South Korean Catholics hit 6 million, confront aging, declining vocations
May 01, 2026
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CWN Editor's Note: The number of Catholics in South Korea soared from one million in 1975 to over six million in 2025, according to statistics recently published by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea. 28.9% of them are 65 or older.
The Sunday Mass attendance rate fell from 25% in 2015 to 15% in 2025. The bishops’ conference also reported declining numbers of seminarians and religious vocations.
“The recovery of lapsed and inactive believers is an urgent task,” the bishops’ conference stated in its report. “How to invite back into the community those who have been unable to continue their sacramental life… is a pastoral question that can no longer be ignored.”
The nation of 51.5 million (map) is 32% Christian, 25% Buddhist, 15% ethnic religionist, 14% new religionist, and 11% Confucian.
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