Catholic Church global population reaches 1.422 billion

According to the 2026 Catholic Church Statistics dossier released by the Vatican’s Fides News Agency, the global Catholic population has reached 1.422 billion, representing 17.8% of the world's population. This marks an increase of 16.69 million people compared to the previous year.

Growth was recorded on every continent. Africa saw the highest increase with 7.58 million new adherents, followed by the Americas with 6.99 million. The Americas remain the region with the largest Catholic population at 678.87 million, while Africa has surpassed Europe to become the second-largest Catholic continent with 288.31 million followers.

For the first time in five years, the total number of priests worldwide increased slightly to 407,421. This growth was driven by increases in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, which offset declines in Europe and Oceania. However, the number of women religious and major seminarians continued to decline globally.