The Living Bread Research
Christianity in Italy: How Many Christians and Churches?
Italy is home to roughly 59 million people, of whom about 80.5% identify as Christian, around 47 million, according to Pew Research Center (2020). Its Christian population is predominantly Roman Catholic. Counting the exact number of churches is much harder, because no single registry lists every congregation; The Living Bread has mapped 399 churches in Italy so far from open data, a growing sample rather than a national total.
Which churches are in Italy?
Christianity in Italy is predominantly Roman Catholic.
How these numbers are counted
Christian share and population are estimates that differ between sources and years. Here the Christian share is from Pew Research Center (2020) and the population is from Wikidata. National Christian estimates from Pew Research Center, government censuses, and other bodies can each differ by several points, so we cite the source and year rather than presenting a single "true" number.
The church count (399) is The Living Bread's own directory, built from OpenStreetMap. It is a growing sample of mapped congregations, not a claim about the total number of churches in the country, which no single registry reliably measures.
People also ask
How many Christians are in Italy?
About 80.5% of the population, roughly 47 million people, identify as Christian, according to Pew Research Center (2020). Estimates differ between sources and years, so treat this as a well-sourced approximation.
How many churches are in Italy?
There is no single authoritative count of every church. The Living Bread has mapped 399 churches in Italy from OpenStreetMap so far. That is a growing directory sample, not the national total, which is genuinely difficult to measure because congregations open, close, and go unregistered.
What is the population of Italy?
Approximately 58,850,717 people, per Wikidata's most recent figure. Combined with the Christian share above, that gives an estimate of around 47 million Christians.
Where do these numbers come from?
The Christian share is from Pew Research Center (2020); the population is from Wikidata; and the church count is The Living Bread's own directory built on OpenStreetMap. We cite each so you can check them yourself.
Find a church, or explore the faith
Explore the Christian landscape of Italy, browse its churches, or begin with who Jesus is.
Christianity in ItalyChurches in ItalyWho is Jesus?Sources: Pew Research Center (2020) for the Christian share; Wikidata for population; OpenStreetMap contributors for the church directory. Figures are estimates; see the methodology above.