Africa has overtaken Europe in the number of Catholic faithful, with 288.31 million Catholics on the continent compared with Europe’s 287.24 million, according to the Catholic Church Statistics 2026 dossier prepared by the Vatican’s Fides News Agency.
The report put the global Catholic population at 1.422 billion, representing an increase of 16.69 million from the previous year.
The Americas remained the continent with the largest Catholic population, recording 678.87 million, while Asia had 156.17 million. Oceania accounted for 11.56 million Catholics.
The figures place Africa slightly ahead of Europe, reflecting the continent’s growing significance in the global Catholic Church.
The dossier also reported an increase in the worldwide number of priests for the first time in five years.
According to the report, the total number of priests rose by 425 to 407,421, marking a reversal of the decline recorded in previous years.
The number of lay missionaries also increased by 18,473 to 463,079, while catechists rose by 22,370 to 2,889,336.
The Americas recorded the largest increase in lay missionaries, while the number of catechists grew most significantly in the Americas and Asia.
Beyond its religious activities, the Catholic Church continues to operate an extensive network of educational, healthcare and charitable institutions worldwide.
The dossier listed 75,448 kindergartens, 103,666 primary schools and 51,810 secondary schools operated by the Church.
Its healthcare and charitable network comprises 101,110 facilities, including 5,397 hospitals and 13,646 healthcare facilities.
Africa also recorded the highest number of hospitals and dispensaries among the continents covered by the dossier, highlighting the Church’s significant healthcare presence across the continent.
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