The Holy See has published the Anuario Pontificio 2026 and the Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae 2024, which collect the main data on the life of the Church in the world. The figures show that the number of Catholics continues to grow and remains at 17.8% of the world population.
In 2024, there are just over 1.422 billion faithful, compared to approximately 1.406 billion registered in 2023, representing an increase of 1.14%, in line with global demographic growth.
Along with this increase, the Yearbook also notes some changes in the structure of the Church. During 2025, six episcopal sees were elevated to metropolitan status and eight new dioceses were erected.
More pastoral agents and slight increase in clergy
The number of people dedicated to apostolic activities rises to 4,464,622, an increase of 0.7% compared to the previous year, reflecting the breadth of pastoral action worldwide.
Regarding the clergy, there are 465,048 ordained ministers in the world: 5,525 bishops, 407,421 priests, and 52,102 permanent deacons. The number of priests grows slightly—425 more than in 2023—mainly due to the increase in diocesan priests, while religious priests remain stable.
Permanent deacons continue to be the group with the highest proportional growth, with an increase of 1.3%.
Decline in consecrated life and vocations
The data reflect, however, some downward trends. Non-priest religious brothers number 48,511, a decrease of 0.5%. Professed religious sisters also decline by 0.5%, reaching 589,423.
More pronounced is the decline in secular institutes, whose members decrease by 1.8%, to 18,177.
In the area of priestly vocations, the trend is similarly negative. The number of seminarians drops from 106,495 in 2023 to 103,604 in 2024, a fall of 2.72%.
Greater presence of the laity in the life of the Church
In contrast to these declines, other realities linked to the apostolate are growing. Lay missionaries increase by 4.2%, reaching 463,079, while catechists remain the largest group, with nearly 2.9 million worldwide.
These figures reflect a greater role for the laity in the transmission of the faith, especially in contexts where the number of priests is limited.
Evolution of the sacraments
Regarding sacramental life, in 2024 there were 13,065,918 baptisms, with a slight decrease of 0.6%. The number of marriages celebrated with Catholic rite rose to 1,818,998.
Meanwhile, 9,194,143 faithful received First Communion (+1.1%) and 7,823,882 the sacrament of Confirmation (+1.7%).
A growing Church, but with challenges
Overall, the data from the Pontifical Yearbook show a Church that continues to grow in the number of faithful and maintains its weight in the world population, but at the same time faces evident challenges, especially in the area of vocations and the decline in some sectors of consecrated life.