Change in congregation attendance, 2020 to 2025
Percent of U.S. congregations by attendance change from 2020 to 2025 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Declined by at least 5% (46%). Lowest: Within plus or minus 5% (12%).
- Declined by at least 5%: 46%
- Grew by at least 5%: 43%
- Within plus or minus 5%: 12%
Source: Lifeway Research, Church Attendance Increases for the First Time in Decades · Data from more than 7,000 U.S. congregations surveyed in late 2025. Article published 2026-05-01.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Declined by at least 5% (46%). Lowest: Within plus or minus 5% (12%). Declined by at least 5%: 46%. Grew by at least 5%: 43%. Within plus or minus 5%: 12%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2025. Source: Lifeway Research, Church Attendance Increases for the First Time in Decades (https://research.lifeway.com/2026/05/01/church-attendance-increases-for-the-first-time-in-decades/).
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More Attendance statistics
- Change in congregations' worship attendance over two years Lifeway Research, 2026
- Churchgoers' views on the amount of liturgical style in their church Lifeway Research, 2026
- Regular religious service attendance by age group Lifeway Research, 2026
- Share of all Protestant churchgoers who attend megachurches Lifeway Research, 2026
- Americans who attend church weekly Public Religion Research Institute, 2025
- Americans who belong to a church, synagogue or mosque Gallup, 2025
About this data
Leader Insights collects statistics about U.S. churches from published research by organizations such as Lifeway Research, Barna Group, Springtide, the American Bible Society and PRRI. Every number is checked against the wording of the original source before it is published, and each statistic links back to the study it came from. Figures are reproduced from the publishers named above; see the source for full methodology.