How many saints are there in catholic religion: essential guide

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How many saints are there in catholic religion? The facts behind the figures

When people ask how many saints are there in catholic religion, they usually want a clear number. The honest answer is both simple and subtle: there is no single, final, official tally. The Catholic Church recognises thousands of saints by name, with new canonisations added every year, and with many more holy men and women venerated locally or historically whose exact details are hard to verify. In this guide, we’ll explain what counts as a saint, why the number is hard to pin down, and where to find the most reliable lists.

Understanding how many saints are there in catholic religion matters because it opens a window into Catholic history, devotion, and the Church’s way of recognising exemplary Christian lives. It also helps you appreciate why different calendars, languages, and traditions make arriving at a precise number more challenging than it might seem.

How many saints are there in catholic religion: the short answer

There is no exact, universally agreed figure for how many saints are there in catholic religion. The most common estimate you will often hear is “more than ten thousand,” and that’s a reasonable way to express the scale. The Church’s principal reference book, the Roman Martyrology, is an extensive catalogue of saints and blesseds used in the liturgy and updated periodically; it contains thousands of entries and continues to grow. But even the Martyrology does not settle every question, because the Church’s history includes saints recognised by ancient local churches, saints known under multiple names across languages, and groups of martyrs remembered together.

In short, if you simply need a number to grasp the magnitude, “over 10,000” is fair. If you want precision, it is better to speak about the main sources (especially the Roman Martyrology), the pace of new canonisations, and the complexities of historical records rather than a single, static total for how many saints are there in catholic religion.

What is a “saint” in Catholic understanding?

In ordinary speech, Catholics sometimes use “saint” in two ways. There is the broad, theological sense—anyone who is in heaven is a saint, even if the Church does not know their name. Then there is the formal sense: a saint is someone whom the Church has officially recognised (canonised) as being in heaven and worthy of public veneration throughout the universal Church. When discussing how many saints are there in catholic religion, we are concerned with this formal, recognised sense.

It also helps to distinguish between “blesseds” and “saints.” A blessed is someone declared “Blessed” by the Pope (beatification), often venerated locally or regionally. Canonisation is the step that follows, extending veneration to the whole Church and placing the person’s feast in the universal calendar or at least acknowledging universal veneration. The Roman Martyrology includes both saints and blesseds, and that breadth is another reason why counting precisely is not straightforward.

Why a precise count is elusive

Several factors make it hard to give an exact number for how many saints are there in catholic religion. Here are the main reasons:

The Roman Martyrology is comprehensive but not everything

The Roman Martyrology is the closest thing to an official catalogue. It lists saints and blesseds day by day, summarising their lives or martyrdoms. However, it is not a “census” in the modern sense. It is a liturgical book that has been revised throughout history to clarify entries, add new saints, or improve historical accuracy. Because it is a living book, its enumeration evolves. You can read a concise overview of its nature and history here: overview of the Roman Martyrology.

Early saints were recognised locally

In the first centuries, saints were often recognised by “acclamation” (public veneration by the faithful and the local bishop) rather than through the modern canonisation process. Many early martyrs are known by tradition rather than by detailed documentation. Some names are repeated in different places and languages; others may refer to the same person under different spellings. This makes adding everything up with certainty extremely difficult.

Groups, titles, and name variants

Counting is complicated by group canonisations (for example, large groups of martyrs), varied titles (e.g., “Saint Teresa of Ávila” vs “St Teresa of Jesus”), and the translation of names across Latin, Greek, and vernacular languages. One saint can be referred to in multiple ways, which is another reason the question how many saints are there in catholic religion does not have a neat, single figure.

New canonisations every year

Popes continue to canonise new saints annually. St John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis have presided over many canonisations, sometimes of sizeable groups, reflecting a global Church. Because new saints are added, any count you encounter is a snapshot, not a final total.

How saints are recognised: from Servant of God to Saint

Another key to understanding how many saints are there in catholic religion is the process by which the Church recognises people as saints. The process today is thorough and involves several stages.

Stages of the process

Servant of God: When a cause is officially opened, the person is referred to as a Servant of God.
Venerable: After a review of the person’s life, writings, and virtues, and upon recognition of “heroic virtue,” the person may be declared Venerable.
Blessed (Beatification): Typically requires one miracle attributed to the person’s intercession after death (for martyrs, this miracle is not required for beatification).
Saint (Canonisation): Usually requires a second verified miracle after beatification (martyrs typically require one post-beatification miracle for canonisation).

The official department that oversees this process is the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican. For an authoritative overview of how canonisation works in practice, see the official site of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints and this concise explainer on what canonisation means.

