Across centuries, Catholicism has marked its global presence, extending its roots to every continent while demonstrating the diversity and unity of a faith that transcends cultural and geographical boundaries. As ostensibly the world's largest Christian denomination, the Catholic Church has left an indelible imprint on the cultural, social, and religious landscape of numerous nations. Analysis of recent data paints a striking picture of the global Catholic population distribution. Significant differences exist among nations based on an array of historical, societal, and political factors that influence religious alignment. Key findings:
Looking at the top ten nations worldwide in terms of their Catholic populations, one notices a prominent presence across both the Americas and Europe, with the Philippines being the only non-Western country on the list. At the forefront of our list stands Brazil with its colossal Catholic population; over 123.4 million people or roughly 60% of Brazil's overall population identify with the faith. This comes as a reflection of Brazil's deep roots in Catholicism which date back to its days as a Portuguese colony. In second place is Mexico, with an impressive 100.0 million Catholics. Much like Brazil, Catholicism in Mexico traces back to its period of European colonization, with evangelism being a major goal of Spanish colonizers. Third in this list, the island-nation of the Philippines, is home to approximately 85.5 million Catholics. Intriguingly, this makes the Philippines not only the third most Catholic-populated country but also the largest Catholic country in Asia. Next, the United States counts 69.3 million people within its borders identifying themselves as Catholics. The nation's diverse ethnic fabric and history of religious toleration have allowed Catholicism to flourish in its multicultural society. Italy, the epicenter of Catholicism and home to Vatican City, possesses a Catholic population of 50.5 million. Naturally, many of its residents identify as Catholic, making it the country in Europe with the fifth highest Catholics count. The list continues with countries across Europe and South America. France has 39.0 million, Colombia is home to 35.0 million, and Poland has 33.0 million Catholics. Completing the list are Spain and Argentina, with 30.7 million and 28.8 million Catholics respectively.
Most Catholic Countries in the World:
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
100
#192
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
302.0K
#99
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
45.0K
#139
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
61.7K
#135
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
10.6M
#22
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
6.9K
#172
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
28.8M
#10
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
29.8K
#153
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
5.3M
#40
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
5.1M
#42
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
2.6K
#180
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
39.6K
#145
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
71.2K
#132
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
110.0K
#121
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
10.0K
#167
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
674.5K
#84
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
6.5M
#31
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
133.6K
#113
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
2.0M
#65
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
1.3K
#183
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
8.0M
#27
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
536.3K
#87
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
80.4K
#129
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
123.4M
#1
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
37.3K
#147
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
2.4M
#62
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
7.4M
#28
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
10.0K
#168
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
9.8M
#23
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
13.8M
#18
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
395.9K
#92
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
950.0K
#80
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
2.5M
#61
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
9.0M
#25
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
12.0M
#20
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
35.0M
#7
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
1.6K
#182
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
2.9M
#57
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
3.7M
#47
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
5.8M
#34
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
11.0K
#166
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
1.1M
#77
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
28.7M
#11
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
40.0K
#143
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
953
#186
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
41.6K
#141
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
5.5M
#38
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
11.3M
#21
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
77.5K
#131
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
2.7M
#58
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
1.4M
#72
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
150.5K
#111
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
4.0K
#176
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
62.8K
#134
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
584.4K
#86
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
80.4K
#128
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
12.4K
#164
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
39.0M
#6
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
694.6K
#83
