How many Christians are there in the world today?
As of 2020, approximately 2.4 billion people identify as Christian, representing about a third of the world's total population. Pew Research Center projects that figure will exceed 3 billion by 2050.
Questions about Christians
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Where does the word Christian come from?
The word Christian derives from the Greek Christos, meaning "anointed one," which itself translates the Hebrew word mashiach (messiah). The term was first applied to followers of Jesus in the city of Antioch, as recorded in Acts 11:26, and is believed by scholar Kenneth Samuel Wuest to have originally carried a derisive meaning.
What are the main Christian denominations and how large are they?
The Roman Catholic Church is the largest single denomination, with 1.3 billion adherents making up roughly half of all Christians. Protestants account for more than a third of Christians at 37 percent, while Eastern Christians - including Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and the Church of the East - comprise 12 percent.
Where in the world is Christianity growing fastest?
Christianity is growing in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Muslim world, and Oceania. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to about 24 percent of all Christians worldwide, and high birth rates alongside conversion have both been cited as drivers of growth.
How educated are Christians compared to other religious groups?
A 2016 Pew Research Center study ranked Christians as the second most educated religious group in the world after Jews, with an average of 9.3 years of schooling. Christians hold the highest absolute number of graduate and post-graduate degrees at 220 million, and Singapore has the highest share of Christians with a university degree at 67 percent.
How widespread is persecution of Christians globally?
Open Doors estimated in 2017 that approximately 260 million Christians face high, very high, or extreme persecution annually, with North Korea considered the most dangerous country for Christians. A 2019 UK government-commissioned investigation found that roughly 80 percent of persecuted religious believers worldwide are Christian.