Miracles and martyrs

Canonisation is not merely about reputation. The Church seeks divine confirmation through miracles and carries out a rigorous investigation, including medical reviews where appropriate. Martyrdom—dying for the faith—is recognised as a unique path, which is why the process differs for martyrs. Understanding these criteria helps explain why how many saints are there in catholic religion keeps growing: the Church continues to recognise holiness in every era, culture, and state of life.

Equipollent (equivalent) canonisation

Sometimes a Pope may recognise a saint without the usual verified miracles because of longstanding, universal veneration and historical evidence of holiness. This is called equipollent canonisation. It is relatively rare but shows the Church’s awareness that not every ancient holy figure fits the modern investigative mould.

Where the numbers come from (and why they change)

When you hear an estimate for how many saints are there in catholic religion, it often takes into account three broad sources:

The Roman Martyrology and its periodic updates.
Official announcements of new canonisations and beatifications.
Historical lists and regional calendars, including saints recognised before today’s standardised processes.

Over the last century, the number has increased notably as the Church has become more global and as documentation and research have improved. Modern Popes have canonised men and women from every continent, including laypeople, married couples, and those who lived ordinary lives with extraordinary holiness.

Group canonisations and their impact

One reason estimates for how many saints are there in catholic religion can jump is the canonisation of large groups of martyrs from particular periods (for example, from times of persecution). When hundreds are canonised together, the headline number of saints increases immediately—though, for liturgical and pastoral reasons, only a subset may appear in a local calendar or be widely commemorated.

Doctors of the Church and other distinctions

Some canonised saints receive special titles. “Doctor of the Church” recognises those whose teaching is of particular importance. This title does not create new saints but highlights the spiritual and doctrinal contribution of certain canonised figures. Likewise, “patron saints” are designated for countries, professions, or causes; again, these titles help the faithful relate to the saints, but they do not affect the count of how many saints are there in catholic religion.

How many saints are there in catholic religion across rites and traditions

The Catholic Church is a communion of Churches that include the Latin (Roman) Church and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, each with its own liturgical tradition. Many saints are honoured across these traditions, especially those from the early Church and those canonised by the Pope for the universal Church. However, local calendars may also highlight figures significant to a particular culture or rite.

It is also common to compare Catholic and Orthodox lists. The Orthodox Churches maintain their own martyrologies and traditions of recognising saints. While there is significant overlap—especially for saints of the first millennium—there are also differences. For a broad overview of the distinctives between these traditions, see this primer on the differences between Orthodox and Catholic traditions. It helps explain why two Christians asking how many saints are there in catholic religion or Orthodoxy might cite different figures and different calendars.

What the numbers mean for everyday life

For many people, how many saints are there in catholic religion is an interesting statistic; more importantly, the saints are models of Christian life. They demonstrate holiness in every walk of life—teachers, parents, workers, bishops, mystics, and martyrs. Their stories can inspire practical steps: seeking reconciliation, being generous, serving neighbours, and praying with perseverance.

Many Catholics deepen their devotion by learning about a particular saint or praying with a saint’s favourite devotion. For example, the popular Divine Mercy Chaplet devotion is closely associated with St Faustina Kowalska, a 20th‑century Polish nun whose diary inspired trust in God’s mercy. In this way, the living tradition of the Church keeps growing, and devotion connects with history, prayer, and everyday life.

Basic pitfalls when discussing the count

If you are gathering information for study, teaching, or personal interest, keep these common pitfalls in mind when evaluating how many saints are there in catholic religion:

Avoid mixing “saints” and “blesseds” unless the source clearly distinguishes between them.
Watch for duplicate entries where a single saint appears under different names or titles.
Check whether lists are universal or local; some are compiled for a region or a religious order.
Remember that estimates are snapshots. New canonisations mean the number is dynamic, not fixed.

How to explore saints with confidence

If your aim is to go deeper than a headline number for how many saints are there in catholic religion, you can rely on a few dependable sources:

The Roman Martyrology for liturgical recognition and brief accounts.
Official Vatican announcements of canonisations and beatifications.
Well‑regarded reference works like Butler’s Lives of the Saints.
Reputable online encyclopaedias and academic resources that provide citations and historical context.

As a starting point, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints offers official materials on the process and current causes. You can also consult the encyclopaedia entry on canonisation for a clear overview of terms and steps, and cross‑check historical background via the Roman Martyrology. For a classic Catholic reference, New Advent provides a detailed historical article on canonisation here: New Advent’s entry on canonisation.

Recommended external resources

Frequently asked questions about how many saints are there in catholic religion

Is there an official, final number of Catholic saints?

No. There is

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