Editing Christianity (section)

== Demographics ==
{{Main|Christianity by country|Christian population growth}}
{{See also|Christendom|Christian state}}
With around 2.8&nbsp;billion adherents according to a 2022 estimation by [[World History Encyclopedia]],<ref name="World History Encyclopedia">{{cite web|first =Rebecca |last = Denova|url=https://www.worldhistory.org/christianity/|title=Christianity |date =2 March 2022 |publisher=[[World History Encyclopedia]]|quote= Christianity is the world's largest religion, with 2.8 billion adherents.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |last=Jan Pelikan |first=Jaroslav |title=Christianity &#124; Definition, Origin, History, Beliefs, Symbols, Types, & Facts &#124; Britannica |date=13 August 2022 |entry=Christianity |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christianity |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |quote=It has become the largest of the world's religions and, geographically, the most widely diffused of all faiths.}}</ref><ref name="Pew Research Center-1">{{Cite web |title=World's largest religion by population is still Christianity |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/05/christians-remain-worlds-largest-religious-group-but-they-are-declining-in-europe/ |access-date=1 January 2020 |website=Pew Research Center |date=5 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |year=2020 |editor-last=Johnson |editor-first=Todd M. |editor2-last=Grim |editor2-first=Brian J. |title=All Religions (global totals) |url=https://worldreligiondatabase.org/ |website=World Religion Database |publisher=Brill, Boston University |location=Leiden, Boston}}</ref><ref>31.4% of ≈7.4&nbsp;billion world population (under the section 'People') {{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=World|date=14 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=World's largest religion by population is still Christianity|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/05/christians-remain-worlds-largest-religious-group-but-they-are-declining-in-europe/|access-date=1 January 2020|website=Pew Research Center|date=5 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://worldreligiondatabase.org/|title=All Religions (global totals)| year=2020|editor-last=Johnson|editor-first=Todd M.|editor2-last=Grim |editor2-first=Brian J.|website=World Religion Database |publisher=Brill, Boston University|location=Leiden, Boston}}</ref> split into three main branches of Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox, Christianity is the [[major religious groups|world's largest religion]].<ref name="PewDec2012">{{cite web |author=Analysis |url=https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2014/01/global-religion-full.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323215026/http://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2014/01/global-religion-full.pdf |archive-date=2018-03-23 |url-status=live |title=Global religious landscape: Christians |publisher=Pewforum.org |date=19 December 2011 |access-date=17 August 2012}}</ref> High birth rates and [[Conversion to Christianity|conversions]] in the [[global South]] were cited as the reasons for the Christian population growth.<ref>{{cite book|title=A History of Christian Conversion |first=David |last=W. Kling |year=2020 |isbn=978-0-19-532092-3 |pages=586–587 |publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa: Edinburgh Companions to Global Christianity |first=Kenneth |last=R. Ross |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-4744-1204-9 |page=17 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press}}</ref> For the last hundred years, the Christian share has stood at around 33% of the world population. This masks a major shift in the demographics of Christianity; large increases in the developing world have been accompanied by substantial declines in the developed world, mainly in Western Europe and North America.<ref>Werner Ustorf. "A missiological postscript", in McLeod and Ustorf (eds), ''The Decline of Christendom in (Western) Europe, 1750–2000'', ([[Cambridge University Press]], 2003) pp. 219–20.</ref> According to a 2015 [[Pew Research Center]] study, within the next four decades, Christianity will remain the largest religion; and by 2050, the Christian population is expected to exceed 3&nbsp;billion.<ref name=PewProjections>{{cite web|url=https://www.pewforum.org/files/2015/03/PF_15.04.02_ProjectionsFullReport.pdf|title=The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010–2050|access-date=24 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150506113049/https://www.pewforum.org/files/2015/03/PF_15.04.02_ProjectionsFullReport.pdf|archive-date=6 May 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{rp|60}}
[[File:Reabertura Museu de Arte Sacra (18626301050).jpg|thumb|A Christian procession in [[Brazil]], the country with the largest Catholic population in the world<ref name="PewDec2012" />]]
[[File:День Святой Троицы. Престольный праздник.jpg|thumb|[[Trinity Sunday]] in [[Russia]]; the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] has experienced a great revival since the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]], a country that had a policy of [[state atheism]].<ref name="Pew20152016" />|alt=]]
