In 2022, there were around 1.39 billion Catholics worldwide, compared to 1.38 billion in 2021. In more than 20 years, the global Catholic population grew by approximately 194 million people. The Catholic population is growing fast in Africa and in the Americas, while it is declining in Europe.

Brazil is the largest Catholic country in the world, with an estimated Catholic population of 140 million, ahead of Mexico and the Philippines, with 101 million and 85 million Catholics, respectively. Nevertheless, Brazil's Catholic population is shrinking. By 2050, today's largest Catholic country could have a majority Protestant population.

In 2022, there were around 1.39 billion Catholics worldwide, approximately 17.7 percent of the total global population. Even though the Catholic population has increased in absolute numbers, the share of Catholics has always fluctuated around 17 percent since 2010.

The average for 2013 based on 84 countries was 43.2 percent. The highest value was in Poland: 95.2 percent and the lowest value was in Ethiopia: 0.6 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2013. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2022, there were 1.39 billion Catholics worldwide, compared to 1.38 billion in 2021. The largest population growth was recorded in Africa, where there were 7.27 million new Catholics in 2022, ahead of the Americas, where the Catholic population grew by six million people. The population declined only in Europe, where there were 474,000 fewer Catholics compared to 2021.

The Peter's Pence collects offerings to the Pope made by Catholics worldwide. Money is then redistributed to promote the Church's mission, such as evangelization, help to those in need, and support of social projects. In 2023, almost a third of all donations came from the U.S., where American believers offered 13.6 million euros to the Pope.

Financial overview and grant giving statistics of Southeast Catholic Worldwide Marriage Encounter Inc.

The Peter's Pence collects offerings to the Pope made by Catholics worldwide. Money is then redistributed to promote the Church's mission, such as evangelization, help to those in need, and support of social projects. In 2023, donations added up to almost 50 million euros, compared to 44 in 2021.

Based on the 2020 census, Region 5 or the Bicol Region registered the highest share of households who reported Roman Catholic as their religious affiliation at 93.5 percent. This was followed by Region 8 or Eastern Visayas with a share of 92.3 percent. In contrast, only five percent of households in BARMM were Roman Catholics. The Philippines is one of the countries in the world with the highest population professing the Catholic faith, after Brazil and Mexico.

This statistic shows the Rrgional distribution of Catholics in 2010. 23.9 percent of all Catholics worldwide lived in Europe.

This statistic shows the total population of Brazil from 2020 to 2023, with a forecast through 2030. In 2023, the total population of Brazil was estimated at around 211.7 million inhabitants. Population of Brazil Brazil has a surprisingly low (and decreasing) population growth rate; despite it being home to the largest number of Catholics in the world, the majority of women in Brazil use some form of contraception, which is often government-subsidized or free, even though the Catholic Church retains its stance that the use of contraceptives is inherently wrong. Within the space of just one generation, families have gone from having more than six children to having just one or two, and the share of Catholics in the population is dwindling, too. The influence of 'telenovelas' — the overwhelmingly popular soap operas often with strong women figures and fewer than three children — could also be helping shape the population’s view of what an ideal family is. The fertility rate in Brazil fell below the replacement rate in 2006 and is still decreasing. The impending population imbalance in Brazil can be seen in the decreasing lower tier of the country’s age distribution. This follows a trend similar to the one Japan and many European countries are experiencing, which are now facing the problems of providing for an aging population with fewer young and working taxpayers. The trend is not quite as extreme in Brazil, giving it time to prepare for the fallout of decreasing family size. This preparation will be important to help the country maintain its emerging economic strength, which is watched with interest by many economists who have said that Brazil’s is one to watch — thus its position as one of the pillars of the “big four” BRIC countries.

In 2021, around ***** percent of the population in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia were Catholics. Indonesia has the largest Islamic population in the world and therefore the largest Muslim nation. However, Indonesia is not a Muslim nation by constitution. The archipelago has *** official religions – Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism.

This statistic shows the Denomination of the Christian population worldwide by major traditions in 2010. About 50 percent of all Christians are Catholics.

In 2020, around 28.8 percent of the global population were identified as Christian. Around 25.6 percent of the global population identify as Muslims, followed by 14.9 percent of global populations as Hindu. The number of Muslims increased by 347 million, when compared to 2010 data, more than all other religions combined.

This statistic shows the estimated size of major Christian traditions in 2010. There are about 1 billion Catholics in the world in 2010.

