Catholic population in Germany drops below 20 million for the first time

CNA Deutsch, Mar 28, 2025 / 07:00 am

For the first time, fewer than 20 million Catholics live in Germany, according to the 2024 Church statistics published by the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK) on Thursday, March 27. Although the downward trend has slowed compared with the previous year, it is noticeable.

The total number of Catholics in Germany is 19,769,237, of which only 6.6% — just over 1.3 million Catholics — practice their faith and regularly attend Mass on Sundays. Last year, there were 20,345,872 Catholics living in Germany. 

With a population of 83.6 million, Catholics now make up less than a quarter of the population. Less than 2% of the population are attending Mass.

In 2024, the Church recorded more than 321,000 resignations (a formal process of leaving the Church by declaration after which the person pays no church tax and is provided a letter of excommunication), compared with 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-goers is in the double digits. The smallest German diocese, Görlitz, leads the field, with 14.4% of Catholics attending Sunday Mass. Two other eastern German dioceses — Dresden-Meissen and Erfurt — also have double digits, as do the two Bavarian dioceses of Eichstätt and Regensburg.

The weakest dioceses in terms of Sunday Mass attendance are Aachen and Trier, each with only 4.5% of Catholics coming to church.

This story was first published by CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by CNA.