Catholic growth in Asia amid declining pastoral workers, reports Vatican Statistics

The 2025 Pontifical Yearbook and Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae 2023 provide fresh insights into the Catholic Church's presence across Asia, as released by the Vatican’s Central Office of Church Statistics. 

The data highlights a modest increase in the Catholic population but also signals a growing concern over the decline in pastoral workers, particularly priests and nuns.

The Catholic population in Asia grew by 0.6% between 2022 and 2023, reflecting a consistent, albeit slow, expansion.

The Philippines (93 million) and India (23 million) remain the region’s Catholic strongholds, accounting for the majority of Southeast Asian Catholics. While Asia constitutes 11% of the global Catholic population, demographic shifts and missionary efforts continue to influence its growth.

Despite this progress, Asia lags behind Africa and the Americas in terms of Catholic population growth. In contrast, Africa’s Catholic population rose by 3.31%, reaching 281 million, while the Americas, home to 47.8% of the world’s Catholics, also experienced modest growth.

Meanwhile, Europe, with 20.4% of the global Catholic community, recorded the lowest increase at just 0.2%.

The number of bishops in Asia grew significantly, aligning with global trends, which saw a 1.4% increase, bringing the total number of bishops worldwide to 5,430. 

However, the number of priests in Asia rose only by 1.6%, a slower rate compared to Africa (+2.7%).

This slow increase in priests, coupled with the growing Catholic population, highlights a widening gap between pastoral supply and demand. The shortage is even more evident in South America and Africa, where priest-to-Catholic ratios continue to widen.

Meanwhile, Europe and North America still have more priests relative to their Catholic populations, despite experiencing an overall decline in vocations.

The number of permanent deacons in Asia remains low compared to other regions, but globally, they continue to be the fastest-growing clergy group. In 2023, the number of deacons increased by 2.6%, reaching 51,433 worldwide, with notable growth in Oceania (+10.8%) and the Americas (+3.8%).

Conversely, the number of religious sisters in Asia saw a slight increase (+0.1%), while globally, their numbers declined by 1.6%, dropping from 599,228 in 2022 to 589,423 in 2023. Europe saw the sharpest decline at -3.8%, while Africa recorded the highest growth (+2.2%). Despite these shifts, religious sisters remain a crucial presence in missionary and pastoral work, outnumbering priests by 45% worldwide.

The downward trend in priestly vocations continues to affect Asia, with the number of seminarians declining by 4.2%—a decline more pronounced than in Europe (-4.9%) and the Americas (-1.3%).

In contrast, Africa saw a 1.1% increase in seminarians, positioning itself as the region sustaining the most priestly vocations. Despite the downturn, Asia and Africa still account for over 61% of the world’s seminarians, indicating the potential for long-term priestly growth, especially in missionary regions.

While the Catholic Church in Asia continues to grow, the shortage of priests and seminarians presents a major challenge. The rise in permanent deacons and the continued role of religious sisters provide some support, but the decline in priestly vocations necessitates renewed efforts in vocation promotion and pastoral formation.

As the Church adapts to shifting demographics and evangelization challenges, the 2028 Ecclesial Assembly may serve as a crucial moment to assess the evolving needs of the Asian Catholic community and propose solutions to strengthen its missionary and pastoral mission.