[[File:Auto de Páscoa - IgrejaDaCidade (crop).jpg|thumb|right|Show on the life of [[Jesus]] at [[City Church (Brazil)|City Church]] in [[São José dos Campos]], affiliated with the [[Brazilian Baptist Convention]]]]

According to some scholars, Christianity ranks at first place in net gains through [[religious conversion]].<ref>{{cite book |year=2014 |editor-first1=Lewis Ray |editor-last1=Rambo |editor-first2=Charles E. |editor-last2=Farhadian |title=The Oxford Handbook of Religious Conversio|pages=58–61|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-533852-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |year=2010 |editor1=Carla Gardina Pestana |title=Evangelicalism and Conversion: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-980834-2}}</ref> As a percentage of Christians, the [[Catholic Church]] and [[Orthodoxy]] (both [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern]] and [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental]]) are declining in some parts of the world (though Catholicism is growing in Asia, in Africa, vibrant in Eastern Europe, etc.), while [[Protestants]] and other Christians are on the rise in the developing world.<ref name="pewforum1" /><ref>{{cite book|last=Johnstone|first=Patrick|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AVzFAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA109|title=The Future of the Global Church: History, Trends and Possibilities|year=2011|publisher=InterVarsity|via=[[Google Books]]|page=100|isbn=978-0-8308-5695-4 }}</ref><ref>Hillerbrand, Hans J., [https://books.google.com/books?id=4tbFBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT3311 "Encyclopedia of Protestantism: 4-volume Set"], p. 1815, "Observers carefully comparing all these figures in the total context will have observed the even more startling finding that for the first time ever in the history of Protestantism, ''Wider Protestants'' will by 2050 have become almost exactly as numerous as Catholics – each with just over 1.5 billion followers, or 17 percent of the world, with Protestants growing considerably faster than Catholics each year."</ref><ref name="gordonconwell.edu">{{cite web |title=Status of Global Christianity, 2024, in the Context of 1900–2050 |url=https://www.gordonconwell.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/01/Status-of-Global-Christianity-2024.pdf |access-date=23 May 2024 |publisher=Center for the Study of Global Christianity, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary |quote=Protestants: 625,606,000; Independents: 421,689,000; Unaffiliated Christians: 123,508,000}}</ref><ref name="KimOsmerSchweitzer2018">{{cite book |last1=Kim |first1=Hyun-Sook |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=muV0DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA8 |title=The Future of Protestant Religious Education in an Age of Globalization |last2=Osmer |first2=Richard R. |last3=Schweitzer |first3=Friedrich |publisher=Waxmann Verlag |year=2018 |isbn=978-3-8309-8876-2 |page=8}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Walsham |first1=Alexandra |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2XrpDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT18 |title=Remembering the Reformation |last2=Cummings |first2=Brian |last3=Law |first3=Ceri |last4=Riley |first4=Karis |date=4 June 2020 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-0-429-61992-2 |page=18}}</ref> The so-called ''popular Protestantism''<ref group="note">A flexible term, defined as all forms of Protestantism with the notable exception of the historical denominations deriving directly from the Protestant Reformation.</ref> is one of the fastest growing religious categories in the world.<ref>Some scholars suggest that Pentecostalism is the fastest growing religion in the world:
* {{cite book|url=https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199920570.001.0001/acprof-9780199920570|title=Spirit and Power: The Growth and Global Impact of Pentecostalism|year= 2013|publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199920570.001.0001|isbn=978-0-19-934563-2|quote=Pentecostalism is the fastest-growing religious movement in the world|editor1-last=Miller|editor1-first=Donald E.|editor2-first=Kimon H.|editor2-last=Sargeant|editor3-first=Richard|editor3-last=Flory }}
* {{cite book|url=https://california.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1525/california/9780520266612.001.0001/upso-9780520266612|publisher=University of California Press Scholarship|doi=10.1525/california/9780520266612.001.0001|quote=With its remarkable ability to adapt to different cultures, Pentecostalism has become the world's fastest growing religious movement.|last1=Anderson|first1=Allan|last2=Bergunder|first2=Michael|last3=Droogers|first3=Andre|title=Studying Global PentecostalismTheories and Methods |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-520-26661-2}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/rearvision/pentecostal/13360182|title=Pentecostalism—the fastest growing religion on earth|date=30 May 2021|publisher=ABC}}
