Direct answer · reviewed September 2026

Is Christianity growing or declining?

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.

Sub-Saharan Africafastest growing
Latin Americastrong
Europedeclining
North Americadeclining
01

Growing: the Global South

69% of the world's Christians now live in Africa, Latin America and Asia, up from 17.6% in 1900.

Regions where the church is growing or strong
RegionChristiansTrend
Sub-Saharan Africa718 millionfastest growing
Latin America603 millionstrong
Asia-Pacific387 milliongrowing
02

Declining: the historic heartlands

In much of Europe and North America, church membership and Christian identity have fallen for decades, though Pew's 2023–24 landscape study found the decline in the United States appears to have levelled off since around 2019.

Regions where the Christian share is declining or under pressure
RegionChristiansTrend
Europe553 milliondeclining
North America278 milliondeclining
Middle East / North Africa24 millionunder pressure
FAQ

Related questions

Is Christianity dying?

No. It is declining as a share of the population in much of the West, but growing in absolute numbers worldwide, fastest in Africa.

More questions.

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