The German bishops’ conference has said there has been a substantial increase in adult baptisms, even as the total number of baptisms declined.

The conference released statistics last week showing that in 2025, 2,650 adults and young adults aged 14 and over were baptized, a 28% increase from 2024.

However, overall the 109,002 baptisms in 2025 marked a decrease from 116,274 in 2024, due to declining infant baptisms which tracks a decline in the birthrate.

Other European countries have seen an increase in adult baptisms, too. In France, this year there were 21,386 adults and teenagers aged between 11 to 17 baptized during the Easter Vigil, an increase from 17,788 in 2025.

In Spain, in 2024 there were 13,323 non-infant baptisms – people over the age of seven – although there were 146,370 baptisms overall which was down from 152,426 the previous year.