The global church

Where Is Christianity Growing Fastest?

Christianity is growing fastest across the global South, above all in sub-Saharan Africa, and in parts of Asia, while much of Europe and North America has grown more secular. Africa in particular has seen one of the largest religious shifts in history over the last century. China's church has also grown remarkably despite restriction. These are honest, widely reported trends, not predictions, and much of the growth is carried by local believers, not outside missions.

The global South

If you ask where the church is growing fastest, the honest answer points south. Over the last century, Christianity in sub-Saharan Africa grew from a small minority to the faith of a great many Africans, one of the most dramatic religious changes in recorded history. Latin America remains overwhelmingly Christian and has seen a great Pentecostal expansion. Parts of Asia are growing too.

Africa and Asia

Africa is often described as the continent where the church is growing most, both by conversion and by the age and size of Christian families. Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and many others hold large and vital churches. In Asia, China's church has grown remarkably over recent decades, much of it in house churches, so that estimates there vary widely. Countries such as Nepal and Iran have also seen notable growth from small beginnings.

Honest about the West

At the same time, much of Western Europe and, more recently, North America has grown more secular, with fewer people identifying as Christian than in past generations. It would be dishonest to hide this. The overall picture is not simple decline or simple growth, but a shift: the faith is moving south and east even as it thins in parts of its old heartlands. And much of the growth is carried not by outside missionaries but by local believers sharing Christ with their own neighbors.

Find community

Reading about the church is good. Belonging to it is better. Here are honest doors into the living communities behind these words, and into a church near you.

Meet Jesus in your language

The Gospel has never belonged to one nation or one tongue. From the first day the Spirit came, people heard the wonderful works of God each in their own language, and that is still the heart of the church. Wherever you are, and whatever words you pray in, Jesus draws near.

More languages are opening over time. If your language is not here yet, the Gospel of John and an honest prayer in your own words are a good place to begin.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Christianity growing fastest?

Across the global South, above all in sub-Saharan Africa and in parts of Asia, while much of Europe and North America has grown more secular. Africa has seen one of the largest religious shifts in history over the last century.

Is Christianity growing in China?

Yes. China's church has grown remarkably over recent decades despite restriction, much of it in unregistered house churches. Because so much is unofficial, estimates of its size vary widely.

Is Christianity declining everywhere?

No. It is growing strongly in the global South even as it thins in parts of the West. The overall picture is a shift southward and eastward, with much of the growth carried by local believers, not outside missions.