* {{cite web|url=https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/pentecostalism-massive-global-growth-under-radar|title=Pentecostalism: Massive Global Growth Under the Radar|date=9 March 2015|publisher=Pulitzer Center|quote=Today, one quarter of the two billion Christians in the world are Pentecostal or Charismatic. Pentecostalism is the fastest growing religion in the world.}}
* {{cite web|url=https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1067&context=political_science_theses|title=Max Weber and Pentecostals in Latin America: The Protestant Ethic, Social Capital and Spiritual Capital Ethic, Social Capital and Spiritual Capital|date=9 May 2016|publisher=Georgia State University|quote=Many scholars claim that Pentecostalism is the fastest growing religious phenomenon in human history.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ic5pyiIkTxAC&pg=PA16|title=Religion in Global Civil Society|first=Mark|last=Juergensmeyer|year=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=16|isbn=978-0-19-804069-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/0/3/9/8/7/pages39879/p39879-1.php|title=Engendering Charismatic Economies: Pentecostalism, Global Political Economy, and the Crisis of Social Reproduction|last=Barker|first=Isabelle V.|year=2005|publisher=[[American Political Science Association]]|pages=2, 8 and footnote 14 on page 8|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217004703/https://citation.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/0/3/9/8/7/pages39879/p39879-1.php|archive-date=17 December 2013|access-date=25 March 2010}}</ref> Nevertheless, Catholicism will also continue to grow to 1.63&nbsp;billion by 2050, according to Todd Johnson of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity.<ref>Todd M. Johnson, Gina A Zurlo, Albert W. Hickman, and Peter F. Grossing, "Christianity 2016: Latin America and Projecting Religions to 2050", ''International Bulletin of Mission Research'', 2016, Vol. 40 (1) 22–29.</ref> Africa alone, by 2015, will be home to 230 million African Catholics.<ref>Barrett, 29.</ref> And if in 2018, the U.N. projects that Africa's population will reach 4.5&nbsp;billion by 2100 (not 2&nbsp;billion as predicted in 2004), Catholicism will indeed grow, as will other religious groups.<ref>Ross Douthat, "Fear of a Black Continent", ''The New York Times'', 21 October 2018, 9.</ref> According to Pew Research Center, Africa is expected to be home to 1.1&nbsp;billion [[Christianity in Africa|African Christians]] by 2050.<ref name="PewProjections" />

In 2010, 87% of the world's Christian population lived in countries where Christians are in the majority, while 13% of the world's Christian population lived in countries where Christians are in the minority.<ref name="Global Christianity">{{Cite web |title=Global Christianity – A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Christian Population |url=https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2011/12/Christianity-fullreport-web.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801204254/http://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2011/12/Christianity-fullreport-web.pdf |archive-date=2019-08-01 |publisher=Pew Research Center}}</ref> Christianity is the predominant religion in Europe, the Americas, Oceania, and Sub-Saharan Africa.<ref name="Global Christianity" /> There are also large Christian communities in other parts of the world, such as [[Central Asia]], the [[Middle East and North Africa]], [[East Asia]], [[Southeast Asia]], and the [[Indian subcontinent]].<ref name="Global Christianity" /> In Asia, it is the dominant religion in Armenia, Cyprus, Georgia, East Timor, and the Philippines.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/eb/table?tocId=9394911 Encyclopædia Britannica] table of religions, by region. Retrieved November 2007. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080218163337/https://www.britannica.com/eb/table?tocId=9394911 |date=18 February 2008}}</ref> However, it is declining in some areas including the northern and western United States,<ref>{{cite web|author=ARIS 2008 Report: Part IA – Belonging |url=https://b27.cc.trincoll.edu/weblogs/AmericanReligionSurvey-ARIS/reports/p1a_belong.html |title=American Religious Identification Survey 2008 |publisher=B27.cc.trincoll.edu |access-date=19 November 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518163841/https://b27.cc.trincoll.edu/weblogs/AmericanReligionSurvey-ARIS/reports/p1a_belong.html |archive-date=18 May 2011}}</ref> some areas in Oceania (Australia<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/PopularAreas?collection=Census&period=2006&&navmapdisplayed=true&textversion=false |title=Australian 2006 census – Religion |publisher=Censusdata.abs.gov.au |access-date=19 November 2010 }}{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and New Zealand<ref>[https://www.stats.govt.nz/~/media/Statistics/Publications/Census/2006-reports/quickstats-subject/Culture-Identity/quickstats-about-culture-and-identity-tables.ashx Table 28, 2006 Census Data – QuickStats About Culture and Identity – Tables]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724200044/https://www.stats.govt.nz/~/media/Statistics/Publications/Census/2006-reports/quickstats-subject/Culture-Identity/quickstats-about-culture-and-identity-tables.ashx |date=24 July 2011}}</ref>), northern Europe (including Great Britain,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ekklesia.co.uk/news/uk/061223/christendom |title=New UK opinion poll shows continuing collapse of 'Christendom' |publisher=Ekklesia.co.uk |date=23 December 2006|access-date=19 November 2010}}</ref> Scandinavia and other places), France, Germany, Canada,<ref>{{cite web |title=The Canadian census: A rich portrait of the country's religious and ethnocultural diversity |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/221026/dq221026b-eng.htm |website=Statistics Canada |date=26 October 2022 |publisher=Government of Canada |access-date=2023-11-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117175209/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/221026/dq221026b-eng.htm |archive-date=2023-11-17}}</ref> and some parts of Asia (especially the Middle East, due to the [[Christian emigration]],<ref>Barrett/Kurian.''World Christian Encyclopedia'', p. 139 (Britain), 281 (France), 299 (Germany).</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4499668.stm |title=Christians in the Middle East |work=BBC News |date=15 December 2005 |access-date=19 November 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Katz |first=Gregory |url=https://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/4425100.html |title=Is Christianity dying in the birthplace of Jesus? |publisher=Chron.com |date=25 December 2006 |access-date=19 November 2010}}</ref> and Macau<ref>{{cite news|last=Greenlees |first=Donald |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/26/world/asia/26macao.html |title=A Gambling-Fueled Boom Adds to a Church's Bane |location=Macao |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=26 December 2007 |access-date=30 June 2011}}</ref>).

The total Christian population is not decreasing in Brazil and the southern United States,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://b27.cc.trincoll.edu/weblogs/AmericanReligionSurvey-ARIS/reports/ARIS_Report_2008.pdf |title=American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) 2008 |first1=Barry A. |last1=Kosmin |first2=Ariela |last2=Keysar |year=2009 |publisher=Trinity College |location=Hartford, CN|access-date=1 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090407053149/https://b27.cc.trincoll.edu/weblogs/AmericanReligionSurvey-ARIS/reports/ARIS_Report_2008.pdf |archive-date=7 April 2009}}</ref> however, the percentage of the population identifying as Christian is in decline. Since the fall of communism, the proportion of Christians has been largely stable in [[Central Europe]], except in the [[Czech Republic]].<ref name="Pew Research Center">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pewforum.org/2018/10/29/eastern-and-western-europeans-differ-on-importance-of-religion-views-of-minorities-and-key-social-issues/|title=Eastern and Western Europeans Differ on Importance of Religion, Views of Minorities, and Key Social Issues|work=Pew Research Center|date=29 October 2018}}</ref> On the other hand, Christianity is growing rapidly in both numbers and percentages in Eastern Europe,<ref name="Pew Research Center" /><ref name="Pew20152016">{{cite web|title=Religious Belief and National Belonging in Central and Eastern Europe|url=https://www.pewforum.org/2017/05/10/religious-belief-and-national-belonging-in-central-and-eastern-europe/|website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project|date=10 May 2017}}</ref> China,<ref>{{cite journal|title=Chinese Conversion to Evangelical Christianity: The Importance of Social and Cultural Contexts|date=20 January 2017|publisher=Oxford University Press|jstor=3711910|last1=Yang|first1=Fenggang|journal=Sociology of Religion|volume=59|issue=3|pages=237–257|doi=10.2307/3711910 }}</ref><ref name="PewDec2012" /> other [[Asian countries]],<ref name="PewDec2012" /><ref name="Singapore Management University" /> [[Sub-Saharan Africa]],<ref name="PewDec2012" /><ref name="The Next Christendom 2002">The Next Christendom: The Rise of Global Christianity. New York: Oxford University Press. 2002. 270 pp.</ref> [[Latin America]],<ref name="PewDec2012" /> [[North Africa]] ([[Maghreb]]),<ref name="Johnstone-2015" /><ref name="The Next Christendom 2002" /> [[Gulf Cooperation Council]] countries,<ref name="PewDec2012" /> [[Muslim world]],<ref name="Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background">{{cite journal|last1=Johnstone|first1=Patrick|last2=Miller|first2=Duane Alexander|title=Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census|journal=IJRR|date=2015|volume=11|issue=10|pages=1–19|url=https://www.academia.edu/16338087|access-date=30 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=A Short History of Christianity| first=Geoffrey  |last=Blainey|year= 2011| isbn= 978-1-74253-416-9|publisher=Penguin Random House Australia|quote=Since the 1960s, there has been a substantial increase in the number of Muslims who have converted to Christianity}}</ref> and [[Oceania]].<ref name="The Next Christendom 2002" />

