Piotr Kowalczuk
Increase in the number of Catholics by 1.14 percent
Published data indicates that over the past two years, the proportion of baptized Catholics worldwide has remained stable at approximately 17.8%, due to the fact that during the same period, the number of Catholics grew at a rate essentially similar to the growth of the world population. In 2024, the number of Catholics is slightly over 1.422 billion, compared to approximately 1.406 billion in 2023, representing a relative increase of 1.14%.
Africa surpassed Europe
In Africa, the number of Catholics in 2024 was 288 million, 7 million more than in the previous year. They constitute 20.4 percent of Catholics worldwide. For the first time in this regard, Africa has surpassed Europe: European Catholics now account for 20.1 percent of all. They make up almost 40 percent of the European population. In the Americas, Catholics account for 64 percent of all inhabitants. Almost half (47.7 percent) of all members of the Catholic Church live in America. In Oceania, one in four inhabitants (25.9 percent) is Catholic. In Asia, the percentage is 3.3 percent.
Clergy and their collaborators in pastoral ministry
In 2024, there were almost 4.5 million (4,464,622) clergy and their collaborators (members of Secular Institutes, catechists, missionaries, permanent deacons, etc.), 0.7 percent more than the previous year. In 2024, there were 5.5 thousand bishops, 407 thousand priests, and 52 thousand permanent deacons worldwide. In Africa, there are 365 thousand faithful per bishop, and in the Americas – 333 thousand. In Europe, there are 90 priests per bishop, in the Americas – 58, in Africa – 72, in Asia – 86. As for the number of faithful statistically per priest, in Europe there are 1800, in South America – 5 thousand, in Africa – over 5 thousand, and in Asia – 2.1 thousand. The number of lay missionaries increased by as much as 4.2 percent, to almost 470 thousand. Over 85 percent of them work in South America. In 2024, 2.9 million catechists taught religion, of which 1.6 million were in the Americas (55 percent of all).
Vocations are decreasing, especially in Europe
This is evident in the number of philosophy and theology students who wish to become priests. In 2023, there were over 106 thousand worldwide in total, and in the following year, almost 3 percent fewer. An increase was noted only in Africa by over 2 percent to 35.7 thousand. In Europe, a decrease of 5.5 percent was recorded. Divided by continent, 35 percent of all students of philosophy and theology are Africans, 25 percent are students from the Americas, and only 11 percent are Europeans. When comparing the number of candidates for the priesthood with the number of clergy, in Africa there are almost 630 candidates per thousand pastors, and in North America only 120. The fewest – about 80 – are in Europe.
Decrease in the number of baptisms
In 2024, over 13 million people were baptized in the Catholic Church worldwide, 0.6 percent less than in the previous year. Over 40 percent of all baptisms took place in the Americas, over 30 percent in Africa, 15.6 percent in Asia, and 11 percent in Europe.
Church weddings
In 2024, 1.8 million weddings were celebrated in the Catholic Church worldwide, 37 percent of them in America, 21 percent in Africa, and 19 percent in Europe.
First Holy Communions
According to the Statistical Yearbook of the Church, in 2024 there were 9.2 million, over 1 percent more than in the previous year. 7.8 million faithful received Confirmation. This is an increase of 1.7 percent. Over 40 percent of both sacraments were administered in America.
