Vatican Reports Catholic Growth Across Three South American Nations
Church statistics for Uruguay, Argentina and Peru show nearly 77 million baptized Catholics in 2024 ahead of a papal visit.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Catholicism
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The Vatican's Central Office of Church Statistics has released 2024 Catholic Church figures for Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, which together recorded nearly 77 million baptized Catholics. The release comes as Pope Leo XIV prepares an Apostolic Journey to all three countries from November 6 to 17, 2026.
Why it matters
The figures highlight the continued scale of the Catholic population in South America, where Argentina and Peru hold large shares of their national populations. The statistics also trace long-term shifts in parish, clergy and baptism numbers since 1980 that shape the Church's presence in the region.
The Vatican's statistical yearbook counts 2,971 parishes and 5,137 priests in Argentina, 1,710 parishes and 3,246 priests in Peru, and 238 parishes and 369 priests in Uruguay. Uruguay's priest count has fallen from 587 in 1980, and the yearbook does not address the causes of that decline.
The players
Pope Leo XIV
The current pope of the Catholic Church, who is leading an Apostolic Journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in November 2026.
Vatican Central Office of Church Statistics
The Vatican office that compiles and publishes official statistics on the global Catholic Church from its Statistical Yearbook.
The details
Uruguay recorded 2.754 million baptized Catholics, about 77 percent of its population, while Argentina recorded 43.17 million, or 92 percent, and Peru recorded 31.074 million, or 91 percent. Church-run institutions enrolled 1,556,606 students in Argentina, 72,600 in Uruguay and 571,482 in Peru, and Argentina's Church also operated 3,345 charitable and welfare institutions.
Timeline
1980: Start of the statistical trend period covered by the Church's figures.
2024: Year for which the baptized Catholic population figures were recorded.
November 6-17, 2026: Pope Leo XIV's Apostolic Journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.
Church Trajectory
The figures follow the Vatican's Statistical Yearbook of the Church, which tracks Catholic baptisms, parishes and clergy across regions over decades. Set against the 1980 baseline in these countries, the 2024 data show that large baptized populations have coincided with falling baptism and priest totals.
Readers in these three countries and those following the papal trip can see how Church participation has changed over four decades. Travelers planning to attend Masses during the November 2026 visit should check official Church schedules for location and timing details.
The takeaway
Large baptized populations in South America sit alongside shrinking baptism and priest counts, a pattern visible in the 1980 to 2024 figures. Readers following the papal visit can use the official trip schedule to track how these trends are addressed.
What happens next
Pope Leo XIV's Apostolic Journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru is scheduled for November 6-17, 2026.
Further reading
For more on the Church's global footprint, explore Catholicism coverage.
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