2026-10-12 · Christians worldwide
Christianity's center of gravity moved south
Europe's share fell as churches grew in Africa and the Americas.
Christianity's center of gravity has moved south. Of the world's 2.4 billion Christians, 37% now live in the Americas and 26% in Africa, while Europe — long the faith's demographic heart — is down to 23%. Asia-Pacific holds the remaining 14%.
1 cell = 2.4 million Christians worldwide (0.1% of global Christians) · 1,000 cells
Context
The figures are Pew Research Center's regional Christian population shares as compiled for the 2026 edition. Together, the Americas and Africa now hold nearly two-thirds of the world's Christians.
Pew's research on religious switching adds nuance beneath the regional totals: Catholicism has lost people to switching in many countries, while Protestantism has gained in some.
For country-level detail, Pew's Religious Composition by Country dataset traces national religious change from 2010 to 2020.
Pew Research Center regional Christian population shares.
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