More than one in 200 Spaniards say they were sexually abused by the Catholic church when they were minors, according a report published on Friday.

The survey of 8,000 people was commissioned by Spain's human rights ombudsman found that roughly 0.6% of Spain's adult population of around 39 million people, some 200,000 people, said they had been abused by a priest.

"By being able to quote 0.6% you can see the magnitude of what it can mean in terms of overall abuse," Ombudsman Angel Gabilondo said.

The figure doubles to 400,000 people — 1.13% of the adult population — when taking into account alleged abuse by lay people such as teachers at Church institutions.

Spain's acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the release of the report was a "milestone" in the country's democratic history.

"Today we are a slightly better country, because a reality that everyone was for years aware of but no one talked about, has been made known," Sanchez told reporters in Brussels.

What did the report say?

The 777-page report also included statements from 487 victims, who stressed "the emotional problems" the abuse has caused them, Gabilondo said.

"There are people who have (died by) suicide... people who have never put their lives back together," the ombudsman said.

The report also called for a state fund to be set up to compensate survivors, around 65% of whom are believed to be male.

The Bishops' Conference of Spain did not comment on the report on Friday. However, it will deal with the findings at an extraordinary meeting on Monday.

Patterns of child sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church made world headlines in 2002 after the Boston Globe revealed priests had sexually abused children for decades and church leaders had covered it up.

Since then, the church has faced similar accusations in a number of countries including the United States, Ireland, Australia, France and Chile.

zc/jcg (AFP, Reuters, KNA, EFE)