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.

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.

Except for Uruguay, over 60 percent of the population in all the selected Latin American countries defined themselves as Catholics in 2000. However, by 2023, that was the case in only three countries: Mexico, Peru and Colombia. Over this 20-year period, Panama experienced the largest decrease in the share of Catholic believers, plummeting from 82.8 to 33.4 percent.

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.

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 20 countries was 31 percent. The highest value was in Cape Verde: 87.8 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.

aCatholic populations by country from http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/country/sc1.html[4].bOnly the top 31 Catholic countries with more than 5 million Catholics and countries in which at least 50% of the population is Catholic are included (as well as Canada and Uganda, each with more than 40% Catholic population), which excludes India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Vietnam.cFrom [6], [7].dFrom [8], [9].eFrom [10], [11].fChagas disease is found in every South American and Central American country listed [5].gFrom [31].

NOTES:*Antarctica is included under the jurisdiction of the Christchurch, NZ diocese and therefore the Christchurch boundary and statistics are included in information about Antarctica.Global Diocesan Boundaries:Burhans, M., Bell, J., Burhans, D., Carmichael, R., Cheney, D., Deaton, M., Emge, T. Gerlt, B., Grayson, J., Herries, J., Keegan, H., Skinner, A., Smith, M., Sousa, C., Trubetskoy, S. “Diocesean Boundaries of the Catholic Church” [Feature Layer]. Scale not given. Version 1.2. Redlands, CA, USA: GoodLands Inc., Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc., 2016.Using: ArcGIS. 10.4. Version 10.0. Redlands, CA: Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc., 2016.Boundary ProvenanceStatistics and Leadership DataCheney, D.M. “Catholic Hierarchy of the World” [Database]. Date Updated: August 2019. Catholic Hierarchy. Using: Paradox. Retrieved from Original Source.Catholic HierarchyAnnuario Pontificio per l’Anno .. Città del Vaticano :Tipografia Poliglotta Vaticana, Multiple Years.The data for these maps was extracted from the gold standard of Church data, the Annuario Pontificio, published yearly by the Vatican. The collection and data development of the Vatican Statistics Office are unknown. GoodLands is not responsible for errors within this data. We encourage people to document and report errant information to us at data@good-lands.org or directly to the Vatican.World Regional BoundariesCredits: Esri; Global Mapping International, Missions Database: Global Mapping International; United States Central Intelligence AgencyThis layer represents the boundaries for the regions of the world. There are 25 commonly recognized world regions. The layer provides a base map of the regions for the world, providing a straightforward method of selecting a small multi-country area for display or study. The layer is suitable for display to a largest scale of 1:15,000,000.To download the data for this layer as a layer package for use in ArcGIS desktop applications, please refer to World Regions.Additional information about regular changes in bishops and sees comes from a variety of public diocesan and news announcements.GoodLands’ polygon data layers, version 2.0 for global ecclesiastical boundaries of the Roman Catholic Church:Although care has been taken to ensure the accuracy, completeness and reliability of the information provided, due to this being the first developed dataset of global ecclesiastical boundaries curated from many sources it may have a higher margin of error than established geopolitical administrative boundary maps. Boundaries need to be verified with appropriate Ecclesiastical Leadership. The current information is subject to change without notice. No parties involved with the creation of this data are liable for indirect, special or incidental damage resulting from, arising out of or in connection with the use of the information. We referenced 1960 sources to build our global datasets of ecclesiastical jurisdictions. Often, they were isolated images of dioceses, historical documents and information about parishes that were cross checked. These sources can be viewed here:https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11ANlH1S_aYJOyz4TtG0HHgz0OLxnOvXLHMt4FVOS85Q/edit#gid=0To learn more or contact us please visit: https://good-lands.org/

Philippines Population: RA: Roman Catholic data was reported at 80,304,061.000 Person in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 92,097,978.000 Person for 2010. Philippines Population: RA: Roman Catholic data is updated yearly, averaging 80,304,061.000 Person from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2015, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 92,097,978.000 Person in 2010 and a record low of 61,862,898.000 Person in 2000. Philippines Population: RA: Roman Catholic data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Philippine Statistics Authority. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Philippines – Table PH.G003: Population: Religious: Affiliation.

