Ukraine

Ukraine, the second largest country in Europe, is home to three Catholic Churches—two Byzantine rite and one Latin rite—and two Orthodox Churches. The largest Catholic Church by far is the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), which is strongest in the western part of the country once known as Galicia. In the southwest, below the Carpathian mountains, the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church is the dominant Catholic Church.

Catholic Churches have been rebuilding in Ukraine since their suppression by the Soviets from 1946-1989. The two Byzantine rite Churches have emerged in the strongest positions. The Byzantine liturgical and spiritual tradition, and Ukrainian culture more broadly, have given rise to a distinctive and deeply rooted Catholic culture. Read more...

    Religious Affiliation
    Chart source: Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, 2010
    Total Population
    44,009,214 1
    Urban
    69.40% 1
    Rural
    30.60% 1
    Immigrants as % of Population
    10.8% 2
    Level of Public Corruption
    131 (1=lowest, 176=highest corruption) 4
    Gender Equality in the Economy, Health, Education and Politics
    69 (1=most equal, 144=least equal) 7
    Fertility Rate
    1.53 births per adult woman 5
    Children Who Do Not Live to Age 5
    0.90% 5
    Life Expectancy at Birth
    71 years 5
    Adult Literacy Rate
    99.74% 5
    Internet Users
    43% 5
    Gross National Income per Capita
    US$3,560 5
    Population Living Below US$1.90 per Day
    0.0% 5

    These statistics are derived from the Vatican's official publication, Statistical Yearbook of the Church 2020 (Vatican City: Librera Editrice Vaticana, 2022). The numbers may differ from data reported by other sources on this site.

    Baptized Catholics
    4,829,000
    Baptized Catholics as % of Total Population
    11.52
    Baptisms per Year (Under age 7)
    31,393
    Baptisms per Year (Over age 7)
    330
    First Communions per Year
    29,768
    Confirmations per Year
    31,919
    Students Enrolled in Catholic Primary Schools
    654
    Students Enrolled in Catholic Secondary Schools
    1,003
    Students Enrolled in Catholic Higher Education
    1,454
    Church Marriages per Year
    12,289
    Church Marriages in Which Both Spouses are Catholics
    10,640
    Priests
    4,084
    Women Religious (Nuns & Sisters)
    1,175
    Catholics per Priest
    1,182
    Parishes
    4,282
    Mission Stations (no resident priests)
    3
    Catholic Hospitals
    16
    Homes for Aged, Handicapped, Invalids
    18
    • 1 United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2018). World Urbanization Prospects: The 2018 Revision, Online Edition.
    • 2 United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Trends in International Migrant Stock: The 2015 revision.
    • 3 United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, Homicide Statistics 2015.
    • 4 Transparency International, Corruption Perceptions Index 2016.
    • 5 UNICEF, State of the World's Children, 2016.
    • 6 Statistical Yearbook of the Church 2020 (Vatican City: Librera Editrice Vaticana, 2022).
    • 7 World Economic Forum, The Global Gender Gap Report, 2016.