Region profile · declining

Christianity in North America

Still the largest sender of missionaries, and secularising fast at home.

Biblical anchor · "From the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations." — Malachi 1:11
Christians278 million
Population375 million
Christian share74.1%
Trenddeclining
Nations profiled1
Frontier + unreached0
01

Where the church stands in North America

Around three in four North Americans identify as Christian, and the United States remains the largest missionary-sending nation on earth by total workers. But the share of people claiming no religion has roughly doubled in a generation, and in Canada weekly attendance is in single digits across much of the country.

The region is also one of the great immigration destinations of the world. People from Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, China and India now live in North American cities — many from places where preaching Christ is illegal, now next door to churches that are free to love them. The mission field has, in a real sense, moved in.

02

Signs of hope

Newcomer communities from closed nations living in cities where the Gospel is free, and a church that still funds and sends more than any other.

03

The honest difficulty

Rapid secularisation, nominal faith, and churches more comfortable maintaining themselves than crossing the street.

04

How to pray for North America

Take one of these for a week rather than all of them for a day.

  • Pray for the weekly outreach groups going out across Canadian cities.
  • Ask God to wake the North American church from comfort into ordinary, weekly obedience.
  • Pray for newcomers from closed nations — that the first Christian they meet would be worth knowing.
  • Pray for Indigenous communities, and for reconciliation that is more than words.
05

Nations in North America on this site

Each profile carries church size, unreached peoples, what is going well, what is hard, and four prayer points.

FAQ

Questions people ask about North America

How many Christians are there in North America?

About 278 million of North America's roughly 375 million people identify as Christian — around 74.1% of the population. The trend is declining. Figures follow Pew Research Center's regional definitions and the Center for the Study of Global Christianity, and are rounded estimates that vary by source and year.

Is Christianity growing in North America?

Still the largest sender of missionaries, and secularising fast at home. Newcomer communities from closed nations living in cities where the Gospel is free, and a church that still funds and sends more than any other. At the same time: Rapid secularisation, nominal faith, and churches more comfortable maintaining themselves than crossing the street.

Which nations in North America are least reached?

Of the 1 North America nations profiled on this site, 0 are frontier and 0 are unreached. Every profiled nation in the region has an established church.