Grace Thompson
Christianity is the world's largest religious group, with an estimated 2.3 to 2.5 billion adherents in 2020. Christians comprise just under a third of the world's population and form a majority in 158 countries. While Roman Catholicism is the largest of the three major branches of Christianity, with around 1.3 billion adherents, not all Christians are Catholic. There are several other large denominations, including Protestants (920 million, or up to 1.5 billion, depending on how it is defined), the Eastern Orthodox Church (220 million or 270 million), and Oriental Orthodoxy (62 million or 86 million).
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Total number of Christians in the world | 2.3-2.6 billion |
| Percentage of Christians out of the world population | 31% |
| Number of Roman Catholics in the world | 1-1.3 billion |
| Percentage of Catholics out of the total Christians | 50% |
| Number of Protestants in the world | 629-920 million or 37% of Christians |
| Number of Independents in the world | 450 million |
| Number of Orthodox Christians in the world | 220 million or 12% of Christians |
| Number of Oriental Orthodox Christians in the world | 62-86 million |
| Number of Pentecostals in the world | 279 million |
| Number of Charismatics in the world | 305 million |
| Number of Evangelicals in the world | 285 million |
| Number of Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses in the world | 1% of Christians |
| Number of Christians in the Global South | 1.3 billion |
| Number of Christians in the Global North | 860 million |
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What You'll Learn
Global distribution of Christians
Christianity is the world's largest religious group, with an estimated 2.3 to 2.6 billion adherents in 2020. Christians comprise just under a third of the world's population and form a majority in 158 countries and territories, about two-thirds of all the countries and territories in the world.
Global Distribution
While Christians are spread out across the world, they are more concentrated in certain regions. About 90% of Christians live in countries where they are the majority, with only about 10% living as minorities. Almost half (48%) of all Christians live in the 10 countries with the largest number of Christians. The United States is home to the largest Christian population (11.3% of the world total), followed by Brazil (8%), and Mexico (5%).
In terms of regions, the Global South (Africa, Asia, and Latin America) is home to more than 1.3 billion Christians (61% of all Christians), while the Global North (North America, Europe, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand) is home to about 860 million Christians (39%). However, the concentration of Christians is higher in the Global North, with 69% of the population identifying as Christian, compared to 24% in the Global South.
Denominational Distribution
Christianity is made up of several large families or denominations, including Catholicism, Protestantism, and Orthodox Christianity. About half of all Christians identify as Catholic, making it the largest denomination. The Catholic Church considers itself to be pre-denominational, believing that it belongs to no denomination since it precedes all other denominations. There are an estimated 1.3 billion to over 1 billion Catholics worldwide.
Protestants make up the second-largest group, with an estimated 629 million historic Protestants and 409 million independent non-denominational Pentecostals. Including other branches that some consider Protestant, such as Anglicans, the number could be as high as 1.5 billion. The main reason for the wide range in estimates is the lack of agreement among scholars on which denominations constitute Protestantism.
Orthodox Christians comprise the third-largest group, with an estimated 12% of Christians worldwide belonging to this denomination. This includes the Eastern Orthodox Church (220 million to 270 million) and Oriental Orthodox Churches (62 million to 86 million). Other denominations, such as Nontrinitarian Restorationism, independent Catholic denominations, and Nestorianism, make up smaller portions of the global Christian population.
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Christian population growth
Christianity is the largest religious group in the world, with an estimated 2.3 to 2.6 billion adherents in 2020. Christians comprise just under a third of the world’s population and form a majority in 158 countries and territories, about two-thirds of all the countries and territories in the world. About 90% of Christians live in countries where Christians are in the majority, and only about 10% live as minorities.
Christianity has spread far from its historical origins and is geographically widespread. It has become a more geographically diverse religion since 1910, becoming less concentrated in Europe and more evenly distributed throughout the Americas, sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia. In 1910, the Global North (North America, Europe, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand) contained more than four times as many Christians as the Global South (the rest of the world). Today, more than 1.3 billion Christians live in the Global South (61%), compared with about 860 million in the Global North (39%).
The Christian population is expected to grow from 2.2 billion in 2010 to 2.9 billion in 2050. The Christian fertility rate is 2.7 children per woman, which is higher than the global average fertility rate of 2.5. The share of the world’s Christians living in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to grow from 24% in 2010 to 38% by 2050, while the share living in Europe will continue to fall, from 26% in 2010 to about 16% by 2050. The population growth of Christians in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to be less than in the region overall (131%), while the Christian population in Asia and the Pacific is projected to grow by 33%, higher than the region's overall growth of 22%.
Protestants account for nearly 40% of Christians worldwide and more than one-tenth of the total human population. Protestantism is growing in Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Muslim world, and Oceania, while remaining stable or declining in Anglo America and Europe. According to various scholars and sources, Pentecostalism is the fastest-growing religious movement in the world, primarily due to religious conversions to Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity. The World Christian Encyclopedia cites that approximately 2.7 million people converted to Christianity from another religion, while "The Oxford Handbook of Religious Conversion" estimates that approximately 15.5 million converted to Christianity, with 11.7 million leaving, resulting in a net gain of 3.8 million.
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Christian denominations
Christianity is a world religion that stems from the life, teachings, and death of Jesus. It is the largest religious group in the world, with an estimated 2.3 to 2.6 billion adherents in 2020. Of these, about 1.3 billion are Roman Catholics. The remaining 1.3 billion are non-Catholic Christians.
