Catholicism is a worldwide religion with adherents in almost every country. It’s a branch of Christianity, the world’s most populous religion.
Catholicism has several key principles. An important foundational tenet of Catholicism is on belief in Jesus Christ as the son of God, crucified in 33 CE and risen again after his death. Like many other Christians, Catholics believe that the Bible is God’s inspired word.
The Ten Commandments serve as a moral compass for Catholics. As a Catholic, you believe that all people are sinners due to the sin of Adam and Eve.
As with other Christian religions, Catholicism has some exclusive viewpoints not shared by other Christian denominations. However, Catholics believe that baptism eliminates this original sin and is thus essential for salvation.
Christians pray simply to God, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit, whereas Catholics pray to departed saints and Mary and God Himself. Catholics’ confession of sins before an Earthly priest and the Catholic belief in Purgatory are among the other contrasts between the two faiths.
The 11 countries with the most Catholics in overall population:
- Brazil – 123,360,000
- Mexico – 100,000,000
- Philippines – 85,470,000
- United States – 69,300,000
- Italy – 50,474,000
- France – 39,000,000
- Colombia – 35,000,000
- Poland – 33,037,017
- Spain – 30,720,000
- Argentina – 28,770,000
- Congo (Dem. Republic) – 28,700,000
The CIA Factbook and the Pew Research Center were utilized to determine which countries had the greatest proportion of Catholics. Brazil has the highest percentage of Catholics in the world. At least 123 million people in Brazil are Catholic, while current estimates put the figure at 140 million or more.
Mexico, the Philippines, the United States, Italy, France, Colombia, Poland, Spain, Argentina, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are the top 10 countries with the most Catholics. However, if you consider the proportion of Catholics in a country, this ranking shifts somewhat.
There are more Catholics in the following countries than in any other.
- Vatican City – 100%
- Timor-Leste – 96.9%
- San Marino – 90.5%
- Paraguay – 89.0%
- Malta – 88.7%
- Andorra – 88.2%
- Croatia – 86.3%
- Poland – 85.8%
- Portugal – 84.5%
- Italy – 83.0%
Only 800 Catholics make up Vatican City’s whole population—though this is logical given that Vatican City serves as the worldwide headquarters of the Catholic church. Nearly all Timor-citizens citizens are Catholic.
According to the proportion of Catholics, San Marino ranks third. Vatican City, East Timor, San Marino, Paraguay, Malta, and Andorra are the top 10 countries with the largest Catholic populations based on percentages.
Country | % Catholic of Total Population | Number of Catholics |
---|---|---|
Vatican City | 100 | 799 |
Timor-Leste | 96.9000 | 1021000 |
San Marino | 90.5000 | 29412 |
Paraguay | 89 | 6000000 |
Malta | 88.7000 | 361372 |
Andorra | 88.2000 | 61740 |
Croatia | 86.3000 | 3698000 |
Poland | 85.8000 | 33037017 |
Portugal | 84.5000 | 8920000 |
Italy | 83 | 50474000 |
Monaco | 82.3000 | 29933 |
Philippines | 81.4000 | 85470000 |
Equatorial Guinea | 80.7000 | 1410000 |
Mexico | 80 | 100000000 |
Ireland | 78.3000 | 3729000 |
Cape Verde | 77.3000 | 395850 |
Lithuania | 77.2000 | 2311722 |
Ecuador | 77 | 11265523 |
Seychelles | 76.2000 | 70866 |
Liechtenstein | 75.9000 | 25803 |
Peru | 75 | 23674000 |
Colombia | 75 | 35000000 |
Sao Tome and Principe | 73.5000 | 119805 |
Slovenia | 73.2000 | 1511980 |
Bolivia | 73 | 7980000 |
Venezuela | 70 | 22400000 |
Argentina | 68.5000 | 28770000 |
Spain | 66 | 30720000 |
Luxembourg | 65.9000 | 369600 |
Panama | 62.5000 | 2162500 |
Burundi | 62.1000 | 7440000 |
Slovakia | 62 | 3347277 |
Saint Lucia | 61.3000 | 101500 |
Chile | 60.8000 | 9000000 |
France | 58.5000 | 39000000 |
Dominica | 58.1000 | 41564 |
Belgium | 58 | 6500000 |
Brazil | 57.5000 | 123360000 |
Costa Rica | 57 | 2850000 |
Austria | 56.9000 | 5050000 |
Kiribati | 55.8000 | 54684 |
Haiti | 54.7000 | 5470000 |
Dominican Republic | 52.5000 | 5460000 |
Cuba | 51.7000 | 5790000 |
Gabon | 50 | 694600 |
Lesotho | 45.7000 | 946000 |
Nicaragua | 45 | 2700000 |
Grenada | 44.6000 | 39917 |
Rwanda | 43.7000 | 4807000 |
Guatemala | 43 | 7000000 |