Despite a decline in adherence in the [[Western world|West]], Christianity remains the dominant religion in the region, with about 70% of that population identifying as Christian.<ref name="Global Christianity" /><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Henderso |first1=Errol A |title=Scriptures, Shrines, Scapegoats, and World Politics: Religious Sources of Conflict and Cooperation in the Modern Era |last2=Maoz |first2=Zeev |publisher=University of Michigan Press |year=2020 |isbn=978-0-472-13174-7 |pages=129–130}}</ref> Christianity remains the largest religion in [[Western Europe]], where 71% of Western Europeans identified themselves as Christian in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|date=29 May 2018|title=Being Christian in Western Europe|url=https://www.pewforum.org/2018/05/29/being-christian-in-western-europe/|access-date=21 January 2021|website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project}}</ref> A 2011 [[Pew Research Center]] survey found that 76% of Europeans, 73% in Oceania and about 86% in the Americas (90% in Latin America and 77% in North America) identified themselves as Christians.<ref name="PewDec2012" /><ref name="Global Christianity" /> By 2010 about 157 countries and territories in the world had [[Christianity by country|Christian majorities]].<ref name="PewDec2012" />

There are many [[charismatic movements]] that have become well established over large parts of the world, especially Africa, Latin America, and Asia.<ref>David Stoll, "Is Latin America Turning Protestant?" published Berkeley: University of California Press. 1990</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/penta.html|title=Pentecostalism|first=Jeff|last=Hadden|year=1997|access-date=24 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060427204250/https://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/penta.html |archive-date=27 April 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://pewforum.org/events/?EventID=109|title=Moved by the Spirit: Pentecostal Power and Politics after 100&nbsp;Years|author1=Pew Forum on Religion |author2=Public Life |date=24 April 2006|access-date=24 September 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Pentecostalism |encyclopedia=Britannica Concise Encyclopedia |year=2007 |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1B1-374862.html |access-date=21 December 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090112143456/https://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1B1-374862.html |archive-date=12 January 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2000/november13/36.107.html|title=The CT Review: Pie-in-the-Sky Now|author=Ed Gitre, Christianity Today Magazine|date=13 November 2000}}</ref><ref name="Global Christianity" /> Since 1900, primarily due to conversion, Protestantism has spread rapidly in Africa, Asia, Oceania, and Latin America.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bW3sXBjnokkC&pg=PR11|title=Encyclopedia of Protestantism|first=J. Gordon|last=Melton|year=2005|publisher=Infobase |isbn=978-0-8160-6983-5|page=11}}</ref> From 1960 to 2000, the global growth of the number of reported [[Evangelical Protestants]] grew three times the world's population rate, and twice that of [[Islam]].<ref>{{Cite book| title=Know the Truth: A Handbook of Christian Belief | last=Milne | first=Bruce | year=2010 | publisher=InterVarsity | page=332 |isbn=978-0-8308-2576-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W_ttliPuhjQC}}</ref> According to the historian [[Geoffrey Blainey]] from the [[University of Melbourne]], since the 1960s there has been a substantial increase in the number of conversions from Islam to Christianity, mostly to the [[Evangelical]] and [[Pentecostal]] forms.<ref>{{cite book|title=A Short History of Christianity| first=Geoffrey |last=Blainey |year=2011| isbn= 978-1-74253-416-9|publisher=Penguin Random House |quote=Since the 1960s, there has been a substantial increase in the number of Muslims who have converted to Christianity}}</ref>
A study conducted by St. Mary's University estimated about 10.2 million [[Muslim]] [[convert to Christianity|converts to Christianity]] in 2015;<ref name="Johnstone-2015">{{cite journal|last1=Johnstone|first1=Patrick|last2=Miller|first2=Duane Alexander|title=Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census|journal=IJRR|date=2015|volume=11|issue=10|pages=1–19|url=https://www.academia.edu/16338087|access-date=30 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Living among the Breakage: Contextual Theology-Making and Ex-Muslim Christians |first=Duane Alexander |last=Miller |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-4982-8417-2 |pages=435–481 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press}}</ref> according to the study significant numbers of Muslim converts to Christianity can be found in Afghanistan,<ref name="Johnstone-2015" /><ref name="Miller-2014">{{cite journal|last1=Miller|first1=Duane Alexander|last2=Koepping|first2=Elizabeth|title=Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census|journal=University of Edinburgh School of Divinity|year=2014|pages=88–89|url=https://era.