When discussing religion in Africa, Islam and indigenous beliefs often dominate the narrative. However, Catholicism—brought in large part through European colonization and missionary work—has not only taken root but flourished across vast regions of the continent.
According to this Wikipedia data, over 200 million people in Africa identify as Catholic, with that number still rising. But the picture isn’t evenly distributed. Some countries host tens of millions of Catholics, while others have only a few thousand.
Here’s a breakdown rank African countries by their estimated total number of Catholics:
| Rank | Country | Total Population | % Catholic | Catholic Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DR Congo | 109,000,000 | 45%–55% | 54,500,000 |
| 2 | Nigeria | 230,000,000 | 10.6%–12.6% | 26,700,000 |
| 3 | Uganda | 49,000,000 | 39.3%–45% | 20,600,000 |
| 4 | Tanzania | 65,642,000 | 25.6%–31.4% | 18,607,500 |
| 5 | Angola | 35,121,734 | 41.1%–60% | 16,250,000 |
| 6 | Cameroon | 31,000,000 | 33.1%–38.4% | 10,300,000 |
| 7 | Kenya | 47,560,000 | 20.6% | 9,816,000 |
| 8 | Mozambique | 19,406,703 | 27.2%–30.5% | 7,585,000 |
| 9 | Burundi | 12,000,000 | 62.1% | 7,440,000 |
| 10 | Madagascar | 18,040,341 | 29.5%–38.1% | 6,604,146 |
| 11 | Côte d’Ivoire | 23,800,000 | 21.4% | 5,093,000 |
| 12 | Rwanda | 11,000,000 | 43.7%–49.5% | 4,807,000 |
| 13 | Burkina Faso | 13,925,313 | 20.1% | 4,121,536 |
| 14 | South Africa | 60,000,000 | 6.8% | 4,080,000 |
| 15 | South Sudan | 10,000,000 | 39.7% | 3,950,000 |
| 16 | Ghana | 30,792,608 | 10.0% | 3,079,261 |
| 17 | Malawi | 17,563,749 | 17.2% | 3,028,435 |
| 18 | Zambia | 14,300,000 | 21% | 3,003,000 |
| 19 | Chad | 12,000,000 | 20%–22.8% | 2,520,000 |
| 20 | Republic of the Congo | 5,062,021 | 33.1%–52.9% | 2,042,595 |
| 21 | Benin | 7,460,025 | 26.6% | 1,984,366 |
| 22 | Togo | 5,681,519 | 26.4% | 1,499,921 |
| 23 | Equatorial Guinea | 1,620,000 | 80.7% | 1,410,000 |
| 24 | Lesotho | 2,067,000 | 45.7%–49.4% | 999,118 |
| 25 | Zimbabwe | 12,746,990 | 7.71% | 982,792 |
| 26 | Central African Republic | 3,799,897 | 29% | 949,974 |
| 27 | Gabon | 1,389,201 | 50% | 694,600 |
| 28 | Ethiopia | 73,053,286 | 0.7% | 584,426 |
| 29 | Cabo Verde | 512,096 | 77.3% | 395,850 |
| 30 | Senegal | 11,126,832 | 3.5% | 389,439 |
| 31 | Namibia | 2,030,692 | 22.8% | 344,202 |
| 32 | Mauritius | 1,237,091 | 26.0% | 324,811 |
| 33 | Sudan | 31,000,000 | 1% | 300,000 |
| 34 | Guinea | 9,467,866 | 2.6% | 246,164 |
| 35 | Mali | 12,291,529 | 1.5% | 189,289 |
| 36 | Liberia | 3,482,211 | 5.4% | 188,039 |
| 37 | Egypt | 77,505,756 | 0.1% | 187,320 |
| 38 | Sierra Leone | 6,017,643 | 2.9% | 174,511 |
| 39 | Eritrea | 4,561,599 | 3.3% | 150,532 |
| 40 | Guinea-Bissau | 1,416,027 | 8.9% | 126,026 |
| 41 | São Tomé & Príncipe | 163,000 | 73.5% | 119,805 |
| 42 | Botswana | 1,640,115 | 4.9% | 80,365 |
| 43 | Seychelles | 93,000 | 76.2% | 70,866 |
| 44 | Algeria | 32,531,853 | 0.14% | 45,000 |
| 45 | Libya | 5,765,563 | 0.7% | 40,358 |
| 46 | Gambia | 1,593,256 | 2.1% | 33,458 |
| 47 | Morocco | 32,725,847 | 0.07% | 22,908 |
| 48 | Tunisia | 11,000,000 | 0.2% | 22,000 |
| 49 | Niger | 11,665,937 | 0.1% | 11,665 |
| 50 | Mauritania | 3,086,859 | 0.1% | 3,086 |
| 51 | Comoros | 800,000 | 0.2% | 1,600 |
| 52 | Djibouti | 476,703 | 0.2% | 953 |
| 53 | Somalia | 8,591,629 | 0.001% | 100 |
Source: Wikipedia
DR Congo Leads the Continent by a Wide Margin
With over 54 million Catholics, the Democratic Republic of Congo is the spiritual giant of African Catholicism. The Church is deeply woven into Congolese society—not only in spiritual matters but also education, health care, and governance. The faith arrived in the late 15th century with Portuguese explorers, and successive waves of missionary work cemented its influence. Today, the DRC alone accounts for more Catholics than any other African nation by a long stretch.
Nigeria: A Catholic Minority with Massive Numbers
Nigeria has a lower percentage of Catholics than many others on this list, yet with its enormous population, even a 10%–12% share translates to over 26 million Catholics. The Church is especially prominent in the southeast, in places like Enugu and Imo states, where Catholic traditions are strong.
Uganda, Tanzania, Angola—Catholicism with Colonial Roots
Uganda and Tanzania show the long-lasting religious legacy of European missionaries, particularly under British and German colonial rule. Angola, colonized by Portugal, maintains one of the highest percentages of Catholics in Africa, thanks to centuries of Lusophone influence and tradition.
Burundi: Small Country, Strong Faith
One of the more surprising entries is Burundi, where more than 60% of the population identifies as Catholic, putting it among the highest proportions on the continent. This is a clear sign of how religious identity can be deeply rooted regardless of population size.
Notable Mentions
- Equatorial Guinea stands out with 80.7% Catholic population, one of the highest in Africa by proportion, though its total population is small at 1.4 million Catholics.
- Lesotho and Gabon, despite small populations, also post very high Catholic rates due to missionary penetration and cultural retention.
- Ethiopia, Egypt, and Morocco, by contrast, host negligible Catholic populations—often less than 1%—despite having large overall populations. This is due to the dominance of other faiths like Islam and Ethiopian Orthodoxy.
What This Data Tells Us
This ranking reveals the intersection of population size, colonial history, and faith traditions. Catholicism in Africa isn’t just a matter of religious belief—it’s tightly bound to healthcare, schooling, and political activism. In many regions, the Catholic Church remains one of the most trusted institutions.
Furthermore, while North Africa remains mostly Muslim, and southern Africa increasingly secular, central and eastern Africa show strong Catholic roots with growing influence.
With Africa’s population expected to double by 2050, the number of Catholics on the continent could surpass 350 million, transforming global Catholic demographics.