Statistics

Growth or Decline in Religious Sisters

Growth or Decline in Religious Sisters, 1972-2004

Country 1972 2001 2004
Argentina 12,536 9,829 9,445
Bolivia 1,278 2,468 2,563
Brazil 35,984 35,365 34,523
Chile 4,7451 5,574 5,086
Colombia 17,804 17,347 17,088
Costa Rica 887 888 895
Cuba 217 500 650
Dominican Republic 1,254 1,644 1,723
Ecuador 4,619 4,894 5,497
El Salvador 705 1,542 1,491
Guatemala 1,018 2,070 2,645
Haiti 792 1,037 1,789
Honduras 277 561 779
Mexico2 21,692 28,495 38,639
Nicaragua 484 977 1,028
Panama 464 566 447
Paraguay 784 2,132 2,127
Peru 4,626 5,537 5,686
Puerto Rico 1,621 1,152 1,158
Uruguay 1,581 1,281 1,089
Venezuela 3,735 3,812 3,775
Total 117,103 128,875 138,123
% Change   +9% +7%
Sources: Statistical Yearbook of the Church 2003 (last available statistics), Catholic Almanac 1975and Catholic Almanac 2006. 1Figure for Chile is 1973, not 1972. 2Figure for Mexico is 2002, not 2001 (source: Catholic Almanac 2003).

Percentage Change

Country 1972-2001 2001-2004
Paraguay 172 -0.2
Cuba 130 30
El Salvador 118.7 -3
Guatemala 103 28
Honduras 102.5 39
Nicaragua 101.5 5
Bolivia 93 4
Dominican Republic 31 4.8
Haiti 31 72
Mexico 31 36
Panama 22 -21
Peru 20 2.7
Chile 17.5 -9
Ecuador 6 12.3
Venezuela 2 -1
Costa Rica 0.1 -0.8
Brazil -1.7 -2
Colombia -2.5 -1.5
Uruguay -19 -15
Argentina -21.6 -4
Puerto Rico -30 0.5