How many new priests are there in Europe?

What’s happening with ordination rates in Europe?

How many new Catholic priests will be ordained in Europe in 2025? It’s a simple question, but difficult to answer, given the continent consists of more than 40 nations, with varying attitudes to record-keeping.

A priestly ordination at Westminster Cathedral in London, England, on June 29, 2024. © Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk.

Does the answer matter? Yes, because it would be one way of taking the spiritual temperature of Europe, which remains the geographical center of the Catholic Church, despite long ceasing to be its demographic center.

The answer might also shed light on an emerging debate about whether the U.S. is seeing a priestly vocation boom while Europe is experiencing a vocations bust. For example, the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, has 12 new priests in 2025, the second-largest class in its 50-year history, surpassing the number of ordinations in several smaller European countries.

The statistical big picture in Europe is clear. According to the Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae (Statistical Yearbook of the Church) published by the Vatican, the number of priests in Europe is steadily declining.

The most recent statistics date back to 2023, when the number of priests in Europe fell by 1.6% compared to the year before. Overall, there were around 155,000 priests based on the continent that year, accounting for 38.1% of the world’s total.

But what do we know about the number of ordinations this year in Europe by country? Here’s an attempt to summarize what we know and draw some tentative conclusions.

Austria 🇦🇹

At least 26 new priests are expected this year, up from around 20 in 2024.

Belarus 🇧🇾

The Eastern European country is reportedly expecting four new priests.

Belgium 🇧🇪

No figure is publicly available, but the number of new priests per year is generally believed to be in single digits. For the first time in decades, there were no priestly ordinations in June in the Diocese of Namur.

Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦

The overall figure for 2025 is unknown, but likely small given the declining number of Catholics in the Balkan nation. That said, five new priests were ordained June 29 at Mostar Cathedral.

Croatia 🇭🇷

No figure is publicly available, but it could be in the region of 40 in the Catholic-majority country.

Czech Republic 🇨🇿

At least four priestly ordinations have taken place so far in the land sometimes described as Europe’s most atheistic country.

Finland 🇫🇮

The Catholic Church in Finland is growing, but there is currently no figure for priestly ordinations in 2025. Helsinki’s Bishop Raimo Goyarrola will ordain Vietnam-born Deacon Chien Nguyen to the priesthood Aug. 16.

France 🇫🇷

The Church in France expects 90 new priests in 2025, down from 105 in 2024. An impressive 16 priests were ordained June 28 for the Archdiocese of Paris, in the first ordinations at Notre-Dame Cathedral since the 2019 fire. The French bishops’ conference previously included in its annual statistics the number of new priests “ordained to serve a diocese, celebrating according to the 1962 Roman Missal.” This year, the figure was omitted, but there were four such ordinations in 2024 and five in 2023.

Germany 🇩🇪

No figure is currently available, but it’s likely to be below 30, given there were 29 new priests in 2024. German media have reported that priestly ordinations in Bavaria, Germany’s traditional Catholic heartland, reached a record low in 2025. Only five men are due to be ordained this year for the five dioceses of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state. One commentator predicts there will be 24 new priests in 2025 for the country’s 27 dioceses. Meanwhile, five new priests were ordained June 28 for the traditionalist Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter at Lindau, in the southern state of Bavaria.

Hungary 🇭🇺

The Church in Hungary expects to ordain 14 priests this year. Fewer than 100 candidates are reportedly preparing for the diocesan priesthood in the country, down from 420 two decades ago.

Ireland 🇮🇪

No figure is available yet. Twenty-one new seminarians began their studies in the 2024-2025 academic year, bringing the total number in training for Irish dioceses up to 74. Ordinations are taking place this year. For example, Limerick’s Bishop Brendan Leahy ordained Deacon Tim Collins to the priesthood May 11.

Italy 🇮🇹

No figure is currently available. Fewer than 400 priests have been ordained annually in the pope’s backyard since 2018. Eleven new priests were ordained June 7 for the Archdiocese of Milan, Europe’s largest Catholic diocese.

Luxembourg 🇱🇺

In May, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich ordained two new priests — one originally from Brazil, the other from Vietnam — for the Archdiocese of Luxembourg, which covers the whole country.

Malta 🇲🇹

Malta’s Archbishop Charles Scicluna ordained three new priests in May. One of the three, Fr. Shawn Wong, was born in Singapore.

Netherlands 🇳🇱

No figure is publicly available. Deacon Dino Deltin, originally from Croatia, was ordained a priest June 14 at the Cathedral of St. Bavo in Haarlem. A 2023 report noted that around 30% of priests serving in the Netherlands come from outside of the country. Also on June 14, Deacon Berend van de Berg was ordained a priest at St. John's Cathedral in ’s-Hertogenbosch.

