Decline In Worldwide Priestly Vocations

VATICAN - CATHOLIC CHURCH STATISTICS 2024

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – As every year, in view of World Mission Sunday, which this year celebrates its 98th anniversary on Sunday, October 20, 2024, Fides News Agency offers some statistics chosen to give a panorama of the Church in the world.
All the data in this dossier, and the subsequent processing of graphs and tables are taken from the latest edition of the «Church’s Book of Statistics» published this year (updated to December 31, 2022) regarding members of the Catholic Church, church structures, healthcare, welfare and education. Finally, the picture of ecclesiastical circumscriptions dependent on the Dicastery for Evangelization, Section for the First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches is reported.

Catholic Church in the world: summary of data

To December 31, 2022 the world population was 7.838.944.000, with an increase of 53.175.000 units compared to the previous year. The positive trend is confirmed for all continents, except Europe.

On the same date, December 31, 2022, Catholics in the world numbered 1.389.573.000 units with an overall increase of 13.721.000 Catholics compared to the previous year. Even in this case, the increase affects four of the five continents. Only in Europe there is a decrease in the number of Catholics: - 474.000. As in previous years, increases were registered above all in Africa (+7.271.000) and in America (+5.912.000). Followed by Asia (+889.000) and Oceania (+123.000). The world percentage of Catholics increased slightly (+0,03) compared to the previous year, reaching 17,7%. The Continents register slight variations.

The total number of Bishops in the world increased by 13 units compared to the previous year, reaching 5.353. The number of diocesan Bishops increased (+19) and Religious Bishops decreased (-6). Diocesan Bishops number 2.682, while that of Religious Bishops is 2.671.

The total number of priests in the world continues to decline, reaching 407.730 (-142 in the last year). Once again, it is Europe that shows a consistent decrease (-2745), followed by America (-164). Like last year, significant increase were registered in Africa (+1.676) and in Asia (+1.160). Oceania, after last year’s increase, registers a decrease (-69). Diocesan priests in the world decreased by 439 units, reaching 279.171. Religious priests have increased in the last year, reaching 128.559 (+297).

Permanent deacons in the world continue to increase (+974), reaching 50.159. The increase was registered in Africa (+1), Asia (+15) and Europe (+267). A decrease was registered in America (-308) and in Oceania (-1).

The number of non-religious priests decreased by 360 units compared to the previous year, reaching 49.414. A decrease was registered in Africa (-229), in Europe (-382) and in Oceania (-27) while an increase was registered in America (+27) and in Asia (+251). Even this year there is an overall decrease in the number of women religious, reaching 599.228 (-9.730). An increase was registered, once again, in Africa (+1.358) and in Asia (+74), while a decrease was registered in Europe (-7.012), America (-1.358) and Oceania (-225).

The number of major seminarians, diocesan and religious decreased this year, they are globally 108.481 (they were 109.895 in the previous year). An increase was registered only in Africa (+726) and Oceania (+12), while a decrease was registered in America (-921), in Asia (-375) and in Europe (-859). The total number of minor seminarians, diocesan and religious decreased by 95.161 (-553). An increase was registered only in Africa (+1.065), while a decrease was registered in all other continents: Asia (-978), America (-475), Europe (-153) Oceania (-12).

In the field of education, the Catholic Church runs 74.322 kindergartens with 7.622.480 pupils; 102.189 primary schools with 35.729.911 pupils; 50.851 secondary schools with 20.566.902 pupils. Furthermore, 2.460.993 pupils study in secondary schools and 3,925,393 in university institutes.

Charity and healthcare centres run in the world by the Church are 102.409 and include: 5.420 hospitals and 14.205 dispensaries; 525 Care Homes for people with Leprosy; 15.476 Homes for the elderly or the chronically ill or people with a disability; 10.589 creches; 10.500 marriage counselling centers; 3.141 social rehabilitation centers and 33.677 other kinds of institutes.

Ecclesiastical circumscriptions (Metropolitan Arcidioceses, Archdioceses, Dioceses, Territorial Abbeys, Apostolic Vicariates, Apostolic Prefectures, Missions sui iuris, Territorial Prelatures, Apostolic Administrations and Military Ordinariates) dependent on the Dicastery for Evangelization are 1.123 (+2). Most of the ecclesiastical circumscriptions entrusted to the Dicastery based in Piazza di Spagna are in Africa (525) and in Asia (481). Followed by America (71) and Oceania (46).

Appendix: analysis - variations over 25 years (1998-2022)

In view of the upcoming Jubilee 2025, and to help understand the trend of variations in the numerical data related to the presence and mission of the Catholic Church in the world, in addition to the usual dossier, this year Fides Agency also publishes an appendix which summarizes data collected over a period of twenty-five years, those from 1998 to 2022. This includes data on the Catholic population, the number of priests, the number of men and women religious, and the number of baptisms administered worldwide.

This appendix also collects and processes data and tables from the «Church’s Book of Statistics» published this year (updated to December 31, 2022). Unlike the classic dossier, the data taken into consideration in the Appendix do not go into detail on each individual continent, but simply illustrate, with figures, the general evolution at the global level in a broader context.

From the data collected for the period 1998-2022, it is immediately clear that the number of Catholics worldwide has increased overall over the twenty-five years covered. The data on the percentage of Catholics in the world population is significant: in 1998, 17.4% of the world's population was Catholic. In the latest available survey, this figure is 17.7%. The latter percentage has remained unchanged since 2015, after reaching a brief peak in 2014 (17.8%).

Another important development concerns the number of priests. Overall, the number of priests (secular and religious) worldwide has increased from 404,628 to 407,730 over the twenty-five years covered. While the number of men and women religious has decreased. According to the data, the number of religious brothers has never exceeded 60,000 over the twenty-five years covered. The same downward curve is also evident in the case of women religious, whose number has fallen from 814,779 to 559,228 in twenty-five years.

While the Catholic population is growing worldwide, the number of baptisms has declined. It fell from 17,932,891 baptisms worldwide in 1998 to 13,327,037 baptisms in 2022.