Despite the steady rise in the Catholic population in the Philippines, the number of priests serving the faithful continues to decline, according to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
Data from the CBCP show that the Catholic population grew from 61.6 million in 2016 to more than 73.6 million in 2025. However, the number of priests dropped from 12,964 in 2016 to only 10,178 last year.
Church leaders view this as a major challenge, especially with the increasing demand for pastoral service.
Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David noted that the current ratio is far from the ideal standard set by the Church.
“Sa pamantayan ng Simbahang Katolika, dapat ay may isang pari sa bawat 2,000 Katoliko subalit sa datos na ibinahagi, umaabot na sa higit 7,000 Katoliko ang pinaglilingkuran ng bawat pari sa kasalukuyan,” David said.
Among the reasons cited for the decline are the high cost of seminary education, family responsibilities, and the process of “internal discernment” — the personal decision of whether to pursue priesthood as a vocation.