Worldwide Catholic Population Hits 1.4 billion

In terms of distribution, 27.4% of Catholics in the Americas reside in South America, while 6.6% are in North America and 13.8% in Central America.

Asia, Europe, and Oceania

In Asia, the Catholic population grew by 0.6% between 2022 and 2023. Although the region represents only 11% of the world’s total Catholics, countries such as the Philippines and India register significant numbers, with 93 million Catholics in the Philippines and 23 million in India, corresponding to 76.7% of the total Catholic population in Southeast Asia.

Europe, home to 20.4% of the world’s Catholics, remains the least dynamic continent in terms of Catholic growth. The European Catholic population increased by only 0.2% between 2022 and 2023, reflecting a near-stagnant dynamic. Italy, Poland, and Spain continue to be countries with a high proportion of Catholics, with more than 90% of their population identifying as Catholic. However, the European continent continues to demonstrate a slower rate of growth and increasing secularization.

In Oceania, the Catholic population experienced an increase of 1.9%, with a total population of just over 11 million Catholics in 2023. Although this growth is moderate, it reflects steady growth in this region.

An increase in the number of bishops and priests

The number of bishops also experienced an overall increase, rising by 1.4% between 2022 and 2023. The total number of bishops increased from 5,353 in 2022 to 5,430 in 2023. This growth occurred in all regions except Oceania, where the number of bishops remained constant. Most of the increase was observed in Africa and Asia, with more modest variations in Europe and the Americas.

As for priests, the Catholic Church globally recorded a slight decrease in their number, with a 0.2% reduction, from 407,730 priests in 2022 to 406,996 in 2023. However, Africa and Asia saw significant increases in the number of priests, with an increase of 2.7% in Africa and 1.6% in Asia. 

In Europe and Oceania, on the other hand, a decrease in the number of priests was observed (-1.6% in Europe, -1.0% in Oceania).

Globally, the number of priests per 259,000 Catholics reflects regional disparities. While the ratio is higher in Africa and the Americas, in Oceania, for example, the number of priests per Catholic is much lower, suggesting a relative excess of priests compared with other regions.

Decline in men and women religious

When it comes to ​​men and women religious, a continuation of the downward trend in the number of professed men who are not priests and professed women religious worldwide has been observed. 

There was a 1.6% decline in men and women religious between 2022 and 2023, falling from 599,228 to 589,423. Although the number has fallen globally, Africa has recorded a slight increase of 2.2% in the number of women religious, while Europe, North America, and Latin America have seen significant reductions.

In terms of geographical distribution, Europe continues to be the continent with the largest number of women religious, representing almost 32% of the world’s women religious in 2023, followed by Asia with 30% and the Americas with 23%. In Africa, the presence of women religious remains significant, accounting for 14% of the world total.

Decline in priestly vocations

(Story continues below)

Finally, one of the most significant phenomena is the decline in the number of seminarians, which has continued its downward trend since 2012. Globally, the number of seminarians decreased by 1.8% between 2022 and 2023, falling from 108,481 to 106,495. This decline primarily affected Europe, Asia, and the Americas, while Africa saw a slight increase of 1.1% in the number of seminarians.

In comparative terms, Africa and Asia account for 61.4% of all seminarians worldwide, a small increase from 61% in 2022. In Europe and America, however, the proportion of seminarians has declined, reflecting a growing trend toward a shortage of priestly vocations in these regions.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.