The Catholic Church is "the Catholic Communion of Churches, both Roman and Eastern, or Oriental, that are in full communion with the Bishop of Rome (the pope)."[2] The church is also known by members as the People of God, the Body of Christ, the "Temple of the Holy Spirit", among other names.[2] According to Vatican II's Gaudium et spes, the "church has but one sole purpose–that the kingdom of God may come and the salvation of the human race may be accomplished."[2][3]

Distribution of Catholics[1]
Percentage of Catholics by country (2010)
Number of Catholics by country (2010)

This communion of churches comprises the Latin Church (or the Roman or Western Church) as well as 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, canonically called sui juris churches, each led by either a patriarch or a major archbishop in full communion with the Bishop of Rome. Historically, these bodies separated from Eastern Christian communions, either to remain in or to return to full communion with the Catholic Church. Vatican II decree on Eastern Catholic Churches, however, explicitly recognizes Eastern Catholic communities as "true Churches" and not just rites within the Catholic Church.[4] This Communion of Churches "exists among and between the individual Churches and dioceses of the universal Catholic Church. Its structural expression is the College of Bishops, each of whom represents and embodies his own local church."[5] In addition to Eastern Catholic Churches, the Catholic Church oversees the Catholic Charismatic renewal, the largest Charismatic movement of a single institution in 2020, with over 100 million members, primarily in the Global South.[6] The Catholic Church is also described as an "amalgam of parts" (i.e., thousands of individual dioceses, religious orders, etc.) globally dispersed, but in communion with Rome.[7]

The Catholic Church is the "world's oldest continuously functioning international institution."[8] It is also the largest non-government provider of education and health care in the world,[9] while the diplomatic status of the Holy See facilitates the access of its vast international network of charities. Some of these entities include 5,000 hospitals, 10,000 orphanages, 95,000 elementary schools and 47,000 secondary schools.[10]

Methodology

Most of the figures are taken from the CIA Factbook[11] or PEW Research Center Surveys.[12][13][14] In Latin American countries, Latinobarometro is often cited.[15] In Germany and other German speaking regions of Europe, there are official membership statistics due to the fact that the government collects a church tax based on these membership lists. For this reason, statistics are not grounded on surveys based solely on self-identification. One's baptismal certificate or any other religious document is likewise secondary to church statistics.[16] This method might explain the discrepancy between Pew's figures on Germany[17] and the church figures.[18][19]

According to the CIA Factbook and the Pew Research Center, the five countries with the largest number of Catholics are, in decreasing order of Catholic population:

The country where the membership of the church is the largest percentage of the population is Vatican City at 100%, followed by East Timor at 97%.

According to the Census of the 2023 Annuario Pontificio (Pontifical Yearbook), the number of baptized Catholics in the world was about 1.376 billion at the end of 2021. The research initiative Catholics & Cultures compiles data on Catholic demographics, including from the Annuario Pontificio, by country.[20]

Conflicting numbers can be found in 2013 research conducted by the Brazilian polling institute Datafolha. This report states that the percentage of the population in Brazil of Catholic religion, over the age of 16 years, is just 57%,[21] in contrast to the 64.63% published by CIA and to the 68.6% of Pew Research Center. Also, the 2010 Mexican Census showed this percentage to be 83.9%[22]  against a 91.89% number in the CIA World Factbook.

By country

By clicking on the icons in the column titles, the table can be re-ordered by column.

