Worldwide Catholic population increases slightly; number of priests, religious, and seminarians declines
October 21, 2019
» Continue to this story on Vatican Press Office
CWN Editor's Note: Between the end of 2016 and the end of 2017, the percentage of Catholics among the world’s population rose from 17.67% (1,299,059,000) to 17.73% (1,313,278,000), according to an October 19 Vatican press release. The number of priests fell by 387 to 414,582; the number of women religious plunged by 10,535 to 648,910. The number of major seminarians fell by 832 to 115,328. (The number of major seminarians worldwide rose from 63,882 in 1978, to 110,553 in 2000, and peaked at 120,616 in 2011.)
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