Pope Francis will visit Chile and Peru from January 15-22, 2018. Here are statistics of the Catholic Church in Chile and Peru as of 31 December 2015 (from the Central Office for Church Statistics)
Table 1 – Population and ecclesiastical structure
Table 2 – People engaged in activities of the apostolate
Table 3 – Indicators of pastoral workload
Table 4 – Priestly Vocations
Table 5 – Educational centers owned/managed by ecclesiastics or religious
Table 6 – Charitable and social centers owned/managed by ecclesiastics or religious
The following are some statistical data relating to the situation of the Catholic Church in Chile and Peru as of 31 December 2015:
Table 1 – Population and ecclesiastical structure
| Chile | Peru | |
| Area (km2) | 756,626 | 1,285,216 |
| Population (in thousands) | 18,006 | 31,152 |
| Density (inhabitants/km2) | 24 | 24 |
| Catholics (in thousands) | 13,329 | 27,911 |
| Catholics per 100 inhabitants | 74.0 | 89.6 |
| Ecclesiastical circumscriptions | 27 | 45 |
| Parishes | 960 | 1,645 |
| Other pastoral centres | 3,779 | 6,303 |
| Catholics per pastoral center | 2,813 | 3,512 |
Table 2 – People engaged in activities of the apostolate
| Chile | Peru | |
| Bishops (Situation on 15.12.2017) | 50 | 68 |
| Diocesan priests | 1,175 | 2,088 |
| Religious priests | 1,108 | 1,273 |
| Total priests | 2,283 | 3,361 |
| Permanent deacons | 1,138 | 65 |
| Men religious (other than priests) | 546 | 422 |
| Professed women religious | 4,006 | 5,568 |
| Members of secular Institutes | 472 | 179 |
| Lay missionaries | 1,473 | 11,120 |
| Catechists | 43,547 | 51,367 |
Table 3 – Indicators of pastoral workload
| Chile | Peru | |
| Catholics per priest | 5,838 | 8,304 |
| Catholics per pastoral worker | 249 | 387 |
| Priests per pastoral center | 0.48 | 0.42 |
| Priests per 100 people engaged in activities of the apostolate | 4.36 | 4.75 |
Table 4 – Priestly Vocations
| Chile | Peru | |
| Minor seminarians | 39 | 689 |
| Major seminarians | 568 | 1,539 |
| Major seminarians per 100,000 inhabitants |
3.15 | 4.94 |
| Major seminarians per 100,000 Catholics | 4.26 | 5.51 |
| Major seminarians per 100 priests | 24.88 | 45.79 |
Table 5 – Educational centers owned/managed by ecclesiastics or religious
| Chile | Peru | |
| Schools: | ||
| Pre-school and primary | 957 | 995 |
| Lower middle and secondary | 597 | 524 |
| Higher and university | 27 | 90 |
| Students in: | ||
| Pre-school and primary schools | 258,366 | 248,171 |
| Lower middle and secondary schools | 392,582 | 196,165 |
| Higher and university institutes | 321,105 | 68,768 |
Table 6 – Charitable and social centers owned/managed by ecclesiastics or religious
| Chile | Peru | |
| Hospitals | 18 | 38 |
| Clinics | 39 | 323 |
| Leper colonies | 1 | 4 |
| Homes for the elderly and disabled | 318 | 90 |
| Orphanages and nurseries | 205 | 244 |
| Family consultation centers | 30 | 145 |
| Special centers for social education or rehabilitation | 43 | 36 |
| Other institutions | 447 | 581 |
JF
