Christian population growth

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Christian population growth is the population growth of the global Christian community. According to a 2011 Pew Research Center survey, there were more than 2.2 billion Christians around the world in 2010, more than three times as many as the 600 million recorded in 1910. However, this rate of growth is slower than the overall population growth over the same time period. [1] In 2020, Pew estimated the number of Christians worldwide to be around 2.38 billion. [2] According to various scholars and sources, high birth rates and conversions in the Global South were cited as the reasons for the Christian population growth. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] In 2023, it was reported: "There will be over 2.6 billion Christians worldwide by the middle of 2023 and around 3.3 billion by 2050, according to a report published in early January by the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary." [9] [10]

Contents

Summary

Demographics of major traditions within Christianity (Pew Research Center, 2010 data) [11]
TraditionFollowers% of the Christian population% of the world populationFollower dynamicsDynamics in- and outside Christianity
Catholic Church 1,094,610,00050.115.9Increase2.svg GrowingSteady2.svg Stable
Protestantism 800,640,00036.711.6Increase2.svg GrowingIncrease2.svg Growing
Orthodoxy 260,380,00011.93.8Decrease2.svg ShrinkingDecrease2.svg Shrinking
Other denominations28,430,0001.30.4Increase2.svg GrowingIncrease2.svg Growing
Christianity 2,184,060,00010031.7Steady2.svg StableSteady2.svg Stable
Regional median ages of Christians compared with overall median ages (Pew Research Center, 2010 data) [12]
Christian median age in region (years)Regional median age (years)
World30
Sub-Saharan Africa 1918
Latin America-Caribbean 2727
Asia-Pacific 2829
Middle East-North Africa 2924
North America 3937
Europe 4240

The Christian fertility rate is 2.7 children per woman, which is higher than the global average fertility rate of 2.5. Globally, Christians were only slightly older (median age of 30) than the global average median age of 28 in 2010. According to Pew Research religious switching is projected to have a modest impact on changes in the Christian population. [13] According to various scholars and sources, Pentecostalism is the fastest-growing religious movement in the world; [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] this growth is primarily due to religious conversion to Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity. [19] [20]

According to the World Christian Encyclopedia , approximately 2.7 million converting to Christianity from another religion, World Christian Encyclopedia also cited that Christianity rank at first place in net gains through religious conversion. [21] While according to "The Oxford Handbook of Religious Conversion", approximately 15.5 million converting to Christianity from another religion, while approximately 11.7 million leave Christianity, and most of them become irreligious, resulting in a net gain of 3.8 million. [22] Christianity earns about 65.1 million people due to factors such as birth rate and religious conversion while losing 27.4 million people due to factors such as death rate and religious apostasy. Most of the net growth in the numbers of Christians are in Africa, Latin America and Asia. [22]

Fertility rate

The Christian fertility rate has varied throughout history, as with other fertility figures. The Christian fertility rate also varies from country to country. In the 20-year period from 1989 to 2009, the average world fertility rate decreased from 3.50 to 2.58, a fall of 0.92 children per woman, or 26%. The weighted average fertility rate for Christian nations decreased in the same period from 3.26 to 2.58, a fall of 0.68 children per woman, or 21%. The weighted average fertility rate for Muslim nations decreased in the same period from 5.17 to 3.23, a fall of 1.94 children per woman, or 38%. While Muslims have an average of 3.1 children per woman—the highest rate of all religious groups—Christians are second, with 2.7 children per woman. [23]

The gap in fertility between the Christian- and Muslim-dominated nations fell from 67% in 1990 to 17% in 2010. According to a study published by the Pew Research Center in 2017, births to Muslims between the years of 2010 and 2015 made up an estimated 31% of all babies born around the world. By the Pew Research Center's estimates, the Muslim fertility rate and Christian fertility rate will converge by 2040. [24]

CountryFertility rate
(2019)
(births/woman) [25]
Percent Christian
Flag of Ecuador.svg  Ecuador 2.4094%
Flag of East Timor.svg  East Timor 3.9499%
Flag of Armenia.svg  Armenia 1.7698.6%
Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea 4.4392%
Flag of Moldova.svg  Moldova 1.2795.3%
Flag of Venezuela.svg  Venezuela 2.2588.0%
Flag of Greece.svg  Greece 1.3590%

