At the turn of the year 2025–2026, the number of Catholics registered in Finland stood at a total of 18,446. The growth of the diocese thus continues steadily, as is also reflected in churches that are increasingly becoming too small. Compared to the previous year, the net increase was nearly one thousand people, corresponding to a growth rate of approximately 5.6%. Growth was clearly visible in almost all parishes.
(Registered members at the end of the year.)
The combined membership of the two parishes in Helsinki has already exceeded 10,500, with an increase of more than 800 members. However, the exceptionally large growth is partly explained by delays in entries between the old and the new membership registers, which were particularly visible in the figures of Saint Mary’s Parish last year. Thus, the strong growth of Saint Mary’s Parish is likely partly due to statistical adjustments.
In the other parishes, the highest relative growth was recorded in Saint Joseph’s Parish in Kuopio, where the growth rate reached as high as 17.4%. Strong growth was also seen in Tampere (5.2%) and in the cathedral parish (3.5%). Saint Henry’s Cathedral Parish remains the largest Catholic parish in Finland, with 5,451 members at the turn of the year.
Approximately 44% of members have one of the domestic languages as their mother tongue, although the statistics in this respect are incomplete. The position of the Finnish and Swedish languages has nevertheless remained strong, and any potential change in the linguistic situation does not appear likely to occur rapidly.
Parish membership has grown through baptisms (248), receptions into the Church (94), and for other reasons, including immigration (547). Correspondingly, membership decreased due to deaths (47), moving away (17), and leaving the Church (91). The overall growth is also affected by registration delays and migration within the diocese and between dioceses.
(Parish membership. Development of parish membership.)
Sacraments and Education
In 2025, a total of 344 parishioners received their First Holy Communion. The sacrament of Confirmation was administered to 277 parishioners. A total of 41 marriages were celebrated within the diocese, of which 13 involved two Catholic spouses. The number of First Communion children has more than doubled over the past three years.
At present, no comprehensive data is available on how many children and young people participate in statutory religious education in schools or receive equivalent instruction, for example through so-called Saturday courses. The situation is challenging, as such information would be important both for those responsible for providing education and for the work of the diocese and the parishes.
Entries from Previous Years Are Still Being Recorded
The diocese’s new membership register was effectively only fully introduced last year, and there are still entries from previous years, recorded on paper documents, that have not yet been entered. For this reason, the estimated total number of registered members may still lag somewhat behind reality. In fact, the actual number of registered Catholics may already be around 20,000.
Fides