Since democracy was restored to Chile in 1990, human rights including freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) have been generally respected. The 2012 census found that 66% of the population identified as Catholic and 17% as Protestant. The constitution contains protection for FoRB, and a 1999 law prohibits discrimination based on religion. In recent years the government has actively engaged with religious minorities and worked to improve understanding of and strengthen protections for FoRB.
This year, however, has seen a series of unsolved, organised arson attacks on churches, both Protestant and Catholic, in one region of the country. This should not be seen as indicative of a more general, country-wide deterioration in FoRB; however, there is no question that the arson attacks have provoked alarm and are very much a threat to FoRB in the region.