Question 1

How many Christians are there in the world?

Accepted Answer

About 2.6 billion people worldwide identify as Christian — roughly 32% of the world's 8.3 billion people, making Christianity the largest religious group on earth. Estimates differ by source: Pew Research's last full count put the figure near 2.3 billion for 2020.

Question 2

Which country has the most Christians?

Accepted Answer

The United States has the largest Christian population in the world — roughly 211 million people, about 62% of its population. Brazil, Mexico and Nigeria follow. Most of the world's largest Christian populations are now in the Global South.

Question 3

Which countries have the fewest Christians?

Accepted Answer

Afghanistan, Somalia and Morocco have among the smallest Christian shares on earth — well under one percent of the population. Most of the least-Christian nations sit in the 10/40 Window, where following Jesus often costs family, freedom or life.

Question 4

Where is it hardest to be a Christian?

Accepted Answer

According to Open Doors' World Watch List, the hardest countries to follow Jesus are North Korea, Somalia and Yemen. Worldwide, around 380 million Christians face high levels of persecution and discrimination — about 1 in 7 worldwide; 1 in 5 in Africa; 2 in 5 in Asia.

Question 5

How many unreached people groups are there?

Accepted Answer

Of the world's 10,423 distinct people groups, about 4,490 — roughly 43% — are considered unreached, and 3,214 of those are frontier groups where fewer than 1 in 1,000 follow Jesus. Together they number around 3.6 billion people.

Question 6

What is the largest unreached people group?

Accepted Answer

The Shaikh of South Asia — around 250 million people across Bangladesh, India and Pakistan — are generally counted as the largest unreached people group on earth. They are followed by the Bengali Muslim and the Japanese peoples. People-group populations vary widely by source and definition.

Question 7

Where is Christianity growing fastest?

Accepted Answer

Christianity is growing fastest in Sub-Saharan Africa, now home to about 718 million Christians — more than any other region. The church's centre of gravity has moved south: 69% of the world's Christians live in the Global South today, up from 17.6% in 1900, and projected to reach 78% by 2050.

Question 8

Is Christianity growing or declining?

Accepted Answer

Both, depending on where you look. Worldwide, Christianity is still growing in absolute numbers — to about 2.6 billion — driven by Africa, Latin America and Asia. In Europe and North America the Christian share of the population has been falling for decades, so the global church is shifting south rather than shrinking.

Question 9

What is the largest religion in the world?

Accepted Answer

Christianity is the world's largest religion, with about 2.6 billion adherents — roughly 32% of humanity. Islam is second, at about 2.0 billion (25%).

Question 10

How many languages have the Bible?

Accepted Answer

The full Bible is available in 756 languages, and at least some Scripture exists in 3,756 languages of the world's roughly 7,400. About 985 languages — roughly 100 million people — have nothing at all and no translation work begun.

Question 11

How many missionaries are there in the world?

Accepted Answer

There are roughly 450,000 cross-cultural missionaries worldwide — people sent across a cultural or national boundary. The largest senders include the United States, Brazil, South Korea, the Philippines and Nigeria, and a growing share now come from the Global South.

Question 12

How many people have never heard the Gospel?

Accepted Answer

About 2.3 billion people have no meaningful access to the Gospel — no nearby church, no Scripture in a language they understand, no believing friend. Nobody can count exactly who has "never heard", but around 1.9 billion live in frontier people groups where fewer than 1 in 1,000 follow Jesus.

Question 13

Which country has the most unreached people groups?

Accepted Answer

India has by far the most unreached people groups — about 2,100 of its 2,600, more than the next several countries combined. China (427), Pakistan (400) and Bangladesh (340) follow. Counts depend heavily on how a "people group" is defined.

Question 14

How many people groups are there in the world?

Accepted Answer

Joshua Project counts about 10,423 distinct people groups in the world — ethnic and linguistic communities that share a language and identity. About 4,490 of them (43%) are unreached, and 3,214 are frontier groups. Other researchers count differently, because where one people ends and the next begins is a judgement call.

Question 15

Which country has the most evangelical Christians?

Accepted Answer

Among the 50 nations profiled here, the United States and China have the most evangelical Christians — roughly 85 million — followed by Nigeria and Brazil. By share of the population, Kenya leads at about 48%. Counts of evangelicals vary widely between sources, so treat the order as approximate.

Question 16

What is the difference between unreached and frontier people groups?

Accepted Answer

An unreached people group has no church strong enough to share the Gospel with the rest of its people without outside help. A frontier people group is the hardest subset of those: virtually no Christians at all — 0.1% or fewer — and no known movement to Jesus. Of about 10,423 people groups, 4,490 are unreached and 3,214 of those are frontier groups.

Question 17

What is the 10/40 Window?

Accepted Answer

A mission-planning term for the region of North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia located roughly between 10 and 40 degrees north latitude, where many communities have historically had limited Gospel access. It is home to most of the world's unreached peoples — 19 of the 25 nations profiled here that fall inside it are frontier or unreached.

All questions.