by Obianuju Mbah, Christian Today
A new global study has highlighted fresh developments affecting Christianity worldwide, with researchers pointing to demographic shifts, persecution and urbanisation as some of the key areas of focus for church leaders.
The findings come from the Status of Global Christianity 2026 report by the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary’s Center for the Study of Global Christianity.
One of the most notable findings is that although Christianity continues to grow worldwide, Islam is expanding at a faster rate.
An analysis by Lifeway Research finds that the Christian population is growing annually by 0.95%, while Islam is increasing at 1.57% annually. The global Muslim population has now surpassed 2 billion and is projected to reach 3.4 billion by 2075, narrowing the gap significantly.
There is continued decline in traditionally Christian regions of the world. Europe, once home to the largest concentration of Christians, is seeing a steady decrease, with around 553 million Christians and an annual decline of 0.41%.