There are now more Catholics in Africa than in Europe, the Vatican says

Africa now has more Catholics than Europe, according to Vatican statistics published by the Fides news agency, Reuters reports.

At the end of June 2024, Africa accounted for 20.3 per cent of the world’s Catholics, against 20.2 per cent for Europe. The data marks the first time Africa has overtaken Europe in these statistics, making it the second-largest centre of Catholicism behind the Americas, according to Reuters, which cited the Vatican figures.

The Americas remain home to the largest share, at 47.7 per cent. Asia accounts for 11 per cent and Oceania 0.8 per cent. Together, the Americas, Africa and Europe account for roughly 88 per cent of all Catholics.

The world’s Catholic population stood at 1.422 billion, or 17.8 per cent of the global population, up 0.1 percentage point on the previous year. At the end of June 2023, there were 1.405 billion Catholics. Europe’s share then was 20.4 per cent, while Africa’s was about 20 per cent, meaning Europe’s share has slipped by 0.2 percentage points.

Fides also counted 5,525 bishops and 407,421 priests worldwide. The number of priests rose by 425, the first increase in five years, Reuters reported.