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
33.5K
#151
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
84.2K
#127
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
23.0M
#14
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
2.7M
#59
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
44.7K
#140
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
39.9K
#144
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
7.0M
#30
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
246.2K
#104
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
126.0K
#116
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
91.8K
#125
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
5.5M
#37
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
3.7M
#49
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
3.7M
#48
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
13.8K
#162
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
15.5M
#17
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
7.4M
#29
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
13.6K
#163
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
133.0K
#114
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
3.7M
#46
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
93.0K
#124
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
50.5M
#5
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
5.1M
#41
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
57.8K
#136
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
382.3K
#94
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
23.0K
#156
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
91.1K
#126
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
9.6M
#24
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
54.7K
#137
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
142.5K
#112
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
5.1K
#174
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
37.3K
#146
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
437.4K
#90
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
1.4M
#73
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
946.0K
#81
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
188.0K
#107
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
40.4K
#142
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
25.8K
#155
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
2.3M
#63
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
369.6K
#95
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
5.3M
#39
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
3.4M
#50
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
1.3M
#75
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
80
#193
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
189.3K
#106
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
361.4K
#97
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
5.2K
#173
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
3.1K
#178
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
289.3K
#102
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
100.0M
#2
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
20.5K
#160
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
29.9K
#152
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
1.1K
#184
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
21.3K
#159
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
22.9K
#157
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
4.6M
#44
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
450.5K
#89
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
344.2K
#98
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
8.3K
#169
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
3.9M
#45
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
492.0K
#88
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
2.7M
#60
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
11.7K
#165
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
23.9M
#12
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
2.3K
#181
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
120.9K
#117
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
110.0K
#120
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
1.7M
#69
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
8.3K
#170
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
80.0K
#130
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
2.2M
#64
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
1.9M
#66
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
6.0M
#32
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
23.7M
#13
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
85.5M
#3
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
33.0M
#8
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
8.9M
#26
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
50.0K
#138
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
1.7M
#68
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
1.8M
#67
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
717.1K
#82
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
4.8M
#43
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
3.4K
#177
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
101.5K
#122
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
8.0K
#171
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
35.1K
#149
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
29.4K
#154
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
119.8K
#118
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
660.4K
#85
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
389.4K
#93
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
433.2K
#91
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
70.9K
#133
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
174.5K
#109
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
166.0K
#110
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
3.3M
#52
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
1.5M
#70
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
100.0K
#123
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
