Africa has overtaken Europe to become the region with the second-largest Catholic population in the world, with 288 million adherents compared with Europe’s 287 million.
The figures were contained in the latest global Catholic statistics published by the Vatican’s Fides News Agency, which put the worldwide Catholic population at 1.422 billion as of June 2024.
According to the report, the global Catholic population increased by approximately 16.7 million during the period under review, reflecting continued growth across several regions.
The Americas retained their position as the region with the largest Catholic population, accounting for nearly 679 million people, followed by Africa, Europe, Asia and Oceania.
Africa recorded the highest increase in Catholic adherents, adding approximately 7.58 million people. The Americas followed with a growth of nearly seven million.
The report also highlighted mixed trends in the Church’s workforce and religious vocations across the world.
The global number of Catholic priests rose by 425 to more than 407,000, indicating a modest increase in the number of ordained ministers.
However, the number of women religious and major seminarians continued to decline, pointing to ongoing challenges in attracting and sustaining vocations within the Catholic Church.
The latest figures underscore Africa’s growing importance to the global Catholic Church, as the continent’s Catholic population continues to expand while Europe’s numbers remain slightly lower.