More information Country, Total population ...
Catholic Church by country
Country Total population  % Catholic Catholic total
 Afghanistan (details) 29,928,987 0% 0[23]
 Albania (details) 3,020,000 10%[24] 302,000
 Algeria (details) 32,531,853 0.14%[25] 45,000
 Andorra (details) 70,000 88.2%[12] 61,740
 Angola (details) 31,100,000 41.1%[11]–50%[26]–55%[27]–56.4%[28]–60%[29] 12,500,000–20,000,000[30]
 Antigua and Barbuda (details) 84,816 5.5%[31] 4,752
 Argentina (details) 47,300,000 48.9%[32]–62.9%[33]–63%[34]–63.3%[35]–66%[36] 23,100,000–31,200,000
 Armenia (details) 3,018,854 0.3%[37] 8,695
 Australia (details) 25,380,000 20.0%[38] 5,076,000
 Austria (details) 9,185,000 50.6% 4,640,000[39]
 Azerbaijan (details) 8,581,400 0.03% 2,574
 Bahamas (details) 330,000 12%[11] 39,600
 Bahrain (details) 800,000 8.9%[12] 71,200
 Bangladesh (details) 158,000,000 0.07% 110,000[12]
 Barbados (details) 250,012 4.2%[11] 10,000
 Belarus (details) 9,500,000 7.1%[40] 674,500
 Belgium (details) 11,200,000 44%[41]–57.1%[42] 5,000,000–6,500,000
 Belize (details) 334,000 40%[43] 133,600
 Benin (details) 7,460,025 26.6%[44] 1,984,366
 Bhutan (details) 2,232,291 0.06% 1,339
 Bolivia (details) 10,500,000 70%[45]–73%[36]–77%[46] 7,980,000
 Bosnia and Herzegovina (details) 3,531,159 15.19%[47] 536,333
 Botswana (details) 1,640,115 4.9% 80,365
 Brazil (details) 210,600,000 50%[48]–54%[36]–54.7%[49]–58.1%[50]–61%[46]–64.6%[51]–65.0%[52] 105,300,000–134,000,000[53]–140,000,000[54][55]
 Brunei (details) 372,361 5%[12] 38,709
 Bulgaria (details) 6,519,789 0.6%[56] 37,251
 Burkina Faso (details) 13,925,313 20.1%[57] 4,121,536
 Burundi (details) 12,000,000 62.1%[11] 7,440,000
 Cabo Verde (details) 512,096 77.3%[11] 395,850
 Cambodia (details) 13,607,069 <0.1% <10,000[12]
 Cameroon (details) 31,000,000 33.1%[58]–38.4%[11] 10,300,000
 Canada (details) 40,769,890[59] 29.9[60] 12,189,931
 Central African Republic (details) 3,799,897 29%[61] 949,974
 Chad (details) 12,000,000 20%[11]–22.8%[62] 2,520,000
 Chile (details) 18,000,000 42%[63]–45%[64]–52.6%[65]–55%[66]–64%[46]–66.6%[67] 8,100,000–9,468,000–12,000,000
 China (details) 1,400,000,000 0.43%–0.7%[12] 6,000,000[68]–12,000,000[69]
 Colombia (details) 48,000,000 70.9%[70][71]–73%[36]–75%[72]–79%[46][73] 34,000,000–37,900,000
 Comoros (details) 800,000 0.2%[12] 1,600
 Congo, Republic of (details) 5,062,021 33.1%[11]–52.9%[74] 1,675,529–2,409,661
 Congo, Democratic Republic of (details) 109,000,000 45%[26][75]–47.3%[12]–55%[76] 49,000,000–60,000,000
 Costa Rica (details) 5,100,000 47%[77][78]–57%[36]–62%[13]–71.8%[79][80][81] 2,350,000–3,500,000
 Croatia (details) 3,872,000 79.0%[82] 3,060,000
 Cuba (details) 11,163,934 51%[12]–60%[83][84] 6,000,000[85]
 Cyprus (details) 1,100,000 2.9%[86] 11,000
 Czech Republic (details) 10,524,167 9.3%[87] 985,318