Conversion

By branches

Catholic Church

Eastern Orthodoxy

Protestantism

By continent

Projected growth of Christianity by 2050
Some of the projections are as follows: [105]
  1. Over the 2010-2050 period, Christians will remain the largest religious group with 30.7% of the world's population. However, Islam will grow faster and become 29.7% of the world's population. Therefore, by 2050 there will be 2.8 billion Muslims compared to 2.9 billion Christians.
  2. "In the United States, Christians will decline from more than three-quarters of the population in 2010 to two-thirds in 2050".
  3. "Four out of every 10 Christians in the world will live in sub-Saharan Africa".
Reasons given for the projected growth
Some of the reasons the Study gives are as follows: [104]
  1. The change in the world's religious is "driven primarily by differences in fertility rates and the size of youth populations among the world's major religions, as well as by people switching faiths".
  2. Fertility rates. "Religions with many adherents in developing countries, where birth rates are high, and infant mortality rates generally have been falling, are likely to grow quickly." Therefore, much of the growth of Christianity is projected to take place in sub-Saharan Africa. Globally, Christians have a birth rate of 2.7 children per woman. But Muslims have a higher rate, namely, an average of 3.1 children per woman. This differential is one of the reasons that the Muslim population is growing faster than the Christian.
  3. Size of youth population. "In 2010, more than a quarter of the world's total population (27%) was under the age of 15." Christian youth under 15 were the same as the 27% global average. But an even higher percentage of Muslims (34%) were younger than 15. This higher youth population is one of the reasons that from 2010 to 2050 Muslims are projected to grow faster than Christians.
  4. Size of old population. In 2010, "11% of the world's population was at least 60 years old", 14% of the Christian population was over 60 years old, but only 7% of Muslims were over 60. This is another reason that Muslims are projected to grow faster than Christians.
  5. Switching. A loss of 66 million Christians is projected to come through switching. Most of the loss is projected to come from Christians "joining the ranks of the religiously unaffiliated".
The whole Pew Research Center can be read by clicking The Future of World Religions.

Africa

Algeria

  • Since 1960 a growing number of Algerian Muslims are converting to Christianity. [108] [109] [110] [111] [112]
  • Converts to Christianity may be investigated and searched by the authorities. [113] Conversions to Christianity have been most common in Kabylie, especially in the wilaya of Tizi-Ouzou. [114]
  • A 2015 study estimates 380,000 Muslims converted to Christianity in Algeria. [53]

Benin

  • A 2015 study estimates 40,000 Muslims converted to Christianity in Benin. [53]

Burkina Faso

  • A 2015 study estimates 200,000 Muslims converted to Christianity in Burkina Faso. [53]

Burundi

  • A 2015 study estimates 2,200 Muslims converted to Christianity in Burundi. [53]

Cameroon

  • A 2015 study estimates 90,000 Muslims converted to Christianity in Cameroon. [53]

Central African Republic

Egypt

  • A 2015 study estimates some 14,000 Muslims who converted to Christianity in Egypt. [115]

Ethiopia

  • A 2015 study estimates 400,000 Muslims converted to Christianity in Ethiopia most belonging to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. [53]

Libya

  • A 2015 study estimated some 1,500 believers in Christ from a Muslim background living in the country. [115]

Morocco

  • Since 1960 a growing number of Moroccan Muslims are converting to Christianity. [116] [117] [118] [119] [120]
  • On 27 March 2010, the Moroccan magazine TelQuel stated that thousands of Moroccans had converted to Christianity. Pointing out the absence of official data, Service de presse Common Ground cites unspecified sources that stated that about 5,000 Moroccans became Christians between 2005 and 2010. [121] According to the International Religious Freedom Report for 2014 estimate that there may be as many as 8,000 Christian citizens throughout the country, but many reportedly do not meet regularly due to fear of government surveillance and social persecution. [122]
  • According to different estimates, there are about 25,000-45,000 Moroccan Christians of Berber or Arab descent mostly converted from Islam. [123] Other sources give a number of a bit more than 1,000. [124] A popular Christian program by Brother Rachid has led many former Muslims in North Africa and the Middle East to convert to Christianity. His programs have been credited with assisting in the conversion of over 150,000 former Muslims to Christianity in Morocco. [125]

Nigeria

  • The percentage of Christians in Nigeria grew from 21.4% in 1953 to 48.2% in 2011. [40] This is due to the high number of missionaries in Nigeria.
  • ِA 2015 study estimates some 600,000 believers in Christ are from a Muslim background living in Nigeria. [115]

South Africa

Tunisia

  • International Religious Freedom Report for 2007 estimate thousands of Tunisian Muslims who convert to Christianity. [127]

Americas

Argentina

  • A 2015 study estimates some 2,200 Christian believers from a Muslim background in the country, most of them belonging to some form of Protestantism. [115] [128]
  • Data from 2013, show that 64,000 Argentine Jews identify themselves as Christians. [129]

Canada

  • According to 1991/2001/2011-Census, the number of Christians in Canada has decreased from 22.5 million to 22.1 million.
  • A 2015 study estimates some 43,000 believers in Christ from a Muslim background in Canada, most of whom belong to the evangelical tradition. [115]

Mexico

  • According to INEGI, The number of Catholics grows annually by 1.7%. [130]

United States

The United States government does not collect religious data in its census. The survey below, the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) 2008, was a random digit-dialed telephone survey of 54,461 American residential households in the contiguous United States. The 1990 sample size was 113,723; 2001 sample size was 50,281.

