Catholicism in Asia

POPE FRANCIS is on a five-day visit to South Korea, the first trip by a pontiff to Asia since 1999. Catholicism is increasingly popular in the country and the region. Since 1970, the proportion of Catholics in South Korea has risen four-fold to 11%, some 5m people. That is in contrast to the global average, which has fallen slightly to 17% as traditionally Catholic countries—such as the Philippines—become more secular and people turn to newer Christian movements. (In South Korea there are twice as many evangelicals as Catholics; in China three times as many.) The decline in these countries is offset by growth elsewhere, particularly in Asia. Catholics in India and China are a small share of the population, but they number 19m and 17m respectively, behind only the Philippines. And they are predicted to increase by 2m-3m by 2020.