Christianity’s Global Shift…Sub-Saharan Africa Now the Center
New data from the Pew Research Center shows a major demographic change in the world’s Christian population.
• Total Christians worldwide: 2.3 billion (2020)…up from 2.1 billion in 2010
• Share of world population: declining, as other religions and non-religious groups grow faster
Regional distribution (2020):
– Sub-Saharan Africa: ~697 million Christians
– Europe: ~505 million
– North America: ~238 million
About 31% of all Christians now live in Sub-Saharan Africa, compared with 22% in Europe…meaning Africa has become the largest Christian population region on Earth.
The growth is mainly driven by:
• higher birth rates
• younger populations
Meanwhile, Europe and parts of the Americas are seeing declining Christian share due to:
• lower fertility rates
• increasing religious disaffiliation
In simple terms: Christianity is not shrinking…it is moving south, and Africa is now the demographic heart of the faith.