Adult respondents were asked the open-ended question, "What is your religion, if any?" Interviewers did not prompt or offer a suggested list of potential answers. The religion of the spouse or partner was also asked. If the initial answer was "Protestant" or "Christian" further questions were asked to probe which particular denomination. About one-third of the sample was asked more detailed demographic questions.

Among the Asian population in the United States, conversion into Christianity is significantly increasing among Korean, Chinese, and Japanese. [131] By 2012 the percentage of Christians in these communities was 71%, 31%, and 38% respectively. [39]

Data from the Pew Research Center states that, as of 2013, about 1.6 million adult American Jews identify themselves as Christians, most as Protestants. [132] [133] [134] According to the same data, most of the Jews who identify themselves as some sort of Christian (1.6 million) were raised as Jewish or are Jews by ancestry. [133] According to a 2014 study by the Pew Research Center, 19% of those who say they were raised Jewish in the United States, consider themselves Christian. [135]

According to Pew Research, Christianity loses more people than it gains from religious conversion. It found that 23% of Americans raised as Christians no longer identified with Christianity, whereas 6% of current Christians converted. [136] This was in contrast to Islam in America, where the number of people who leave the religion is roughly equal to the number who convert to it. [136] The National Catholic Register claims that in 2015 there were 450,000 American Muslim converts to Christianity and that 20,000 Muslims convert to Christianity annually in the United States. [137] According to scholar Rob Scott of University of Tasmania in 2010 there were "approximately 180,000 Arab Americans and about 130,000 Iranian Americans who converted from Islam to Christianity". [138]

Religious Self-Identification of the U.S. Adult Population: 1990, 2001, 2008 [139]
Figures are not adjusted for refusals to reply; investigators suspect refusals are possibly more representative of "no religion" than any other group.

Source:ARIS 2008 [139]
Group
1990
adults
x 1,000
2001
adults
x 1,000
2008
adults
x 1,000

Numerical
Change
1990–
2008
as %
of 1990
1990
% of
adults
2001
% of
adults
2008
% of
adults
change
in % of
total
adults
1990–
2008
Adult population, total175,440207,983228,18230.1%
Adult population, Responded171,409196,683216,36726.2%97.7%94.6%94.8%−2.9%
Total Christian151,225159,514173,40214.7%86.2%76.7%76.0%−10.2%
Catholic46,00450,87357,19924.3%26.2%24.5%25.1%−1.2%
non-Catholic Christian105,221108,641116,20310.4%60.0%52.2%50.9%−9.0%
Baptist33,96433,82036,1486.4%19.4%16.3%15.8%−3.5%
Mainline Christian32,78435,78829,375−10.4%18.7%17.2%12.9%−5.8%
Methodist14,17414,03911,366−19.8%8.1%6.8%5.0%−3.1%
Lutheran9,1109,5808,674−4.8%5.2%4.6%3.8%−1.4%
Presbyterian4,9855,5964,723−5.3%2.8%2.7%2.1%−0.8%
Episcopalian/Anglican3,0433,4512,405−21.0%1.7%1.7%1.1%−0.7%
United Church of Christ4381,37873668.0%0.2%0.7%0.3%0.1%
Christian Generic25,98022,54632,44124.9%14.8%10.8%14.2%−0.6%
Christian Unspecified8,07314,19016,384102.9%4.6%6.8%7.2%2.6%
Non-denominational Christian1942,4898,0324040.2%0.1%1.2%3.5%3.4%
Protestant – Unspecified17,2144,6475,187−69.9%9.8%2.2%2.3%−7.5%
Evangelical/Born Again5461,0882,154294.5%0.3%0.5%0.9%0.6%
Pentecostal/Charismatic5,6477,8317,94840.7%3.2%3.8%3.5%0.3%
Pentecostal – Unspecified3,1164,4075,41673.8%1.8%2.1%2.4%0.6%
Assemblies of God6171,10581031.3%0.4%0.5%0.4%0.0%
Church of God59094366312.4%0.3%0.5%0.3%0.0%
Other Protestant Denominations4,6305,9497,13154.0%2.6%2.9%3.1%0.5%
Churches of Christ1,7692,5931,9218.6%1.0%1.2%0.8%−0.2%
Seventh-Day Adventist66872493840.4%0.4%0.3%0.4%0.0%
Jehovah's Witnesses1,3811,3311,91438.6%0.8%0.6%0.8%0.1%
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints2,4872,6973,15827.0%1.4%1.3%1.4%0.0%
Total non-Christian religions5,8537,7408,79650.3%3.3%3.7%3.9%0.5%
Jewish3,1372,8372,680−14.6%1.8%1.4%1.2%−0.6%
Eastern Religions6872,0201,961185.4%0.4%1.0%0.9%0.5%
Buddhist4041,0821,189194.3%0.2%0.5%0.5%0.3%
Muslim5271,1041,349156.0%0.3%0.5%0.6%0.3%
New Religious Movements & Others1,2961,7702,804116.4%0.7%0.9%1.2%0.5%
None/ No religion, total14,33129,48134,169138.4%8.2%14.2%15.0%6.8%
Agnostic+Atheist1,1861,8933,606204.0%0.7%0.9%1.6%0.9%
Did Not Know/ Refused to reply4,03111,30011,815193.1%2.3%5.4%5.2%2.9%

