The number of Catholics worldwide rose from 1196 million in 2010 to 1214 million in 2011, an increase of 1.5%. Since this growth is only slightly higher than that of the Earth's population (1.23%), the presence of Catholics in the world remains essentially unchanged (17.5%).
Candidates for diocesan and religious priesthood globally went from 112,244 in 2001 to 120,616 in 2011, an increase of 7.5%. The evolution was very different in the various continents. While, Africa (+30.9%) and Asia (+29.4%) showed a lively growth, Europe and America recorded a decline of 21.7% and of 1.9%; respectively. As a result, we observe a reduction in the contribution of the European continent to the growth potential of the renewal of priestly life.
The number of professed women religious registered a downward trend with a drop of 10% over the past decade. But, perhaps the most surprising statistic revealed in the 2013 Pontifical Yearbook was the boom in vocations to the permanent diaconate, particularly in Europe and the US where numbers have increased by over 40% in the past decade.
Data is drawn from the 2013 Pontifical Yearbook, which was presented to the Holy Father this morning by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone and the Substitute for General Affairs Archbishop Angelo Becciu.