The document indicates a growth of 13.7 million faithful since last year. The number of permanent deacons and lay missionaries has also increased. According to the latest annual survey, permanent deacons in the world continue to increase (+974), and have exceeded 50,000. The increase is in Africa, Asia and also in Europe, while there is a decrease in America and Oceania.
The number of lay missionaries has also increased, to 413,286 ,with a global increase of over 2,800, especially in America. On the other hand, there has been a slight decrease in the number of catechists, who currently account for more than 2.8 million.
There are 1 billion 389 million Catholics. The increase in Catholics, confirming an ongoing trend in recent years, affects four of the five continents (in Africa it is + 7 million, in America + 6 million, the most relevant data) while in Europe there is a decrease.
The number of priests is 407,730 (-142 since last year). The consistent decrease, once again, is noted in Europe (-2,745 priests), while significant increases are recorded in Africa (+1,676) and Asia (+1,160).
The number of major seminarians is 108,000, with increases in Africa (+726) and Oceania (+12), while America is in decrease (-921), Asia (-375) and, again, in Europe (-859). Minor seminarians, on the other hand, number over 95,000, with a considerable increase in Africa (+1,065).
