Africa overtakes Europe in share of world’s Catholics, Vatican figures show
Vatican statistics compiled by Fides put the global Catholic population at 1.422 billion, with Africa accounting for 20.3% and Europe 20.2%.
Vatican City, Vatican City. Africa now accounts for a larger share of the world’s Catholics than Europe, according to Catholic Church figures the Vatican released on Friday. The statistics were compiled by Fides, its news agency.
Global Catholic population
Fides reported a worldwide Catholic population of 1.422 billion at the close of June 2024, equivalent to 17.8% of all people globally, with a year-on-year rise of 0.1%.
The previous annual figures, covering the close of June 2023, had put the worldwide Catholic total at 1.405 billion.
Regional distribution
According to the latest figures, Africa accounted for 20.3% of Catholics worldwide, compared with Europe’s 20.2%. The Americas represented 47.7%, while Asia accounted for 11% and Oceania for 0.8%.
In the figures for June 2023, Africa’s share had been about 20%, while Europe’s was 20.4%.
Priest numbers return to growth
Fides recorded a worldwide total of 5,525 bishops and 407,421 priests. It said the priest total had risen by 425, marking the first increase in five years.
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