The number of non-priestly religious decreased for the seventh consecutive year. The information was made available by the Zenit news agency.  

Newsroom (February 6, 2022, 2:55 PM, Gaudium Press) On the occasion of the celebration of the World Day of Consecrated Life (February 2nd), which John Paul II instituted in 1997, Zenit news agency presented statistics on this important segment of the Church.

As of December 2019, there were:

– 132,200 priests belonging to a congregation or religious order

– 50,295 religious who are not priests

– 635 permanent deacons who belong to a congregation or religious order

– 582 consecrated lay people (not religious) belonging to a Secular Institute

Among women, there are in the world:

– 630,099 women religious

– 20,913 consecrated laywomen (non-religious) belonging to a Secular Institute

The number of non-priestly religious decreased for the seventh consecutive year, by 646 persons. Religious women also decreased, by 11,562 persons.

The total number of priests in the Church is 414,336, of which 282,136 are secular and 132,200 are religious.

Compiled by Sarah Gangl