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The Catholic population of South Korea has surpassed 6 million, with recent statistics showing growth in the local Church, even as the country’s population continues to shrink.

However, while the Church in the country is expanding, its demographics also reflect the rapid aging of the general population in the East Asian nation.

According to new statistics published this month by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea (CBCK), there were 6,006,832 Catholics in South Korea in 2025, an increase of 9,178 from the previous year.

Overall, Catholics make up 11.4% of the population in South Korea.

Catholicism took root in the country — whose culture was deeply shaped by Buddhism and Confucianism — in the late 1700s and grew amid intense persecution that saw the creation of countless martyrs.

The Catholic Church’s expansion in South Korea in the last 30 years has been described as “explosive.”

In 1995, the country was home to 2,885,000 Catholics. A decade later, in 2005, that had risen to 5,015,000. But the annual growth rate has slowed significantly.

Catholicism’s visibility is likely to be further increased when the nation hosts World Youth Day in 2027. An estimated

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