According to The Pillar, the Catholic Church in Austria experienced a notable increase in Mass attendance and a reduction in the number of those who formally leave the faith in 2024.
The data, presented by the Austrian Episcopal Conference on September 17, show that participation in the so-called Zählsonntage (counting Sundays) rose to 366,210 faithful on the first day and 378,797 on the second, compared to 321,821 and 347,891 in 2023.
Although the figure remains below pre-pandemic levels—when half a million Catholics attended Sunday Mass—the trend marks a significant recovery after the COVID-19 crisis.
Vienna and Sankt Pölten lead the growth
Among the dioceses with the greatest increase, Sankt Pölten, led by Msgr. Alois Schwarz, stands out, which went from 40,193 and 42,652 attendees in 2023 to 63,520 and 46,179 in 2024. The Archdiocese of Vienna also recorded an increase from 56,906 and 63,157 to 78,806 and 84,621 faithful, awaiting a new archbishop following the resignation in January 2025 of Cardinal Christoph Schönborn.
These data confirm a revitalization of religious practice in the country’s main sees, despite the fact that secularization remains a constant challenge.
Fewer formal departures from the Church
The same report reveals that formal departures from the Church fell to 71,531 in 2024, compared to 85,163 in 2023 and 90,975 in 2022. In Austria, the apostasy process involves a procedure before local authorities, with the presentation of the baptismal certificate, and eliminates the obligation to pay the Kirchenbeitrag, the church tax equivalent to 1.1% of annual income.
Despite this reduction in faithful, income from this tribute grew to 539.4 million euros, compared to 511 million the previous year. One of the reasons, according to The Pillar, is the increase in salaries, which proportionally raised the contributions.
More re-admissions and new Catholics
Another positive figure is the increase in people who returned to the Church or were received as converts: 5,154 in 2024 compared to 4,575 in 2023. To facilitate this process, the Church in Austria launched the digital platform eintreten.at, which allows managing re-admission with a single click.
Although Austria does not experience the surge in adult baptisms seen in Belgium or France, these increased from 208 in 2023 to 255 in 2024. In contrast, infant baptisms decreased to 36,705, following the national demographic trend.
Sacraments and pastoral life
The sacraments reflect a mixed evolution: First Communions rose slightly from 45,132 to 45,685, while Church marriages fell from 8,228 to 7,537.
Regarding the clergy, Austria had 3,269 priests in 2024—1,619 diocesan, 1,193 religious, and 457 foreign—a stable figure compared to the last five years. In addition, laypeople in pastoral ministries grew to 1,463 from 1,409 in 2023.
Beyond the numbers: a Church that evangelizes
The data published by The Pillar are encouraging in terms of Mass attendance and re-admissions, but it would be a mistake to focus solely on the statistics. A living Church is not measured only in numbers, but in its capacity to evangelize and attract people to Christ.
As Benedict XVI recalled in his homily on May 13, 2005:
«The Church does not engage in proselytism. She grows much more by attraction: as Christ draws all to himself with the power of his love, which culminated in the sacrifice of the cross.»
Full temples are a sign of hope, but the true strength of the Church in Austria—and in any country—will depend on the holiness of its pastors and the faithful witness of the laity. Only a Church that lives in coherence with the Gospel can continue to call and convert hearts in a secularized society.