The Living Bread Research
Christianity in Japan: How Many Christians and Churches?
Japan is home to roughly 124 million people, of whom about 1.1% identify as Christian, around 1.4 million, according to Agency for Cultural Affairs (2025). Its Christian population is a small Protestant and Roman Catholic minority. Counting the exact number of churches is much harder, because no single registry lists every congregation; The Living Bread has mapped 332 churches in Japan so far from open data, a growing sample rather than a national total.
Which churches are in Japan?
Christianity in Japan is a small Protestant and Roman Catholic minority.
How these numbers are counted
Christian share and population are estimates that differ between sources and years. Here the Christian share is from Agency for Cultural Affairs (2025) 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 (332) 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 Japan?
About 1.1% of the population, roughly 1.4 million people, identify as Christian, according to Agency for Cultural Affairs (2025). Estimates differ between sources and years, so treat this as a well-sourced approximation.
How many churches are in Japan?
There is no single authoritative count of every church. The Living Bread has mapped 332 churches in Japan 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 Japan?
Approximately 123,802,000 people, per Wikidata's most recent figure. Combined with the Christian share above, that gives an estimate of around 1.4 million Christians.
Where do these numbers come from?
The Christian share is from Agency for Cultural Affairs (2025); 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 Japan, browse its churches, or begin with who Jesus is.
Christianity in JapanChurches in JapanWho is Jesus?Sources: Agency for Cultural Affairs (2025) for the Christian share; Wikidata for population; OpenStreetMap contributors for the church directory. Figures are estimates; see the methodology above.