Catholicism is one of the three major branches of Christianity along with Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism. Over the last few centuries, the Catholic Church has been an influencing spiritual force in the development of Christianity, cultural development and morality in the world. With its growing influence, the population of Catholics have grown significantly to more than 50% of the total Christian population worldwide. Below is a table showing the regional distribution of Catholics.
Distribution of Catholics by Region
| Region | Population | Percentage (%) share of total Catholics population | Percentage (%) share of regional population |
| Americas | 522,500,000 | 47.5% | 72% |
| Europe | 262,900,000 | 23.9% | 35% |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 177,100,000 | 16.1% | 21% |
| Asia-Pacific | 132,000,000 | 12% | 3% |
| Middle East and North Africa | 5,500,000 | 0.5% | 2% |
Top 10 Countries with the highest number of Catholics worldwide
| Country | Population of Catholics | Percentage share of total Catholic population (1.1 billion) | Percentage (%) share of country’s population |
| Brazil | 133,660,000 | 12% | 67.25% |
| Mexico | 96,330,000 | 9% | 86.62% |
| Philippines | 75,940,000 | 7% | 77.51% |
| United States | 74,470,000 | 7% | 24.24% |
| Italy | 50,250,000 | 5% | 86.45% |
| Columbia | 38,100,000 | 3% | 87.23% |
| France | 37,930,000 | 3% | 59.21% |
| Poland | 35,290,000 | 3% | 91.70% |
| Spain | 34,670,000 | 3% | 85.55% |
| DR Congo | 31,180,000 | 3% | 45.39% |
Top Countries with Highest Share of Catholics in the Americas
| Country | Percentage (%) share of Country’s population | Catholics Population |
| Mexico | 86.62% | 96,330,000 |
| Columbia | 87.23% | 38,100,000 |
| Peru | 77.9% | 23,017,084 |
| Panama | 72.3% | 2,429,622 |
| Nicaragua | 52.6% | 3,098,770 |
| Chile | 61.1% | 10,143,642 |
| Brazil | 67.25% | 133,660,000 |
Top 10 African Countries with the highest number of Catholics
| Country | Population of Catholics | Percentage (%) of country’s population |
| Cape Verde | 383,520 | 89.3% |
| Burundi | 6,334,546 | 66.6% |
| Rwanda | 6,136,144 | 57.1% |
| Gabon | 790,826 | 52.2% |
| Lesotho | 1,033,447 | 48.5% |
| Angola | 6,092,463 | 47.6% |
| DR of Congo | 31,180,000 | 45.39% |
| Kenya | 12,987,923 | 33.3% |
| Uganda | 10,617,215 | 32.8% |
| Cameroon | 5,135,170 | 27.2% |
Catholics vs Other Christian Religions
| Denomination | Population | Percentage (%) of global population (6.97 billion) | Percentage (%) share of total Christians (2.2 billion) |
| Catholicism | 1,100,000,000 | 15.78% | 50% |
| Protestantism | 900,000,000 | 12.91% | 40.9% |
| Orthodoxy | 260,000,000 | 3.73% | 11.8% |
Note
The Protestant denominations cover all the Protestant church such as Anglicans, Methodists, and Pentecostals etc.
Majority of this data is from 2010 and may have undergone some changes since then.
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