The number of Catholics is increasing on all five continents, including Europe, but the number of priests and nuns is experiencing a global decline. These are some of the conclusions of the Statistical Report prepared and published by Fides, the Pontifical Mission Societies, on the occasion of World Mission Day, celebrated on Sunday, October 19, under the theme “Missionaries of Hope among Peoples.” The data comes from the latest “Statistical Yearbook of the Church,” published in 2025, and covers the entire reality of the Catholic Church worldwide, including its members, pastoral structures, and activities in the areas of health, welfare, and education.

More Catholics than in 2024

Out of a global population of 7.9 billion, the number of Catholics has risen to 1.4 billion, an overall increase of 15,881,000 compared to the previous year. This increase in the faithful reverses the trend recorded in the previous survey, which showed a decline in the number of Catholics in Europe. The growth in Catholics is evident in Africa (+8.3 million) and the Americas (+5.6 million), followed by Asia (+954,000), Europe (+740,000), and Oceania (+210,000). The percentage of Catholics in the global population, slightly higher than the previous year (+0.1%), is 17.8%: a figure that largely confirms last year’s statistics.

The number of priests and nuns is decreasing, but not in Africa or Asia.

And while the number of baptized people is increasing, the total number of priests worldwide is decreasing: 407,000 in total, a figure that includes a drastic decline in Europe (-2,500), followed by America (-800) and Oceania (-44). A significant increase in priests is observed in Africa (+1,451) and Asia (+1,145), the two continents that remain the privileged reserve of priestly vocations for the Church’s mission. Men and women religious are also experiencing a decline: the former reach a total of 48,000, losing more than 600; women religious are 589,000, a significant decrease of 9,700, also attributable mainly to Europe, where statistics show 7,300 fewer nuns, and America (-4,000). Africa remains stable with an increase of 1,800 nuns. Worldwide, there are approximately 106,000 major seminarians (diocesan and religious), a loss of 2,000 compared to the previous year. In contrast, a slight decrease (-140) is observed in the number of minor seminarians, which remains stable at approximately 95,000, with slight increases in Asia and America (+27). Regarding the clergy, the number of permanent deacons bucks the trend, continuing to increase worldwide (+1,234), exceeding 51,000, mainly thanks to the increase observed in America (+1,200) and Oceania (+57).

Pillars of evangelization

The Fides Agency report highlights the work of lay missionaries, numbering more than 440,000 worldwide, and of catechists (a total of 2.8 million worldwide): people who, especially in “mission lands” or in the context of young Churches, are authentic pillars of pastoral care and evangelization. It also confirms the broad commitment of the Catholic community to education throughout the world, evident both in the most advanced countries and in the global south, in nations where initial evangelization activities are often accompanied by educational initiatives. The Catholic Church supports more than 74,000 preschools worldwide, attended by 7.6 million children, and 102,000 primary schools for 36 million students. There are more than 20.7 million students in 52,000 secondary and high schools, while another 7 million adolescents and young adults attend higher education institutions, colleges, and universities that are part of Catholic organizations or congregations.

Missionaries of Hope

Hospitals and social assistance centers associated with the Catholic Church total 104,000 on five continents: more than 5,000 hospitals and approximately 145,000 dispensaries, along with 504 leper colonies, contribute significantly to the care of the sick, the poor, and the suffering, often prioritizing the most vulnerable and those unable to afford expensive treatment. There are more than 15,000 residences for the elderly, the chronically ill, and the disabled, 11,000 daycare centers, and 50,000 other facilities spread throughout the world. These include listening centers, shelters, reception centers for displaced persons, and social services of all kinds, where volunteers, priests, consecrated persons, and lay people continue to be missionaries of hope every day.