Africa now has more Catholics than Europe, the Vatican has said.
Figures released on Friday by Fides, the Vatican’s news agency, showed there were 1.422 billion Catholics worldwide as of end-June 2024, representing 17.8% of the global population, up 0.1% year-on-year.
Of the total, 20.3% live in Africa and 20.2% in Europe, while the Americas account for 47.7%, Asia 11% and Oceania 0.8%.
This marks a shift from the previous year. As of end-June 2023, there were 1.405 billion Catholics globally, with about 20% in Africa and 20.4% in Europe.
Fides also counted 5,525 bishops worldwide and 407,421 priests. The number of priests rose by 425, the first increase in five years.