Highlights: [139]

  1. The ARIS 2008 survey was carried out from February–November 2008 and collected answers from 54,461 respondents who were questioned in English or Spanish.
  2. The American population self-identifies as predominantly Christian but Americans are slowly becoming less Christian.
    • 86% of American adults identified as Christians in 1990 and 76% in 2008.
    • The historic Mainline churches and denominations have experienced the steepest declines while the non-denominational Christian identity has been trending upward particularly since 2001.
    • The challenge to Christianity in the United States does not come from other religions but rather from a rejection of all forms of organized religion.
  3. 34% of American adults considered themselves "Born Again or Evangelical Christians" in 2008.
  4. The U.S. population continues to show signs of becoming less religious, with one out of every seven Americans failing to indicate a religious identity in 2008.
    • The "Nones" (no stated religious preference, atheist, or agnostic) continue to grow, though at a much slower pace than in the 1990s, from 8.2% in 1990 to 14.1% in 2001, to 15.0% in 2008.
    • Asian Americans are substantially more likely to indicate no religious identity than other racial or ethnic groups.
  5. One sign of the lack of attachment of Americans to religion is that 27% do not expect a religious funeral at their death.
  6. Based on their stated beliefs rather than their religious identification in 2008, 70% of Americans believe in a personal God, roughly 12% of Americans are atheist (no God) or agnostic (unknowable or unsure), and another 12% are deistic (a higher power but no personal God).
  7. America's religious geography has been transformed since 1990. Religious switching along with Hispanic immigration has significantly changed the religious profile of some states and regions. Between 1990 and 2008, the Catholic population proportion of the New England states fell from 50% to 36% and in New York it fell from 44% to 37%, while it rose in California from 29% to 37% and in Texas from 23% to 32%.
  8. Overall the 1990–2008 ARIS time series shows that changes in religious self-identification in the first decade of the 21st century have been moderate in comparison to the 1990s, which was a period of significant shifts in the religious composition of the United States

Asia

Afghanistan

Azerbaijan

Bangladesh

  • According to scholars Khalil Bilici, during the Bangladesh Liberation War (March–December 1971), a significant number of Bangladeshis left Islam to join Christianity (because missionaries stood with them during their difficult times during the civil strife) or to atheism after 1971 due to their experience of oppression conducted by fellow Muslims from West Pakistan. [147]
  • A 2015 study estimates some 130,000 Christians from a Muslim background residing in the Bangladesh, though not all are necessarily citizens. [115]
  • The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimated the numbers of the Muslim who convert to Christianity in Bangladesh has risen from two hundred thousand to four hundred thousand between 1971 and 1991. [148]
  • The Home Office estimated that 91,000 Muslims have converted to Christianity in Bangladesh. [149]

China

  • In recent years, the number of Chinese Christians has increased significantly, particularly since the easing of restrictions on religious activity during economic reforms in the late 1970s; Christians were 4 million before 1949 (including Catholics and Protestants), and reaching 67 million (unofficial figure) in 2010. [1] [41] Various statistical analyses have found that between 2% and 4% of the Chinese identify as Christian.
  • The government declared in 2018 that there are over 44 million Christians (Protestant: 38M, Catholic: 6M) in China. [150]
  • According to a study by a scholar Fenggang Yang from Purdue University, Christianity is "spreading among the Chinese of South-East Asia", and "Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity is growing more quickly in China", [151] also according to him, more than half of them have university degrees. [151]
  • According to the Council on Foreign Relations the "number of Chinese Protestants has grown by an average of 10 percent annually since 1979". [152]