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/9513?show=full}}</ref> Azerbaijan,<ref name="Johnstone-2015" /><ref name="Miller-2014" /> Central Asia (including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and other countries),<ref name="Johnstone-2015" /><ref name="Miller-2014" /> Indonesia,<ref name="Johnstone-2015" /><ref name="Miller-2014" /> Malaysia,<ref name="Johnstone-2015" /><ref name="Miller-2014" /> the Middle East (including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6gajAgAAQBAJ&q=turkish+protestant+muslim&pg=PA93|title=Muslim Nationalism and the New Turks|access-date=18 March 2015|isbn=978-1-4008-5125-6|last1=White|first1=Jenny|year=2014|publisher=Princeton University Press }}</ref> and other countries),<ref name="Johnstone-2015" /><ref name="Miller-2014" /> North Africa (including Algeria, Morocco,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2013/may/christian-converts-in-morocco-fear-fatwa-calling-for-their.html|title=Christian Converts in Morocco Fear Fatwa Calling for Their Execution|work=Morning Star News|date=9 May 2013 |via=[[Christianity Today]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/house-churches-and-silent-masses-the-converted-christians-of-morocco-are-praying-in-secret/|title='House-Churches' and Silent Masses —The Converted Christians of Morocco Are Praying in Secret|website=Vice.com|date=23 March 2015 }}</ref> and Tunisia<ref>{{source-attribution|[https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90222.htm International Religious Freedom Report 2007: Tunisia]. United States [[Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor]] (14 September 2007).}}</ref>),<ref name="Johnstone-2015" /><ref name="Miller-2014" /> Sub-Saharan Africa,<ref name="Johnstone-2015" /><ref name="Miller-2014" /> and the Western World (including Albania, Belgium, France, Germany, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Russia, Scandinavia, United Kingdom, the United States, and other western countries).<ref name="Johnstone-2015" /><ref name="Miller-2014" /> It is also reported that Christianity is popular among people of different backgrounds in Africa and Asia; according to a report by the [[Singapore Management University]], more people in Southeast Asia are converting to Christianity, many of them young and having a [[university degree]].<ref name="Singapore Management University">{{cite web|url=https://cmp.smu.edu.sg/perspectives/2012/06/26/understanding-rapid-rise-charismatic-christianity-southeast-asia|title=Understanding the rapid rise of Charismatic Christianity in Southeast Asia|date=27 October 2017|publisher=Singapore Management University}}</ref> According to scholar Juliette Koning and Heidi Dahles of {{lang|nl|[[Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam]]|italic=no}} there is a "rapid expansion" of [[Christianity in Singapore]], China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, [[Christianity in Indonesia|Indonesia]], [[Christianity in Malaysia|Malaysia]], and South Korea.<ref name="Singapore Management University" /> According to scholar Terence Chong from the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, since the 1980s Christianity is expanding in China, Singapore,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://newnation.sg/2011/01/christianity-non-religious-register-biggest-growth-census-2010/ |title=Christianity, non-religious register biggest growth: Census 2010 |publisher=Newnation.sg |date=13 January 2011 |access-date=17 August 2012 |archive-date=24 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120124010232/http://newnation.sg/2011/01/christianity-non-religious-register-biggest-growth-census-2010/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Indonesia, [[Christianity in Japan|Japan]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/more-people-claim-christian-faith-in-japan-1549/|title=More People Claim Christian Faith in Japan|date=19 March 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=International Handbook of Protestant Education| first=David |last= W. Robinson|year= 2012| isbn=978-9400723870| page =521 |publisher=Springer |quote=A 2006 Gallup survey, however, is the largest to date and puts the number at 6%, which is much higher than its previous surveys. It notes a major increase among Japanese youth professing Christ.}}</ref> Malaysia, Taiwan, South Korea,<ref name="Global Christianity" /> and Vietnam.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eurasiareview.com/28092015-the-state-of-pentecostalism-in-southeast-asia-ethnicity-class-and-leadership-analysis/ |title=The State Of Pentecostalism In Southeast Asia: Ethnicity, Class And Leadership – Analysis|date=28 September 2015|publisher=Eurasia Review}}</ref>