Norway 🇳🇴

Catholics are a growing minority in the Scandinavian country, but their numbers are still relatively small. Oslo’s Bishop Fredrik Hansen ordained Deacon Mathias Ledum to the priesthood June 28. The total number of ordinations this year is unclear.

Poland 🇵🇱

Poland expects to have 206 new priests in 2025 (139 diocesan, 67 religious), down from 235 in 2024. Each year, the number of dioceses with no new priests is growing. In 2025, there will be no priestly ordinations in the dioceses of Zamość-Lubaczów, Łowicz, Gliwice, Pelplin, Drohiczyn, and Wrocław (the last of which serves around 1 million Catholics). Poland’s Institute for Catholic Church Statistics estimated in 2020 that a quarter of Europe’s priestly ordinations take place in the country. Polish priests frequently serve in Western European nations with shortages of local clergy. If the decline in Poland continues, such arrangements will likely become less common.

Portugal 🇵🇹

An overall figure doesn’t appear to be available, but estimates suggest there are around 30 new priests a year. Seven new priests were ordained June 29 for the Patriarchate of Lisbon. The Diocese of Vila Real, in northern Portugal, will gain two new priests July 6.

Romania 🇷🇴

As in other countries, there is a steady decline in Catholic priestly vocations in Romania, a predominantly Eastern Orthodox nation. While no overall figure for 2025 is available, 10 men were ordained priests June 24 in Iași, Romania’s third-largest city. Another Romanian priest was ordained June 27 by Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Russia 🇷🇺

The Catholic Church in Russia has traditionally depended on priests from abroad. No overall ordination figure for 2025 is available. Deacon Pavel Levkin was ordained a priest June 28 at Moscow’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

Serbia 🇷🇸

No overall figure has been published, but Cardinal Ladislav Nemet ordained Deacon Marko Koprčina to the priesthood in Belgrade June 21.

Slovakia 🇸🇰

The Catholic Church in Slovakia expects to have 27 new priests in 2025 (12 for Latin Catholic dioceses, nine for Greek Catholic dioceses, and six for religious orders).

Slovenia 🇸🇮

The Catholic Church in Slovenia is due to have two new priests in 2025, one for the Ljubljana archdiocese and the other for the Capuchin order. In the 1970s, Slovenia reportedly produced more than 50 new priests a year.

Spain 🇪🇸

No figure seems to have been published yet for 2025. In 2023, the most recent year for which figures are available, there were 79 new priests. The number of late vocations is reportedly increasing in Spain, which currently has more than a thousand seminarians. Priestly vocation trends in Spain are globally significant as the country sends more missionaries abroad than any other nation.

Switzerland 🇨🇭

No figure for 2025 is available, but ordinations are occurring across the country. Four new priests were ordained June 7 in Lugano Cathedral, in the predominantly Italian-speaking canton of Ticino. Chur’s Bishop Joseph Bonnemain ordained Deacon Matteo Tuena to the priesthood May 24. The number of diocesan priests permanently resident in Switzerland has halved since 1950 and there are around six priestly ordinations a year.

Ukraine 🇺🇦

Given Ukraine’s war-torn state, there is, not surprisingly, no official figure for ordinations in 2025. But they are taking place both within the Latin Church and Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. In May, two priests were ordained for the Latin Rite Archdiocese of Lviv, one for the Diocese of Kamyanets-Podilskyi, one for Diocese of Kyiv-Zhytomyr, and four connected to the Neocatechumenal Way. Deacon Vitaliy Dmytryshyn was ordained June 27 in St. Peter’s Basilica by Pope Leo XIV.

United Kingdom 🇬🇧

The National Office for Vocation has projected 16 ordinations to the diocesan priesthood in England and Wales in 2025, with more than half of dioceses having no new priests. It is unclear if the projection is proving accurate. Cardinal Vincent Nichols ordained two new priests for the Westminster archdiocese June 28. Leeds Bishop Marcus Stock ordained Deacon Philip Thornley to the priesthood the same day. There is no 2025 figure currently for Scotland, but ordinations are taking place. Aberdeen’s Bishop Hugh Gilbert ordained Deacon Aidan Matheson to the priesthood June 27.

What do the figures convey?

Given the very patchy data, observers should be wary of drawing sweeping conclusions. There are strong variations from country to country, reflecting differences in size and ecclesiastical culture.

The number of new priests almost everywhere in Europe is below replacement level. Many countries are increasingly reliant on priests from Africa and Asia. There is a trend for new priests in European dioceses to be born elsewhere, as can be seen this year in Luxembourg.

Some countries — notably Germany — are seeing record low numbers, while others — think Austria and Ireland — seem on the cusp of a modest revival.

Overall, it’s tempting to write off Europe as a wasteland for priestly vocations. But that might underestimate the local Church’s ability to regenerate itself. Or, to put it less sociologically, for the Holy Spirit to inspire a renewal of the priesthood in Europe.