(ZENIT News / Berlin, 03. 17. 2026).- On Monday, March 16, the German Episcopal Conference and the 27 Archdioceses of the Catholic Church published the ecclesiastical statistics for 2025. As with the previous year, these are preliminary figures that may be subject to minor adjustments. In Germany, Catholics represent 23% of the total population (19,219,601 parishioners).
The number of baptisms declined again, with 109,028 in 2025 (2024: 116,274). The same occurred with religious weddings, which totalled 19,478 (2024: 22,513). First Communion celebrations remained stable at 152,357 (2024: 151,702), as did Confirmations at 105,334 (2024: 105,041). The number of religious funerals declined again, reaching 203,496 (2024: 213,046). As in the previous two years, church attendance rose slightly, increasing by 6.8 percent (2024: 6.6 percent). The number of parishes decreased — again due to structural measures in the dioceses — to 8,997 (2024: 9.29). Nationwide, the Catholic Church recorded 25 Priestly Ordinations in 2025.
In 2025, a slight increase was recorded with 2,269 people joining the Catholic Church (2024: 1,839), while 5,443 members were readmitted to the faith (2024: 4,743). But the number of people who left the Church was 307,117 (2024: 321,659).
Regarding the 2025 statistics, the President of the German Episcopal Conference, Bishop Dr. Heiner Wilmer SCJ, explains: «The 2025 figures, which we are publishing today as the Church in Germany, reflect our Church. I am grateful for the dedicated work of our Church’s full-time staff and also for the quality of pastoral care. It is a positive sign that church attendance is again showing a slight increase. And I see it as a positive sign that the number of First Communions and Confirmations has remained stable. However, I lament the high number of people who are still leaving the Church. The reasons are varied, and yet I say –because we are a community of believers through Baptism and Confirmation — that every departure from the Church pains us. There are fewer and fewer Christians in Germany, which does not prevent us –despite all the necessary measures — from bearing witness to our faith with great personal commitment. Therefore, I also take this opportunity today to express my gratitude to all the volunteers in our Church who are not included in the statistics. There are approximately 600,000 of them who ensure that the Church, with its diverse offerings, is only possible in the society in the first place. Despite all the upheavals, I encourage them not to bury their heads in the sand, but to look ahead and, together –also in ecumenical unity — seek ways in which being Christian can lead to greater acceptance in today’s society.
