For the first time, less than 20 million Catholics live in Germany, according to the 2024 church statistics published by the German Episcopal Conference (DBK, for its acronym in German) on Thursday, March 27. Although the downward trend has slowed compared to the previous year, it is remarkable.
The total number of Catholics in Germany is 19,769,237, of which only 6.6 % (just over 1.3 million) practice their faith and regularly attend Mass on Sundays. Last year, there were 20,345,872 Catholics living in Germany.
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With a population of 83.6 million, Catholics currently represent less than a quarter of the population. Less than 2% of the population attends Mass.
In 2024, the Church registered more than 321,000 resignations (a formal process to leave the Church through a statement, after which the person does not pay the ecclesiastical tax and receives a letter of excommunication), compared to only about 6,600 new members and readmissions. In addition, the DBK reported about 116,000 baptisms (the previous year there were more than 131,000), but also almost 213,000 burials.
In five dioceses, the percentage of mass attendees is two digits. The smallest German diocese, Görlitz, leads the sector, with 14.4% of Catholics attending Sunday mass. Two other dioceses of Eastern Germany-Dresde-Meissen and Érfurt-also have two-digit figures, as are the Bavarian dioceses of Eichstätt and Ratisbona.
The weakest diocese in terms of assistance to Sunday Mass are Aquisk and Tréveris, each with only 4.5% of Catholics who attend the Church.
Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in CNA German.
CNA German
The CNA Deutsch writing offers global information from a Catholic perspective in German since 2015, with the support of agencies associated in Rome, Washington, Lima, São Paulo, Nairobi and Kirkuk. CNA Deutsch is an Ewtn News service.