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| 1985 | 1995 | 2001 | |
| Diocesan Priests | 35,052 | 32,349 | 30,223 |
| Religious Priests | 22,265 | 16,705 | 14,968 |
| Total Priests | 57,317 | 49,054 | 45,191 |
| Ordinations | 533 | 511 | 509 |
| Permanent Deacons | 7,204 | 10,932 | 12,851 |
| Religious Brothers | 7,544 | 6,535 | 5,508 |
| Religious Sisters | 115,386 | 90,809 | 78,094 |
| Parishes | 19,244 | 19,331 | 19,143 |
| Parishes without Resident Pastor | 1,051 | 2,161 | 3,151 |
| Catholic Population | 52.3 million | 57.4 million | 60.6 million |
| . . . . 1994 . . . . | . . . . 1999 . . . . | |
| North America (excludes Mexico) | 62,415 |
58,705 |
| Europe | 218,518 |
210,543 |
| Asia | 37,680 |
42,789 |
| Africa | 23,263 |
26,547 |
| Central America (includes Mexico) | 18,368 |
20,532 |
| South America | 39,015 |
40,901 |
It should be noted that these numbers are only an indication of the direction the Church and numbers of priests are going. Highly accurate numbers are very difficult to achieve due to the growing complexities of society.