How Many Catholics Are There In the World?

Question

The catholic church claims that there are about 1.5 billion catholics in the world.

Can this be true?

Answer 1

I seriously doubt it.

There seem to be a lot more ex-catholics than there are catholics.

Love and blessings Don

Answer 2

Actually you are almost spot on with this number as the official count in the year 2,000 put the total at just over 1 billion Catholics.

Answer 3

Here's how we count our members.

Every year each diocese takes a head count of ALL members who attend Mass regularly. (They do this by having deacons count heads during each Mass). Totals are then sent to Rome by each diocese. Rome adds them up and VOILA!

The number in 2006 was 1,214,613, 870. And that's just the regular attendees. We always get a spike at Christmas and Easter, but the numbers used are the averages for the entire year.

At my home parish we are just completing a humongous building drive. Having started the parish in 1957 with a mere 450 families, we now have more than 5,640 families with a total of 24,389 parishioners, not counting children too young to have had their First Holy Communion. Eight masses each weekend, in a new sanctuary which seats more than 900 people and every Mass full to capacity. Sadly, we've already outgrown our shiny new church building. We even get some 250 people for daily Mass at 6:30AM. And we are considered average for a parish.

We hold RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults)classes twice a year and they're always full.

Why not stop carping at something some of you by your answers obviously do NOT understand at all and come to a vibrant Catholic parish and look us over! Holy Mother Church, like any other loving mother, would be happy to welcome you home.

Answer 4

According to adherents.com there are 1,100,000,000.
The figure that you mention could be true it depends upon the year the study was made and which branches of the Catholic church were added (Ukrainian church etc). One thing is for sure the Catholic Church is huge!

Answer 5

From the CIA World Factbook ( so take it with whatever credence you give the CIA )
World Population:
6,602,224,175 (July 2007 est.)


Religions:
Christians 33.03% (of which Roman Catholics 17.33%, Protestants 5.8%, Orthodox 3.42%, Anglicans 1.23%), Muslims 20.12%, Hindus 13.34%, Buddhists 5.89%, Sikhs 0.39%, Jews 0.23%, other religions 12.61%, non-religious 12.03%, atheists 2.36% (2004 est.)

So, if you are looking for ROMAN Catholics it's 17.33% of the World Pop # is 1,122,378,110.

Not bad for a tax free business...

Answer 6

I have seen the number 1.1 billion Catholics claimed by both Catholic and independent sources.

Catholic source: http://cara.georgetown.edu/bulletin/index.htm

Independent source: http://www.adherents.com/

With love in Christ.

Answer 7

If the number is taken as those who attend confession and Mass every week, it is a lot smaller than 1.5 billion.
.

Answer 8

Yes that sounds about right.

I think it's funny that one poster said she no longer attends church and hasn't in years...so how would she know if the pews are filled or not?

At my church...they are filled. Every Sunday, every Mass, with many devout Catholics.

We also have two services a year in which several people convert to Catholicism and join the Church.

Answer 9

The last total I heard (about ten years ago) was just over a billion; so this may be a little bit high, but it's probably close.

Remember, though, that they're counting the names of everybody on the parish registers -- including those like me who haven't set foot in church in decades (except for weddings and funerals) and who haven't believed in god since high school or earlier.

That's how you can have a large number of catholics AND a lot of nearly-empty catholic churches. Nobody counts empty pews.

Answer 10

the official figures i beleive are either 2.6 billion christians or 2.1 billion (im not sure) but these also contain people that just attend christmass mass, or just 'claim' to be christians. the total number of people that actually attend church weekly will be much much much lower.

dont forget however, that the majority of africa, and south america, is deeply religious and christian. as well as a large part of norrth america and europe.

Answer 11

1.5 sounds a little high. I thought it was slightly fewer at 1.2 billion.