VATICAN CITY, Oct 16 (Reuters) – There are now more Catholics in Africa than in Europe, the Vatican said on Friday, releasing the latest Catholic Church statistics compiled by its news agency Fides.
- The total number of Catholics in the world stood at 1.422 billion at the end of June 2024, representing 17.8% of the global population, and up 0.1% year on year
- Some 20.3% of Catholics live in Africa and 20.2% in Europe, with the Americas accounting for 47.7%, Asia 11% and Oceania 0.8%
- In last year’s statistics, relating to the end of June 2023, there were 1.405 billion Catholics globally, with about 20% of them living in Africa and 20.4% living in Europe
- Fides also counted 5,525 bishops around the world and 407,421 priests, noting that the number of priests, up by 425, had increased for the first time in five years