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La Voz Canaria

Church in the Canary Islands: 610 parishes and fewer priests than the Spanish average

The two Canarian dioceses have 366 priests for a population of 2.3 million, while the Spanish average is 30 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Generic image of traditional Canarian architecture with a religious symbol.
IA

Generic image of traditional Canarian architecture with a religious symbol.

The Canary Islands host 610 parishes spread across its two dioceses, but the ratio of priests per inhabitant is significantly lower than the Spanish average.

The Catholic Church in the Canary Islands is organized through two dioceses: Canarias, covering the province of Las Palmas, and Nivariense, corresponding to the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Together, they comprise 610 parishes distributed throughout the archipelago, in addition to eight monasteries. Historically, there was a single bishopric, the Canariense-Rubicense, founded in 1404, but since 1819 the ecclesiastical structure has been divided into two, reflecting the provincial division.
In 2024, the number of priests on the islands was 366 (165 in the Diocese of Canarias and 201 in the Nivariense). This translates to a rate of approximately 16 priests per 100,000 inhabitants, considerably lower than the national average of 30. The Church's activity is also supported by 517 religious men and women, placing the Canary Islands last among autonomous communities in terms of religious per capita (23 per 100,000).
Other significant groups include over 2,200 catechists, as well as cloistered nuns and monks, seminarians, and permanent deacons. The Church also has a notable presence in subsidized education, with 25,721 students in 2024, being more prevalent in the province of Las Palmas (56 centers) than in Santa Cruz (19 centers). In total, 4,534 people work in the Church's educational sector in the Canary Islands.
In the area of social assistance and charity, Cáritas assisted nearly 35,000 people in 150 centers in 2024, with a greater concentration in the province of Las Palmas. This work is supported by over 2,200 volunteers who collaborate with Cáritas and Manos Unidas.
Regarding religiosity, 54.4% of Canarians identify as Catholic, a percentage similar to the Spanish average. However, religious practice is low: almost 72% of the population never or almost never attends religious services. 13.5% attend mass at least two or three times a month, which equates to just over 300,000 people.
Participation in rites such as religious marriages has drastically decreased. Between 2021 and 2024, they accounted for only 12% of unions celebrated in the archipelago, compared to 27.2% between 2010 and 2013. The province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife shows greater celebratory activity (weddings, baptisms, communions, and confirmations) in absolute and relative terms than the Diocese of Canarias, despite having a smaller population.
In 2024, the Nivariense Diocese recorded 3,739 baptisms and 338 communions per 100,000 inhabitants, rates higher than those of the Diocese of Canarias. The difference is even more pronounced in confirmations, where the rate in Santa Cruz de Tenerife was more than three times higher than in Las Palmas.

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