There are more than 5 million Catholics in Australia (or 26 per cent of the population) according to the 2001 Census.

Australia has 32 Catholic dioceses including four dioceses of Eastern Catholic Churches (Maronite, Melkite and Ukrainian) and one military diocese.

Six other Eastern Churches are (Armenian, Chaldean, Syrian, Syro-Malabar, Coptic and Russian Catholic) also active in Australia.

Altogether, Australian dioceses comprise 1363 parishes.

There are 3126 priests in Australia, comprising 1973 diocesan priests and 1153 priests belonging to religious orders. There are about 40 religious orders of priests in Australia, while 141 men are training for the priesthood in Australian seminaries.

There are about 6400 religious sisters and 1080 religious brothers in Australia. The largest women's congregations include the Josephites (founded by Blessed Mary Mackillop), the Sisters of Mercy, and the Sisters of Charity. In all, there are over 100 congregations of women religious in Australia and five congregations of brothers, including the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and the De La Salle Brothers.