Ethan Walker
Catholicism is the world's largest non-government provider of education and health care, with a presence in almost every country. While Europe was once the home of the world's largest Catholic populations, the number of Catholics in Africa has been increasing. In fact, the Catholic Church in Africa has grown by 20 times since 1980. The Democratic Republic of Congo is the fourth most populous country in Africa and, with 55% of its population being Catholic, it is one of the most Catholic countries on the continent. Other African countries with high Catholic populations include Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, and Angola.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Country with the largest number of Catholics | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Percentage of Catholics in the country | 55% |
| Country with the highest rate of Mass attendance in the world | Nigeria |
| Rate of Mass attendance in the country | 94% |
| Second highest rate of Mass attendance in the world | Kenya |
| Rate of Mass attendance in the country | 73% |
| One of the reasons for the presence of the Catholic Church in Africa | French colonisation of several countries in Africa |
| Catholic Church membership in Africa | Rose from 2 million in 1900 to 140 million in 2000 |
| Catholic Church membership in Africa in 2005 | Approximately 135 million |
| Countries that would make the list of most Catholic countries if the list were to be expanded by five more | Uganda, Tanzania, and Angola |
| Country with the largest number of baptised Catholics in Europe | Italy |
| Rank of Italy in the world | Fifth |
| North African men who were popes | Pope Victor I, Pope Miltiades, and Pope Gelasius I |
| North African country with a Christian community recorded in 1114 | Qal'a in central Algeria |
| Reason for higher Catholicism in Central Africa | Colonisation by Catholic countries |
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What You'll Learn
Catholic Church growth in Africa
The Catholic Church in Africa is part of the worldwide Catholic Church and is in full communion with the Holy See in Rome. Christian activity in Africa began in the 1st century when the Patriarchate of Alexandria in Egypt was formed as one of the four original Patriarchs of the East. However, the Islamic conquest in the 7th century resulted in a harsh decline in Christianity in Northern Africa. Outside the Islamic majority parts of Northern Africa, the presence of the Catholic Church has grown in modern times. One reason for this is the French colonisation of several countries in Africa. Catholic Church membership rose from 2 million in 1900 to 140 million in 2000 and further increased to 158 million in 2009. By 2025, one-sixth of the world's Catholics (230 million) are expected to be Africans.
Africa is one of the fastest-growing regions for the Catholic Church, with millions of new baptisms and an increase in vocations annually. The Catholic population in Africa has grown significantly, from around 185 million in 2013 to an estimated 230 million by the end of 2025. The continent is increasingly important for the Holy See, with vocations still on the rise and the number of priests increasing by more than 1600, in contrast to Europe and America, where the number is decreasing.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the most Catholic countries in Africa, with 55% of its population being Catholic. Other countries with high rates of Mass attendance include Nigeria, where 94% of Catholics reported going to Mass at least once a week, and Kenya, with 73%. The world's largest seminary is also in Nigeria, and Africa produces a large percentage of the world's priests.
The Catholic Church in Africa faces several challenges, including tribal conflicts, religious syncretism, polygamy, and the rise of Islamic militant groups such as Boko Haram. However, African Catholics believe that their culture's commitment to community, family, religiosity, and the complementarity of the sexes are needed antidotes to problems in the West. Pope Francis has also played a significant role in shaping the Church in Africa, having undertaken five trips to the continent to address both economic and spiritual issues.
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Catholic Mass attendance in Africa
Africa is rapidly becoming the centre of gravity of global Catholicism. While Europe was historically the home of the world's largest Catholic populations, this is no longer the case. The Catholic Church in Africa has grown by 20 times since 1980, and the continent now has an extremely high rate of Mass attendance.
According to the World Christian Database, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the fourth-largest country in Africa by population and has the highest proportion of Catholics, at 55%. The DRC is also responsible for the second-highest number of priestly ordinations in Africa, with 133 ordained in 2019. However, survey data for the DRC can be challenging to collect due to violence and political instability.
Nigeria has the highest rate of Catholic Mass attendance in Africa, with 94% of Catholics reporting that they attend Mass at least once a week. This translates to 30.5 million Catholics. In comparison, the five largest Catholic countries in Western Europe (Italy, Spain, France, Germany, and Portugal) collectively have about 30.4 million Catholics who attend Mass every Sunday. Kenya has the second-highest rate of Mass attendance in Africa, with 73% of Catholics attending Mass at least weekly. Lebanon has the third-highest rate globally, with 69%, followed by the Philippines at 56%.
Uganda, with a Catholic population of 34 million, would have approximately 28.4 million weekly Mass-goers, or 38% more than Colombia, which has a similar Catholic population of 36 million but a lower Mass attendance rate of 54%.
While Africa has an extremely high rate of Mass attendance, it struggles with issues of poverty and political instability. As a result, it may take time for numbers related to Church leadership to catch up with the number of Mass-goers and ordinations. As of January 2023, Europe had 3.4 times as many voting cardinals as Africa, despite ordaining fewer priests and seeing fewer Catholics at Mass each week. However, if current trends continue, this is expected to shift in the coming years.
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Pope Francis' visit to Africa
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the fourth-largest country in Africa by population and is one of the most Catholic countries on the continent, with 55% of its population identifying as Catholic. The country also has the largest number of Catholics in Africa, with an estimated 35 million people. In January 2023, Pope Francis visited the DRC, his third visit to Sub-Saharan Africa. During his visit, the Pope celebrated a special papal Mass in Kinshasa, the DRC's capital city, which was attended by more than 1 million people. The Pope's visit to the DRC symbolically called for peace and reconciliation in the country, which has been affected by conflict and political instability.
