“Return to the LORD, that we may offer the fruit of our lips.”
According to the Pew Research Centre in the United States, the number of Christian-majority countries declined between 2010 and 2020. As of 2020, Christians remained the majority in 120 out of 201 countries worldwide, down from 124 in 2010. Christian-majority nations accounted for 60% of all countries surveyed, with a 2% decline compared to a decade earlier.
The decline is largely attributed to a growing number of people leaving Christianity, contributing to the rise of religiously unaffiliated populations. In the UK, Australia, France and Uruguay, people identifying as Christian fell below 50%, while the percentage of religiously unaffiliated individuals rose substantially. Uruguay became the first country in the American continent without a Christian majority by 2020, with 52% of its population identifying as religiously unaffiliated and only 44% as Christian.
In the UK, Australia and France, no single religious group held a majority. Unaffiliated populations are over 50% in New Zealand and the Netherlands. Accordingly, by 2020, the number of countries with over 50 per cent of non-religious people increased to 10, including China, North Korea, and Japan. Non-religious people include atheists, agnostics, or “nothing in particular”.
Christianity was still found to be the most geographically prevalent religion. In 2020, Christians represented 29% of the world’s population but were the majority in 60% of countries. The report noted that this reflects Christianity’s broad dispersion across both large and small nations, from the United States and the Philippines to smaller nations like Micronesia.
Hinduism and Islam had majority populations in fewer countries. Hindus, who made up 15% of the world’s population, held majorities in just two countries: India and Nepal. Muslims were the majority in 53 countries, and Buddhists in seven. The number of countries with no clear religious majority also increased slightly, rising from six in 2010 to seven in 2020. These included South Korea, Singapore, the UK, and France.
The findings reflect a growing global trend toward religious disaffiliation, particularly in traditionally Christian countries. Pew’s data suggests that while Christianity remains numerically widespread, its cultural and institutional influence is declining in some parts of the world. (Source: Christian Today, Edited version)
Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips. (Hosea 14:2)
God, with a grieving heart we bring before You the news of Christians and nations who, amid the fierce tide of secularisation, have forgotten Your grace and turned away from You. Remove all unrighteousness from those who have lost the life of Christ and are left with only form and tradition. Grant them humble hearts to receive the warning of Your Word. May they return to You, offering the fruit of lips and lives that worship You alone. By Your grace, let the gospel of the cross, which loves sinners and never gives up on them, be proclaimed to those who say there is no God, so that the day may quickly come when all nations lift their praise to You.
Prayer 24·365
prayer@prayer24365.org