100
#191
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
2.9M
#56
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
5.8M
#33
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
3.0M
#55
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
30.7M
#9
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
1.2M
#76
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
300.0K
#100
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
119.0K
#119
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
180.0K
#108
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
3.1M
#53
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
369.0K
#96
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
297.6K
#101
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
1.0K
#185
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
12.2M
#19
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
196.3K
#105
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
1.0M
#78
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
1.5M
#71
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
15.9K
#161
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
286.0K
#103
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
22.0K
#158
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
35.0K
#150
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
500
#188
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
100
#190
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
16.5M
#16
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
3.4M
#51
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
128.2K
#115
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
5.7M
#35
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
69.3M
#4
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
1.3M
#74
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
2.7K
#179
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
36.5K
#148
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
799
#187
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
22.4M
#15
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
5.7M
#36
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
163
#189
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
4.1K
#175
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
3.0M
#54
Metric
Value
Rank
Number Of Catholics
982.8K
#79
Region ↕ | Number Of Catholics ↕ |
---|---|
Afghanistan | 100 |
Albania | 302.0K |
Algeria | 45.0K |
Andorra | 61.7K |
Angola | 10.6M |
Antigua and Barbuda | 6.9K |
Argentina | 28.8M |
Armenia | 29.8K |
Australia | 5.3M |
Austria | 5.1M |
Azerbaijan | 2.6K |
Bahamas | 39.6K |
Bahrain | 71.2K |
Bangladesh | 110.0K |
Barbados | 10.0K |
Belarus | 674.5K |
Belgium | 6.5M |
Belize | 133.6K |
Benin | 2.0M |
Bhutan | 1.3K |
Bolivia | 8.0M |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 536.3K |
Botswana | 80.4K |
Brazil | 123.4M |
Bulgaria | 37.3K |
Burkina Faso | 2.4M |
Burundi | 7.4M |
Cambodia | 10.0K |
Cameroon | 9.8M |
Canada | 13.8M |
Cape Verde | 395.9K |
Central African Republic | 950.0K |
Chad | 2.5M |
Chile | 9.0M |
China | 12.0M |
Colombia | 35.0M |
Comoros | 1.6K |
Costa Rica | 2.9M |
Croatia | 3.7M |
Cuba | 5.8M |
Cyprus | 11.0K |
Czech Republic | 1.1M |
DR Congo | 28.7M |
Denmark | 40.0K |
Djibouti | 953 |
Dominica | 41.6K |
Dominican Republic | 5.5M |
Ecuador | 11.3M |
Egypt | 77.5K |
El Salvador | 2.7M |
Equatorial Guinea | 1.4M |
Eritrea | 150.5K |
Estonia | 4.0K |
Eswatini | 62.8K |
Ethiopia | 584.4K |
Fiji | 80.4K |
Finland | 12.4K |
France | 39.0M |
Gabon | 694.6K |
Gambia | 33.5K |
Georgia | 84.2K |
Germany | 23.0M |
Ghana | 2.7M |
Greece | 44.7K |
Grenada | 39.9K |
Guatemala | 7.0M |
Guinea | 246.2K |
Guinea Bissau | 126.0K |
Guyana | 91.8K |
Haiti | 5.5M |
Honduras | 3.7M |
Hungary | 3.7M |
Iceland | 13.8K |
India | 15.5M |
Indonesia | 7.4M |
Iran | 13.6K |
Iraq | 133.0K |
Ireland | 3.7M |
Israel | 93.0K |
Italy | 50.5M |
Ivory Coast | 5.1M |
Jamaica | 57.8K |
Japan | 382.3K |
Jordan | 23.0K |
Kazakhstan | 91.1K |
Kenya | 9.6M |
Kiribati | 54.7K |
Kuwait | 142.5K |
Kyrgyzstan | 5.1K |
Laos | 37.3K |
Latvia | 437.4K |
Lebanon | 1.4M |
Lesotho | 946.0K |
Liberia | 188.0K |
Libya | 40.4K |
Liechtenstein | 25.8K |
Lithuania | 2.3M |
Luxembourg | 369.6K |
Madagascar | 5.3M |
Malawi | 3.4M |
Malaysia | 1.3M |
Maldives | 80 |
Mali | 189.3K |
Malta | 361.4K |
Marshall Islands | 5.2K |
Mauritania | 3.1K |
Mauritius | 289.3K |
Mexico | 100.0M |
Moldova | 20.5K |
Monaco | 29.9K |
Mongolia | 1.1K |
Montenegro | 21.3K |
Morocco | 22.9K |
Mozambique | 4.6M |
Myanmar | 450.5K |
Namibia | 344.2K |
Nepal | 8.3K |
Netherlands | 3.9M |
New Zealand | 492.0K |
Nicaragua | 2.7M |
Niger | 11.7K |
Nigeria | 23.9M |
North Korea | 2.3K |
Norway | 120.9K |
Oman | 110.0K |
Pakistan | 1.7M |
Palau | 8.3K |
Palestine | 80.0K |
Panama | 2.2M |
Papua New Guinea | 1.9M |
Paraguay | 6.0M |
Peru | 23.7M |
Philippines | 85.5M |
Poland | 33.0M |
Portugal | 8.9M |
Qatar | 50.0K |
Republic of the Congo | 1.7M |
Romania | 1.8M |
Russia | 717.1K |
Rwanda | 4.8M |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | 3.4K |
Saint Lucia | 101.5K |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 8.0K |
Samoa | 35.1K |
San Marino | 29.4K |
Sao Tome and Principe | 119.8K |
Saudi Arabia | 660.4K |
Senegal | 389.4K |
Serbia | 433.2K |
Seychelles | 70.9K |
Sierra Leone | 174.5K |
Singapore | 166.0K |
Slovakia | 3.3M |
Slovenia | 1.5M |
Solomon Islands | 100.0K |
Somalia | 100 |
South Africa | 2.9M |
South Korea | 5.8M |
South Sudan | 3.0M |
Spain | 30.7M |
Sri Lanka | 1.2M |
Sudan | 300.0K |
Suriname | 119.0K |
Sweden | 180.0K |
Switzerland | 3.1M |
Syria | 369.0K |
Taiwan | 297.6K |
Tajikistan | 1.0K |
Tanzania | 12.2M |
Thailand | 196.3K |
Timor Leste | 1.0M |
Togo | 1.5M |
Tonga | 15.9K |
Trinidad and Tobago | 286.0K |
Tunisia | 22.0K |
Turkey | 35.0K |
Turkmenistan | 500 |
Tuvalu | 100 |
Uganda | 16.5M |
Ukraine | 3.4M |
United Arab Emirates | 128.2K |
United Kingdom | 5.7M |
United States | 69.3M |
Uruguay | 1.3M |
Uzbekistan | 2.7K |
Vanuatu | 36.5K |
Vatican City | 799 |
Venezuela | 22.4M |
Vietnam | 5.7M |
Western Sahara | 163 |
Yemen | 4.1K |
Zambia | 3.0M |
Zimbabwe | 982.8K |