<!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see WP:SDNONE -->
The Catholic Church is "the Catholic Communion of Churches, both Roman and Eastern, or Oriental, that are in full communion with the Bishop of Rome (the pope)." This communion comprises the Latin Church (the Roman or Western Church) as well as 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, canonically called sui juris churches, each led by either a patriarch or a major archbishop in full communion with the pope. Historically, these bodies separated from Eastern Christian communions, either to remain in or to return to full communion with the Catholic Church. The Vatican II decree on Eastern Catholic Churches, however, explicitly recognizes them as churches and not just rites within the Catholic Church. This communion "exists among and between the individual Churches and dioceses of the universal Catholic Church. Its structural expression is the College of Bishops, each of whom represents and embodies his own local church."
In addition to Eastern Catholic Churches, the Catholic Church oversees the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, the largest Charismatic movement of a single institution in 2020, with over 100 million members, primarily in the Global South. The Catholic Church is also described as an "amalgam of parts" (i.e., thousands of individual dioceses and religious orders) globally dispersed, but in communion with Rome.
The church is the largest non-government provider of education and health care in the world, while the diplomatic status of the Holy See facilitates access to its vast international network of charities. These entities include 5,000 hospitals, 10,000 orphanages, 95,000 elementary schools and 47,000 secondary schools.
Methodology
Most of the figures are taken from the CIA's World Factbook or Pew Research Center surveys. In Latin American countries, Latinobarómetro is often cited. In Germany and other German-speaking regions of Europe, there are official membership statistics due to the fact that the government collects a church tax based on these membership lists. For this reason, statistics are not solely grounded on surveys based on self-identification. A baptismal certificate or other religious document is likewise secondary to church statistics. This method may explain the discrepancy between Pew's figures on Germany and the church figures.
According to The World Factbook and Pew, the five countries with the largest number of Catholics are, in decreasing order:
- Brazil
- Mexico
- Philippines
- United States
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
The country with the largest percentage of its population having membership in the church is Vatican City at 100%, followed by Timor-Leste at 97%.
According to the World Christian Database, there are 1.279 billion Catholics worldwide as of 2026, which constitute 47.8% of 2.674 billion Christians. According to the Census of the 2023 Annuario Pontificio ('Pontifical Yearbook'), the number of baptized Catholics in the world was about 1.376 billion at the end of 2021. The research initiative Catholics & Cultures compiles data on Catholic demographics, including from the , by country.
By country
By clicking on the arrow icons in the column headers, the following table can be re-ordered.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Catholic Church by country
! Country
! Total population
! data-sort-type="number" | % Catholic
! data-sort-type="number" | Catholic total
|- Central Asia
| (details)
| align="right" | 30,000,000
| align="center" | 0%
| align="right" | 0
|- Southern Europe
| (details)
| align="right" | 3,020,000
| align="center" | 10%
| align="right" | 302,000
|- North Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 32,531,853
| align="center" | 0.14%
| align="right" | 45,000
|- Southern Europe
| (details)
| align="right" | 70,000
| align="center" | 85.5%–88.2%
| align="right" | 61,740
|- Southern Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 36,600,000
| align="center" | 44.2%
| align="right" | 16,000,000
|- North America
| (details)
| align="right" | 84,816
| align="center" | 5.5%
| align="right" | 4,752
|- South America
| (details)
| align="right" | 47,300,000
| align="center" | 58%–62.9%–63%–67.8%
| align="right" | 29,000,000–31,000,000
|- Caucasus
| (details)
| align="right" | 3,018,854
| align="center" | 0.3%
| align="right" | 8,695
|- Oceania
| (details)
| align="right" | 25,380,000
| align="center" | 16%
| align="right" | 5,076,000
|- Central Europe
| (details)
| align="right" | 9,197,000
| align="center" | 49.6%
| align="right" | 4,557,000
|- Caucasus
| (details)
| align="right" | 8,581,400
| align="center" | 0.03%
| align="right" | 2,574