India

  • Christianity is the third largest religion in India after Hinduism and Islam, with approximately 30 million followers.
  • A 2015 study estimates some 40,000 Christian believers from a Muslim background in the country, most of them belonging to some form of Protestantism or Catholicism. [115]
  • While the exact number of Dalit converts to Christianity in India is not available, scholar William R. Burrow of Colorado State University estimated that about 8% of Dalit have converted to Christianity. [153]
  • According to a 2021 study by the Pew Research Center, Christianity in India gained an increase from conversion, most of the Christian converts in India are former Hindus. [154]

Indonesia

  • According to various sources, between 1965 and 1985 about 2.5 million Indonesian converted from Islam to Christianity. [56] [57] [58] [155]
  • The "Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census" found that between 1960 and 2015 about 6.5 million Indonesian Muslims convert to Christianity. [53]
  • Some reports also show that many of the Chinese Indonesians minority convert to Christianity. [156] [157] Demographer Aris Ananta reported in 2008 that "anecdotal evidence suggests that more Buddhist Chinese have become Christians as they increased their standards of education". [158]

Iran

  • Significant numbers of Muslims convert to Christianity in Iran, estimates range from 300,000 to 500,000 by various sources. [159] [160] [161] [162] [163] Other estimates put the numbers between 800,000 and 3 million. [164]
  • According to scholar Ladan Boroumand "Iran today is witnessing the highest rate of Christianization in the world", [165] and according to scholar Shay Khatiri of Johns Hopkins University "Islam is the fastest shrinking religion in there [Iran], while Christianity is growing the fastest", [166] and in 2018 "up to half a million Iranians are Christian converts from Muslim families, and most of these Christians are evangelicals", [167] and he adds "recent estimates claim that the number might have climbed up to somewhere between 1 million and 3 million". [168]
  • Christianity is reportedly the fastest growing religion in Iran with an average annual rate of 5.2%. [169] A 2015 study estimates between 100,000 and 500,000 believers Christians from a Muslim background living in Iran, most of them evangelical Christians. [115]
  • Converting to Christianity is growing among Muslims in the Iranian diaspora. [170]

Israel

  • Several thousand Israelis practice Messianic Jewish denominations, which are often considered as Christian sects. The Messianic Jews usually combine Jewish and Christian practices but do recognize Jesus as the Messiah. There are no exact numbers on those communities, but it is believed that several hundred to several thousand ethnic Jews belong to this tradition as well as several thousand Israelis of mixed ancestry (mostly mixed Jewish and Slavic).
  • The Christian population in Israel has increased significantly with the immigration of many mixed families from the former Soviet Union (1989-late 1990s).
  • A 2015 study estimates some 300 Christians from a Muslim background in Israel.

Japan

  • Christianity is one of several minority religions in Japan, accounting for about not more than 1 percent of the population. [171] [172] [173]
  • According to a poll conducted by the Gallup Organization in 2006, Christianity has increased significantly in Japan, particularly among youth, and a high number of teens are becoming Christians. [48] [174] [175]
  • A 2015 study estimates some 300 Christians from a Muslim background in Japan.

Jordan

  • A 2015 study estimates some 6,500 Christian believers from a Muslim background in the country, most of them belonging to some form of Eastern Orthodoxy. [115]

Kazakhstan

  • In spite of the persecution of converts from Islam to Christianity, a 2015 study estimates some 50,000 believers in Christ from a Muslim background residing in the country. [115] [176]

Kuwait

  • There are a number of believers in Christ from a Muslim background in the country, though many are not citizens. A 2015 study estimates that around 350 people in the country follow these beliefs. [115]

Kyrgyzstan

  • A 2015 study estimates some 19,000 Christians from a Muslim background residing in the country, though not all are necessarily citizens of Kyrgyzstan. [115]
  • Exact numbers of Muslim Kyrgyz converts to Christianity vary but an estimate of around 20,000 is generally accepted among scholars [177] [178]

Malaysia

  • There is no well researched agreement on the actual number of Malaysian Muslim converts to Christianity in Malaysia. [179] But according to Tan Sri Dr Harussani Zakaria, they are 260,000. [179] [180]

Mongolia

Oman

  • A 2015 study estimates a mere 200 believers in Christ from a Muslim background in the country, and not all of those are necessarily citizens. [115]

Saudi Arabia

A 2015 study estimates 60,000 Muslims converted to Christianity in Saudi Arabia. [53]

Singapore

  • The percentage of Christians among Singaporeans increased from 12.7% in 1990 to 17.5% in 2010. [181]
  • According to scholar Michael Nai-Chiu Poon of University of Toronto conversion to Christianity is increasing among Chinese Singaporeans. [182]
  • It's been reported also that increasing numbers of young people or educated people are becoming Christians in Singapore. [49] [183] [51]

South Korea

  • In South Korea, Christianity has grown from 20.7% in 1985 to 29.5% in 2005 according to the World Christian Database. [126] [184]