In most countries in the developed world, [[church attendance]] among people who continue to identify themselves as Christians has been falling over the last few decades.<ref>Putnam, ''Democracies in Flux: The Evolution of Social Capital in Contemporary Society'', p. 408.</ref> Some sources view this as part of a drift away from traditional membership institutions,<ref>McGrath, ''Christianity: An Introduction'', p. xvi.</ref> while others link it to signs of a decline in belief in the importance of religion in general.<ref>Peter Marber, ''Money Changes Everything: How Global Prosperity Is Reshaping Our Needs, Values and Lifestyles'', p. 99.</ref> Europe's Christian population, though in decline, still constitutes the largest geographical component of the religion.<ref>Philip Jenkins ''God's Continent'', Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007, p. 56</ref> According to data from the 2012 European Social Survey, around a third of [[Christianity in Europe|European Christians]] say they attend services once a month or more.<ref name="economist">{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/news/international/21684679-march-christianity-future-worlds-most-popular-religion-african|title=The future of the world's most popular religion is African|date=25 December 2015|newspaper=The Economist}}</ref> Conversely, according to the [[World Values Survey]], about more than two-thirds of Latin American Christians, and about 90% of [[Christianity in Africa|African Christians]] (in Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Zimbabwe) said they attended church regularly.<ref name="economist" /> According to a 2018 study by the [[Pew Research Center]], Christians in Africa and Latin America and the United States have high levels of commitment to their faith.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/08/22/the-worlds-most-committed-christians-live-in-africa-latin-america-and-the-u-s/|title=The world's most committed Christians live in Africa, Latin America – and the U.S.|date =22 August 2018|publisher=Pew Research Center}}</ref>

[[Christian state|Christianity]], in one form or another, is the sole [[state religion]] of the following nations: [[Argentina]] (Catholic),<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url =https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/33657/Argentina| title = Argentina|encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date = 11 May 2008}}</ref> [[Costa Rica]] (Catholic),<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url =https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/139528/Costa-Rica| title = Costa Rica|encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date = 11 May 2008}}</ref> the [[Kingdom of Denmark]] (Lutheran),<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url =https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/157748/Denmark| title = Denmark|encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date = 11 May 2008}}</ref> [[England]] (Anglican),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.centreforcitizenship.org/church1.html |title=Church and State in Britain: The Church of privilege |publisher=Centre for Citizenship |access-date=11 May 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511204430/https://www.centreforcitizenship.org/church1.html |archive-date=11 May 2008}}</ref> [[Greece]] (Greek Orthodox),<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url =https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/181798/El-Salvador| title = El Salvador|encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date = 11 May 2008}}</ref> [[Iceland]] (Lutheran),<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url =https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/281235/Iceland|title = Iceland|encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date = 11 May 2008}}</ref> Liechtenstein (Catholic),<ref>{{cite web|url =https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2003/24418.htm|title = Liechtenstein|publisher = U.S. Department of State|access-date = 11 May 2008}}</ref> [[Malta]] (Catholic),<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url =https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/360532/Malta|title = Malta|encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date = 11 May 2008}}</ref> Monaco (Catholic),<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url =https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/388747/Monaco|title = Monaco |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date = 11 May 2008}}</ref> [[Norway]] (Lutheran),<ref>[https://www.abcnyheter.no/nyheter/080410/losere-band-men-fortsatt-statskirke Løsere bånd, men fortsatt statskirke] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108043939/https://www.abcnyheter.no/nyheter/080410/losere-band-men-fortsatt-statskirke|date=8 January 2014}}, ABC Nyheter<!-- https://www.webcitation.org/6DEb3MkkC?url=https://www.abcnyheter.no/nyheter/080410/losere-band-men-fortsatt-statskirke --></ref> [[Samoa]],<ref>{{cite news|last1=Feagaimaali'i-Luamanu|first1=Joyetter|title=Constitutional Amendment Passes; Samoa Officially Becomes 'Christian State'|url=http://www.pireport.org/articles/2017/06/08/constitutional-amendment-passes-samoa-officially-becomes-christian-state|publisher=Pacific Islands Report|date=8 June 2017|access-date=15 November 2022|archive-date=11 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111223748/http://www.pireport.org/articles/2017/06/08/constitutional-amendment-passes-samoa-officially-becomes-christian-state|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Tonga]] (Methodist), [[Tuvalu]] (Reformed), and [[Vatican City]] (Catholic).<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/623972/Vatican-City |title=Vatican |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=11 May 2008}}</ref>