Pope Francis has made five trips to Africa since becoming the head of the Catholic Church in 2013, visiting 10 countries in total. His visits have focused on themes of peace, reconciliation, interfaith dialogue, and humanitarian efforts. He has also addressed issues such as poverty, inequality, and the challenges faced by migrants and refugees.
In addition to the DRC, Pope Francis has visited several other African countries, including South Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, the Central African Republic (CAR), Morocco, and Mauritius. In South Sudan, the Pope called for continued peace between rivals President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar. In Kenya, he addressed issues of poverty and inequality and held mass in a low-income neighbourhood in Nairobi. In Uganda, the Pope honoured the legacy of the Ugandan Martyrs and encouraged unity and service among the faithful. In the CAR, the Pope advocated for peace and opened the Holy Door in Bangui as a symbol of hope. In Morocco, he focused on interfaith dialogue and called for religious tolerance and respect for the rights of refugees and migrants. In Mauritius, the Pope celebrated mass at the Mary Queen of Peace Monument, the same location where Pope John Paul II celebrated the Eucharist during his visit in 1989.
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Christianity in North Africa
Christianity first reached Africa in Egypt around 50 AD. Mark the Evangelist became the first bishop of the Alexandrian Patriarchate around 43 AD. By the end of the 2nd century, the scriptures and liturgy had been translated into three local languages. The Nubian churches, established in the sixth century within the kingdoms of Nobatia, Makuria, and Alodia, were linked to those of Egypt.
Christianity also spread to northwestern Africa (now known as the Maghreb) and reached the region around Carthage by the end of the 2nd century. The churches there were linked to the Church of Rome, and several popes, including Pope Gelasius I, Pope Miltiades, and Pope Victor I, were Christian Berbers.
In the early 4th century, persecution of Christians in Egypt resumed under Emperor Diocletian. However, in the Ethiopian/Eritrean Kingdom of Aksum, King Ezana converted to Christianity and declared it the official religion, leading to the establishment of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. By the beginning of the 5th century, Northern Africa had numerous bishoprics, with 460 Catholic bishops attending a synod convened by the Vandal king in Carthage in 460 AD.
The arrival of the Portuguese in the 15th century marked another phase of Christianity in Africa. After the Reconquista, Christian Portuguese and Spanish forces captured several ports in North Africa.
The Islamic conquest in the 7th century led to a decline in Christianity in Northern Africa. The Arabs began conquering North Africa, and Carthage fell in 698 AD. The Roman church gradually declined alongside the local Latin dialect. However, there is evidence that Christianity persisted in some regions for centuries after the Arab conquest.
Local Catholicism faced pressure when Muslim fundamentalist regimes, such as the Almoravids and Almohads, came into power, and there are records of persecutions and forced conversions. Nonetheless, there were still four bishoprics in North Africa in the 14th century, and Berber Christians continued to live in Tunis and Nefzaoua in Tunisia until the early 15th century.
In modern times, the presence of the Catholic Church has grown in Africa, particularly in regions outside the Islamic majority areas of Northern Africa. French colonization also contributed to the expansion of Catholicism on the continent. Catholic Church membership in Africa increased significantly from 2 million in 1900 to 140 million in 2000.
Today, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the most Catholic countries in Africa, with 55% of its population identifying as Catholic. Nigeria also has a significant Catholic population, with 94% of Nigerian Catholics reporting that they attend Mass at least once a week.
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Catholic population in African countries
The Catholic Church in Africa is part of the worldwide Catholic Church and is in full communion with the Holy See in Rome. The presence of the Catholic Church in Africa has grown in the modern era, with membership rising from 2 million in 1900 to 140 million in 2000. By 2005, the Catholic Church in Africa, including Eastern Catholic Churches, embraced approximately 135 million of the 809 million people in Africa. By 2024, the Catholic population of Africa was 265 million and by 2025, one-sixth of the world's Catholics (230 million) are expected to be Africans.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one of the most Catholic countries in Africa, with 55% of its population being Catholic. Most other residents of the DRC are Protestant, with believers in Islam and other religions making up less than 5% of the population. To the northeast of the DRC, South Sudan is a smaller country with a slightly smaller Catholic population, with 51% of its population being Catholic.
Nigeria is also one of the top 15 countries by Catholic population, with 15% of its population being Catholic. 94% of Catholics in Nigeria attend Mass at least once a week, the highest rate in the world. The world's largest seminary is in Nigeria, which shares a border with Cameroon in western Africa, and Africa produces a large percentage of the world's priests.
Other African countries with high Catholic populations include Uganda, Tanzania, and Angola. The Catholic Church in Africa is facing strong competition from Pentecostal, Baptist, and Evangelical denominations.
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Frequently asked questions
The Democratic Republic of Congo is the fourth largest country in Africa in terms of population and at 55% Catholic, it is one of the most Catholic countries on the continent.
The presence of the Catholic Church has grown in modern Africa, outside of the Islamic-majority parts of North Africa. This is partly due to the French colonisation of several countries in Africa.
Some other countries with high rates of Mass attendance include Nigeria, Kenya, Cameroon, and South Sudan.
