The statistical yearbook of the Vatican registers an overall increase of 1,285 million of baptized Catholics in 2015. 49 per cent live in the Americas. For the first time since 2000, a decline of priests.
decline of priests.
In five years, Catholics in Asia, and especially in Africa, have grown from 15.5 per cent to 17.3 per cent of the world's total. European Catholicism declined both in relative terms (from 23.8 per cent in 2010 to 22.2 per cent in 2015) and, from year to year, in absolute terms (in 2015 Catholics were almost 286 million, they are just over 800 thousand compared to 2010 and 1.3 million less than in 2014). The American continent is still the most Catholic, with 49 per cent of the Catholic population on the planet. These are some of the data of the “Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae” 2015, published these days by the Vatican. These trends are also reflected in those of seminarians, priests and bishops. Globally, Catholics in the world increased by 1 per cent since 2014, from 1,272 million to 1,285 million, and by 7.4 per cent over 2010. The number of bishops and deacons worldwide is also increasing, while the number of Priests declined in 2015 compared to the previous year, reversing the positive trend that had been recorded from 2000 to 2014. The most Catholic country in the world remains Brazil, followed by Mexico, the Philippines, the United States, Italy, France, Colombia, Spain, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Argentina.
In 2015 the world's Catholics reached 1,285 million
A note, which anticipated some data from the the Pontifical Yearbook 2017 published by the Central Office of Statistics of the Church and printed by the Vatican Typography, indicates that the number of baptized Catholics, has been increasing at a planetary level, rising from 1,272 million In 2014 to 1,285 million in 2015, with a relative increase of 1 per cent. This figure represents 17.7 per cent of the total population of the world. If a medium-term approach is adopted, for example with reference to 2010 (thus covering the last two years of the Pontificate of Pope Benedict and the first three of the current Pontificate of Pope Francis), we can see a stronger growth, equivalent to 7.4 per cent.
The African boom and the European decline
From continent to continent there are relevant differences. Meanwhile, in Africa there has been an increase of 19.4 per cent (the number of Catholics rose from 186 to 222 million in the same period), there is a situation of stability in Europe (in 2015 Catholics were almost 286 million and are just over 800 thousand compared to 2010 and 1.3 million less than in 2014). In Latin America and Asia, the growth of Catholics is significant (+ 6.7 per cent and + 9.1 per cent respectively), but in tune with the demographic development of both continents.
No change, with obviously lower absolute values, in Oceania. If we take into account the relationship between baptized Catholics and the number of inhabitants, in 2015, we are going from 3.2 Catholics per 100 inhabitants in Asia to 63.7 in America. This relative number of Catholics in Africa is 19.4, in Oceania 26.4 and in Europe 39.9. In comparative terms, the weight of the African continent is confirmed, whose baptized faithful have increased from 15.5 per cent to 17.3 per cent of the total number of Catholics in the world. On the other hand, there has also been a sharp drop in the number of Europeans, from 23.8 per cent in 2010 to 22.2% in 2015. The American continent remains the home of most Catholics in the world, with 49% of baptized. On the other hand the percentage of the Asian continent is kept around 11 of the world's Catholics in 2015.
Brazil, the most Catholic country; Spanish, the most Catholic language
Brazil, out of all of the ten countries of the world with a greater number of baptized Catholics, is in first place (with 172.2 million, or 26 per cent of all Catholics in the American continent). Followed by Mexico (110.9 million), the Philippines (83.6 million), the United States (72.3 million), Italy (58 million), France (48.3 million), Colombia (43.3 million), Democratic Republic of Congo (43.2 million) and Argentina (40.8 million). The total amount of Catholics of the first ten countries of the list represents 717.9 million, that is to say 55.9 per cent of the Catholics of the world. Taking into account only the countries in which Spanish is spoken (not including all Spanish-speaking Catholics living in the United States), there are 240.3 million people.
Priests decline for the first time since 2000
The number of priests registered a decrease in 2015 compared to the previous year, thus reversing the trend that characterized the period between 2000 and 2014. The decrease between 2014 and 2015 was of 136 units and was recorded mainly in the European continent (- 2.502 units). On the other continents, there were positive changes from year to year: +1 133 in Africa, +47 in America, +1104 in Asia and +82 in Oceania. The global number of priests in the world during 2015, compared to 2010, increased 0.83 per cent (from 412,236 to 415,656 units). If in Africa and Asia there was a sustained trend (respectively + 17.4 per cent and + 13.3 per cent ) and in the Americas remained almost with the same numbers (+ 0.35 per cent ), in Europe and Oceania there was a rate of clearly negative variation in the same period, respectively -5.8 and -2 per cent. Diocesans together increased 1.6 per cent , but religious priests decreased by 0.8 per cent. Taking into account the relationship between the number of baptized present in the different continental areas and that of the priests, it is revealed that, while in 2010 each priest was attributed, on average, 2900 Catholics, in 2015 the number passed to 3091.
In America the situation is particularly critical, since the ratio of Catholics per priest exceeds 5,000 units and continues to increase over the period considered. The priestly presence is also weakened in Europe, although the latter has the most favorable relationship in absolute terms: with 1595 Catholics per priest. The situation of priests improves in Asia (from 2269 Catholics per priest to 2185), while in Africa it remains stable, with an estimated 5,000 Catholics per priest. In general terms, the number of clerics in the world was 466,215, with 5304 bishops, 415,656 priests and 45,255 permanent deacons.
The professed women religious constitute a population that shows a certain consistency: in 2015 they exceeded by 61 per cent the number of priests worldwide and and are currently in clear decline. At global level, they have decreased in number from 721,935 in 2010 to 670,320 in 2015, a relative diminution of 7.1 per cent.
