Christians now make up well over 2 billion of the world’s population, quadrupling from about 600 million in 1910 to now. Christianity continues to be the most widespread religion in the world today.
A Quick Look at the Number of Christians in the World Today
The Pew Research Center estimates that there were 2.3 billion Christians worldwide in 2015. Christians in the globe surpassed 2.5 billion in 2019, according to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity (CSGC) at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
worldwide percentage of Christians
It is estimated that 31.2% of the world’s population is Christian. With over 1.3 billion adherents, Roman Catholicism makes up the largest group of the several faiths that fall under the umbrella name “Christian.” The figure includes members of Protestant, Evangelical, Orthodox, Anglican, and numerous other sub-denominations.
globe map displaying the percentage of Christians in each country.
globe map displaying the percentage of Christians in each country. M Hunter, Tracy
Top 3 Christian populations in each country
Only ten nations are home to roughly half of the world’s Christians. The top three nations by population in 2010 were Mexico, Brazil, and the United States.
246,780,000 people (or 78% of the population) live in the United States.
Brazilian population: 175,770,000 (90% in 2010).
95 percent of the population of Mexico was 107,780,000 in 2010.
Christian denominations in number
There are currently 41,000 or so Christian organizations and denominations worldwide, according to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity (CSGC) at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Numerous denominations overlap according to this figure, which takes into account cultural differences across denominations in various regions.
Significant Christian Traditions
Roman Catholic: With more than a billion adherents, or over half of all Christians worldwide, the Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination in the world today. Brazil (134 million) has more Catholics than all of Italy, France, and Spain combined.
Protestant: Approximately 800 million people worldwide identify as Protestants, making up 37% of all Christians. Protestants make up 20% of all Christians worldwide, more than any other country, with 160 million living in the United States.
Orthodox: Around 260 million individuals worldwide identify as Orthodox Christians, making around 12% of all Christians. Russia is home to over 40% of all Orthodox Christians worldwide.
Other: While not belonging to one of the top three Christian traditions, some 28 million people worldwide (about 1%) identify as Christians.
Christianity in America
The percentage of adults in the United States who identify as Christians has decreased from 78% in 2010 to 65% at the present time. That indicates that over 230 million Americans identify as Christians. Judaism and Islam are the next two biggest religions in America, by contrast. Less than 3% of Americans identify as followers of all three of these religions.
However, there are more than 1500 distinct Christian religious groups in North America, according to ReligiousTolerance.org. Mega-groups including the Roman Catholic and Orthodox, the Anglican, the Lutheran, the Reformed, the Baptists, the Pentecostals, the Amish, the Quakers, the Adventists, the Messianic, Independent, Communal, and the Non-Denominational are among them.
Christian Population Distribution Worldwide
Christian Population Distribution Around the World. Research Institute Pew
Religion by Continent
Africa is home to more than 600 million Christians (5 regions).
Asia: There are around 400 million Christians there (5 regions).
Europe: There are around 550 million Christians there, making up about 26% of all Christians worldwide. Germany and Russia (105 million) are home to the most Christians in Europe (58 million).
Latin America: There are 600 million Christians there (3 regions).
North America: There are about 230 million Christians on this continent.
Oceania: There are about 25 million Christians there (4 regions).
Evangelicals, Charismatics, and Pentecostals
Of the approximately 2.5 billion Christians in the world today, 279 million (12.8%), 304 million (14%) and 285 million (13.1%) identify as Pentecostals, Charismatics, or Bible-believing Christians, respectively. (These three classifications are not exclusive.)
Approximately 27% of all Christians worldwide and 8% of the world’s population are Pentecostals and Charismatics.
Christian workers and missionaries
Unevangelized World: There are 10,200 foreign missionaries and 20,500 full-time Christian workers in the unevangelized world.
Evangelized Non-Christian Globe: There are roughly 5,400 foreign mission sending organizations and 1.31 million full-time Christian missionaries in the evangelized non-Christian world.
Christian World: There are 450,000 foreign missionaries serving in various Christian nations. Additionally, 4.19 million full-time Christians (95%) are employed in the Christian community.
Bibles and books
Approximately 93 million Bibles are distributed globally per year.
Approximately 9.5 million books about Christianity are now in print.
Worldwide Christian Martyrs
Worldwide, over 160,000 Christians are killed every year as a result of their faith. 11 Christians are slain every day for choosing to follow Jesus Christ, according to Open Doors. North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, Lybia, Pakistan, Sudan, Eritrea, Yemen, Iran, and India round out the list of the 10 most perilous nations for Christians.