Among the recognized 267 popes of the Catholic Church, the vast majority of them had *****************************. The last ******* pope was John Paul I, who died in 1978. ****** had ** popes, the second-largest number in history, with the last one being Gregory XI, who died in 1378. On April 21st, 2025, Francis, the first Argentinian pope, died after twelve years of pontificate. On May 9th, 2025, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected as the 267th pope of the Catholic Church with the name Leo XIV. He is the second pope from the American continent and the ********************************, as he was born in *****************, in 1955. He holds Peruvian citizenship, too.

Historically, Portugal has been a country of Catholics. The 2021 census demonstrated that this trend has not been inverted, as over 80 percent of the population in Portugal identified as Catholic. Protestant or Evangelic believers accounted for more than two percent of the population, while Jehovah's Witnesses constituted one percent of residents. Among non-Christian faiths, Muslims were the most representative group, making up 0.42 percent of the population.

Religious but generally not practicing the faith

In the same year, Catholics numbered more than seven million people spread throughout the country, conquering the religious majority in the mainland and in the two autonomous regions. Citizens without religion totaled more than 1.2 million, which made of them the second most numerous religious group in Portugal. Young people presented the same religious trend, with young Catholics being the most representative group, followed by non-religious. Among youngsters, the attendance of religious events was mostly conducted occasionally, while a quarter did not participate in such proceedings at all.

The contribute of immigration to the growth of Evangelical Christianity

Despite being the minority, non-Catholic Christian and non-Christian faiths have been growing in Portugal. In 2011, Evangelical believers totaled 75.6 thousand, more than doubling ten years after. Such growth was partially motivated by the increase in Brazilian immigration, as more than 61 percent of new members of Evangelical churches in 2023 were of Brazilian origin. In fact, Brazil was the place of origin of almost 82 percent of all the immigrant Evangelical Christians residing in Portugal. However, more than a quarter of new Evangelical Christians were Portuguese, which shows that other religions, namely Christian Catholicism, have been losing members to Evangelical Catholicism.

Singapore Population: Religion: Christianity: Catholic data was reported at 220.900 Person th in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 219.133 Person th for 2010. Singapore Population: Religion: Christianity: Catholic data is updated yearly, averaging 219.133 Person th from Jun 2000 (Median) to 2015, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 220.900 Person th in 2015 and a record low of 118.980 Person th in 2000. Singapore Population: Religion: Christianity: Catholic data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Department of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Singapore – Table SG.G002: Population by Religion .

Spain has a long history of Islamic tradition under its belt. From cuisine to architecture, the southern European country has been linked to the North of Africa through many common elements. At the end of 2023, there were approximately 2.41 million Muslims in Spain, most of them of Spanish and Moroccan nationality, with upwards of eight hundred thousand believers in both cases. With a Muslim population of more than 660,000 people, Catalonia was home to the largest Muslim community in Spain as of the same date.

The not so Catholic Spain

Believers of a religion other than Catholicism accounted for approximately 3 percent of the Spanish population, according to the most recent data. Although traditionally a Catholic country, Spain saw a decline in the number of believers over the past years. Compared to previous years, when the share of believers accounted for slightly over 70 percent of the Spanish population, the Catholic community lost ground, while still being the major religion for the foreseable future.

A Catholic majority, a practicing minority

Going to mass is no longer a thing in Spain, or so it would seem when looking at the latest statistics about the matter: 50 percent of those who consider themselves Catholics almost never attend any religious service in 2024. The numbers increased until 2019, from 55.5 percent of the population never attending religious services in 2011 to 63.1 percent in 2019. The share of population that stated to be practicing believers and go to mass every Sunday and on the most important holidays accounted for only 15.5 percent.

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.

Singapore Population: Religion: Female: Christianity: Catholic data was reported at 122.800 Person th in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 119.050 Person th for 2010. Singapore Population: Religion: Female: Christianity: Catholic data is updated yearly, averaging 119.050 Person th from Jun 2000 (Median) to 2015, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 122.800 Person th in 2015 and a record low of 66.079 Person th in 2000. Singapore Population: Religion: Female: Christianity: Catholic data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Department of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Singapore – Table SG.G002: Population by Religion .

