Démographie religieuse de l’Église catholique : évolution du nombre de clercs et religieux
The website Catholic-Hierarchy offers information on the Catholic clergy, updated daily. The Catholic Church also offers an explanation of what it means to be a Catholic cleric (in French).
According to the Annuaire statistique de l’Eglise catholique, in 2016 in France, the clergy comprised about hundred Archbishops, Bishops and Auxiliary Bishops in all, some 20,000 active priests and 2,700 deacons. In that year, around 100 ordinations were celebrated.
There are more than 6,000 French missionaries abroad (priests, religious people and secular missionaries), especially in Africa, Latin America, Asia, etc. Meanwhile, there are about 1,800 foreign priests and more than 4,000 members of religious orders working as missionaries in France.
The evolution of the number of priests and deacons
2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Priest present in France | 21 187 | 20 680 | 20 277 | 19 640 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
among which diocesan priests | 16 075 | 15 957 | 15 341 | 15 008 | 14 353 | 14 112 | 13 822 | - | 12 363 | 11 908 | 11 606 |
among which priests members of a religious order | 5 112 | 5 083 | 4 936 | 4 632 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Total number of permanent deacons with a ministry | 1 499 | 1 960 | 2 169 | 2 250 | 2 335 | 2 420 | 2 450 | - | 2 633 | 2 670 | 2 694 |
Permanent deacons ordained | 81 | 101 | 121 | 94 | 95 | 98 | 84 | - | 95 | 103 | 76 |
The evolution of the number of members of religious orders
2000 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2014 | 2015 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total number of French religious sisters (leading either an apostolic or a monastic life) | 49 871 | 44 340 | 40 600 | 39 347 | 37 934 | 35 934 | 35 542 | 29 433 | 26 658 | 24 971 |
Total number of religious priests, brothers and monks | 10 121 | 9 409 | 8 434 | 8 388 | 8 099 | 7 504 | 7 508 | 6 566 | 5 741 | 5 490 |
See also the number of ordinations in 2019.
Source :
The Statistical Yearbook of the Church (2012 statistics), National Service for Vocations.
The Conference of Major Superiors and Service for Cloistered Religious Sisters 2005.
Website of the Catholic church.