Ethan Walker
Christianity is one of the most widespread religions in the world, with around 2.18 billion Christians globally, representing nearly a third of the world's population. There are around 1.376 billion Catholics in the world, making up about half of all Christians. The Catholic Church is the largest single denomination of Christianity, with the Eastern Orthodox Church coming in second with around 220 million members. The geographic distribution of Catholics has changed over the past century, with Europe's share of the Catholic population decreasing from 65% in 1910 to 24% in 2010, while the share of Catholics in Latin America and the Caribbean has also decreased from 90% to 72% during the same period. The Catholic faith is facing challenges in terms of secularization in wealthier countries, but it is growing in other regions, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and the Asia-Pacific region.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Christians in the world | 2.18 billion (2010), 2.382 billion (2024) |
| Percentage of Christians forming the world's population | Nearly a third (2010), 33% (2024) |
| Number of Catholics in the world | 1.376 billion (2024), 1.39 billion (2022), 1.406 billion (2023), 1.272 billion (2025) |
| Percentage of Catholics among Christians | 50% |
| Number of Pentecostals in the world | 279 million |
| Number of Charismatics in the world | 305 million |
| Number of Anglicans in the world | 110 million |
| Number of Baptists in the world | 100 million |
| Number of Lutherans in the world | 70-90 million |
| Number of Eastern Orthodox Christians in the world | 220 million |
| Number of Oriental Orthodox Christians in the world | 62 million |
| Number of Catholics in Europe (2010) | 24% of the world's Catholic population |
| Number of Catholics in Latin America and the Caribbean (2010) | 39% of the world's Catholic population |
| Number of Catholics in the Asia-Pacific region (2010) | 12% of the world's Catholic population |
| Number of Catholics in the Middle East and North Africa | Less than 1% |
| Number of Catholics in Sub-Saharan Africa | 171 million (2010), 236 million (2020) |
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What You'll Learn
Christians and Catholics by region
Christians comprise just under a third of the world’s population, forming a majority in 158 countries and territories. Christians are widespread geographically, with no single continent or region that can indisputably claim to be the centre of global Christianity. A century ago, two-thirds of the world’s Christians lived in Europe, but today, only about a quarter of Christians live in Europe. A plurality of Christians (37%) are now in the Americas, about a quarter live in sub-Saharan Africa (24%), and about one-eighth is found in Asia and the Pacific (13%). Indonesia, a Muslim-majority country, is home to more Christians than all 20 countries in the Middle East-North Africa region combined.
Catholics comprise about half of Christians worldwide and 16% of the total global population. In 1910, Europe was home to about two-thirds of all Catholics, and nearly nine-in-ten lived either in Europe (65%) or Latin America (24%). By 2010, only about a quarter of all Catholics (24%) were in Europe, with the largest share in Latin America and the Caribbean (39%). There has been rapid growth in sub-Saharan Africa, which is now home to about 171 million Catholics (16%), up from an estimated 1 million (less than 1%) in 1910. The Asia-Pacific region has also seen significant growth, with 131 million Catholics (12%) now living there, up from 5% a century ago.
Brazil has more than twice as many Catholics as Italy, and it is estimated that at least 123 million people in Brazil are Catholic, with more recent estimates placing this number at 140 million or higher. The ten nations with the most Catholics behind Brazil are Mexico, the Philippines, the United States, Italy, France, Colombia, Poland, Spain, Argentina, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When looking at the percentage of Catholics in a nation's population, Vatican City has the highest with 100%, followed by Timor-Leste with 96% and San Marino with 90.5%.
While the Middle East and North Africa are the ancient cradle of Christianity, the region is now home to less than 1% of Catholics, about the same as in 1910. There has been a decline in the number of Catholics in most secular western cultures across the world, with some Catholics following other Christian denominations or converting to different religions. This trend is also observed in the United States, where there are more Americans that have left the Church than there are practicing Catholics attending weekly mass. In Australia, the total population that identifies as Catholic dropped by 2.7%, while the non-religious population grew by 7.8%.
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Catholicism's roots and history
Catholicism, or Roman Catholicism, is the largest branch of Christianity and one of the world's oldest and largest international institutions. It is led by the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, and the Holy See forms the church's central government. The Catholic Church traces its history to Jesus Christ and his apostles. The Church considers its bishops to be the successors to Jesus's apostles, and the Pope to be the successor to Saint Peter, upon whom primacy was conferred by Jesus Christ.
The Catholic Church shared communion with the Eastern Orthodox Church until the East-West Schism in 1054, which disputed the authority of the Pope. The Eastern Catholic Churches represent a body of Eastern Christians who returned or remained in communion with the Pope during or after these schisms. The Catholic Church also shared communion with the Church of the East before the Council of Ephesus in AD 431, and with the Oriental Orthodox Churches before the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451. All separated primarily over differences in Christology.
The Catholic Church has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilization. It was the primary sponsor of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Mannerist, and Baroque styles in art, architecture, and music. It also established the first universities in Europe, with several older cathedral schools becoming universities in the 11th century, including the University of Oxford, the University of Paris, and the University of Bologna.
During the late 19th century, Catholic missionaries supported and facilitated European imperial powers' conquest of Africa. In the 20th century, the Church's global reach continued to grow despite the rise of anti-Catholic authoritarian regimes and the collapse of European empires. Under Popes Benedict XV and Pius XII, the Holy See maintained public neutrality during the World Wars, acting as a peace broker and delivering aid to victims.
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Christian and Catholic population growth
Christianity is a global faith with a diverse geographical and theological reach. Christians comprise just under a third of the world’s population, with around 2.38 billion adherents. This is a significant increase from the 600 million recorded in 1910, and the 2.2 billion recorded in 2010.
