Global Church Growth Defies Secular Predictions for Third Consecutive Year

For the third year running, global Christianity has grown faster than the world's population — a trend that continues to confound analysts who predicted a steady decline in religious affiliation worldwide.

The Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary released its annual report this week, showing that the number of Christians worldwide reached 2.7 billion in 2026, up from 2.65 billion the previous year.

The growth is concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, where Pentecostal and charismatic movements continue to expand rapidly. In contrast, Europe and North America continue to see modest declines in formal church membership, though researchers note that spiritual practice and self-identification as Christian remain more stable than membership statistics suggest.

"The story of global Christianity is fundamentally a story of the Global South," says Dr. Gina Zurlo, co-director of the center. "The center of gravity of the faith has shifted, and Western churches are only beginning to reckon with what that means."

The report also highlights the growth of Christianity in China, where despite ongoing government restrictions, researchers estimate the number of Christians has reached 100 million — a figure that would make China home to one of the largest Christian populations in the world.