|- Caribbean
| (details)
| align="right" | 330,000
| align="center" | 12%
| align="right" | 39,600
|- Middle East
| (details)
| align="right" | 800,000
| align="center" | 8.9%
| align="right" | 674,500
|- Western Europe
| (details)
| align="right" | 11,200,000
| align="center" | 31%–44%
| align="right" | 5,000,000–6,500,000
|- Central America
| (details)
| align="right" | 334,000
| align="center" | 40%
| align="right" | 133,600
|- West Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 7,460,025
| align="center" | 26.6%
| align="right" | 1,984,366
|- South Asia
| (details)
| align="right" | 2,232,291
| align="center" | 0.06%
| align="right" | 1,339
|- South America
| (details)
| align="right" | 10,500,000
| align="center" | 63%
| align="right" | 7,980,000
|- Southern Europe
| (details)
| align="right" | 3,531,159
| align="center" | 15.19%
| align="right" | 536,333
|- Southern Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 1,640,115
| align="center" | 4.9%
| align="right" | 80,365
|- South America
| (details)
| align="right" | 203,080,000
| align="center" | 46%
| align="right" | 100,200,000–115,250,000
|- Southeast Asia
| (details)
| align="right" | 372,361
| align="center" | 5%
| align="right" | 38,709
|- West Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 13,925,313
| align="center" | 20.1%
| align="right" | 4,121,536
|- East Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 12,000,000
| align="center" | 58.6%
| align="right" | 395,850
|- Southeast Asia
| (details)
| align="right" | 13,607,069
| align="center" | <0.1%
| align="right" | <10,000
| align="right" | 10,300,000
|- North America
| (details)
| align="right" | 40,769,890
| align="center" | 21%
| align="right" | 12,189,931
|- Central Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 3,799,897
| align="center" | 29%
| align="right" | 949,974
|- Central Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 12,000,000
| align="center" | 20%
| align="right" | 2,520,000
|- South America
| (details)
| align="right" | 19,764,771
| align="center" | 45%
| align="right" | 10,611,000
|- East Asia
| (details)
| align="right" | 1,400,000,000
| align="center" | 0.43%–0.7%–12,000,000
|- South America
| (details)
| align="right" | 52,000,000
| align="center" | 56.6%
| align="right" | 30,000,000–39,000,000
|- East Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 800,000
| align="center" | 0.2%
| align="right" | 1,675,529–2,409,661
|- Central Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 109,000,000
| align="center" | 45%–47.3%
| align="right" | 49,000,000–60,000,000
|- Central America
| (details)
| align="right" | 5,100,000
| align="center" | 47%–52%–71.8%
| align="right" | 2,350,000–3,500,000
|- Southern Europe
| (details)
| align="right" | 3,872,000
| align="center" | 83.2%
| align="right" | 3,240,000
|- North America
| (details)
| align="right" | 11,163,934
| align="center" | 51%
| align="right" | 6,000,000
|- Middle East
| (details)
| align="right" | 1,100,000
| align="center" | 2.9%
| align="right" | 11,000
|- Central Europe
| (details)
| align="right" | 10,524,167
| align="center" | 9.3%
| align="right" | 985,318
|- West Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 23,800,000
| align="center" | 21.4%
| align="right" | 46,000
|- East Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 476,703
| align="center" | 0.2%
| align="right" | 953
|- Caribbean
| (details)
| align="right" | 71,540
| align="center" | 58.1%
| align="right" | 1,021,000
|- South America
| (details)
| align="right" | 15,223,680
| align="center" | 65%
| align="right" | 11,265,523
|- Central Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 1,620,000
| align="center" | 80.7%
|- Central America
| (details)
| align="right" | 7,000,000
| align="center" | 40%
| align="right" | 2,730,000–3,500,000
|- East Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 4,561,599
| align="center" | 3.3%
| align="right" | 150,532
|- Northern Europe
| (details)
| align="right" | 1,114,030
| align="right" | 8,690–55%
| align="right" | 60,000
|- Oceania
| (details)
| align="right" | 893,354
| align="center" | 9.1%
| align="right" | 12,434
|- Western Europe
| (details)
| align="right" | 66,600,000
| align="center" | 36%–47%
| align="right" | 31,000,000–44,000,000
|- Central Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 1,389,201
| align="center" | 42%
| align="right" | 694,600
|- West Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 1,593,256
| align="center" | 2.1%
| align="right" | 33,458
|- Caucasus
| (details)
| align="right" | 3,713,804
| align="center" | 0.5%
| align="right" | 18,569
|- Central Europe
| (details)
| align="right" | 83,550,000
| align="center" | 21%
| align="right" | 19,220,000
