VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The number of Catholics and permanent deacons in the world rose in 2023, while the number of seminarians, priests, men and women in religious orders, and baptisms all declined, according to Vatican statistics.
However, the Vatican’s Statistical Yearbook of the Church said, 9.1 million people received their first Communion in 2023, up from 8.68 million people the previous year, and almost 7.7 million people were confirmed, up from 7.4 million people in 2022.
At the end of 2023, the number of Catholics in the world reached 1.405 billion, up 1.15 percent from 1.389 billion Catholics at the end of 2022, according to the Vatican’s Central Office of Church Statistics, which publishes the yearbook.
This came despite a smaller growth rate in the world’s population, which, for that period was 0.88 percent. According to the United Nations’ Demographic Yearbook, the estimated mid-year world population for 2023 was approximately 8.045 billion.
The Vatican published its statistical yearbook offering data “on the life and activity of the church in the world in 2023” at the end of March.
The yearbook cautioned that its numbers were based on the information it received back from its surveys and that of 3,188 dioceses and other jurisdictions about 140 did not send information.
The number of Catholics “does not include those in countries that because of their present situation have not been included in the survey,” it said, adding that it estimated that number to be about an additional 5 million Catholics. Mainland China and North Korea, for example, had no data in the yearbook.
The percentage of Catholics as part of the global and continental populations remained about the same as in 2022. Catholics represented about 17.8 percent of the global population at the end of 2023, it said. The highest proportion is in the Americas with 64.2 percent of its population being baptized Catholic. Europe follows with 39.6 percent and Oceania with 25.9 percent. In Africa, 19.8 percent of the population is Catholic and the lowest proportion of Catholics by continent is Asia with 3.3 percent.
While the number of Catholics is increasing, the administration of the sacrament of baptism has continued to decrease worldwide, according to the yearbook. It fell from 17,932,891 baptisms administered in 1998 to 13,327,037 in 2022 and 13,150,780 in 2023. A peak was reported during the Holy Year 2000 when 18,408,076 baptisms were administered worldwide.
The yearbook said the “general downward trend in the relative number of baptisms” has been “following closely the trend in the birthrate in most countries.”
It said the ratio of infant baptisms to the Catholic population is of “great significance” because it notes differences between one country and another. While the world average is 7.4 infant baptisms per 1,000 Catholics, the highest ratios are in American Samoa (71.2), several islands in Oceania (37.7 to 21.8), followed by Burundi (23.6), Cambodia (22.3), Timor Leste (20.3) and Myanmar (20.1). The lowest ratios are in Armenia, Georgia, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iran, Tunisia and Algeria (below 1) followed by Russia and Djibouti (1.1).
The total number of adult baptisms registered in 2023 was 2,696,521, which is about 20 percent of the total number of baptisms. The highest proportion of adult baptisms is in Africa (35.9 percent) and the lowest is in Europe and the Middle East.
The Catholic Church had 5,430 bishops at the end of 2023, an increase of 77 bishops from 2022. The majority of them are serving in the Americas and Europe.
The total number of diocesan and religious order priests decreased by 734 men to a total of 406,996, the Vatican office said. The only significant increase in the number of diocesan and religious order priests was in Africa and Asia, which was not enough to offset the declines in the Americas and Europe.
While the number of religious-order priests had increased by 297 men in 2022, the number went down to 128,254 in 2023, about what it had been in 2021. The number of diocesan priests continued to decrease globally with 278,742 men at the end of 2023.
The yearbook also offered a chart tracking the overall change to the number of diocesan clergy from 2013 to 2023 by calculating how many of those already serving were newly ordained, minus those who died and those who left the priesthood. It showed there was modest growth from 2013 to 2016 (0.31 percent to 0.05 percent) followed by a negative rate starting in 2017 that peaked in 2020 during the pandemic (-0.73 percent). The rate was recorded at -0.45 percent in 2021 and -0.12 percent in 2022.
The number of Catholics per priest increased slightly to 3,453 from 3,408 Catholics per priest in 2022.
The total number of religious brothers continued to decrease in 2023 from 49,414 to 48,748 and the total number of religious women, it said, was down to 589,423 from 599,228 at the end of 2022 — a decrease of 9,805 women or 1.64 percent.
The number of permanent deacons continued to increase. There were 51,433 permanent deacons at the end of 2023 — a 2.54 percent increase over the previous year, with the highest numbers being in the Americas.
The number of seminarians continued to decrease globally with a 1.67 percent average rate of decline from 2018 to 2023. There were 106,495 seminarians at the end of 2023 with the only growth — 383 men — being in Africa.
The number of Catholic weddings celebrated around the world in 2023 was down from 1.97 million in 2022 to 1.85 million; of those, about 10.3 percent involved a Catholic marrying a non-Catholic.
In Cuernavaca, North American bishops focus on migration, AI and Church cooperation
In a spirit of prayer and dialogue, bishops representing the conferences of Mexico, the United States and Canada met in Cuernavaca, Mexico, to discern ways to strengthen collaboration across North America.
Continue Reading In Cuernavaca, North American bishops focus on migration, AI and Church cooperation
Pope Leo ends COVID-era salary cuts for cardinals and senior Vatican officials
Pope Leo XIV has repealed provisions introduced by Pope Francis in March 2021 that reduced the salaries of cardinals and Vatican employees as a cost-saving measure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Continue Reading Pope Leo ends COVID-era salary cuts for cardinals and senior Vatican officials
Loyola University Maryland announces new and expanded financial aid initiatives for eligible students of fall 2027
Loyola University Maryland is expanding its financial aid offerings for incoming students, guaranteeing at least $40,000 annually for eligible Catholic high school graduates and full tuition coverage for qualifying Maryland students with significant financial need.
Pope Leo XIV names US bishops’ migration committee chair as new bishop of Joliet, Illinois
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Brendan J. Cahill of Victoria, Texas, as the new bishop of Joliet, Illinois.
Vatican document affirms interreligious dialogue as essential to ‘journey of hope’ for humanity
A new Vatican document affirms the Second Vatican Council’s landmark teaching on the Church’s relationship with the Jewish people and those of other faiths, while inviting humanity to enter upon a common “journey of hope.”
Cardinal Czerny inaugural recipient of Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal
The first Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal — created by the pope’s alma mater, Villanova University — will be awarded to Cardinal Michael Czerny, the former prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
Continue Reading Cardinal Czerny inaugural recipient of Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal
Copyright © 2025 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
