Catholic church authorities have paid almost $280 million in compensation to victims of alleged child sexual abuse in the past 35 years, a royal commission has heard.
Detailed claims data released by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse on Thursday reveal the amount of financial compensation paid to alleged victims for the first time.
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Child abuse Royal Commission: a look back
Painful and difficult stories in their thousands emerge from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
Counsel assisting the commission Gail Furness SC told the hearing Catholic church authorities had paid a total of $276.1 million to thousands of claimants who came forward between 1980 and 2015.
The average amount of financial compensation was $91,000, the inquiry into Catholic church authorities heard.
Religious order the Christian Brothers, who ran a number of children's homes, made 763 payments totalling $48.5 million with an average payment of $64,000.
Of Catholic church authorities which paid at least 10 claims, the Jesuits reported the highest average amount, totalling $257,000 per payment.
Claimants who took civil action against the Catholic church received higher payments than those who used other redress methods, with $151,000 per claimant on average.
Ms Furness told the hearing the number of claims between 1980 and 2015 had risen to 4445 since initial data was published last week. The average time between the alleged abuse and the date of claim was 33 years.
"The total number of incidences of child sexual abuse in the Catholic church institutions in Australia is likely to be greater than the claims made," Ms Furness said.
Of the 4445 claims, 2854 resulted in monetary compensation although the inquiry heard a "significant number of claims" were ongoing at the time of the research project.
Schools were identified in 46 per cent of all claims and children's homes were named in about one-third of claims.
Five religious orders - The Christian Brothers, the De La Salle Brothers, the Marist Brothers, the Patrician Brothers and the St John of God Brothers – were involved in 41 per cent of claims.
The research by the commission with the assistance of the Catholic church's Truth, Justice and Healing Council, analysed claims data from 1980 to 2015 together with information about ministry staff from 1950 to 2010.
It found NSW seminaries were attended by the highest proportion of priests who allegedly abused children.
Where seminary information was provided, the data found 17 per cent of alleged perpetrators attended the now-closed St Patrick's Seminary in Manly and 14 per cent attended St Columba's Junior Seminary in Springwood.
The analysis found 55 per cent of priests who were alleged perpetrators were not placed on administrative leave and 51 per cent were not placed on restricted ministry.
Speaking outside the hearing, chief executive of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council Francis Sullivan said: "From the 1950s to the current time this report chronicles human damage and misery at the hands of the Catholic church."
He said the data showed there has been a "massive drop off" in the incidence of alleged child sexual abuse in the church since the 1970s.
Blue Knot Helpline 1300 657 380. Care Leavers Australia Network 1800 008 774. Survivors & Mates Support Network 1800 472 676