New data released by the Italian church highlights what has been a concerning trend among Catholic leaders in the country for decades: namely, a drop in the number of local priests and an increase in the average age of Italy’s clerics.
However, this data also found that while there are less men joining the priesthood in Italy, the decrease in local vocations has to an extent been offset by a significant increase in foreign priests serving in Italian dioceses.
According to data provided by the Italian bishops’ National Office for the Pastoral Care of Vocations, there has been a 16.5 percent drop in the number of priests in Italy since 1990, with 10%of this drop taking place in just the past decade.
As of 1990, there were a total of 38,209 priests in Italy, which decreased to 36,350 in 2000, and dropped again to 31,793 last year.
Of these 31,793 priests, around 8.3% are foreigners, which is a jump from 6.6% in 2000, and from just 3.4% in 1990.
Last year’s data indicates that the number of foreign priests serving in Italy has increased more than 10x in the past 30 years, jumping from just 204 in 1990, to 2,631 in 2020.
Priests aged under 30 are decreasing, with just 599 recorded in Italy in last year, marking a 60 percent drop since 2000, when there were some 1,708 priests under 30.