The Annuario Pontificio 2025 and the Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae 2023, published by the Central Office for Ecclesiastical Statistics of the Secretariat of State and published by the Vatican Press, are now available in bookstores. Examining the data from the Pontifical Yearbook, one can gain insight into the life of the Catholic Church worldwide for the year 2024. During this period, a metropolis was created; three episcopal sees were elevated to metropolitan sees; seven new dioceses were established; one episcopal see was elevated to archdiocese; and one apostolic administration to diocese. The Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae, on the other hand, offers a snapshot of the main quantitative phenomena relating to the pastoral action of the Catholic Church worldwide. The statistical information for the two years 2022-2023 is presented below.

Increase in the Catholic Population Worldwide

The global Catholic population increased by 1.15% between 2022 and 2023, rising from approximately 1.39 billion to 1.406 billion, a very similar percentage to that of the previous two years. The distribution of baptized Catholics, according to the different demographics of the continents, varies across geographic areas. Africa accounts for 20% of the world’s Catholics and is characterized by a very dynamic spread of the Catholic Church: the number of Catholics increased from 272 million in 2022 to 281 million in 2023, a relative increase of +3.31%. Among the countries of the African continent, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in particular, remains in first place in the number of baptized Catholics with nearly 55 million, followed by Nigeria with 35 million; Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya also record respectable figures.

With a growth of 0.9% in the two-year period, the Americas consolidates its position as the continent to which 47.8% of the world’s Catholics belong. Of these, 27.4% reside in South America (where Brazil, with 182 million, represents 13% of the world total and remains the country with the largest number of Catholics), 6.6% in North America, and the remaining 13.8% in Central America. If the number of Catholics is related to population size, Argentina, Colombia, and Paraguay stand out, with more than 90% of the population. The Asian continent recorded a 0.6% growth in Catholics in the two-year period; its share in 2023 is around 11% of the Catholic world. 76.7% of Catholics in Southeast Asia in 2023 are concentrated in the Philippines, with 93 million, and in India, with 23 million. Europe, although home to 20.4% of the world’s Catholic community, remains the least dynamic region, with a growth in the number of Catholics in the two-year period of only 0.2%. This change, however, compared to a nearly stagnant demographic dynamic, translates into a slight improvement in the presence of Catholics, reaching almost 39.6% in 2023. Italy, Poland, and Spain have a Catholic presence above 90% of the current population. Catholics in Oceania will slightly exceed 11 million in 2023, 1.9% more than in 2022.

The number of bishops has increased in two years

The number of bishops in the Catholic world has increased in the last two years with an overall change of 1.4%, rising from 5,353 in 2022 to 5,430 in 2023. This growth trend is occurring on all continents, except for Oceania, where the number of bishops has not changed during the two-year period. The relative change is somewhat more pronounced for Africa and Asia and lower than the world average for Europe and the Americas. It can also be observed that the relative weight of each continent remains almost unchanged throughout the period, in line with the relative importance of each, with a greater concentration of bishops in the Americas and Europe. In Africa, the proportion of bishops in the world total increases from 13.8% in 2022 to 14.2% in 2023.

It should also be noted that the number of Catholics per bishop, starting in 2023, varies considerably from one continent to another: while the world average is 259,000 Catholics per bishop, values ​​of 365,000 and 334,000 are recorded for Africa and the Americas, respectively. The situation is particularly favorable in Oceania, where there are 87,000 Catholics per bishop, indicating, from this perspective, a slight excess of bishops compared to the other continents.

More priests in Africa and Asia, fewer in Europe, Oceania, and America

At the end of 2023, there were 406,996 priests in the 3,041 ecclesiastical circumscriptions of the Catholic world, a decrease of 734 compared to 2022, or -0.2%. A geographical analysis shows an increase in Africa (+2.7%) and Asia (+1.6%) and a decrease in Europe (-1.6%), Oceania (-1.0%), and America (-0.7%). If, in addition to the continents, the distinction between diocesan and religious priests is taken into account, it is evident that in Asia and Africa, the increase in priests as a whole can be attributed to the dynamics of both diocesan and religious priests. In Africa, in particular, the overall increase in priests is the result of an increase of about 3.3% in diocesan priests and a 1.4% increase in religious priests. On the American continent, the increase in diocesan clergy in Central America and Latin America during the two-year period is notable. In Europe, however, a 1.6% decrease is observed both overall and in individual components (diocesan and religious); the same trend, although the decrease is smaller (-1.0%), is observed in Oceania.

The distribution by geographic area in 2023 shows that, compared to 38.1% of the total number of priests in Europe, 29.1% come from the American continent, while the other continental areas continue with 18.2% for Asia, 13.5% for Africa, and 1.1% for Oceania. The structural analysis of priests can be added to that of Catholics to highlight any imbalance between the demand for and supply of pastoral service. In the case of a perfect balance between presence and demand for pastoral activity, the percentage composition of priests should coincide for each territorial area examined with that of Catholics. In fact, comparing the two percentage compositions of priests and Catholics shows that there are significant differences in 2023. In particular, the percentages of priests exceed those of Catholics in North America (10.3% priests vs. 6.6% Catholics), Europe (38.1% priests vs. 20.4% Catholics), and Oceania (1.1% priests vs. 0.8% Catholics). The most glaring shortages of priests are in South America (12.4% priests vs. 27.4% Catholics), Africa (13.5% priests vs. 20.0% Catholics), and continental Central America (5.4% priests vs. 11.6% Catholics).