|- West Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 30,792,608
| align="center" | 10.0%–11%
| align="center" | 2.4%
| align="right" | 250,000
|- Caribbean
| (details)
| align="right" | 115,000
| align="center" | 39.2%
| align="right" | 45,000
|- Central America
| (details)
| align="right" | 15,773,000
| align="center" | 39%
| align="right" | 7,000,000
|- West Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 9,467,866
| align="center" | 2.6%
| align="right" | 246,164
|- West Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 1,416,027
| align="center" | 8.9%
| align="right" | 126,026
|- South America
| (details)
| align="right" | 746,955
| align="center" | 7.1%
| align="right" | 53,034
|- Caribbean
| (details)
| align="right" | 10,000,000
| align="center" | 54.7%
| align="right" | 5,470,000
|- Central America
| (details)
| align="right" | 8,800,000
| align="center" | 36%–38.1%–56%–62%–63%
| align="center" | 3.95%
| align="right" | 13,000,000–21,000,000
|- Southeast Asia
| (details)
| align="right" | 270,000,000
| align="center" | 3.12%
| align="right" | 8,424,000
|- Middle East
| (details)
| align="right" | 85,202,000
| align="center" | 0.02%
| align="right" | 13,603
|- Middle East
| (details)
| align="right" | 38,000,000
| align="center" | 0.35%
| align="right" | 3,500,000
|- Middle East
| (details)
| align="right" | 7,746,000
| align="center" | 1.2%–69%–79%
| align="right" |44,000,000–50,000,000
|- Caribbean
| (details)
| align="right" | 2,697,983
| align="center" | 2.2%
| align="right" | 59,356
|- East Asia
| (details)
| align="right" | 124,000,000
| align="center" | 0.3%
| align="right" | 372,000–620,000
|- Middle East
| (details)
| align="right" | 5,759,732
| align="center" | 0.4%–30%
| align="right" | 54,684
|- East Asia
| (details)
| align="right" | 22,912,177
| align="center" | 0%
| align="right" | 0
|- East Asia
| (details)
| align="right" | 53,121,668
| align="center" | 8%
| align="right" | 5,914,669
|- Southern Europe
| (details)
| align="right" | 1,739,825
| align="center" | 1.4%
| align="right" | 25,837
|- Middle East
| (details)
| align="right" | 2,335,648
| align="center" | 8.5%
| align="right" | 402,000
|- Central Asia
| (details)
| align="right" | 5,146,281
| align="center" | 0.1%
| align="right" | 5,146
|- Southeast Asia
| (details)
| align="right" | 6,217,141
| align="center" | 0.6%
| align="right" | 37,302
|- Northern Europe
| (details)
| align="right" | 2,290,237
| align="center" | 19.1%
| align="right" | 946,000–1,052,237
| align="right" | 28,000
|- Northern Europe
| (details)
| align="right" | 2,900,000
| align="center" | 74.2%
| align="right" | 2,200,000
|- Western Europe
| (details)
| align="right" | 538,000
| align="center" | 46%
| align="right" | 369,600
|- Southern Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 18,040,341
| align="center" | 29.5%
| align="right" | 5,318,293–7,890,000
| align="right" | 3,028,435
|- Southeast Asia
| (details)
| align="right" | 34,671,895
| align="center" | 4.63%
| align="right" | 1,570,000
|- South Asia
| (details)
| align="right" | 349,106
| align="center" | 0.02%
| align="right" | 80
|- West Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 12,291,529
| align="center" | 1.5%
| align="right" | 189,289
|- Southern Europe
| (details)
| align="right" | 428,000
| align="center" | 82.6%
| align="right" | 361,372
|- Oceania
| (details)
| align="right" | 62,000
| align="center" | 8.4%
| align="right" | 324,811
|- North America
| (details)
| align="right" | 130,000,000
| align="center" | 67%–77.7% 78%
| align="right" | 90,000,000–96,101,000–100,912,000–101,302,000
|- Eastern Europe
| (details)
| align="right" | 4,455,421
| align="center" | 0.5%
| align="right" | 20,494
|- Southern Europe
| (details)
| align="right" | 38,000
| align="center" | 77.8%–82.3%
| align="right" | 5,270,000–9,900,000
|- Southeast Asia
| (details)
| align="right" | 42,909,464
| align="center" | 1.1%
| align="right" | 450,549
|- Southern Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 3,000,000
| align="center" | 22.8%
| align="right" | 700,000
|- Oceania
| (details)
| align="right" | 10,084
| align="center" | 32.96%
| align="right" | 3,324
|- South Asia
| (details)
| align="right" | 27,676,547
| align="center" | 0.03%
| align="right" | 8,302
|- Western Europe
| (details)
| align="right" | 18,000,000
| align="center" | 16%–19.1%–20%
| align="right" | 445,000
|- Central America
| (details)
| align="right" | 6,000,000
| align="center" | 45%–50%
| align="right" | 2,400,000–3,000,000
|- West Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 11,665,937
| align="center" | 0.1%
| align="right" | 11,665
|- West Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 230,000,000
| align="center" | 10.6%–16%
