Guest Post by Laurel Whitworth

Christianity is one of the world’s largest religious groups, with nearly 2.5 billion people following one of its five major denominations—Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Protestant, and Roman Catholic. Roughly half of all worldwide Christians identify as Catholic, making it the largest of the Christian churches. That number continues to grow as worshippers share their faith and experiences with those across the globe and new members join local congregations. The Statistical Yearbook of the Church or Annuario Pontificio, released annually by Central Statistics Office of the Church, compiles data relating to the church’s demographics and trends, as well as contains a list of every diocese, Roman Curia office, and papal university in the world.