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Africa overtakes Europe in Catholic population as global mumbers reach 1.422 billion

Pope Leo XIV arrives at Estadio de Bata Stadium in Bata,Equatorial Guinea,on the 10th day of an 11-day pastoral tour of Africa,Wednesday,April 22,2026.

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Copyright © africanews

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

By Rédaction Africanews

and AP

Last updated:

16/10 - 17:47

Catholicism

Africa now has more Catholics than Europe. The Vatican’s latest statistics put Africa’s Catholic population at 288 million,slightly ahead of Europe’s 287 million.

Worldwide,the number of Catholics rose by nearly 16.7 million,reaching 1.422 billion by June 2024,according to a report by the Vatican’s Fides News Agency.

The Americas remain home to the largest Catholic population,with nearly 679 million,followed by Africa,Europe,Asia and Oceania.

Africa led global growth,adding 7.58 million Catholics,while the Americas gained nearly 7 million.

The report also recorded a slight increase in the number of priests worldwide,up by 425 to more than 407,000. However,the number of women religious and major seminarians continued to decline.

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