The Deacon Group

Permanent deacons constitute the fastest-growing group of clergy. Their number will reach 51,433 in 2023, compared to 50,150 in 2022, an increase of 2.6%. Territorial gaps remain pronounced: significant growth rates are observed in Oceania (+10.8%) and the Americas (+3.8%), while slightly decreasing rates of change are observed in Africa and Europe. There are no significant variations in the global distribution of deacons during the two-year period under review: only a decrease in the relative number of deacons in Europe and an increase in the Americas, due essentially to a conspicuous development in North America. This figure of pastoral agent is particularly present in the Americas (especially in North America, with 39% of all deacons worldwide) and also in Europe (31%).

To highlight the supporting role of these workers in pastoral action alongside priests, one can consider the relationship between the number of permanent deacons compared, region by region, with the number of priests present. Thus, it is noted that worldwide, the distribution of deacons per 100 priests present is 13 in 2023, ranging from a low of just 0.5 in Asia to a high of 29 in the Americas. In Europe, the ratio is around 10, while in Africa, only one permanent deacon serves alongside one hundred priests. The size of this ratio, although appreciable, is still too modest for the work of this category of pastoral workers to have a significant impact on the balance between demand and supply of services to Catholics in the region. In evolutionary terms, however, it is observed that permanent deacons tend to demonstrate a greater presence in the region, precisely in those areas where priestly turnover appears to be most problematic.

Decrease in Professed Religious Men and Women

The decline in both the number of professed religious men (not priests) and professed religious women that occurred over time continued in 2023, albeit at a slower pace. In particular, it should be noted with regard to the number of professed religious men (not priests) that while there was an increase in Africa between 2022 and 2023, there was a decrease in all other continents. It should be noted that the decline in South America has slowed compared to the average annual decline in the recent period, and that there is even a steady state in Central America. The relative weight of the presence of professed religious men other than priests in the various areas is such, when considered diachronically, that the decline in Europe is confirmed, continuing to decrease throughout 2023.

The contraction of professed religious women continued, as just mentioned, in 2023. Globally, they fell from 599,228 in 2022 to 589,423 in 2023, a relative change of -1.6%. Regarding their geographical distribution, in 2023, almost 32% resided in Europe, followed by Asia with 30%, the Americas with 23% (evenly distributed across both hemispheres), Africa with 14%, and Oceania with 1%. The decline in the number of professed religious women worldwide is substantially attributed to a considerable increase in deaths, resulting from a high number of elderly religious women, while the number of abandonments of religious life decreased significantly in the two-year period. Africa, in the two-year period 2022-2023, recorded a significant increase of 2.2%, followed by Southeast Asia with +0.1%. North America, for its part, showed a contraction of -3.6%. South America followed closely behind with -3%, while the decline in Central America, the Continental United States, and the Central Antilles was more moderate. Europe held the record for the decline, with a variation of -3.8%.

These movements, of course, affect changes in the continental weights of the number of professed religious women. Regarding the 2022-2023 period, a decrease in the presence of religious women was observed in Europe and North America, to the benefit of Asia and Africa. In particular, while in 2022 the total number of professed women religious working in Europe and the Americas represented 55.8% of the world total, in 2023 this percentage fell to 54.8%. The most significant change during the period was observed in Southeast Asia (from 28.7% to 29.2%) and Africa (from 13.9% to 14.5%).

Despite the contraction observed globally and in some continental areas, professed women religious remain a significant figure: the total number of women religious represents 45% more than the priestly population. Even if the role they historically play in providing services has declined globally in recent years, their role in the life of the Christian community remains to accompany, if not replace, that of priests.

Gaps in the Number of Vocations

The temporal trend observed worldwide in the number of major seminarians shows an uninterrupted decline since 2012. The number of candidates for the priesthood fell from 108,481 in 2022 to 106,495 in 2023, representing a change of -1.8%. The decline, observed worldwide, affects all continents, except Africa, where the number of seminarians increased by 1.1% (from 34,541 to 34,924). In Europe, Asia, and the Americas, but especially in the former, the declines are significant (-4.9% in Europe, -4.2% in Asia, and -1.3% in the Americas). In Oceania, the trend is negative and slight.

The percentage distribution of major seminarians by continent shows modest changes over the two-year period. Africa and Asia contributed 61.0% of the world total in 2022, a percentage that rises to 61.4% in 2023. Apart from the slight negative adjustment in Oceania, the Americas and Europe as a whole saw a decrease in their incidence: in 2022, the 41,199 American and European seminarians represented almost 38% of the world total, while a year later they fell to 37.7%. To highlight the positive and negative surpluses of vocations at the territorial level, it is useful to compare the percentage distribution of seminarians with that of Catholics.

Thus, it turns out that in 2023 there are significant differences. In particular, the percentage of seminarians exceeds that of Catholics in Africa (32.8% of seminarians versus 20% of Catholics) and in Asia (28.6% of seminarians and 11% of Catholics). In these continents, there is a tendency to respond with complete autonomy to the need to provide for the work of the local apostolate. In Europe and America, on the other hand, the percentage of seminarians is lower than that of Catholics (12.0% of seminarians and 20.4% of Catholics in Europe and 25.7% of seminarians and 47.8% of Catholics in America). In these two continents, therefore, it is more difficult to adequately respond to the needs of current Catholics, such as, in particular, the generational renewal of priests.