Originating in the sixteenth-century Reformation, French Protestantism includes Lutheran and Reformed churches, Baptist and Methodist communities, as well as numerous evangelical and Pentecostal churches. It has neither a single leader nor an organization bringing together all its branches. The Protestant Federation of France brings together a significant proportion of these traditions, but it is not the only organization representing the Protestant landscape.
The most significant development concerns the place of evangelicals. In the 2024 Ifop survey, 33% of respondents in the Protestant sample primarily identify as evangelical or evangelical Christian, compared with 18% in the 2010 study. However, the religious currents represented extend beyond this category alone: some respondents identify as Pentecostal, Baptist, or charismatic, movements often associated with the broader evangelical tradition. An individual believer may identify with several of these descriptions.
For its part, the National Council of Evangelicals of France estimates that there are approximately 750,000 evangelical Protestants who regularly practice their faith and at least 2,700 evangelical places of worship. These figures describe the presence of these communities based on estimates produced by the evangelical movement.
Religious renewal is not limited to people born into Protestant families. According to the 2024 survey, one quarter of respondents say they have not always been Protestant or evangelical Christian. Among those who changed their religious affiliation, 72% say they were previously Catholic and 22% had no religion. These paths reflect conversions, but also changes in how people define themselves over the course of their lives. Immigration and the establishment of communities from diverse traditions also contribute to this transformation of French Protestantism.
Religious practice also reveals significant differences. In 2024, 21% of Protestants surveyed said they attended worship services every week, compared with 26% in the 2010 survey. This proportion reaches 36% among those identifying as evangelical or evangelical Christian, compared with 14% among those who simply describe themselves as “Protestant.” Bible reading follows a similar pattern: 39% of the first group say they read it at least once a week, compared with 11% of the second.
The geography of Protestantism is equally diverse. In the Ifop sample, 19.3% of respondents live in the Grand Est region and 22% in Île-de-France. These two regions account for 8.6% and 18.4%, respectively, of the French reference population. The prominence of Grand Est reflects Protestantism’s historical roots in Alsace and Moselle, while Île-de-France is home to long-established communities and numerous more recent churches. Protestant history also remains particularly prominent in the Cévennes and several areas of southern France.
Finally, the survey highlights significant involvement in voluntary organizations. Among the Protestants surveyed, 23% say they volunteer in a Protestant or evangelical association serving the public interest, 25% in a non-denominational association, and 11% in a church-related association. The fields mentioned range from combating poverty to education, international solidarity, and dialogue between believers. This involvement is one of the social dimensions of Protestantism, extending beyond attendance at worship services.
To understand French Protestantism in 2026, three realities must therefore be distinguished: declared religious affiliation, religious practice, and the presence of churches across the country. The most recent surveys place the proportion of self-identified Protestants between 2% and 4%, depending on their methods, while data from religious organizations testify to the vitality of certain communities. Within France’s religious landscape, Protestantism remains a longstanding minority, but one that has been profoundly transformed by the rise of evangelical Christianity. To place its different traditions within Christianity, readers can also consult our comparison of Christian denominations.