There are more than 45,000 distinct Christian denominations worldwide. These denominations fall into several large families, shaped by both culture and history. The major branches of Christianity include Catholicism, Protestantism, and Orthodox Christianity.
Protestantism is the second-largest group of Christians by number of followers. In 2025, the World Christian Database reported 629 million historic Protestants and 409 million independent non-denominational Pentecostals. Estimates vary from 0.6 to 1.1 billion, or between 24% and 40% of all Christians. Protestantism includes major traditions such as Adventism, Anabaptism, Anglicanism, Baptists, Lutheranism, Moravianism, Pentecostalism, Plymouth Brethren, Quakerism, Reformed, and Waldensianism.
Orthodox Christians make up about 11.9% of the global Christian population, with 80% belonging to the Eastern Orthodox Church and 20% to the Oriental Orthodox Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second-largest single denomination, with an estimated 220 to 230 million adherents. The Oriental Orthodox Church has an estimated 62 million adherents worldwide.
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Christianity in the Global South
Christianity is the largest religious group in the world, with an estimated 2.3 to 2.5 billion adherents in 2020. About half of all Christians are Catholic, with Roman Catholicism being the largest of the three major branches of Christianity. The other two branches are yet to be identified. Protestants, broadly defined, make up 37% of Christians, while Orthodox Christians comprise 12% of Christians worldwide. Other Christians, such as Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses, make up the remaining 1% of the global Christian population.
In the past century, the most significant trend within global Christianity is that it has shifted dramatically to the Global South, which includes Africa, Asia, and Latin America. This shift has been accompanied by a decline in Christianity in the Global North, which includes North America, Europe, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand. In 1910, 66% of all Christians lived in Europe, but by 2010, this number had dropped to 25.6%. Conversely, in 1910, less than 2% of Christians lived in Africa, but this number skyrocketed to almost 22% by 2010. The Global North contained over 80% of all Christians in 1910, but this fell to under 40% by 2020. Today, 67% of Christians live in the Global South, while just 33% live in the Global North.
This shift is not just demographic but also cultural, with serious differences in the worldviews of "Northern" and "Southern" Christians. For instance, Pentecostalism, which traces its roots to the Azusa Street revival in 1910, now makes up one-quarter of global Christianity, with one out of twelve people alive today holding a Pentecostal form of Christian faith. The growth of Pentecostalism in Latin America is estimated to be three times the rate of Catholic growth, and Brazil has more Pentecostals than any other country. Charismatic Christians, who belong to non-Pentecostal denominations but engage in spiritual practices associated with Pentecostalism, such as speaking in tongues and divine healing, also number about 305 million worldwide.
The shift of Christianity to the Global South is also reflected in the diverse communities of Christians worldwide. Christianity is the only world religion for which the primary source documents are in a different language than that of its founder (the New Testament is in Greek, while Jesus spoke Aramaic). This cultural and linguistic translatability has been one of Christianity's greatest strengths, allowing it to spread and take root in diverse cultural contexts.
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Christian fertility rates
Christianity is the world's largest religious group, with an estimated 2.3 to 2.6 billion adherents in 2020. About half of all Christians are Catholic, with the other half being composed of Protestants (37%), Orthodox Christians (12%), and other Christians such as Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses (1%).
The religious landscape of the world is rapidly changing, driven primarily by differences in fertility rates and the size of youth populations among different religions. While Christians currently comprise the largest religious group, Islam is growing faster than any other major religion. If current trends continue, the number of Muslims will nearly equal the number of Christians by 2050.
Among Christians, those in the Global South—especially in Africa, Asia, and Latin America—are experiencing rapid growth. In contrast, the influence of Christians in the Global North (North America, Europe, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand) may be waning. A century ago, the Global North contained more than four times as many Christians as the Global South. Today, however, the Global South is home to more than 1.3 billion Christians (61%), compared to about 860 million in the Global North (39%).
Within the Christian religion, there are differences in fertility rates between various subgroups. For example, Pentecostals have a higher fertility rate (2.1) than needed for population growth (1.8), while Catholics and Orthodox Christians have lower fertility rates (1.9) than what is required (3.1). The needed fertility rate, also known as the total fertility rate (TFR), is the minimum number of children per woman typically needed to maintain a stable population (2.1). While Catholics and Orthodox Christians have a higher actual fertility rate than nonreligious Americans (1.3), their high rates of conversion out of these faiths will result in a significant decline in the coming generations unless offset by immigration.
In summary, while Christians currently have the second-highest fertility rate globally (2.6 children per woman), there are variations within different Christian subgroups. The growth of Christianity as a whole is driven by high fertility rates in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. However, in regions such as North America and Europe, the influence of Christians may be waning due to lower fertility rates and high rates of conversion out of the faith.
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Frequently asked questions
It is estimated that there are 2.3 to 2.6 billion Christians in the world, making up just under a third of the world's population.
About half of Christians identify as Catholic, so there are approximately 1.15 to 1.3 billion non-Catholic Christians worldwide.
The largest non-Catholic Christian denominations are Protestantism (629 million historic Protestants and 409 million independent non-denominational Pentecostals), the Eastern Orthodox Church (220 to 270 million), and Oriental Orthodoxy (62 to 86 million).
Christians are the majority in 158 countries and territories, about two-thirds of all the countries and territories in the world. The countries with the largest Christian populations are the United States (11.3%), Brazil (8%), and Mexico (5%).
