New data of Annuario Pontificio 2026 shows Catholics growing in Africa

The Annuario Pontificio 2026 and the Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae 2024, compiled by the Central Office of Church Statistics of the Secretariat of State and published by the Vatican Publishing House, are now available in bookstores.

The data in the Annuario Pontificio reveal several developments in the life of the Catholic Church worldwide for 2025.

During this period, six dioceses were elevated to metropolitan sees, and eight new dioceses were erected.

Meanwhile, the Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae provides detailed numerical information on the Church’s activities in individual countries and across continents.

Over the past two years, the number of baptized Catholics worldwide has remained stable at approximately 17.8%, reflecting growth roughly aligned with the rate of global population increase. In 2024, the Catholic population stood at just over 1.422 billion, compared with about 1.406 billion in 2023, a relative increase of 1.14%.

The contribution of different continents to the overall figure varies. Europe remains the least dynamic continent, with Catholic numbers rising by only 0.8%.

In the context of ongoing demographic stagnation, this results in a modest improvement in territorial presence, with Catholics representing 39.7% of Europe’s population in 2024.

In the Americas and Asia, the Catholic population grows more slowly than the general population, whereas Oceania experiences more substantial growth (+2.1%).

The following summary highlights some key statistics for the biennium from 2023 through 2024.