| align="right" | 6,746
|- Northern Europe
| (details)
| align="right" | 5,367,580
| align="center" | 3%
| align="right" | 165,254
| align="right" | 8,124
|- Middle East
| (details)
| align="right" | 3,761,904
| align="center" | 2%
| align="right" | 80,000
|- Central America
| (details)
| align="right" | 3,500,000
| align="center" | 52%
| align="right" | 1,925,000–2,400,000
|- Oceania
| (details)
| align="right" | 7,000,000
| align="center" | 26%
| align="right" | 1,890,000
|- South America
| (details)
| align="right" | 6,800,000
| align="center" | 72%
| align="right" | 4,900,000
|- South America
| (details)
| align="right" | 34,300,000
| align="center" | 64%
| align="right" | 26,725,000
|- Asia
| (details)
| align="right" | 114,000,000
| align="center" | 78.8%–80%–92%
| align="center" | 80.2%
| align="right" | 7,043,016–8,260,000
|- Middle East
| (details)
| align="right" | 863,051
| align="center" | 10.5%
| align="right" | 350,000
|- Eastern Europe
| (details)
| align="right" | 22,329,977
| align="center" | 4.3%
| align="center" | 39.91%–90.5%–73.5%–76.2%
| align="right" | 70,866
|- West Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 6,017,643
| align="center" | 2.9%
| align="right" | 174,511
|- Southeast Asia
| (details)
| align="right" | 6,052,486
| align="center" | 6.7%
| align="right" | 398,006
|- Central Europe
| (details)
| align="right" | 5,450,000
| align="center" | 55.8%
| align="right" | 3,038,511
|- Central Europe
| (details)
| align="right" | 2,116,972
| align="right" | 1,480,156–9%
| align="right" | 3,950,000–70%
| align="right" | 25,550,700–33,000,000
|- South Asia
| (details)
| align="right" | 20,264,000
| align="center" | 6.1%
| align="right" | 1,237,000
|- North Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 31,000,000
| align="center" | 1%
| align="right" | 300,000
|- South America
| (details)
| align="right" | 551,000
| align="center" | 21.6%
| align="right" | 119,000
|- Southern Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 1,100,000
| align="center" | 4.9%
| align="right" | 2,700,000
|- Middle East
| (details)
| align="right" | 18,448,752
| align="center" | 2.1%
| align="center" | 25.6–31.4%
| align="right" | 16,604,000–20,611,000
|- Southeast Asia
| (details)
| align="right" | 69,000,000
| align="center" | 0.3%
| align="right" | 388,468
|- West Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 5,681,519
| align="center" | 26.4%
| align="right" | 13,649
|- Caribbean
| (details)
| align="right" | 1,330,000
| align="center" | 21.6%
| align="right" | 286,000
|- North Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 11,000,000
| align="center" | 0.2%
| align="right" | 22,000
|- Middle East
| (details)
| align="right" | 77,700,000
| align="center" | 0.05%
| align="right" | 35,000
|- Central Asia
| (details)
| align="right" | 4,750,000
| align="center" | 0.01%
| align="right" | 500
|- Oceania
| (details)
| align="right" | 10,000
| align="center" | 1%
| align="right" | 100
|- East Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 49,000,000
| align="center" | 39.3%–45%
| align="right" | 19,200,000–22,000,000
|- Eastern Europe
| (details)
| align="right" | 43,000,000
| align="center" | 5.6%
| align="right" | 2,408,000–4,300,000
|- Middle East
| (details)
| align="right" | 2,563,212
| align="center" | 5%
| align="right" | 128,160
|- Western Europe
| (details)
| align="right" | 63,100,000
| align="center" | 9%–11%
| align="center" | 19%-20% –22%
| align="right" | 65,000,000–75,000,000
|- South America
| (details)
| align="right" | 3,500,000
| align="center" | 33%–47.1%–72%
| align="right" | 6,200,000
|- North Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 273,008
| align="center" | 0.06%
| align="right" | 163
|- Middle East
| (details)
| align="right" | 20,727,063
| align="center" | 0.02%
| align="right" | 4,145
|- Southern Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 18,340,343
| align="center" | 17.56%
! 13.57%–17.68%
! 1,085,600,000–1,420,400,000
|}
By dependent territory
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Catholic Church by territory
! Territory
! Total population
! data-sort-type="number" | % Catholic
! data-sort-type="number" | Catholic total
|- Caribbean
| (details)
| align="right" | 109,840
| 34%
| align="right" | 76,464
|- Caribbean
| (details)
| align="right" | 24,041
| 9.5%
| align="right" | 9,348
|- Caribbean
| (details)
| align="right" | 142,180
| 72.8%
|- Caribbean
| (details)
| align="right" | 390,000
| 80%
| align="right" | 312,000
|- Asia
| (details)
| align="right" | 650,000
| 4.6%
| align="right" | 30,000
|- Oceania
| (details)
| align="right" | 249,000
| 60.2%–85%
| align="right" | 2,000,000–3,060,000
|- East Africa
| (details)
| align="right" | 839,500
| 79.7%