 Côte d'Ivoire (details) 23,800,000[88] 21.4%[12] 5,093,000
 Denmark (details) 5,630,000 0.7%[89] 46,000
 Djibouti (details) 476,703 0.2% 953
 Dominica (details) 71,540 58.1%[12] 41,564
 Dominican Republic (details) 10,400,000 48%[36]–57%[13] 4,992,000–5,928,000
 East Timor (details) 1,054,000 97.57%[90] 1,021,000
 Ecuador (details) 15,223,680 69.5%[32]–77.0%[36]–79%[46]–80.4%[91][92] 11,265,523
 Equatorial Guinea (details) 1,620,000 80.7%[12] 1,410,000
 Egypt (details) 77,505,756 0.1% 187,320[93]
 El Salvador (details) 7,000,000 39%[36]–47%[94]–50%[46] 2,730,000–3,500,000
 Eritrea (details) 4,561,599 3.3% 150,532
 Estonia (details) 1,332,893 0.8%[95] 8,690
 Ethiopia (details) 73,053,286 0.7%[11] 584,426
 Federated States of Micronesia (details) 104,468 52.6%[96]–55%[97] 60,000
 Fiji (details) 893,354 9.1%[12] 80,401
 Finland (details) 5,451,270 0.2%[98][99][100] 12,434
 France (details) 66,600,000 47%[101]–48%[102]–51%[103]–57%[104]–60%[105] 31,300,000–44,000,000
 Gabon (details) 1,389,201 50% 694,600
 Gambia (details) 1,593,256 2.1% 33,458
 Georgia (details) 3,713,804 0.5%[106] 18,569
 Germany (details) 84,400,000 24.0%[107] 20,346,000
 Ghana (details) 30,792,608 10.0%[108] 3,079,261
 Greece (details) 10,413,982[109] 2.4% 250,000[110]
 Grenada (details) 89,502 44.6%[11] 39,917
 Guatemala (details) 15,773,000 43%[36]–45%[111]–50%[46] 7,000,000
 Guinea (details) 9,467,866 2.6% 246,164
 Guinea-Bissau (details) 1,416,027 8.9% 126,026
 Guyana (details) 746,955 7.1%[112] 53,034
 Haiti (details) 10,000,000 54.7%[11]–56.7%[12]–56.8%[113] 5,470,000
 Honduras (details) 8,800,000 37%[36]–46%[13] 3,256,000–4,048,000
 Hungary (details) 9,877,000 29.2%[114]–38.1%[115]–53.0%[116]–56%[117]–62%.[118] 2,808,000–6,123,740
 Iceland (details) 355,277 3.9%[119] 13,799
 India (details) 1,400,000,000 0.9%[12]–1.5%[120][121] 13,000,000–21,000,000
 Indonesia (details) 270,000,000 3.12%[122][123] 8,424,000
 Iran (details) 85,202,000 0.02% 13,603
 Iraq (details) 38,000,000 0.35%[12] 133,000
 Ireland (details) 5,100,000 69%[124] 3,500,000
 Israel (details) 7,746,000 1.2%[12] 92,952
 Italy (details) 60,800,000 74%[125]–75%[126]–76.5%[127]–78.9%[42]–81.7%[128] 44,400,000–50,000,000
 Jamaica (details) 2,697,983 2.2%[129] 59,356
 Japan (details) 124,000,000 0.3%–[12]0.5%[130] 372,000–620,000
 Jordan (details) 5,759,732 0.4%[12] 23,038
 Kazakhstan (details) 15,185,844 0.6% 91,115
 Kenya (details) 47,560,000 20.6%[131] 9,816,000
 Kiribati (details) 98,000 55.8%[11]–57.3%[132] 54,684
 Korea, North (details) 22,912,177 0.01% 2,291
 Korea, South (details) 53,121,668 11.1%[133] 5,914,669
 Kosovo (details) 1,739,825 1.4%[134] 25,837
 Kuwait (details) 2,335,648 8.5% 402,000
 Kyrgyzstan (details) 5,146,281 0.1% 5,146
 Laos (details) 6,217,141 0.6% 37,302
 Latvia (details) 2,290,237 19.1%[12] 437,435
