Summary
In 2024, the number of adults joining the Catholic Church in the Netherlands surged by nearly 40%, reaching a total of 630 new members. This significant increase was recorded by Kaski, the Dutch Catholic Institute for Ecclesiastical Statistics. The report shows that infant baptisms declined from 42,411 in 2000 to 6,110 in 2024, representing a 7% drop annually. Despite this decline, the number of adult baptisms increased by almost 40% between 2023 and 2024. Joris Kregting, a sociologist working for Kaski, highlighted that the rise in new adult Catholics was “a striking exception” to the overall trend. The total Catholic population in the Netherlands fell from 5.1 million in 2000 to 3.4 million in 2024, accounting for approximately 19.1% of the country’s population. Attendance at weekly Masses has remained low, with only 2.7% of Catholics present in 2024. Church weddings have seen a slight increase, but the number of church funerals declined from 13,720 in 2023 to 11,850 in 2024.
Key Topics
Netherlands, Catholic Church, adult baptism