In 2023, **** percent of Americans were unaffiliated with any religion. A further **** percent of Americans were White evangelical Protestants, and an additional **** percent were White mainline Protestants. Religious trends in the United States Although the United States is still home to the largest number of Christians worldwide, the nation has started to reflect a more diverse religious landscape in recent years. Americans now report a wide range of religious beliefs and backgrounds, in addition to an increasing number of people who are choosing to identify with no religion at all. Studies suggest that many Americans have left their previous religion to instead identify as atheist, agnostic, or nothing in particular, with many reasoning that they stopped believing in the religion's teachings, that they didn't approve of negative teachings or treatment of LGBTQ+ people, or that their family was never that religious growing up. Christian controversies Over the last few years, controversies linked to Christian denominations have plagued the nation, including reports of child sexual abuse by the Catholic Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the Southern Baptist Convention. Christian churches have also been accused of supporting discriminatory actions against LGBTQ+ people and people belonging to other religious groups. In addition, there have been increasing concerns about Christian nationalism, the political ideology that asserts that America was founded to be a Christian nation. Although the majority of Americans still think that declaring the United States a Christian nation would go against the U.S. Constitution, studies found that most Republicans would be in favor of this change.

This statistic shows the ten largest cities in Italy in 2025. In 2025, around 2.75 million people lived in Rome, making it the largest city in Italy. Population of Italy Italy has high population figures and a high population density in comparison to other European countries. A vast majority of Italians lives in urban areas and in the metropolises (as can be seen in this statistic), while other areas, such as the island Sardinia, are rather sparsely inhabited. After an increase a few years ago, Italy’s fertility rate, i.e. the average amount of children born to a woman of childbearing age, is now on a slow decline; however, it is still high enough to offset any significant effect the decrease might have on the country’s number of inhabitants. The median age of Italy’s population has been increasing rapidly over the past 50 years – which mirrors a lower mortality rate – and Italy is now among the countries with the highest life expectancy worldwide, only surpassed by two Asian countries, namely Japan and Hong Kong. Currently, the average life expectancy at birth in Italy is at about 83 years. Most of Italy’s population is of Roman Catholic faith. The country actually boasts one of the largest numbers of Catholics worldwide; other such countries include Brazil, Mexico and the United States. The central government of the Roman Catholic Church, the Holy See, is located in Vatican City in the heart of Italy’s capital and ruled by the Bishop of Rome, the Pope. Officially, Vatican City does not belong to Italy, but is a sovereign state with its own legislation and jurisdiction. It has about 600 inhabitants, who are almost exclusively members of the clergy or government officials.

In 2023, over ** percent of Indonesians declared themselves to be Muslim, followed by *** percent who were Christians. Indonesia has the largest Islamic population in the world and for this reason is often recognized as a Muslim nation. However, Indonesia is not a Muslim nation according to its constitution. The archipelago is a multifaith country and officially recognizes six religions – Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism. Not all provinces in Indonesia are Muslim majority The spread of Islam in Indonesia began on the west side of the archipelago, where the main maritime trade routes were located. Until today, most of the Indonesian Muslim population are residing in Western and Central Indonesia, while the majority religion of several provinces in Eastern Indonesia, such as East Nusa Tenggara and Bali, is Christian and Hindu, respectively. Discrimination towards other beliefs in Indonesia The Indonesian constitution provides for freedom of religion. However, the Government Restrictions Index Score on religion in Indonesia is relatively high. Indonesians who practice unrecognized religions, including Indonesia’s indigenous or traditional belief systems, such as animism, dynamism, and totemism, face legal restrictions and discrimination. Indonesian law requires its citizens to put one of the recognized religions on their national identity cards, with some exceptions for indigenous religions. Although legally citizens may leave the section blank, atheism or agnosticism is considered uncommon in Indonesia.

The footnotes in the table are represented in brackets. The first footnote does not appear in the table.Footnotes: 1 For the 2011 National Household Survey (NHS) estimates, the global non-response rate (GNR) is used as an indicator of data quality. This indicator combines complete non-response (household) and partial non-response (question) into a single rate. The value of the GNR is presented to users. A smaller GNR indicates a lower risk of non-response bias and as a result, lower risk of inaccuracy. The threshold used for estimates' suppression is a GNR of 50% or more. For more information, please refer to the National Household Survey User Guide, 2011.2 Non-immigrant refers to a person who is a Canadian citizen by birth.3 Immigrant refers to a person who is or has ever been a landed immigrant/permanent resident. This person has been granted the right to live in Canada permanently by immigration authorities. Some immigrants have resided in Canada for a number of years, while others have arrived recently. Some immigrants are Canadian citizens, while others are not. Most immigrants are born outside Canada, but a small number are born in Canada. In the 2011 National Household Survey, 'Immigrants' includes immigrants who landed in Canada prior to May 10, 2011.4 Includes immigrants who landed in Canada prior to May 10, 2011.5 Non-permanent resident refers to a person from another country who has a work or study permit, or who is a refugee claimant, and any non-Canadian-born family member living in Canada with them.6 Catholic, n.i.e. includes, for example, Polish Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Syrian Catholic, Catholic not included elsewhere, etc.7 Churches of Christ/Christian Churches includes Disciples of Christ.8 Community of Christ was formerly known as 'Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.'9 Grace Communion International was formerly known as 'Worldwide Church of God.'10 Wesleyan includes Standard Church.11 Christian, n.i.e. includes those who report only 'Christian' and Christian religions not included elsewhere such as Born Again Christian, Apostolic not included elsewhere, Messianic Jew, Hutterite, etc.