There are numerous other countries, such as Cyprus, which although do not have an [[established church]], still give official recognition and support to a specific [[Christian denomination]].<ref>{{cite web|url =https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2003/27433.htm|title = Cyprus|publisher = U.S. Department of State|access-date = 11 May 2008}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" style="margin: 1em auto"
|+ Demographics of major traditions within Christianity ([[Pew Research Center]], 2020 data)<ref name="www.globalreligiousfutures.org">{{Cite web |title=Religion Information Data Explorer {{!}} GRF |url=http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/explorer#/?subtopic=15&chartType=bar&year=2020&data_type=number&religious_affiliation=all&destination=to&countries=Worldwide&age_group=all&gender=all&pdfMode=false |access-date=2022-10-13 |website=www.globalreligiousfutures.org |archive-date=13 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013135617/http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/explorer#/?subtopic=15&chartType=bar&year=2020&data_type=number&religious_affiliation=all&destination=to&countries=Worldwide&age_group=all&gender=all&pdfMode=false |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
! cyrus="col" | Tradition
! scope="col" | Followers
! scope="col" | % of the Christian population
! scope="col" | % of the world population
! scope="col" | Follower dynamics
! scope="col" | Dynamics in- and outside Christianity
|- style="background: #FFFFBF"
| [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic Church]]
| 1,329,610,000
| 50.1
| 15.9
| {{increase}} Growing
| {{increase}} Growing
|- style="background: #cdaae6"
| [[Protestantism]]
| 900,640,000
| 36.7
| 11.6
| {{increase}} Growing
| {{increase}} Growing
|- style="background: #c4ada0"
| [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]
| 220,380,000
| 11.9
| 3.8
| {{increase}} Growing
| {{decrease}} Declining
|- style="background: #b2dcd7"
| [[Nontrinitarianism|Other Christianity]]
| 28,430,000
| 1.3
| 0.4
| {{increase}} Growing
| {{increase}} Growing
|-
! Christianity
! 2,382,750,000
! 100
! 31.7
! {{increase}} Growing
! {{steady}} Stable
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto"
|+ '''Christians (self-described) by region'''
|+ (Pew Research Center, 2010 data)<ref name="PewDec2012" /><ref name="Global Christianity" />
|-
! Region
! Christians
! % Christian
|-
| [[Europe]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 558,260,000
|style="background:; text-align:center;"| 75.2
|-
| [[Latin America]]–[[Caribbean]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 531,280,000
|style="background:; text-align:center;"| 90.0
|-
| [[Sub-Saharan Africa]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 517,340,000
|style="background:; text-align:center;"| 62.9
|-
| [[Asia–Pacific]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 286,950,000
|style="background:; text-align:center;"| 7.1
|-
| [[North America]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 266,630,000
|style="background:; text-align:center;"| 77.4
|-
| [[Middle East]]–[[North Africa]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 12,710,000
|style="background:; text-align:center;"| 3.7
|-
! World
!style="text-align:right;"| 2,173,180,000
!text-align:center;"| 31.5
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable" "text-align:center" style="margin: 1em auto"
|+ Regional median ages of Christians compared with overall median ages (Pew Research Center, 2010 data)<ref name="PewDec2012" />
|-
! cyrus="col" |
! cyrus="col" | Christian median age <br /> in region (years)
! scope="col" | Regional median <br /> age (years)
|- style=
| World
| 30
| 29
|- style=
| [[Sub-Saharan Africa]]
| 19
| 18
|- style=
| [[Latin America]]–[[Caribbean]]
| 27
| 27
|- style=
| [[Asia–Pacific]]
| 28
| 29
|- style=
| [[Middle East]]–[[North Africa]]
| 29
| 24
|- style=
| [[North America]]
| 39
| 37
|- style=
| [[Europe]]
| 42
| 40
|}

<div style="overflow:auto;">
[[File:Christianity percent population in each nation World Map Christian data by Pew Research.svg|upright=3|thumb|center|The global distribution of Christians: Countries colored a darker shade have a higher proportion of Christians.<ref>{{cite web|author=Analysis |url=https://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/table-religious-composition-by-country-in-percentages/ |title=Table: Religious Composition by Country, in Percentages |publisher=Pewforum.org |date=19 December 2011 |access-date=17 August 2012}}</ref>]]</div>

<br />
<gallery widths="300" mode="nolines">
File:Christian World—Pew Research Center 2010.svg|Countries with 50% or more Christians are colored purple; countries with 10% to 50% Christians are colored pink.
File:State Religions.svg|Nations with Christianity as their [[state religion]] are in blue.
File:Percent of Catholics by Country–Pew Research 2011.svg|Distribution of Catholics
File:Countries by percentage of Protestants (2010).svg|Distribution of Protestants
File:Percent of Eastern Orthodox Christians by country.svg|Distribution of Eastern Orthodox
File:Percent of Oriental Orthodox Christians by country.svg|Distribution of Oriental Orthodox
File:Percent of Other Christians by Country–Pew Research 2011.svg|Distribution of other Christians
</gallery>