The massive increase in numbers was recorded after the death of the world’s most senior exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth in 2016, who passed away aged 91.
The figures emerged at a conference for exorcists in Sicily this week, where priests rallied support for more trainees and better training for those tasked with liberating people from demonic possession.
Mr Amorth, who acted as the Diocese of Rome’s exorcist, once claimed that those possessed by demons would vomit shards of glass and pieces of iron – and once argued that the devil had got into the Vatican.
The actions of “the evil one” allegedly takes place in two forms.
The first is through temptation, and the second – the most extraordinary way, is through obsession.
The latter strikes the mind or the body, Mr Amorth said.
He said: ”Even more rare are real possessions when the enemy takes possession of a person or gets into places.”
Speaking about the lack of priests available to carry out exorcisms, Father Cesare Truqui, a student of Mr Amorth, said: “Many Christians no longer believe in the existence of evil.
“Few exorcists are appointed and there are no more young priests willing to learn the doctrine and practice the liberation of souls.”
The Sicily gathering attracted dozens of exorcists from across Italy and blessings were carried out on local bishops.
While there are no officially collected figures of exorcisms, one priest said the numbers are growing in part because people are “ready to go to magicians, or tarot card readers”.
Benigno Palilla, a Franciscan friar and prominent Italian exorcist, added that “doing so opens the door to demons and to possession.”
He argued that more training was needed for priests in this area saying that many clergy were ill-equipped to deal with those in the grip of evil spirits.
According to the Church’s canon law, an exorcist must be given specific permission to carry out exorcisms by his bishop and has to be a priest who has piety, knowledge, prudence and integrity of life.
Red-flag warning signs that a person has been possessed by an evil spirit include a ‘furious aversion’ to sacred objects.
Other tell-tale signs are a good knowledge of languages such as Aramaic and Latin, or a deep knowledge of the occult.
The exorcists international association has 400 members.