Originally published at The Catholic Thing

New data from the Annuario Pontificio 2026 and Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae 2024 highlight trends in baptized populations across the five continents, with a remarkable increase in the number of Catholics in Africa. The number of Catholics in Africa rose from just over 281 million in 2023 to over 288 million in 2024. These differing trends reinforce the increasing weight of the African Church, with its share of global Catholics rising from 19.9 percent to 20.3 percent, while Europe’s share declined slightly, from 20.4 percent in 2023 to 20.1 percent in 2024.
 

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