Vatican Yearbook Counts Catholics as Over 17% of Global Population

Using statistics reported from the Central Office of Church Statistics, as of the end of 2021, there are more than 1.3 billion Catholics in the world, or 17.7% of the global population.

The statistics are one way of “showing adherence to the church,” including the continuing practice of the faith over time, said the introduction to the chapter “Practice of Religion” in the Statistical Yearbook of the Church 2021.

Dioceses and other church territories around the world reported more than 13.7 million baptisms and over 1.8 million Catholic weddings in 2021. The 2021 yearbook reported 8.5 million people received their first Communion and 7.3 million people were confirmed.