Michael Brooks
As of 2025, there are approximately 1.4 billion Catholics in the world, comprising 17.7% of the world's population. The Americas are home to the largest proportion of Catholics, accounting for 47.8% of the global total, with Brazil having the largest number of Catholics in the world. Africa has the second-largest share of Catholics, with 20% of the world's total, and the continent has experienced the most significant growth in recent years. Europe, which once housed two-thirds of all Catholics, now has only around 20% of the world's Catholic population. Asia is home to one in ten Catholics, with the Philippines and India registering notable numbers. The Catholic Church has expanded more in the last 100 years than at any other time in its 2,000-year history.
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What You'll Learn
Brazil has the largest Catholic population
Brazil's Catholic population is largely a result of its history. During the Empire of Brazil, Catholicism was the official religion of the country. In the late 19th century, a large number of Italian, Polish, and German Catholic immigrants arrived in Brazil, further reinforcing the Catholic population of Iberian origin. In 1889, Brazil became a republic and approved a constitution separating the Church from the State, a trend followed by all of the country's seven republican constitutions. Despite this, the Church has remained politically influential, and government officials generally avoid taking actions that may offend the Church, which represents a large majority of citizens.
In recent years, there has been a notable decline in the number of Catholics in Brazil, with the percentage of the population identifying as Catholic decreasing from 99.71% in 1872 to 56.7% in 2022. This decline has been accompanied by a rise in the number of Protestants, people with no religious affiliation, and followers of other faiths, particularly in impoverished urban areas. The Catholic Church in Brazil has struggled to adapt to the country's changing demographics and has faced challenges such as a shortage of priests and scandals involving pedophilia.
Despite the decline, Brazil remains the country with the largest Catholic population in the world. The faith practiced in Brazil is heavily influenced by centuries-old Portuguese traditions, as well as African and Native Brazilian usage. Popular traditions include pilgrimages to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, the patron saint of Brazil, and religious festivals like the "Círio de Nazaré" in Belém and the "Festa do Divino" in Central Brazil.
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The US has more Catholics than all but three countries
Catholicism is one of the most widely practised religions in the world. It is a division of Christianity, the largest religion globally. Over the past century, the number of Catholics worldwide has more than tripled, and they currently make up about half of all Christians (50%) and 16% of the total global population. While the overall number of Catholics has increased, their geographic distribution has changed substantially. In 1910, Europe was home to about two-thirds of all Catholics, with nearly nine-tenths living in Europe (65%) or Latin America (24%). By 2010, only about a quarter of all Catholics (24%) were in Europe, with the largest share in Latin America and the Caribbean (39%).
The United States is home to about 7% of all Catholics in the world. As of 2010, an estimated 23% of US adults and 24% of the total US population were Catholic. The US has the fourth-highest number of Catholics of any country, with only Brazil, Mexico, and the Philippines having larger Catholic populations. While the overall number of US Catholics is high, their distribution varies across the country. For example, in the South, 44% of Catholics are White and 45% are Hispanic, while in the West, there are more Hispanic Catholics than White Catholics (58% vs. 27%).
The Catholic Church is the world's oldest continuously functioning international institution and is the largest non-government provider of education and healthcare. It oversees a vast network of charities, including 5,000 hospitals, 10,000 orphanages, 95,000 elementary schools, and 47,000 secondary schools. The Church is a communion of thousands of individual dioceses, religious orders, and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, each led by a patriarch or major archbishop in full communion with the Bishop of Rome (the Pope).
While the US has a large Catholic population, weekly Mass attendance is relatively low, with only about three-tenths of US Catholics (29%) saying they attend Mass weekly or more often. However, larger shares pray daily (51%) and consider religion very important in their lives (44%). Partisan affiliation varies among US Catholics, with about half of Catholic registered voters (53%) identifying with or leaning toward the Republican Party, while 43% affiliate with the Democratic Party.
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Catholics are one of the largest religious groups in the US
Catholicism is one of the largest religious groups in the United States. In 2018, the Roman Catholic Church was the country's second-largest religious grouping, after Protestantism, constituting 23% of the population. In absolute numbers, there were around 70-77.4 million Catholics in the US as of 2017, with this number increasing to 72 million in 2021. This makes the US the country with the fourth-largest Catholic population in the world.
The percentage of the US population that is Catholic has been relatively stable since 2014, hovering at around 20-22%. This is a slight decrease from previous years, with 24% of the population identifying as Catholic in 2007. The percentage of Catholics varies across the country, with the Northeast having the highest percentage at 24%, followed by the Midwest at 19%, the South at 32%, and the West at 25%.