 Lebanon (details) 4,800,000 28.8%[12] 1,382,400
 Lesotho (details) 2,067,000 45.7%[12]–49.4%[135] 946,000–1,052,237[135]
 Liberia (details) 3,482,211 5.4% 188,039
 Libya (details) 5,765,563 0.7% 40,358
 Liechtenstein (details) 33,863 75.9%[11]–81.7%[12] 25,803
 Lithuania (details) 2,810,761 77.2%[136] 2,085,340
 Luxembourg (details) 538,000 63.8%[42]–65.9%[12] 369,600
 Madagascar (details) 18,040,341 29.5%[44]–38.1%[137] 5,318,293–7,890,000[137]
 Malawi (details) 17,563,749 17.2%[138] 3,028,435
 Malaysia (details) 34,671,895 4.63%[139] 1,570,000
 Maldives (details) 349,106 0.02% 80
 Mali (details) 12,291,529 1.5% 189,289
 Malta (details) 428,000 82.6%[140] 361,372
 Marshall Islands (details) 62,000 8.4%[11] 5,208
 Mauritania (details) 3,086,859 0.1%[12] 3,086
 Mauritius (details) 1,237,091 26.0%[141] 324,811
 Mexico (details) 129,875,000 74%[32]–77.7%[142]78%[143][144] 96,101,000–100,912,000–101,302,000
 Moldova (details) 4,455,421 0.5% 20,494
 Monaco (details) 36,371 82.3%[12] 29,933
 Mongolia (details) 2,791,272 0.04% 1,116
 Montenegro (details) 625,266 3.4% 21,299
 Morocco (details) 32,725,847 0.07% 22,908
 Mozambique (details) 19,406,703 27.2%[11]–28.4%[12]–30.5%[145] 5,270,000–9,900,000
 Myanmar (details) 42,909,464 1.1% 450,549
 Namibia (details) 2,030,692 22.8%[146] 344,202
 Nauru (details) 10,084 32.96%[147] 3,324
   Nepal (details) 27,676,547 0.03% 8,302
 Netherlands (details) 18,000,000 17%[148]–18.2%[149]–20.8%[150] 3,060,000–3,740,000
 New Zealand (details) 4,700,000 10.0%[151] 470,000
 Nicaragua (details) 6,000,000 40%[36]–50%[13]–55%[152][153] 2,400,000–3,000,000
 Niger (details) 11,665,937 0.1% 11,665
 Nigeria (details) 230,000,000 10.6%[154]–12.6%[12] 24,400,000–29,000,000
 North Macedonia (details) 1,836,713 0.4%[155] 6,746
 Norway (details) 5,060,000 2.4%[156]–3.02%[157] 120,900
 Oman (details) 3,000,000 4.1%[12] 110,000
 Pakistan (details) 207,000,000 0.8% 1,656,000
 Palau (details) 17,661 46.0%[158] 8,124
 Palestine (details) 3,761,904 2% 80,000
 Panama (details) 3,500,000 55%[36]–63%[159]–70%[13] 1,925,000–2,400,000
 Papua New Guinea (details) 7,000,000 26%[160] 1,890,000
 Paraguay (details) 6,800,000 88.3%[161]–89%[46][36] 6,000,000
 Peru (details) 32,800,000 74%[36]–76%[13][162] 24,600,000
 Philippines (details) 108,700,000[163] 78.8%[164] 85,600,000
 Poland (details) 38,496,000 71.1%[165] 27,121,000
 Portugal (details) 10,343,066[166] 80.2%[167] 7,043,016–8,260,000
 Qatar (details) 863,051 10.5% 350,000
 Romania (details) 22,329,977 4.7%[11] 1,787,408
 Russia (details) 143,420,309 0.5%[12] 717,101
 Rwanda (details) 11,000,000 43.7%[168]–49.5%[169] 4,807,000
 Saint Kitts and Nevis (details) 51,000 6.7% 3,400
 Saint Lucia (details) 165,600 61.3% 101,500
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (details) 106,000 7.5% 7,950
