SW News: On February 22, the Philippine Statistics Authority released the results of a census conducted in 2020, which showed an increase in the Roman Catholic population by more than 5 million since 2015.

According to the statistics, 78.8 percent of the total population reported Roman Catholicism as their religious affiliation. The percentage of the Catholic population within the country has lowered by a little less than 1 percent in comparison to the 79.5 percent reported in 2015. The Bicol region has the highest proportion of Roman Catholics, accounting for 93.5 percent of its population. Among highly urbanized cities, the City of Mandaue reported the highest percentage of Catholics (95.2%).

According to the Pew Research Center, many Filipinos hold conservative views on social issues that go along with the Catholic Church’s teachings. As home to Asia’s largest Catholic population, the Philippines has been the destination for papal visits, with Pope Francis’ visit in 2015 being the most recent one.

Christianity spread in the country in the 16th century with the arrival of Spanish explorers. Currently, the Catholic Church in the Philippines has 72 dioceses in 16 Ecclesiastical Provinces.

The Philippines has the third highest Catholic population in the world after Brazil and Mexico.