World Count of Christians Rises

A noted religious statistician said the number of Christians in the world rose last year from 1.57 billion to 1.64 billion, up from 32.4% of the total world population to 32.9%.

The Rev. David Barrett, editor of the World Christian Encyclopedia, said the growth trend indicates that a previous decline has been “dramatically halted and reversed.”

Barrett, an Anglican priest now serving as consultant to the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board, said the most surprising growth has been in China, where there now are more than 52 million Christians.

Of the world’s total, he said, there are 907 million Roman Catholics, 322 million Protestants, 51.6 million Anglicans and 273 million Eastern Orthodox Christians.