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.

Integrated Geodatabase: The Global Catholic Foortprint of Healthcare and WelfareBurhans, Molly A., Mrowczynski, Jon M., Schweigel, Tayler C., and Burhans, Debra T., Wacta, Christine. The Catholic Foortprint of Care Around the World (1). GoodLands and GHR Foundation, 2019.Catholic Statistics Numbers:Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae – Statistical Yearbook of the Church: 1980 – 2018. LIBRERIA EDITRICE VATICAN.Historical Country Boundary Geodatabase:Weidmann, Nils B., Doreen Kuse, and Kristian Skrede Gleditsch. The Geography of the International System: The CShapes Dataset. International Interactions 36 (1). 2010.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03050620903554614GoodLands created a significant new data set for GHR and the UISG of important Church information regarding orphanages and sisters around the world as well as healthcare, welfare, and other child care institutions. The data were extracted from the gold standard of Church data, the Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae, published yearly by the Vatican. It is inevitable that raw data sources will contain errors. GoodLands and its partners are not responsible for misinformation within Vatican documents. We encourage error reporting to us at data@good-lands.org or directly to the Vatican.GoodLands worked with the GHR Foundation to map Catholic Healthcare and Welfare around the world using data mined from the Annuarium Statisticum Eccleasiea. GHR supported the data development and GoodLands independently invested in the mapping of information.The workflows and data models developed for this project can be used to map any global, historical country-scale data in a time-series map while accounting for country boundary changes. GoodLands created proprietary software that enables mining the Annuarium Statisticum Eccleasiea (see Software and Program Library at our home page for details).The GHR Foundation supported data extraction and cleaning of this information.GoodLands’ supported the development of maps, infographics, and applications for all healthcare data.

Integrated Geodatabase: The Global Catholic Foortprint of Healthcare and WelfareBurhans, Molly A., Mrowczynski, Jon M., Schweigel, Tayler C., and Burhans, Debra T., Wacta, Christine. The Catholic Foortprint of Care Around the World (1). GoodLands and GHR Foundation, 2019.Catholic Statistics Numbers:Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae – Statistical Yearbook of the Church: 1980 – 2018. LIBRERIA EDITRICE VATICAN.Historical Country Boundary Geodatabase:Weidmann, Nils B., Doreen Kuse, and Kristian Skrede Gleditsch. The Geography of the International System: The CShapes Dataset. International Interactions 36 (1). 2010.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03050620903554614GoodLands created a significant new data set for GHR and the UISG of important Church information regarding orphanages and sisters around the world as well as healthcare, welfare, and other child care institutions. The data were extracted from the gold standard of Church data, the Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae, published yearly by the Vatican. It is inevitable that raw data sources will contain errors. GoodLands and its partners are not responsible for misinformation within Vatican documents. We encourage error reporting to us at data@good-lands.org or directly to the Vatican.GoodLands worked with the GHR Foundation to map Catholic Healthcare and Welfare around the world using data mined from the Annuarium Statisticum Eccleasiea. GHR supported the data development and GoodLands independently invested in the mapping of information.The workflows and data models developed for this project can be used to map any global, historical country-scale data in a time-series map while accounting for country boundary changes. GoodLands created proprietary software that enables mining the Annuarium Statisticum Eccleasiea (see Software and Program Library at our home page for details).The GHR Foundation supported data extraction and cleaning of this information.GoodLands’ supported the development of maps, infographics, and applications for all healthcare data.

Based on the 2020 census, the majority of Filipino households were affiliated with the Roman Catholic religion, accounting for about 79 percent. Meanwhile, the share of the Muslim population was 6.4 percent. The Philippines is one of the countries in the world with the highest population professing the Catholic faith, after Brazil and Mexico.

Singapore Population: Religion: Male: Christianity: Catholic data was reported at 98.100 Person th in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 100.083 Person th for 2010. Singapore Population: Religion: Male: Christianity: Catholic data is updated yearly, averaging 98.100 Person th from Jun 2000 (Median) to 2015, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 100.083 Person th in 2010 and a record low of 52.901 Person th in 2000. Singapore Population: Religion: Male: Christianity: Catholic data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Department of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Singapore – Table SG.G002: Population by Religion .