New statistics reveal a modest increase in Church attendance and communion participation in Poland in 2022 compared to 2021, but figures still lag behind pre-pandemic levels, according to data from the 2022 “Auarium Statisticum Ecclesia in Polonia” statistical yearbook presented by the Institute of Statistics of the Catholic Church (SAC).
The report shows that in 2022, the percentage of people attending Sunday Mass was 29.5 percent, and those receiving communion was 13.9 percent.
These figures represent a slight increase from 2021, where these rates were 28.3 percent and 12.9 percent, respectively, but are still lower than the 2019 levels of 36.9 percent and 16.7 percent.
Professor Krzysztof Koseła from the University of Warsaw highlighted that although there is some recovery, the Polish population has not returned to church in numbers seen before the pandemic. This trend is not unique to religious institutions but reflects a broader societal shift. Dr. Marcin Jewdokimow, the director of SAC, noted that the data indicates a prolonged recovery period from the pandemic.
In 2022, the sacrament of baptism was administered to 302,200 individuals, a 4.2 percent decrease from the previous year. About 337,200 people received their First Communion and 304,700 were confirmed. Additionally, 87,900 couples were married in the Church.
Regarding religious education, 80.3 percent of students in the 2022/2023 school year attended religion classes.
The total number of Catholic parishes in Poland slightly increased in 2022 to 10,357, including 676 monastic parishes. However, there was a decrease in the number of priests, with 23,765 in 2022 compared to 23,984 in 2021.
These statistics signal a nuanced landscape of religious engagement in Poland, with a mix of recovery and ongoing challenges in the post-pandemic era.
