11-year decline in worldwide priestly vocations continues
October 18, 2024
The number of major seminarians worldwide fell from 109,895 at the end of 2021 to 108,481 at the end of 2022, according to statistics published by the Fides news agency (CWN coverage).
Between the end of 2020 and the end of 2021, the number of seminarians worldwide had declined from 111,855 to 109,895.
The number of major seminarians worldwide surged from 63,882 in 1978 to 110,553 in 2000—far surpassing the rate of world population growth—and rose more steadily over the next decade to a peak of 120,616 in 2011. The decline has been especially pronounced since 2019: the number of seminarians stood at 114,058 at the end of 2019.
The 2022 decline in seminarians was most pronounced in the Americas and in Europe. In Africa, however, the number of seminarians rose by 726 in 2022, and in Oceania, the number rose by 12.
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