In short
In 2025, 307,117 people left the Catholic Church in Germany, the lowest figure since 2020, and about 350,000 left the Protestant Church. Church exits are falling after the 2022 record, when more than 520,000 people left the Catholic Church, but they remain high. Despite the exits, church tax revenue stayed stable in 2024: 6.62 billion euros for the Catholic and 5.97 billion euros for the Protestant church.
- In 2025, 307,117 people left the Catholic Church, the lowest figure since 2020 (DBK).
- About 350,000 people left the Protestant Church in 2025, with an annual membership decline of 3.2% (EKD).
- Exits peaked in 2022 with more than 520,000 Catholic exits and have fallen since, but remain high (DBK, fowid).
- Despite the exits, church tax revenue in 2024 was 6.62 billion euros (Catholic) and 5.97 billion euros (Protestant), together about 12.6 billion euros (katholisch.de, evangelisch.de).
Church exits are among the best-documented figures on religion in Germany, because church membership here is an officially registered, church-tax-relevant status rather than a survey estimate. In 2025, 307,117 people left the Catholic Church, the lowest figure since 2020, and about 350,000 left the Protestant Church. After the 2022 record, when more than 520,000 people left the Catholic Church alone, the numbers are falling, but they remain high. In Germany, leaving the church also ends the obligation to pay church tax. The figures below draw on the Deutsche Bischofskonferenz, the EKD, fowid, and the reports on church tax revenue, the most authoritative sources on church exits in Germany.
Key findings at a glance
| Metric | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catholic church exits (lowest since 2020) | 307,117 | 2025 | Deutsche Bischofskonferenz |
| Protestant church exits | about 350,000 | 2025 | EKD |
| Record Catholic church exits | over 520,000 | 2022 | Deutsche Bischofskonferenz |
| Annual EKD membership decline | 3.2% | 2024 | EKD |
| Catholic church tax revenue | 6.62 billion euros | 2024 | katholisch.de |
| Protestant church tax revenue | 5.97 billion euros | 2024 | evangelisch.de |
Church exits over multiple years
Church exits peaked in 2022 and have been falling since, though they remain well above the level before the pandemic. For the Catholic Church the trend shows especially clearly how far 2022 stood out and how the numbers have fallen year after year since.
In 2025, 307,117 people left the Catholic Church, the lowest figure since 2020, according to the Deutsche Bischofskonferenz.
In 2022, more than 520,000 people left the Catholic Church, more than in any year before, according to the Deutsche Bischofskonferenz.
| Year | Catholic exits | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catholic exits 2025 | 307,117 | 2025 | Deutsche Bischofskonferenz |
| Catholic exits 2024 | 321,611 | 2024 | Deutsche Bischofskonferenz |
| Catholic exits 2023 | 402,694 | 2023 | Deutsche Bischofskonferenz |
| Catholic exits 2022 | over 520,000 | 2022 | Deutsche Bischofskonferenz |
| Catholic exits 2021 | 359,338 | 2021 | Deutsche Bischofskonferenz |
| Catholic exits 2020 | 221,390 | 2020 | Deutsche Bischofskonferenz |
| Catholic exits 2019 | 272,771 | 2019 | Deutsche Bischofskonferenz |
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Catholic versus Protestant
Both big churches lose a six-figure number of members to exits every year. The Catholic Church reports exact exit figures, while the EKD gives a rounded number for 2025 and also reports an annual membership decline of 3.2%.
In 2025, 307,117 people left the Catholic Church, according to the Deutsche Bischofskonferenz.
In 2025, about 350,000 people left the Protestant Church, according to the EKD.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catholic church exits 2025 | 307,117 | 2025 | Deutsche Bischofskonferenz |
| Catholic church exits 2024 | 321,611 | 2024 | Deutsche Bischofskonferenz |
| Protestant church exits 2025 | about 350,000 | 2025 | EKD |
| Protestant church exits 2024 | about 345,000 | 2024 | EKD |
| Annual EKD membership decline | 3.2% | 2024 | EKD |
Church tax: what an exit means financially
In Germany, leaving the church also ends the obligation to pay church tax, which is levied as a surcharge on income tax. Despite the high number of exits, church tax revenue stayed stable in 2024 and even rose slightly, because higher incomes and wages partly offset the smaller membership.
In 2024, the Catholic Church took in 6.62 billion euros in church tax, up 1.7%, according to katholisch.de.
In 2024, the Protestant Church took in 5.97 billion euros in church tax, up 1%, according to evangelisch.de.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catholic church tax revenue (up 1.7%) | 6.62 billion euros | 2024 | katholisch.de |
| Protestant church tax revenue (up 1%) | 5.97 billion euros | 2024 | evangelisch.de |
| Combined church tax revenue | about 12.6 billion euros | 2024 | katholisch.de |
How we compiled these statistics
Every number on this page is traceable to a primary source and dated to the year the data were collected. The Catholic exit figures come from the annual church statistics of the Deutsche Bischofskonferenz, the Protestant figures from the EKD membership numbers, both registered, church-tax-relevant records. The long-run trend and the record year 2022 are additionally documented by fowid. The church tax revenue comes from katholisch.de and evangelisch.de. Where data years differ, we use the most recent published year and label it.
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Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Deutsche Bischofskonferenz, Kirchenstatistik 2025
- Deutsche Bischofskonferenz, Kirchenstatistik 2024
- Deutsche Bischofskonferenz, Kirchenstatistik 2021
- Deutsche Bischofskonferenz, Kirchenstatistik 2020
- EKD, membership figures for 2025
- fowid, church exits 1953 to 2022
- katholisch.de, church tax revenue 2024
- evangelisch.de, church tax revenue 2024
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