 Samoa (details) 179,000 19.6%[11] 35,084
 San Marino (details) 32,500 90.5%[12]–97%[170] 29,412
 São Tomé and Príncipe (details) 163,000 73.5%[44] 119,805
 Saudi Arabia (details) 26,417,599 2.5%–3.8%[11]–7%[171] 660,439–1,300,000
 Senegal (details) 11,126,832 3.5% 389,439
 Serbia (details) 7,120,600 6.1%[11] 433,167
 Seychelles (details) 93,000 76.2%[172] 70,866
 Sierra Leone (details) 6,017,643 2.9% 174,511
 Singapore (details) 6,052,486 6.7%[173] 398,006
 Slovakia (details) 5,450,000 55.8%[174] 3,038,511
 Slovenia (details) 2,116,972 69.92%[175][176][177] 1,480,156
 Solomon Islands (details) 523,000 19%[11] 100,000
 Somalia (details) 8,591,629 0.001% 100
 South Africa (details) 60,000,000 6.8%[178][179] 4,080,000
 South Sudan (details) 10,000,000 39.7%[180] 3,950,000[180]
 Spain (details) 48,300,000 52.9%[181]–59%[182]–66.0%[183]–67%[184]–68%[185]–70%[186] 26,000,000–33,000,000
 Sri Lanka (details) 20,264,000 6.1%[187] 1,237,000
 Sudan (details) 31,000,000 1% 300,000
 Suriname (details) 551,000 21.6%[188] 119,000
 Swaziland (details) 1,100,000 4.9%[12] 62,803
 Sweden (details) 10,000,000 1.8% 180,000
  Switzerland (details) 8,900,000 32.1%[189] 2,850,000
 Syria (details) 18,448,752 2.1%[11] 368,975
 Taiwan (details) 22,894,384 1.3% 297,626
 Tajikistan (details) 7,163,506 0.01% <1,000[12]
 Tanzania (details) 65,642,000[190] 25.6[191]–31.4%[192] 16,604,000–20,611,000
 Thailand (details) 69,000,000 0.3%[12]–0.58%[193][194] 388,468[195][196]
 Togo (details) 5,681,519 26.4%[12] 1,499,921
 Tonga (details) 102,000 15.6%[11] 15,912
 Trinidad and Tobago (details) 1,330,000 21.6%[197] 286,000
 Tunisia (details) 11,000,000 0.2% 22,000
 Turkey (details) 77,700,000 0.05% 35,000
 Turkmenistan (details) 4,750,000 0.01%[198] 500
 Tuvalu (details) 10,000 1% 100
 Uganda (details) 47,729,000[199] 39.3%[200]–45%[201] 18,757,000–21,478,000
 Ukraine (details) 43,000,000 5.6%[12]–10%[202][203][204] 2,408,000–4,300,000
 United Arab Emirates (details) 2,563,212 5% 128,160
 United Kingdom (details) 63,100,000 9%[205][206][207][208] 5,700,000
 United States (details) 336,000,000 20%[209]21%[210][211]–22%[212][213][214][215][216]–23%[217]–25%[218] 67,257,000–70,614,000–73,977,000–77,339,000–84,065,000
 Uruguay (details) 3,500,000 38%[36]–41%[219]–42%[46]–47.1%[11] 1,330,000
 Uzbekistan (details) 26,851,195 0.01% 2,685
 Vatican City (details) 842 100% 842
 Vanuatu (details) 243,304 13.1%[11] 36,500
 Venezuela (details) 32,000,000 64.2%[32]–67%[36]–71%[220]–73%[13] 20,000,000–23,360,000
 Vietnam (details) 96,208,984 6.1%[221] 5,868,748
 Western Sahara (details) 273,008 0.06% 163
 Yemen (details) 20,727,063 0.02% 4,145
 Zambia (details) 14,300,000 21%[12] 3,003,000
 Zimbabwe (details) 12,746,990 7.71% 982,792
Total 8,000,000,000[222][223] 13.57%–17.68% 1,085,600,000–1,420,400,000
Close