The Catholic Church in the US is diverse, with a significant number of Hispanic, White, and Asian Catholics. In the South, 44% of Catholics are White, and 45% are Hispanic, while in the West, there are more Hispanic Catholics than White Catholics (58% vs. 27%). The West also has a relatively large population of Asian Catholics, at 10%. The Catholic population is aging, with a higher percentage of elderly individuals than young people. Retention rates among the youth are lower, with about 41% of those raised Catholic leaving the faith.
Catholicism has had a significant cultural, social, and political impact on the US. The religion grew rapidly in the 19th and 20th centuries due to high fertility rates and immigration, especially from Catholic-majority countries in Europe and Latin America. While church attendance has declined in recent years, with a decrease in the number of churches, the number of practicing Catholics increased nationwide from 2010 to 2020, indicating a geographic realignment in the way American Catholicism is practiced.
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Catholics make up 16% of the global population
Catholicism is a division of Christianity, the largest religion globally. Catholics make up 16% of the global population, or about half of all Christians worldwide. This percentage has remained remarkably stable over the past century, even as the world's population has risen rapidly. During this period, the number of Catholics worldwide has more than tripled, with significant growth in regions like sub-Saharan Africa and the Asia-Pacific.
Brazil has the largest Catholic population in the world, with an estimated 123 million to 140 million Catholics. However, the share of self-identified Catholics in Brazil has declined, dropping from approximately 74% in 2000 to about 65% in 2010. Mexico, the country with the second-largest Catholic population, has also seen a slight decrease in the percentage of its population that identifies as Catholic. The United States is home to about 7% of all Catholics globally, with an estimated 23% of US adults identifying as Catholic as of 2010.
The geographic distribution of Catholics has changed substantially over the past century. In 1910, Europe was home to about two-thirds of all Catholics, with nearly 90% living in Europe or Latin America. By 2010, only about a quarter of Catholics (24%) remained in Europe, while the largest share (39%) was in Latin America and the Caribbean. North America's share of the global Catholic population has increased more slowly, while the Middle East and North Africa, the ancient cradle of Christianity, continue to have a very small Catholic population.
The Catholic Church, the world's oldest continuously functioning international institution, is an "amalgam of parts" with thousands of dioceses, religious orders, and charities worldwide. It is the largest non-government provider of education and health care globally, running 5,000 hospitals, 10,000 orphanages, 95,000 elementary schools, and 47,000 secondary schools. The Vatican, the global headquarters of the Catholic Church, is located in Vatican City, a micronation that is nearly 100% Catholic.
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Vatican City has the highest percentage of Catholics
Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State, is a landlocked sovereign state and city-state. Ruled by the Pope, it is an enclave within Rome and serves as the administrative centre of the Catholic Church. It is the smallest sovereign state in the world by area and population, with a population of about 882 in 2024.
The population of Vatican City includes clergy, religious members, lay employees of the state, and their families. All citizens, residents, and places of worship are Catholic. The state's legal framework is primarily rooted in canon law, the body of laws governing the Catholic Church, and uses it as the principal source for legal interpretation. Canon law holds the highest authority within the civil legal system of Vatican City. The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura serves as the final court of cassation in Vatican City’s civil legal system.
According to the CIA Factbook and the Pew Research Center, Vatican City has the highest percentage of Catholics, with 100% of its population identifying as Catholic. The country with the second-highest percentage of Catholics is Timor-Leste, with 97%.
The global Catholic population has been increasing, rising from approximately 1.39 billion in 2022 to 1.406 billion in 2023. The Catholic Church is the world's oldest continuously functioning international institution, comprising the Latin Church (or the Roman or Western Church) and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches.
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Frequently asked questions
According to the CIA Factbook, the Catholic Church is the largest branch of Christianity, with 11.7% of the world's population following Catholicism.
Catholicism is experiencing a loss in population share in the US. In 1963, 90% of US adults identified as Christians, while 73.7% did so in 2016. In 2021, 29% of Americans professed no religious affiliation, with younger people showing higher rates of unaffiliation.
According to the CIA World Factbook, 91.89% of Mexico's population is Catholic. Other sources put this figure at 83.9%. In Brazil, the percentage of the population that is Catholic is 64.63% according to the CIA and 68.6% according to the Pew Research Center, while another report puts this figure at 57%.
I could not find exact figures for the percentage of Catholics in Europe. However, Germany and other German-speaking regions of Europe have official membership statistics because the government collects a church tax based on these membership lists.
