Vatican Releases Statistics on Catholic Church in Uruguay, Argentina and Peru Ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s November Visit

Ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic journey, November 6-17, the Vatican has released statistics on the Catholic Church in Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru. The three countries recorded nearly 77 million baptized Catholics in 2024. The figures were compiled by the Vatican’s Central Office of Church Statistics from the Church’s Statistical Yearbook and trace developments from 1980 to 2024.

Uruguay, the first stop on the itinerary, recorded 2.754 million baptized Catholics in 2024, nearly 77 percent of its 3.579 million inhabitants. The Church there counted nine ecclesiastical jurisdictions, 238 parishes, 369 priests, 97 permanent deacons, 436 professed women religious, and 71 major seminarians. The figures show that priests fell from 587 in 1980 and women religious fell from 1,621. Annual baptisms dropped from 41,673 to 11,066 over the same period. Church educational institutions enrolled 72,600 students, and 149 charitable and welfare institutions were counted. During the visit, the Pope will celebrate Mass in Florida, home to the shrine of Our Lady of the Thirty-Three, patroness of Uruguay.

Argentina has the largest Catholic population of the three countries, with 43.17 million baptized faithful, or over 92 percent of its 47.068 million inhabitants. Its 73 ecclesiastical jurisdictions included 2,971 parishes, and the Church counted 5,137 priests, 1,268 permanent deacons, 5,921 professed women religious, and 871 major seminarians. Permanent deacons increased from 36 in 1980, while priests declined from 5,450. Major seminarians numbered 2,260 in 1990.

Church schools and universities in Argentina enrolled 1,556,606 students, and its charitable and welfare institutions numbered 3,345, the highest total of the three countries. The Pope’s itinerary there includes a visit to the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione in Claypole, a residential care facility, a sign of care for those in need (Matthew 25:35).

Peru recorded 31.074 million baptized Catholics, over 91 percent of its 34.038 million inhabitants. Across 46 ecclesiastical jurisdictions and 1,710 parishes, the Church counted 3,246 priests, 71 permanent deacons, 4,720 professed women religious, and 864 major seminarians. The number of priests rose from 2,233 in 1980, though it remained slightly below the 2020 total of 3,292. Major seminarians declined from 2,077 in 2010.

Educational institutions in Peru enrolled 571,482 students, while the Church’s charitable and welfare institutions numbered 1,219.

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