The Philippines is a secular state which protects freedom of religion. Christianity is the dominant faith, shared by about 89% of the population. , the country had the world's third largest Roman Catholic population, and was the largest Christian nation in Asia. Census data from 2015 found that about % of the population professed Catholicism. Around 37% of the population regularly attend Mass. 29% of self-identified Catholics consider themselves very religious. An independent Catholic church, the Philippine Independent Church, has around 66,959 adherents. Protestants were 9.13% of the population in 2015. % of the population are members of Iglesia ni Cristo. The combined following of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches comes to % of the total population.