Status of Global Christianity, 2025, in the Context of 1900­–2050

1900 1970 2000 2020 Trend % 2025 2050

p.a.*
GLOBAL POPULATION
1. Total population 1,619,625,000 3,695,390,000 6,148,899,000 7,840,953,000 0.88 8,191,988,000 9,709,492,000
2. Adult population (over 15) 1,073,646,000 2,302,129,000 4,290,579,000 5,827,214,000 1.46 6,264,023,000 7,699,095,000
3. Adults, % literate 27.6 63.8 76.7 84.1 0.02 84.2 88.0
4. Urban population (%) 14.4 36.5 46.7 56.1 1.06 59.1 68.0
5. Global urban population 232,695,000 1,347,106,000 2,869,247,000 4,397,965,000 1.95 4,843,655,000 6,604,545,000
6. Cities over 1 million 20 145 371 579 2.43 653 950
7. Under 50% Christian 5 65 226 345 2.80 396 500
GLOBAL RELIGION
8. Religious diversity 2.7 4.3 4.5 4.4 -0.04 4.4 4.4
9. Religionists 1,616,370,000 2,986,913,000 5,365,962,000 6,942,770,000 0.97 7,285,421,000 8,842,489,000
10. Christians 558,346,000 1,216,131,000 1,987,905,000 2,519,505,000 0.98 2,645,317,000 3,312,204,000
11. Muslims 200,301,000 574,379,000 1,299,602,000 1,897,880,000 1.67 2,061,718,000 2,860,760,000
12. Hindus 202,976,000 467,434,000 843,615,000 1,090,611,000 0.70 1,129,155,000 1,245,725,000
13. Buddhists 126,946,000 233,383,000 448,423,000 531,050,000 0.27 538,173,000 533,434,000
14. Chinese folk-religionists 379,974,000 238,188,000 420,817,000 453,250,000 -0.22 448,283,000 392,978,000
15. Ethnoreligionists 117,313,000 171,476,000 225,753,000 288,156,000 0.46 294,801,000 306,733,000
16. New Religionists 5,986,000 39,557,000 63,579,000 67,463,000 0.07 67,690,000 65,329,000
17. Sikhs 2,962,000 10,668,000 21,605,000 29,254,000 1.45 31,433,000 41,842,000
18. Jews 11,725,000 13,959,000 12,948,000 14,800,000 0.74 15,357,000 17,942,000
19. Nonreligionists 3,255,000 708,478,000 782,937,000 898,183,000 0.19 906,567,000 867,003,000
20. Agnostics 3,028,000 543,321,000 645,052,000 751,227,000 0.26 761,092,000 733,956,000
21. Atheists 226,000 165,156,000 137,885,000 146,957,000 -0.20 145,475,000 133,047,000
GLOBAL CHRISTIANITY BY TRADITION
22. Total Christians, % of world 34.5 32.9 32.3 32.1 0.10 32.3 34.1
23. Affiliated Christians 522,440,000 1,112,204,000 1,886,371,000 2,383,436,000 0.91 2,493,823,000 3,161,041,000
24. Catholics 265,756,000 656,431,000 1,024,932,000 1,235,323,000 0.60 1,272,775,000 1,480,094,000
25. Protestants 134,196,000 251,902,000 429,289,000 586,193,000 1.42 628,862,000 864,317,000
26. Independents 8,859,000 89,480,000 284,420,000 384,757,000 1.25 409,425,000 610,002,000
27. Orthodox 116,199,000 139,037,000 257,602,000 290,107,000 0.10 291,580,000 317,365,000
28. Unaffiliated Christians 35,906,000 103,927,000 101,533,000 136,069,000 2.17 151,494,000 151,163,000
29. Evangelicals 80,912,000 108,841,000 270,707,000 390,532,000 1.47 420,040,000 620,970,000
30. Pentecostals/Charismatics 981,000 57,631,000 442,643,000 623,844,000 1.25 663,863,000 1,031,503,000
CHURCH ORGANIZATION
31. Denominations/Rites 2,000 13,100 31,000 44,700 2.27 50,000 64,000
32. Congregations 400,000 1,330,000 3,000,000 4,180,000 1.03 4,400,000 5,500,000
CHRISTIANS BY CONTINENT
33. Global North 459,901,000 692,870,000 816,126,000 840,612,000 -0.41 823,714,000 729,541,000
34. Europe (including Russia; 4 regions) 380,647,000 490,507,000 562,062,000 566,985,000 -0.54 551,934,000 473,649,000
35. Northern America (1 region) 79,254,000 202,363,000 254,063,000 273,627,000 -0.14 271,779,000 255,892,000
36. Global South 98,445,000 523,261,000 1,171,779,000 1,678,893,000 1.65 1,821,603,000 2,582,663,000
37. Africa (5 regions) 9,640,000 137,866,000 383,463,000 663,664,000 2.59 754,229,000 1,288,574,000
38. Asia (5 regions) 21,966,000 97,390,000 281,094,000 385,052,000 1.60 416,786,000 581,869,000
39. Latin America (3 regions) 62,002,000 269,960,000 482,856,000 600,589,000 0.64 620,116,000 678,906,000
40. Oceania (4 regions) 4,837,000 18,045,000 24,366,000 29,589,000 0.59 30,472,000 33,314,000
41. Percent of all Christians in the Global South 17.6 43.0 58.9 66.6 0.66 68.9 78.0
42. Middle East 5,803,000 8,428,000 15,403,000 19,546,000 0.85 20,386,000 25,662,000
43. Christian percent of Middle East population 12.7 6.1 5.0 4.2 -0.48 4.1 4.0
CHRISTIAN MISSION
44. National workers (citizens) 2,100,000 4,600,000 10,900,000 13,000,000 0.91 13,600,000 17,000,000
45. Foreign missionaries 62,000 240,000 420,000 425,000 1.15 450,000 600,000
46. Christian martyrs per 10-years 344,000 3,770,000 1,600,000 900,000 0.00 900,000 1,000,000
47. % of all Christians in Christian countries 95.0 75.8 61.0 51.9 -0.17 51.5 49.4
48. Non-Christians who know a Christian (%) 5.3 13.4 17.4 18.28 0.30 18.6 20.0
SCRIPTURES AND GOSPEL ACCESS
49. Languages with New Testament translations 228 582 1,454 2,257 2.07 2,500 4,400
50. Population without gospel access 879,998,000 1,655,125,000 1,849,747,000 2,167,025,000 0.42 2,213,003,000 2,772,731,000
51. No gospel access as % of world population 54.3 44.8 30.1 27.6 -0.45 27.0 28.6
CHRISTIAN FINANCE (IN US$, PER YEAR)
52. Personal income of Christians 270 billion 4,100 billion 18,000 billion 56,470 billion 5.56 74,000 billion 178,000 billion
53. Giving to Christian causes 8 billion 70 billion 320 billion 1,032 billion 6.03 1,383 billion 5,200 billion
54. Ecclesiastical crime 300,000 5,000,000 19 billion 67 billion 6.53 92 billion 390 billion

