The Catholic population in Europe declined by nearly half a million in 2022, but continued to grow in all other parts of the world, according to data released this week by the Vatican.

According to numbers released by the Holy See’s Fides Agency, the Catholic population in Europe was just under 285.6 million at the end of 2022, a decrease of about 474,000 from 2021. This decline is in line with the overall reduction in Europe’s population, which recorded a net loss of 517,000. In 2022, Catholics still accounted for 39.5 percent of the European population, a decline of 0.08 percent. The decline of the Catholic population in Europe is a phenomenon that has been repeated for several years now.

Global Catholic Population Growth: Africa in the Spotlight

Despite the decline in Europe, the global Catholic population continues to grow. At the end of 2022, Catholics worldwide reached nearly 1.39 billion people, thanks to an increase of more than 13.7 million faithful. About 17.7 percent of the world’s population was Catholic, an increase of 0.03 percent.

In Africa, the Catholic population exceeded 272.4 million, a growth of more than 7.3 million, the largest increase of any continent. By 2022, 19.7 percent of Africans were Catholic, an increase of 0.32 percent, the largest percentage increase globally.

Vocation Crisis: Decline in Priests and Women Religious

The total number of Catholic priests worldwide has decreased for the fifth consecutive year, but some regions have seen an increase. At the end of 2022, there were about 407,730 priests in the Catholic Church, a net decrease of about 142 priests. Europe experienced the worst decrease with a loss of 2,745 priests, followed by the Americas with 164 fewer and Oceania with a decrease of 69 priests.

However, Africa and Asia saw an increase of 1,676 and 1,160 priests respectively, partially offsetting the global decline. The number of major seminarians also decreased by more than 1,400, with the most significant losses recorded in the Americas (921) and Europe (859).

At the same time, the number of women religious fell below 600,000, with a drop of 9,730 on a global scale, especially in Europe and the Americas.

Increase in Permanent Deacons and Catholic Presence in the World

In contrast to the decline in priestly vocations, the number of permanent deacons increased by 974 globally. Europe saw an increase of 267 deacons, while the Americas saw a decrease of 308.

Finally, the Americas surpassed 666.2 million Catholics in 2022, an increase of more than 5.9 million. Asia also saw an increase in its Catholic population, reaching 154.24 million, an increase of about 889,000 people.