The Catholic Church has seen a notable increase in the number of bishops worldwide, with the total rising by 1.4% between 2022 and 2023, reaching 5,430 bishops, up from 5,353 in 2022.
This growth is primarily observed in Africa and Asia, where the demand for spiritual leadership continues to rise. However, the number of bishops remained constant in Oceania, and modest increases were seen in Europe and the Americas.
Vatican’s latest reports, (The 2025 Annuario Pontificio and 2023 Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae) indicate that while the number of bishops is on the rise, the situation for priests tells a different story. The global number of priests saw a slight decrease of 0.2%, dropping from 407,730 in 2022 to 406,996 in 2023. This reduction reflects a broader trend, particularly in Europe and Oceania, where the number of priests declined by 1.6% and 1.0%, respectively.
On the other hand, Africa and Asia experienced a more positive trend in terms of priestly vocations. Africa saw a significant 2.7% increase in its number of priests, while Asia’s numbers grew by 1.6%. This contrast highlights the growing demand for priests in regions like Africa, where the Catholic population is expanding rapidly, while other regions like Europe struggle with decreasing vocations.
Globally, the number of priests per 259,000 Catholics varies significantly by region. Africa and the Americas generally have higher ratios of priests to Catholics, while Oceania shows a relatively higher concentration of priests compared to the size of its Catholic population.
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