Syria

  • A 2015 study estimates some 2,000 Muslims who converted to Christianity in Syria, most of them belonging to some form of Protestantism or Oriental Orthodoxy. [115]
  • Converting to Christianity is growing among Muslims in the Syrian diaspora, [185] and among Kurds in Syria. [186]
  • By one estimate made by Elisabet Granli from University of Oslo, around 1,920 Syrian Druz converted to Christianity. [187]

Tajikistan

  • In spite of opposition in relation to conversion from Islam to Christianity, a 2015 study estimates some 2,600 to 3,000 Christians with Muslim backgrounds reside in the country. [115] [188]

Turkey

Uzbekistan

  • A 2015 study estimates some 10,000 believers in Christ from a Muslim background in the country, [199] most of them belonging to some sort of evangelical or charismatic Protestant community. [53]

Vietnam

Europe

Albania

  • Since 1960 a growing number of Albanian Muslims are converting to Christianity. [201] [202] [203] [204] [205] [206]
  • A 2015 study estimated some 13,000 followers of Christ from a Muslim background, though it is not clear to which Christian churches these people had converted. [115]
  • Converting to Christianity is growing among Muslims in the Albanian diaspora. [207] [203]

Belgium

  • Reports estimated that "many" Muslims convert every year to Christianity in Belgium. [208]

Bulgaria

  • Reports estimated that thousands of Muslims (mostly Bulgarian Turks) convert every year to Christianity in Bulgaria. [209] [210] [211] A 2015 study estimates 45,000 Christian believers from a Muslim background in the country, most of them belonging to some form of Protestantism. [115]

Denmark

  • There are around 8,000 Christians who have converted from a Muslim background in the country, most of them belonging to some form of Protestantism. [115] [212] [213]

France

  • Protestants have increased as a percentage of total population from 1% in 1987 to 3% in 2009. [214]
  • Reports form Le Monde estimated that 15,000 Muslims convert every year to Christianity. [215]
  • Some scholars and media reports indicate that there been increasing numbers of conversions to Christianity among the Maghrebis in France. [216] [217]

Georgia

Germany

Kosovo

  • Reports estimated that hundreds of Muslims convert every year to Christianity in Kosovo. [223] [224] [225]

Norway

Netherlands

  • Reports estimated that 4,500 Muslims have converted to Christianity in the Netherlands. [227]
  • In recent years a number of Dutch Muslims have converted to Christianity. [228] [213]

Russia

  • According to Roman Silantyev the executive secretary of the Inter-religious Council in Russia, about 2 million Muslims in Russia have converted to Christianity between during the last fifteen years while only 2,500 Russians converted to Islam. [229]
  • According to a 2012 study, 17% of Jews in Russia identify themselves as Christians. [230] [231]

Spain

  • Between 1998 and 2018, Protestantism grew from 0.24% to 1.96% of the Spanish population. [95] [96]

Sweden

  • In recent years a number of Swedish Muslims have converted from Islam to the Church of Sweden, most noticeably by Iranians, but also by Arabs and Pakistanis. [232] [233] [234]

United Kingdom

  • A 2015 study estimated some 25,000 believers in Christ from a Muslim background, most of whom belong to an evangelical or Pentecostal community. [115]
  • In recent years a number of Muslims have converted to Christianity in the United Kingdom. [235] [236]

Oceania

Australia

  • A 2015 study estimates some 20,000 Muslim converted to Christianity in Australia, most of them belonging to some form of Protestantism. [115]

See also

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Christianity in Iran dates back to the early years of the religion during the time of Jesus, predating Islam. The Christian faith has always comprised a minority in Iran under its previous state religions; initially Zoroastrianism in historical Persia, followed by Sunni Islam in the Middle Ages after the Arab conquest, and Shia Islam since the Safavid conversion of the 15th century; although it had a much larger representation in the past than it does today. Iranian Christians have played a significant part in the historical Christian mission: currently, there are at least 600 churches and 100,000–150,000 Christians in Iran.

Religion in the United States is widespread, diverse, and vibrant, with the country being far more religious than other wealthy Western nations. An overwhelming majority of Americans believe in a higher power, engage in spiritual practices, and consider themselves religious or spiritual. Christianity is the most widely professed religion, with most Americans being Evangelicals, Mainline Protestants, or Catholics.

