Religion

Rising Christianity: Why Africa May Lead the Next Christian Century

May 2, 2026

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Rising Christianity Is Moving From the West to Africa and Asia

While many Westerners imagine rising Christianity in terms of Western Europe or North America, it is actually far away from those regions. Christianity is not rising in Europe anymore, but in Africa, Asia, and countries where young demographics prevail and churches are booming.

This change has major implications.

Rising Christianity affects global religion. It affects global politics. It affects education, migration, humanitarian work, and even understanding the future of churches in Western countries.

The Rise of Christianity Is Coming From Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa is at the heart of Christianity’s rise.

According to Pew Research Center, the global Christian population grew from 2.1 billion to 2.3 billion from 2010 to 2020. This represents a 6% growth over those ten years. However, Christianity’s global share dropped slightly during the same period, from 31% in 2010 to 29% in 2020. This shows that Christianity is growing, yet unevenly. Christianity has become much more concentrated in Africa.

Another Pew report showed that in 2025, Sub-Saharan Africa will become the most Christian region in the world. It already hosted more Christians than Europe, 30.7% of the world’s Christians lived in Sub-Saharan Africa while only 22.3% lived in Europe in 2020.

These shifts in demographics were due to one key factor, population growth.

The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs projects that population of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa will increase by 79%, reaching around 2.2 billion people by 2054.

Countries with Rapidly Growing Christians

There are several countries that are driving the rapid rise of Christianity.

One of the most prominent countries is Nigeria. According to Pew, Nigeria’s Christian population grew by 25% from 2010 to 2020, reaching around 93 million people. Nigeria has a complex religious makeup, which includes Muslims. This makes Nigeria one of the most important crossroads in global religion.

Another prominent example of rising Christianity is Mozambique. According to Pew, Christianity’s population share rose in only one country between 2010 and 2020. That was Mozambique, where the percentage of Christians increased by five points over that period of time. This makes Mozambique one of the best examples of rising Christianity not only in numbers but as a percentage of the population as well.

Demographic analysis of other Sub-Saharan countries revealed several prominent players in the process of rising Christianity, namely Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya. These countries form a demographic machine of global Christianity, with several African countries predicted to become dominant in terms of the Christian population. As noted by Yale’s MacMillan Center, according to Pew’s projections, six of the ten countries with largest Christian populations would come from Africa by 2060, up from three in 2015.

One of the Asian countries in which Christianity is growing fast is the Philippines. This country retains its position of a predominantly Christian nation due to its population size and its strong Catholic tradition. Pew expects the Philippines to keep its position as one of the countries with the highest Christian population in the coming years.

To sum up, countries in which Christianity is growing fast are Mozambique, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, and the Philippines.

The Global South is Driving the Future of Christianity

Many scholars have long been predicting that the future of Christianity would be located in the Global South.

For instance, Philip Jenkins, who is a leading scholar in the field, popularized the idea that Christianity was no longer in Europe. His books like “The Next Christendom” and “The New Faces of Christianity” are devoted specifically to Christianity of the Global South.

The Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary reports similar trends. For example, Christianity in Africa expanded immensely during the last century. It grew from about 9% of the African population being Christian in 1900 to nearly 50% by 2020.

This is one of the most important demographic phenomena in the religious sphere.

For centuries, Christianity had its institutional center in Western Europe. From Rome to Paris, Geneva, London, or Wittenberg, Christianity was formed in those regions. However, demographics do not care about nostalgia and Christianity is moving to the south.

According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity, most Christians currently live in the Global South and the percentage of Christians in the Global South is expected to keep rising. In its Statistical Summary Report for 2025, this institution stated that the percentage of Christians in the Global South is currently at 69% and will reach almost 78% by 2050.

This means that Christianity is becoming younger, more active, culturally diverse, and less influenced by Europe. All the above will affect church priorities and missions.

How Christianity Rises in Some Parts of the World While Failing in Others

It is important to remember that Christianity is rising in some areas of the world while falling in others.

As mentioned above, the percentage of Christians as part of the global population decreased between 2010 and 2020 despite the absolute growth of Christians. According to Pew, the main reason was that in many parts of the world, including Europe and North America, Christian populations are aging, shrinking, and losing members due to conversions to other religions.

This explains how the same religion is sometimes losing and sometimes growing in different parts of the world.

In the majority of Western European countries, for example, Christianity is losing power. Fewer people attend churches, identify with churches, or believe that religion plays an important role in their lives. In other words, in Western Europe Christianity is aging while its power is declining.

Meanwhile, Christianity in Africa and elsewhere is usually quite young, dynamic, energetic, and deeply connected with community life. Many churches in such places perform multiple functions. These places include schools, clinics, support centers, entertainment spots, etc.

It is extremely important that the UN forecasts very rapid demographic growth in Africa, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa. In places where the percentage of Christians is high and the population rapidly grows, the Christian population is likely to grow as well.

This is the key insight here.

Christianity in Africa is rising thanks to both its demographic energy and spiritual success.

Countries to Monitor in the Future

The countries we should monitor in the context of Christianity rising in some parts of the world and declining in others are somewhat heterogeneous.

Firstly, we need to monitor countries where Christianity is growing due to rising its share among population. Mozambique is probably the best example of this category.

Secondly, we should pay attention to countries with high numbers of Christians coupled with strong demographic growth. Among such countries are Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Thirdly, we need to analyze countries with both large Christian majorities and young populations. Among such countries are Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya.

Finally, we need to pay attention to the Philippines, an important Asian country with high percentages of Christians.

Thus, the following list of countries should be monitored carefully.

Mozambique
Nigeria
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Ethiopia
Tanzania
Uganda
Kenya
Philippines

However, it is worth remembering that all these countries are not experiencing increases in their percentages of Christians. We should distinguish between countries where Christianity is growing just because of population growth and where Christians grow proportionally to the rest of the population. Pew country-level data helps with this task.

Rising Christianity Is the Greatest Demographic Shift in Religion

Rising Christianity is one of the biggest demographic changes in the world nowadays.

The previous picture of Christianity is now outdated since Christianity is shifting away from being a predominantly Western religion spreading its influence abroad. It is now a global religion whose core is located in Africa and the Global South.

This will determine the next decade of Christian expansion.

The future of Christianity will be preached in Lagos, Kinshasa, Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Kampala, Dar es Salaam, Maputo, and Manila as much as it is now preached in Rome, London, or New York. The financial and institutional centers of Christianity are likely to remain in the West while demographic centers are shifting.

The data says it clearly.