New data from the Annuario Pontificio 2026 and Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae 2024 highlight trends in baptized populations across the five continents, with a remarkable increase in the number of Catholics in Africa.
Prepared by the Central Office of Church Statistics The Annuario Pontificio 2026 and the Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae 2024, compiled by the Central Office of Church Statistics of the Secretariat of State and published by the Vatican Publishing House, are now available in bookstores. The data in the Annuario Pontificio reveal several developments in the life of the Catholic Church worldwide for 2025. During this period, six dioceses were elevated to metropolitan sees, and eight new dioceses were erected. Meanwhile, the Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae provides detailed numerical information on the Church’s activities in individual countries and across continents. The following summary highlights some key statistics for the biennium from 2023 through 2024. The presence of Catholics worldwide Over the past two years, the number of baptized Catholics worldwide has remained stable at approximately 17.8%, reflecting growth roughly aligned with the rate of global population increase. In 2024, the Catholic population stood at just over 1.422 billion, compared with about 1.406 billion in 2023, a relative increase of 1.14%. The contribution of different continents to the overall figure varies. Europe remains the least dynamic continent, with Catholic numbers rising by only 0.8%. In the context of ongoing demographic stagnation, this results in a modest improvement in territorial presence, with Catholics representing 39.7% of Europe’s population in 2024. In the Americas and Asia, the Catholic population grows more slowly than the general population, whereas Oceania experiences more substantial growth (+2.1%). Remarkable increase in Africa Africa shows a remarkable increase, with growth nearly five times that of Asia (2.7%) and above the continent’s demographic growth. The number of Catholics in Africa rose from just over 281 million in 2023 to over 288 million in 2024. These differing trends reinforce the increasing weight of the African Church, with its share of global Catholics rising from 19.9% to 20.3%, while Europe’s share declined slightly, from 20.4% in 2023 to 20.1% in 2024. In the Americas, Catholics continue to represent a significant proportion, namely a 47.7% of the global total. The proportion of Catholics remains stable in Asia and Oceania, at 11.0% and 0.9% of the global total, respectively. Of particular interest is the ratio of Catholics to population by continent, which indicates the number of Catholics per 100 inhabitants. At the end of 2024, this ratio was 64.0% in the Americas, 39.7% in Europe, 25.9% in Oceania, 19.9% in Africa, and 3.3% in Asia. People engaged in apostolic activity The Church’s apostolic workforce includes both traditional pastoral operators, that is Bishops, priests, religious priests, professed women religious, and members of Secular Institutes, and newer roles that have expanded since the post-Conciliar period, such as permanent deacons, lay missionaries, and catechists. At the end of 2024, the total number of these pastoral workers reached 4,464,622, an increase of 0.7% over 2023. The composition of these groups varies significantly by continent. Globally, clerics (Bishops, priests, and permanent deacons) constitute 10.4% of all pastoral workers. This proportion is lower in Africa (9.2%) and the Americas (6.8%), and higher in Europe (20.7%), Oceania (20.6%), and Asia (10.9%), reflecting a more lay-oriented apostolate in the first case and a more clerical orientation in the latter. Clerics in the World In 2024, there were 465,048 clerics worldwide, including 5,525 Bishops, 407,421 priests, and 52,102 permanent deacons. Between 2023 and 2024, the number of Bishops increased by 1.75%, from 5,430 to 5,525. The most significant growth was in Asia (+3.3%) and Africa (+2.6%), with Oceania (+1.5%), the Americas (+1.3%), and Europe (+1.1%) below the global average. Europe and the Americas together continue to account for roughly 68% of all Bishops. The number of Catholics per Bishop also varies by continent. In 2024, the global average was 257,000 Catholics per Bishop, with the highest ratios in Africa (365,000) and the Americas (333,000), and lower ratios in Oceania (88,000), Europe (170,000), and Asia (180,000). The ratio of priests to Bishops, which reflects the average pastoral workload of Bishops, improved slightly worldwide, decreasing from 75 priests per Bishop in 2023 to 74 in 2024. Ratios fell in the Americas (58.8 to 58), Europe (92.6 to 90), and Oceania (33.3 to 33), while increasing in Africa (71.6 to 72) and Asia (85.2 to 86). Priest numbers increased by 425, from 406,996 in 2023 to 407,421 in 2024. Diocesan priests rose by 496, while the number of religious priests remained largely stable. Europe saw decreases in both groups, Oceania experienced minimal change, and Africa recorded increases. In Asia, priests rose from 74,056 to 75,121 (+1.4%), and in the Americas from 118,345 to 118,544. The ratio of Catholics per priest illustrates disparities in pastoral coverage: in 2024, there were just over 1,800 Catholics per priest in Europe, over 7,600 in South America, approximately 5,000 in Africa, and just under 2,100 in Asia. Permanent deacons Permanent deacons increased globally by 1.3%, from 51,433 in 2023 to 52,102 in 2024. Growth was most marked in Africa (+7.0%, totaling 8,860), while the Americas remain the largest regional base, with 86.8% of the world total. Religious and members of secular institutes At the end of 2024, non-priest religious numbered 48,511 (Africa: 9,368; Americas: 12,484; Asia: 12,962; Europe: 12,831; Oceania: 866), down 0.5% globally. Women religious totaled 589,423, with declines in Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania, and an increase in Africa (+2.6%). Members of secular institutes totaled 18,177, down 1.8%, with growth only in Africa (+1.5%). Other pastoral workers Lay missionaries grew from 444,606 in 2023 to 463,079 in 2024 (+4.2%), with Africa experiencing a 7.0% increase (8,860 individuals). Catechists, the largest group, numbered 2.9 million, with growth in Asia and the Americas and slight decreases in Africa and Europe; nearly 55% of catechists are in the Americas. Vocations to the priesthood Students of philosophy and theology decreased globally from 106,495 in 2023 to 103,604 in 2024 (-2.72%), with growth only in Africa (+2.25%). Geographic distribution in 2024 was: Africa 34.5%, Asia 26.7%, Americas 26.2%, Europe 11.7%, Oceania 0.9%. The ratio of candidates to priests was highest in Africa (628.9 per 1,000 priests), lowest in North America (120 per 1,000), with a global average of 254.3 per 1,000. Catholic participation in the Sacraments Baptisms in 2024 numbered 13,065,918 (-0.6%), distributed as follows: Americas 40.7%, Africa 31.7%, Asia 15.6%, Europe 11.1%, Oceania 0.9%. Catholic marriages totaled 1,818,998, with the Americas 37.4%, Asia 21.5%, Africa 21.0%, and Europe 19.3%. First Communions reached 9,194,143 (+1.1%), and Confirmations 7,823,882 (+1.7%), with the Americas comprising just over 45% of the global total.