Religious belonging and religious demography
Religious affiliation
Persons in the area corresponding to the Republic of Ireland by Religion, 1881-2006 Year RCChurch of IrelandPresb.Method.JewOtherNoneNot statedTotal 1881 3 465 332 317 576 56 (...)
Roman Catholics
Stated belonging to a religion is still very high in Ireland, as reported in the Census of Population. Until recently in Ireland very high levels of reported belonging to a religion (...)
Minority religious groups
Minority Religious groups are growing in Ireland. After a century of decline, Protestant numbers are now rising. This can largely be attributed to immigration and the underlying demographics and (...)
No religion
In 2002 only 3.5% reported that they had no religion. Although this percentage is much smaller than in most other European countries, it nevertheless represents a growing trend. Almost half of (...)
Religious organisations and resources
As the largest religious organisation on the island of Ireland, the Catholic Church boasts the highest priest-people ratio anywhere in the world with the exception of the small states of Malta (...)
As the largest religious organisation on the island of Ireland, the Catholic Church boasts the highest priest-people ratio anywhere in the world with the exception of the small states of Malta and Lichtenstein.
Distribution of Priests Amongst Population for Selected Countries (c.2003)
| Rank | Country | Pop. (m.) | Priests | #Pop per Priest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malta | 0,38 | 941 | 407 |
| 3 | Ireland | 5,3 | 4 993 | 1061 |
| 4 | Italy | 59,3 | 51 295 | 1156 |
| 6 | Poland | 36,1 | 26 931 | 1339 |
| 8 | Spain | 41,5 | 26 505 | 1565 |
| 17 | France | 58,6 | 23 089 | 2537 |
| 35 | USA | 281,4 | 46 447 | 6059 |
| 36 | Argentina | 37,4 | 5 759 | 6501 |
| 78 | Honduras | 6,6 | 381 | 17336 |
| 103 | Mozambique | 18,8 | 530 | 35540 |
| 105 | Cuba | 11,4 | 297 | 38303 |
Source: Catholic hierarchy. Note: These figures are derived from annual diocesan reports published in the Annuario Pontificio.
This pattern was largely the result of the gradual expansion of the Catholic Church in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries against the backdrop of a chronically declining population, though Church expansion accelerated between the 1930s and 1960s as the Church received State support for its activities in the spheres of education, health and charity.
Organisational Expansion of Catholic Church in Ireland, 1840s to 2000
Source: Irish Catholic Directory (1840s to 2000) Note: These figures are derived from annual diocesan reports.
After a century-long expansion and the continued generation of a surplus of clergy, the Church began to contract during the 1970s and began to suffer a major recruitment crisis during the 1990s, with many seminaries, convents and the houses of religious orders closing or being sold to cover the costs of caring for a large and aging body of clergy.
21 September 2012 Seán L’Estrange
