Vatican: There are now more Catholics in Africa than in Europe — Cyprus Mail

The Vatican has reported that there are now more Catholics in Africa than in Europe. According to Catholic Church statistics published by the Fides agency, as of the end of June 2024, Africa was home to 20.3% of all Catholics worldwide, while Europe accounted for 20.2%. Cyprus Mail reports.

Number of Catholics worldwide

As of the end of June 2024, the total number of Catholics worldwide stood at 1.422 billion. This represents 17.8% of the planet's population and is 0.1% higher than a year earlier.

The largest share of Catholics, 47.7%, lives in the Americas. Asia accounts for 11% of the world's Catholics, while Oceania accounts for 0.8%.

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Comparison with the previous year

According to statistics for June 2023, there were 1.405 billion Catholics worldwide. At that time, Africa was home to about 20% of Catholics, while Europe accounted for 20.4%.

Fides also counted 5,525 bishops and 407,421 priests worldwide. The number of priests increased by 425, for the first time in five years.