By dependent territory

More information Territory, Total population ...
Catholic Church by territory
Territory Total population  % Catholic Catholic total
 U.S. Virgin Islands (details) 109,840 34%[11] 37,345
 Anguilla (details) 14,108 5.7%[11] 804
 Aruba (details) 101,484 75.3%[224] 76,464
 British Virgin Islands (details) 24,041 9.5%[11] 2,283
 Cayman Islands (details) 47,862 14.1%[11] 6,748
 Curaçao (details) 142,180 72.8%[11] 103,507
 Falkland Islands (details) 3,000 10% 300
 French Guiana (details) 221,500 75% 166,500
 Greenland (details) 55,984 0.2%[12] 111
 Guadeloupe (details) 405,500 85.2%[11] 345,486
 Guam (details) 154,623 85%[11] 131,430
 Northern Mariana Islands (details) 51,659 64.1%[11] 33,113
 Hong Kong (details) 7,409,800 5.3% 394,000[225]
 Martinique (details) 390,000 80% 312,000
 Macau (details) 650,000 4.6%[226] 30,000
 New Caledonia (details) 249,000 60.2%[11] 150,000
 Puerto Rico (details) 3,600,000 56%[227]-85%[228] 2,000,000-3,060,000
 Réunion (details) 839,500 79.7%[44] 669,249
 Saint Pierre and Miquelon (details) 6,025 93%[12] 5,600
 Turks and Caicos Islands (details) 22,352 11.4%[11] 2,548
 Wallis and Futuna (details) 14,231 95.8% 13,631
Close

By region

These percentages were calculated by using the above numbers. The first percentage, 4th column, is the percentage of population that is Catholic in a region (number in the region x 100 / total population of the region). The last column shows the national Catholic percentage compared to the total Catholic population of the world (number in the region x 100 / total RC population of the world).

Africa

More information Region, Total population ...
Catholic Church in Africa
Region Total population Catholic  % Catholic  % of global Catholic pop.
Central Africa 83,121,055 37,353,218 44.93% 3.47%
East Africa 193,741,900 34,872,130 17.99% 3.24%
North Africa 202,151,323 2,369,490 1.17% 0.22%
Southern Africa 137,092,019 24,463,640 17.84% 2.27%
West Africa 268,997,245 36,152,847 13.43% 3.36%
Total 885,103,542 135,211,325 15.27% 12.57%
Close

Americas

More information Region, Total population ...
Catholic Church in the Americas
Region Total population Catholic  % Catholic  % of global Catholic pop.
Caribbean 24,364,622 19,062,198 78.23% 1.77%
Central America 42,883,849 32,317,384 75.36% 3.00%
North America 448,587,847 173,212,640 38.61% 16.11%
South America 371,363,897 299,570,011 80.66% 27.87%
Total 887,200,215 524,162,233 59.08% 48.75%
Close

Asia

More information Region, Total population ...
Catholic Church in Asia
Region Total population Catholic  % Catholic  % of global Catholic pop.
Central Asia 92,019,166 199,086 1.23% 0.01%
East Asia 1,528,384,440 13,853,142 0.90% 1.28%
South Asia 1,437,326,682 20,107,050 1.39% 1.87%
Southeast Asia 571,337,070 86,701,421 15.17% 8.06%
Total 3,629,067,358 120,860,699 3.33% 11.24%
Close

Europe

More information Region, Total population ...
Catholic Church in Europe
Region Total population Catholic  % Catholic  % of global Catholic pop.
Southeast Europe 65,903,464 6,562,775 9.95% 0.61%
Central Europe 74,591,476 56,787,176 74.8% 5.19%
Eastern Europe 228,118,665 9,702,334 4.25% 0.90%
Western Europe 381,458,905 211,466,942 55.43% 19.67%
Total 730,072,510 285,916,457 37.85% 26.37%
Close

Middle East

More information Region, Total population ...
Catholic Church in the Middle East
Region Total population Catholic  % Catholic  % of global Catholic pop.
Middle East 260,026,365 2,990,571 1.15% 0.27%
Close

Oceania

More information Region, Total population ...
Catholic Church in Oceania
Region Total population Catholic  % Catholic  % of global Catholic pop.
Oceania 30,686,468 7,747,654 25.24% 0.72%
Close

See also

References

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