*Column % p.a. trend. Average annual rate of change, 2020–2025, as % per year.

Gina A. Zurlo and Todd M. Johnson, eds., World Christian Database (Leiden/Boston: Brill, accessed January 2025), www.worldchristiandatabase.org
 Methodological notes for the Status of Global Christianity, 2025
(referring to numbered lines)

This table is derived from Gina A. Zurlo, Todd M. Johnson, and Peter F. Crossing, “World Christianity 2025: Regional Perspectives,” International Bulletin of Mission
Research, Vol. 49 (1), January 2025, pp 62-74. Indented categories form part of, and are included in, un-indented categories above them. Definitions of categories
are as given and explained in David B. Barrett, World Christian Encyclopedia, 1st ed. (Oxford University Press, 1982); David B. Barrett, George T. Kurian, and Todd
M. Johnson, World Christian Encyclopedia, 2nd ed. (Oxford University Press, 2001); David B. Barrett and Todd M. Johnson, World Christian Trends (WCT; William
Carey Library, 2001), and Todd M. Johnson and Gina A. Zurlo, World Christian Encyclopedia, 3rd edition (Edinburgh University Press, 2019), with additional data and
explanations below.

Lines 1–2. Demographic totals as shown in World Population Prospects: The 2022 Revision (New York: United Nations, 2022).

3. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2005–2013) and Gina A. Zurlo and Todd M. Johnson, eds., World Christian Database (Leiden: Brill, accessed August 2022).

4-6. World Urbanization Prospects: The 2018 Revision (New York: United Nations, 2018).

8. 0-10, 10=most diverse. The Herfindahl index methodology is described in Todd M. Johnson and Brian J. Grim, The World’s Religions in Figures (Wiley-Blackwell,
2013), chapter 3.

9. Religions do not add up to the total because religions with fewer adherents are not listed. Religionists include smaller religions not shown in the indented lines (Spir-
itists, Daoists, Confucianists, Baha’is, Jains, Shintoists, Zoroastrians).

10. Widest definition: professing Christians plus secret believers, which equals affiliated (church members) plus unaffiliated Christians.

25. Including Anglicans. Past tables have listed Anglicans separately.

29. Churches and individuals who self-identify as evangelicals by membership in denominations linked to evangelical alliances (e.g., World Evangelical Alliance) or by
self-identification in polls. Included in traditions above.

30. Church members involved in the Pentecostal/Charismatic/Independent Charismatic renewal in the Holy Spirit, known collectively as “Pentecostals/Charismat-
ics.” Included in traditions above.

42. Middle East includes Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Türkiye, United Arab
Emirates, and Yemen.

44–48. Defined in World Christian Trends, part 25, “Macroevangelistics.”

46. Ten-year total for decade ending in the given year. World totals of current long-term trend. See David B. Barrett and Todd M. Johnson, World Christian Trends
(Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2001), pt. 4, “Martyrology.”

47. Percentage of all Christians living in countries ≥80% Christian.

49. Change in the number of languages with New Testament translations. Two scripture statistics have been retired from the table: Bibles printed per year; Bible
density (copies in place).

50. Defined in World Christian Trends, pt. 25, “Macroevangelistics.” The new term “Population without gospel access” is synonymous with “Unevangelized popula-
tion” from past tables.

52–54. Defined in World Christian Trends, part 20, “Finance.”

54. Amounts embezzled by top custodians of Christian monies (U.S. dollar equivalents, per year).

Three finance statistics have been retired from the table: Churches’ income; Parachurch and institutional income; Income of global foreign missions.

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