Catholic Church in Germany loses half a million parishioners in 2025

The Cologne Cathedral in Germany. Photo: berlin24

Germany has faced a new decline in the number of believers: in 2025, the Catholic Church in the country lost 549,636 members, reports pch24.pl.

According to the German Bishops' Conference, 307,117 people officially left the Catholic Church in just one year. Many do this to avoid paying the church tax collected by the state, as well as due to loss of trust in church structures.

Taking into account the total number of departures, deaths, and baptisms, the Catholic Church in Germany decreased by 549,636 members in 2025. Currently, there are 19,219,601 Catholics living there. This represents approximately 23% of the total population.

The head of the conference, Bishop Heiner Wilmer, expressed regret over the new wave of departures from the Church, emphasizing that each such decision is a source of pain for the faithful. He noted that the Roman Catholic Church is in need of spiritual renewal and the restoration of trust. Observers note that the scale of the exodus does not depend on whether the bishop is more conservative or liberal.

As the UOJ reported, in Germany, Muslim students forced their classmates to observe Ramadan.

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