Christianity has grown enormously in sub-Saharan Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, where there were relatively few Christians at the beginning of the 20th century. In Africa, there were 8.7 million Christians in 1900, now there are 390 million, and it is expected that this number will rise to 600 million by 2025. The share of the population that is Christian in sub-Saharan Africa climbed from 9% in 1910 to 63% in 2010, while in the Asia-Pacific region it rose from 3% to 7%. In 2010, there were 300 million Christians in sub-Saharan Africa, 260 million in the Americas, 140 million in the Asia-Pacific region, 100 million in Europe, and 2 million in the Middle East and North Africa.
Christianity is the majority religion in 158 countries and territories, about two-thirds of all the countries and territories in the world. However, only about 10% of Christians worldwide live as minorities. The Americas are home to the largest plurality of Christians (37%), followed by sub-Saharan Africa (24%), Asia and the Pacific (13%), and Europe (26%).
Christian population growth is attributed to high birth rates and conversions in the Global South. For instance, in the United States, there were 450,000 Muslim converts to Christianity in 2015, and 20,000 Muslims convert annually. Additionally, there are approximately 180,000 Arab Americans and 130,000 Iranian Americans who converted from Islam to Christianity.
Catholicism is the largest denomination within Christianity, with around 1.376 billion adherents. It is growing, albeit slowly, with a global Catholic population increase of 1.15% between 2022 and 2023, rising from approximately 1.39 billion to 1.406 billion. In 2016, the global Catholic population was projected to grow to 1.63 billion in 2050. The Americas account for 47.8% of the world's Catholics, with South America alone accounting for 27.4%. Brazil has the highest concentration of Catholics, with 182 million, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo with 55 million, and Nigeria with 35 million. Africa includes 20% of the world's Catholics, while Asia and Europe account for 11% and 20.4% respectively.
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Christian and Catholic demographics
Christianity is a global faith with around 2.18 billion Christians worldwide, representing nearly a third of the global population. The faith has grown enormously in sub-Saharan Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, where there were relatively few Christians at the start of the 20th century. The share of the population that is Christian in sub-Saharan Africa climbed from 9% in 1910 to 63% in 2010, while in the Asia-Pacific region it rose from 3% to 7%.
Christianity is diverse theologically and geographically. About half of all Christians are Catholic, with 1.376 billion baptised Catholics in 2022 and 1.406 billion in 2023. The number of Catholics has more than tripled over the past century, although their geographic distribution has changed substantially. For example, the number of Catholics in North America has increased slowly, from about 15 million (5%) in 1910 to 89 million (8%) in 2010. In Europe, the share of the global Catholic population has decreased from 24% in 1910 to 11% in 2010. In contrast, sub-Saharan Africa is now home to about 171 million Catholics (16%), up from an estimated 1 million (less than 1%) in 1910. The Asia-Pacific region has also seen rapid growth, with 131 million Catholics (12%) now living there, up from 14 million (5%) a century ago.
The number of priests per Catholic has risen from 3,245 in 2019 to 3,314 in 2020. However, more than 50% of priests live and minister in the global North, while more than two-thirds of Catholics live elsewhere. Africa is home to 236 million Catholics, yet the continent has almost the same number of priests as the US and Canada, with their 84 million Catholics.
Christianity has many denominations, with tens of thousands of Protestant denominations alone. The main branches of Christianity include Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and Protestantism. There are also independent evangelical and revivalist movements, such as Pentecostalism, with an estimated 450 million followers worldwide as of mid-2019.
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Christian and Catholic denominations
Christianity is a global faith with around 2.18 billion adherents, representing nearly a third of the global population. The religion is geographically widespread, with a significant presence in sub-Saharan Africa, the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, and North America.
Christianity is divided into several denominations, each with its own distinct beliefs, practices, and organisational structures. The major Christian denominations include Catholicism and Protestantism, with the latter including traditions such as Adventism, Anabaptism, Anglicanism, Baptists, Lutheranism, Methodism, Pentecostalism, and Reformed, among others.
Catholic Denominations
The Catholic Church, founded by Jesus Christ, is a communion of sui iuris churches, including 23 Eastern Catholic Churches. It recognises the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox communion, the Assyrian Church of the East, the Ancient Church of the East, and the Eastern Lutheran Churches as part of Eastern Christianity. The Catholic Church teaches that it alone faithfully represents the one holy catholic and apostolic Church. It believes in the divinity of Jesus and the doctrines of sin and salvation, and it considers the Bible to be the Sacred Scripture that teaches everything necessary for salvation without error. The Catholic Church has a worldwide presence, with significant populations in sub-Saharan Africa, the Asia-Pacific region, North America, and Latin America.
Protestant Denominations
Protestantism emerged during the Reformation in the 1500s when leaders like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and others sought to correct what they perceived as theological positions in the Catholic Church that were not aligned with Scripture. Since then, various Protestant denominations have formed, including the Anglican/Episcopal Church, the Assembly of God, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, and more. These denominations differ in their interpretation of Scripture, organisational structure, and theological doctrines.
While there are differences between Christian denominations, they generally acknowledge each other as Christians, recognising mutually accepted baptisms and historically orthodox views. They also share basic beliefs, such as the divinity of Jesus, the doctrine of sin and salvation, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ as a historical event.
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Frequently asked questions
There are approximately 2.382 billion Christians worldwide, representing around a third of the global population.
There are approximately 1.376 billion Catholics in the world, comprising about half of all Christians.
The Middle East and North Africa are home to less than 1% of the world's Catholics, and a minority of Christians.