Religion in Africa is multifaceted and has been a major influence on art, culture and philosophy. Today, the continent's various populations and individuals are mostly adherents of Christianity, Islam, and to a lesser extent several traditional African religions. In Christian or Islamic communities, religious beliefs are also sometimes characterized with syncretism with the beliefs and practices of traditional religions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protestantism by country</span>

There are between 800 million and 1 billion Protestants worldwide, among approximately 2.5 billion Christians. In 2010, a total of more than 800 million included 300 million in Sub-Saharan Africa, 260 million in the Americas, 140 million in Asia-Pacific region, 100 million in Europe and 2 million in Middle East-North Africa. Protestants account for nearly forty percent of Christians worldwide and more than one tenth of the total human population. Various estimates put the percentage of Protestants in relation to the total number of the world's Christians at 33%, 36%, 36.7%, and 40%, while in relation to the world's population at 11.6% and 13%.

Conversion to Islam is accepting Islam as a religion or faith and rejecting any other religion or irreligion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Europe</span>

Religion has been a major influence on the societies, cultures, traditions, philosophies, artistic expressions and laws within present-day Europe. The largest religion in Europe is Christianity. However, irreligion and practical secularisation are also prominent in some countries. In Southeastern Europe, three countries have Muslim majorities, with Christianity being the second-largest religion in those countries. Ancient European religions included veneration for deities such as Zeus. Modern revival movements of these religions include Heathenism, Rodnovery, Romuva, Druidry, Wicca, and others. Smaller religions include Indian religions, Judaism, and some East Asian religions, which are found in their largest groups in Britain, France, and Kalmykia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muslim population growth</span>

Between 2015 and 2060, Muslim population is projected to increase by 70%. This compares with the 32% growth of world population during the same period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conversion to Christianity</span> Conversion of a previously non-Christian person to Christianity

Conversion to Christianity is the religious conversion of a previously non-Christian person that brings about changes in what sociologists refer to as the convert's "root reality" including their social behaviors, thinking and ethics. The sociology of religion indicates religious conversion was an important factor in the emergence of civilization and the making of the modern world. Conversion is the most studied aspect of religion by psychologists of religion, but there is still very little actual data available. Neurological studies have determined that conversion is not the result of pathology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Africa</span>

Christianity in Africa first arrived in Egypt in approximately 50 AD. By the end of the 2nd century it had reached the region around Carthage. In the 4th century, the Aksumite empire in modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea became one of the first regions in the world to adopt Christianity as its official religion. The Nubian kingdoms of Nobatia, Makuria and Alodia followed two centuries later. From the late fifth and early sixth century, the region included several Christian Berber kingdoms. Important Africans who influenced the early development of Christianity and shaped the doctrines of Christianity include Tertullian, Perpetua, Felicity, Clement of Alexandria, Origen of Alexandria, Cyprian, Athanasius and Augustine of Hippo.

Growth of religion involves the spread of individual religions and the increase in the numbers of religious adherents around the world. In sociology, desecularization is the proliferation or growth of religion, most commonly after a period of previous secularization. Statistics commonly measure the absolute number of adherents, the percentage of the absolute growth per-year, and the growth of converts in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Indonesia</span>

Christianity is Indonesia's second-largest religion, after Islam. Indonesia also has the second-largest Christian population in Southeast Asia after the Philippines, the largest Protestant population in Southeast Asia, and the third-largest Christian population in Asia after the Philippines and China, followed by India. Indonesia also has the second-largest Christian population in the Muslim world, after Nigeria, followed by Egypt. Indonesia's 29.1 million Christians constituted 10.49% of the country's population in 2022, with 7.43% Protestant and 3.06% Catholic. Some provinces in Indonesia are majority Christian. In Indonesia, the word Kristen refers to Protestantism, while Catholicism is referred to as Katolik. In the 21st century the rate of growth and spread of Christianity has increased, especially among the Chinese minority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in the United States</span> Religion of majority, diverse denominations, colonial roots

Christianity is the most prevalent religion in the United States. Estimates from 2021 suggest that of the entire U.S. population about 63% is Christian. The majority of Christian Americans are Protestant Christians, though there are also significant numbers of American Roman Catholics and other Christian denominations such as Latter-day Saints, Orthodox Christians and Oriental Orthodox Christians, and Jehovah's Witnesses. The United States has the largest Christian population in the world and, more specifically, the largest Protestant population in the world, with nearly 210 million Christians and, as of 2021, over 140 million people affiliated with Protestant churches, although other countries have higher percentages of Christians among their populations. The Public Religion Research Institute's "2020 Census of American Religion", carried out between 2014 and 2020, showed that 70% of Americans identified as Christian during this seven-year interval. In a 2020 survey by the Pew Research Center, 65% of adults in the United States identified themselves as Christians. They were 75% in 2015, 70.6% in 2014, 78% in 2012, 81.6% in 2001, and 85% in 1990. About 62% of those polled claim to be members of a church congregation.

