Fides: for the first time Africa has more Catholics than Europe

Agenzia Fides has released the Church's 2026 statistics ahead of the 100th World Mission Day this Sunday, 18 October. As of 30 June 2024 there were 1.422 billion Catholics worldwide, up 16.7 million in a year and 17.8% of the world's population. For the first time, Africa has more Catholics than Europe: 288.3 million against 287.2 million. Priest numbers are rising slightly for the first time in five years, while women religious and seminarians continue to decline. #Church #WorldMissionDay