Palau | 41.6000 | 8299 |
Honduras | 41.5000 | 3652000 |
Angola | 41.1000 | 10600000 |
Belize | 40 | 133600 |
Uruguay | 39.5000 | 1330000 |
Uganda | 39.3000 | 16500000 |
El Salvador | 39 | 2730000 |
Canada | 38.7000 | 13843000 |
Cameroon | 38.4000 | 9846000 |
Hungary | 37.2000 | 3674244 |
DR Congo | 36.8000 | 28700000 |
Switzerland | 36.5500 | 3052000 |
Republic of the Congo | 33.1000 | 1675529 |
South Sudan | 30 | 3000000 |
Madagascar | 29.5000 | 5318293 |
Lebanon | 28.8000 | 1382400 |
Malawi | 28.4000 | 3449487 |
Mozambique | 28.4000 | 4618795 |
Germany | 27.7000 | 23002000 |
Tanzania | 27.2000 | 12220689 |
Papua New Guinea | 27 | 1890000 |
Benin | 26.6000 | 1984366 |
Togo | 26.4000 | 1499921 |
Central African Republic | 25 | 949974 |
Mauritius | 23.6000 | 289314 |
Netherlands | 23.3000 | 3943000 |
Australia | 22.6000 | 5292000 |
Kenya | 22.1000 | 9613500 |
Suriname | 21.6000 | 119000 |
Trinidad and Tobago | 21.6000 | 286000 |
Ivory Coast | 21.4000 | 5093000 |
Zambia | 21 | 3003000 |
United States | 21 | 69300000 |
Chad | 20.1000 | 2520000 |
Samoa | 19.6000 | 35084 |
Latvia | 19.1000 | 437435 |
Solomon Islands | 19 | 100000 |
Burkina Faso | 17 | 2367303 |
Namibia | 16.9000 | 344202 |
Tonga | 15.6000 | 15912 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 15.1900 | 536333 |
Vanuatu | 13.1000 | 36500 |
Ghana | 12.9000 | 2712851 |
Nigeria | 12.6000 | 23940000 |
Bahamas | 12 | 39600 |
New Zealand | 11.1000 | 492000 |
South Korea | 11 | 5813770 |
Czech Republic | 10.2000 | 1071000 |
Albania | 10 | 302000 |
Fiji | 9.1000 | 80401 |
United Kingdom | 9 | 5700000 |
Bahrain | 8.9000 | 71200 |
Guinea-Bissau | 8.9000 | 126026 |
Marshall Islands | 8.4000 | 5208 |
Antigua and Barbuda | 8.2000 | 6930 |
Guyana | 8.1000 | 91833 |
Ukraine | 7.8000 | 3354000 |
Zimbabwe | 7.7100 | 982792 |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 7.5000 | 7950 |
Belarus | 7.1000 | 674500 |
South Africa | 7.1000 | 2851327 |
Vietnam | 6.8000 | 5658000 |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | 6.7000 | 3400 |
Kuwait | 6.1000 | 142474 |
Serbia | 6.1000 | 433167 |
Sri Lanka | 6.1000 | 1237000 |
Qatar | 5.8000 | 50000 |
Liberia | 5.4000 | 188039 |
Brunei | 5 | 18618 |
United Arab Emirates | 5 | 128160 |
Eswatini | 4.9000 | 62803 |
Botswana | 4.9000 | 80365 |
Singapore | 4.8000 | 165964 |
Romania | 4.7000 | 1787408 |
Barbados | 4.2000 | 10000 |
Oman | 4.1000 | 110000 |
Iceland | 3.9000 | 13799 |
Senegal | 3.5000 | 389439 |
Montenegro | 3.4000 | 21299 |
Eritrea | 3.3000 | 150532 |
Malaysia | 3.3000 | 1290453 |
Sierra Leone | 2.9000 | 174511 |
Indonesia | 2.9000 | 7395000 |
Guinea | 2.6000 | 246164 |
Saudi Arabia | 2.5000 | 660439 |
Norway | 2.4000 | 120900 |
Gambia | 2.1000 | 33458 |
Jamaica | 2 | 57780 |
Palestine | 2 | 80000 |
Syria | 2 | 368975 |
Sweden | 1.8000 | 180000 |
Mali | 1.5000 | 189289 |
Taiwan | 1.3000 | 297626 |
Israel | 1.2000 | 92952 |
India | 1.2000 | 15520000 |
Myanmar | 1.1000 | 450549 |
Tuvalu | 1 | 100 |
Cyprus | 1 | 11000 |
Armenia | 1 | 29829 |
Sudan | 1 | 300000 |
China | 0.8700 | 12000000 |
Georgia | 0.8000 | 84193 |
Pakistan | 0.8000 | 1656000 |
Denmark | 0.7000 | 40000 |
Libya | 0.7000 | 40358 |
Ethiopia | 0.7000 | 584426 |
Laos | 0.6000 | 37302 |
Kazakhstan | 0.6000 | 91115 |
Moldova | 0.5000 | 20494 |
Bulgaria | 0.5000 | 37251 |
Russia | 0.5000 | 717101 |
Jordan | 0.4000 | 23038 |
Greece | 0.4000 | 44683 |
Iraq | 0.3500 | 133000 |
Estonia | 0.3000 | 3998 |
Thailand | 0.3000 | 196333 |
Japan | 0.3000 | 382251 |
Comoros | 0.2000 | 1600 |
Djibouti | 0.2000 | 953 |
Finland | 0.2000 | 12434 |
Tunisia | 0.2000 | 22000 |
Algeria | 0.1400 | 45000 |
Mauritania | 0.1000 | 3086 |
Kyrgyzstan | 0.1000 | 5146 |
Cambodia | 0.1000 | 10000 |
Niger | 0.1000 | 11665 |
Egypt | 0.1000 | 77505 |
Morocco | 0.0700 | 22908 |
Bangladesh | 0.0700 | 110000 |
Western Sahara | 0.0600 | 163 |
Bhutan | 0.0600 | 1339 |
Turkey | 0.0500 | 35000 |
Mongolia | 0.0400 | 1116 |
Azerbaijan | 0.0300 | 2574 |
Nepal | 0.0300 | 8302 |
Maldives | 0.0200 | 80 |
Yemen | 0.0200 | 4145 |
Iran | 0.0200 | 13603 |
Turkmenistan | 0.0100 | 500 |
Tajikistan | 0.0100 | 1000 |
North Korea | 0.0100 | 2291 |
Uzbekistan | 0.0100 | 2685 |
Somalia | 0.0010 | 100 |
Afghanistan | 0.0003 | 100 |
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