Religion in Guinea-Bissau is diverse, with no particular religion comprising an absolute majority of the population. Islam is the most widely professed faith, and significant populations of Christians and adherents of traditional African religions are also present in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Eritrea</span> Overview of religion in Eritrea

Religion in Eritrea consists of a number of faiths. The two major religions in Eritrea are Christianity and Islam. However, the number of adherents of each faith is subject to debate. Estimates of the Christian share of the population range from 47% and 63%, while estimates of the Muslim share of the population range from 37% to 52%.

The main religion in Morocco is Sunni Islam, which is also the state religion of the country. Officially, 99% of the population are Muslim, and virtually all of those are Sunni. The second-largest religion in the country is Christianity, but most Christians in Morocco are foreigners. There is a community of the Baháʼí Faith. Only a fraction of the former number of Maghrebi Jews have remained in the country, many having moved to Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam by country</span>

Adherents of Islam constitute the world's second largest religious group. A projection by the PEW suggests that Muslims numbered approximately 1.9 billion followers in 2020. Studies in the 21st century suggest that, in terms of percentage and worldwide spread, Islam is the fastest-growing major religion in the world, mostly because Muslims have more children than other major religious groups. Most Muslims are either of two denominations: Sunni or Shia. Islam is the majority religion in several subregions: Central Asia, Western Asia, North Africa, West Africa, the Sahel, and the Middle East. The diverse Asia-Pacific region contains the highest number of Muslims in the world, surpassing the combined Middle East and North Africa.

The spread of Islam spans almost 1,500 years. The early Muslim conquests that occurred following the death of Muhammad in 632 CE led to the creation of the caliphates, occupying a vast geographical area; conversion to Islam was boosted by Arab Muslim forces conquering vast territories and building imperial structures over time. Most of the significant expansion occurred during the reign of the rāshidūn ("rightly-guided") caliphs from 632 to 661 CE, which were the first four successors of Muhammad. These early caliphates, coupled with Muslim economics and trading, the Islamic Golden Age, and the age of the Islamic gunpowder empires, resulted in Islam's spread outwards from Mecca towards the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans and the creation of the Muslim world. The Islamic conquests, which culminated in the Arab empire being established across three continents, enriched the Muslim world, achieving the economic preconditions for the emergence of this institution owing to the emphasis attached to Islamic teachings. Trade played an important role in the spread of Islam in some parts of the world, such as Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Decline of Christianity in the Western world</span> Decreasing Christian affiliation within Western society

The decline of Christianity in the Western world is the decreasing Christian affiliation in the Western world. While most countries in the Western world were historically almost exclusively Christian, the post-World War II era has seen developed countries with modern, secular educational facilities shifting towards post-Christian, secular, globalized, multicultural and multifaith societies.

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  162. "Are Iran's Christian converts at greater risk after Soleimani's demise?". The Jerusalem Post. 7 February 2018. Conservative estimates place the number of Christians in Iran between 500,000 to 800,000 believers, but others claim there are more than one million. Traditionally, Christian families amount to around 250,000, while the remainder consists of converts from Islam. Most converts from Islam belong to the underground Protestant house-church movement, which Iran considers to be illegal. Meanwhile, according to Islamic and Iranian law, conversion from Islam is a capital offense.
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  164. "Iranians Turn Away from the Islamic Republic". Journal of Democracy. 20 January 2020.
  165. "Iran's Christian Boom". JewishPress. 29 June 2021. Shay Khatiri of Johns Hopkins University wrote last year about Iran that "Islam is the fastest shrinking religion there, while Christianity is growing the fastest."
  166. "America Must Focus on Religious Persecution against Iranian Christian Converts". providence. 3 August 2020. Speaking of faith and Iran, most people think of Islam. Yet Islam is the fastest shrinking religion there, while Christianity is growing the fastest. According to a report by the Department of State from 2018, up to half a million Iranians are Christian converts from Muslim families, and most of these Christians are evangelicals. Recent estimates claim that the number might have climbed up to somewhere between one million and three million. This is up from 100,000 in 1994, and a majority of these converts are reportedly women. A recent documentary, Sheep among Wolves, documents the lives of these converts and shows how Iran is the "fastest-growing church" in the world.
  167. "America Must Focus on Religious Persecution against Iranian Christian Converts". providence. 3 August 2020. Recent estimates claim that the number might have climbed up to somewhere between one million and three million.
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  171. "Christians use English to reach Japanese youth". Mission Network News. 3 September 2007. Archived from the original on 11 June 2010. Retrieved 27 December 2018. The population of Japan is less than one-percent Christian
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  178. 1 2 Ahmad Farouk Musa; Mohd Radziq Jalaluddin; Ahmad Fuad Rahmat; Edry Faizal Eddy Yusuf (22 October 2011). "What is Himpun about?". The Star. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
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