Updated Global Statistics of the Salesian Congregation as of December 31, 2025
Published: February 26, 2026
The General Secretariat of the Salesian Congregation, under the leadership of Fr Guido Garino, has released a comprehensive statistical overview of the Congregation’s status at the close of 2025. Gathered from ‘Flash’ reports submitted by 93 Provincial Secretaries worldwide via portal.sdb.org, the data illustrates the vast Salesian footprint across 138 countries.
Personnel Breakdown
By December 31, 2025, the Congregation was made up of 13,558 Sons of Don Bosco. This total includes 13,444 professed Salesians and 114 Bishops. The membership is categorized as follows:
- Priests: 9,116 (67.81%)
- Clerics: 2,654 (19.74%)
- Brothers (Coadjutors): 1,276 (9.49%)
- Novices: 384 (2.86%)
- Permanent Deacons: 14 (0.10%)
Overall, the Congregation experienced a minor decline of 96 members compared to 2024. This drop resulted from 233 deaths and 264 departures, which slightly offset the intake of 398 new novices and 3 readmissions.
Vocations and Formation Data
The future of the Congregation is reflected in its younger generations. At the end of 2025, there were 384 novices. Only 18 novices departed during the year, while 4 novices from 2024 received an extension on their novitiate.
The personnel actively in formation includes:
- Prenovices: 423
- Postnovices: 939
- Practical Trainees: 492
- Theology Students: 757
- University Students: 373
Despite ongoing demographic challenges, the formation process yielded strong results throughout the year, celebrating 364 new professions, 209 new perpetual vows, and 151 new priests.
Salesian Houses and Global Distribution
Globally, there are 1,850 Salesian Houses. Of these, 1,598 are canonically erected (which requires at least four confreres with perpetual vows) and 119 are non-canonically erected (requiring at least three confreres).
Geographically, the top five countries make up over 45% of the entire Congregation:
- India: 2,742 professed members
- Italy: 1,704 professed members
- Poland: 755 professed members
- Spain: 725 professed members
- Brazil: 566 professed members
Insights on the Numbers
The report notes that the 2025 figures include minor adjustments to the 2024 data to account for late documents and pending situations. Fr Garino highlighted that these statistics are far more than just cold data; they showcase the enduring vitality of the Congregation 166 years after its foundation. He stated that the numbers reflect how deeply the Salesian presence is rooted worldwide, continuing to serve as a guiding light for countless individuals.
