The most recent data published by the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK) show a significant exodus from the Church in a country that has made headlines for its hierarchy’s promotion of heterodox teaching.
The preliminary figures for 2025, which “may still be subject to minor adjustments”, show that 307,117 people left the Catholic Church, slightly down from 321,659 in 2024.
In Germany, the motivation to formally leave the Church is incentivised by a practice unique to Germany and parts of Switzerland called Kirchensteuer (church tax). Under Kirchensteuer, the German state collects tax on the Church’s behalf, a fee of 8–9 per cent of a citizen’s total tax bill.
If a person chooses to formally leave the Catholic Church, they must complete a process called Kirchenaustritt (religious disaffiliation), which makes them no longer liable for the tax. However, it also means that the person cannot marry in the Church and is barred from the sacraments. They are also denied a Church funeral unless they have repented before death. This means that many Germans choose to remain officially registered as part of the Church and pay tax, even if they rarely attend.
The hierarchy of the German Church has been at the forefront of progressive Catholicism in recent years, most notably through the Synodal Way. Commencing on December 1, 2019, the Synodal Way was a series of conferences organised by the German episcopacy, with full participation and equal voting rights afforded to the laity.
The third conference, held between February 3 and 5, 2022, proved the most contentious, with the assembly voting in favour of measures approving women’s ordination, married priests and a reform of Catholic sexual ethics.
Many have made the connection between the abandonment of Catholic belief and the large numbers leaving the Church. Initiatives have been set up to counteract the perceived heterodoxy, such as Der Neue Anfang (The New Beginning), and traditional communities have continued to grow. However, without unity among the hierarchy on matters of faith and morals, the Church has been left severely compromised.
Alongside the decline in baptisms and church weddings, first Communion celebrations (2025: 152,357; 2024: 151,702) and Confirmations (2025: 105,334; 2024: 105,041) have remained broadly stable. Attendance at Mass increased slightly from 6.6 per cent in 2024 to 6.8 per cent in 2025.
Despite the high number of departures in 2025, the figure represents a significant decrease from 2022, when 522,821 people left. Even so, the number remains more than double the 2012 figure of around 118,000.
