Year 1800 1900 1970 mid-2000 Trend mid-2007 2025
GLOBAL POPULATION
1. Total population 903,650,000 1,619,625,000 3,696,594,000 6,085,572,000 1.20 6,615,848,000 7,905,234,000
2. Urban dwellers 36,146,000 232,695,000 1,336,655,000 2,873,249,000 2.03 3,306,696,000 4,616,329,000
3. Rural dwellers 867,504,000 1,386,930,000 2,359,939,000 3,212,323,000 0.43 3,309,152,000 3,288,905,000
4. Adult pop. (15+) 619,000,000 1,073,621,000 2,315,770,000 4,257,127,000 1.62 4,763,408,000 5,995,477,000
5. Literates 123,800,000 296,146,000 1,478,531,000 3,263,248,000 1.67 3,664,358,000 5,053,723,000
6. Nonliterates 495,200,000 777,475,000 837,239,000 993,879,000 1.45 1,099,050,000 941,754,000
WORLDWIDE EXPANSION OF CITIES
7. Metropolises (100,000+ population) 40 300 2,400 4,050 1.84 4,600 6,500
8. Megacities (over 1 million population) 1 20 161 402 1.94 460 650
9. Urban poor 18 million 100 million 650 million 1,400 million 3.07 1,730 million 3,000 million
10. Urban slumdwellers 3 million 20 million 260 million 700 million 3.32 880 million 1,600 million
GLOBAL POPULATION BY RELIGION
11. Total of all distinct organized religions 700 1,000 6,000 9,900 1.65 11,100 15,000
12. Christians (total all kinds) 204,980,000 558,153,000 1,238,712,000 2,015,551,000 1.23 2,195,529,000 2,685,650,000
13. Muslims 90,500,000 199,914,000 548,097,000 1,199,609,000 1.81 1,359,745,000 1,811,108,000
14. Hindus 108,000,000 203,003,000 462,429,000 807,631,000 1.37 888,300,000 1,077,600,000
15. Nonreligious 300,000 3,024,000 532,397,000 775,629,000 0.21 787,236,000 813,884,000
16. Chinese universists 310,000,000 380,007,000 231,866,000 368,465,000 0.74 388,098,000 431,175,000
17. Buddhists 69,400,000 127,077,000 233,004,000 364,657,000 0.82 386,023,000 453,040,000
18. Ethnoreligionists 92,000,000 117,537,000 163,889,000 241,362,000 1.21 262,502,000 285,885,000
19. Atheists 10,000 226,000 165,391,000 150,717,000 0.31 154,019,000 152,676,000
20. New-Religionists (Neoreligionists) 0 5,951,000 78,324,000 101,416,000 0.65 106,124,000 117,572,000
21. Sikhs 1,800,000 2,962,000 10,617,000 23,571,000 1.53 26,210,000 32,282,000
22. Jews 9,000,000 12,292,000 15,097,000 14,299,000 0.87 15,193,000 17,166,000
23. Non-Christians 698,670,000 1,061,472,000 2,457,882,000 4,070,021,000 1.19 4,420,319,000 5,219,584,000
GLOBAL CHRISTIANITY
24. Total Christians as % of world 22.7 34.5 33.5 33.1 0.03 33.2 34.0
25. Affiliated Christians (members) 195,680,000 521,664,000 1,128,549,000 1,906,936,000 1.23 2,077,909,000 2,555,599,000
26. Church attenders 180,100,000 469,303,000 885,777,000 1,359,420,000 1.04 1,461,495,000 1,760,568,000
27. Evangelicals 25,000,000 71,726,000 98,358,000 224,559,000 2.04 258,669,000 348,648,000
28. Great Commission Christians 21,000,000 77,931,000 277,153,000 650,094,000 1.13 703,225,000 853,379,000
29. Pentecostals/Charismatics/Neocharismatics 0 981,000 72,223,000 525,599,000 1.98 602,792,000 798,320,000
30. Average Christian martyrs per year 2,500 34,400 377,000 160,000 1.12 173,000 210,000
MEMBERSHIP BY 6 ECCLESIASTICAL MEGABLOCS
31. Roman Catholics 106,430,000 266,568,000 665,484,000 1,055,498,000 1.14 1,142,968,000 1,353,674,000
32. Independents 400,000 7,931,000 96,926,000 377,830,000 2.12 437,673,000 602,190,000
33. Protestants 30,980,000 103,025,000 211,054,000 346,889,000 1.53 385,815,000 497,703,000
34. Orthodox 55,220,000 115,844,000 139,646,000 214,091,000 0.42 220,488,000 236,364,000
35. Anglicans 11,910,000 30,571,000 47,409,000 75,335,000 1.33 82,632,000 109,690,000
36. Marginal Christians 40,000 928,000 11,100,000 29,500,000 2.53 35,133,000 49,775,000
MEMBERSHIP BY 6 CONTINENTS, 21 UN REGIONS
37. Africa (5 regions) 4,330,000 8,756,000 117,138,000 353,225,000 2.40 417,001,000 634,611,000
38. Asia (4 regions) 8,350,000 20,781,000 96,381,000 306,446,000 2.07 353,822,000 486,035,000
39. Europe (including Russia 4 areas) 171,700,000 368,209,000 467,940,000 531,285,000 0.04 532,715,000 521,313,000
40. Latin America (3 areas) 14,900,000 60,027,000 263,561,000 479,475,000 1.31 525,162,000 634,198,000
41. Northern America (1 area) 5,600,000 59,570,000 168,942,000 215,593,000 0.52 223,621,000 252,793,000
42. Oceania (4 ares) 100,000 4,322,000 14,586,000 20,909,000 1.16 22,668,000 26,642,000
CHRISTIAN ORGANIZATIONS
43. Denominations 500 1,900 18,800 33,800 2.07 39,000 55,000
44. Congregations (worship centers) 150,000 400,000 1,450,000 3,448,000 1.50 3,826,000 5,000,000
45. Service agencies 600 1,500 14,100 23,000 1.77 26,000 36,000
46. Foreign-mission sending agencies 200 600 2,200 4,000 1.63 4,480 6,000
CONCILIARISM: ONGOING COUNCILS OF CHURCHES
47. Confessional councils (CWCs, world level) 20 40 150 310 1.75 350 600
48. International councils of churches 0 10 36 59 1.10 64 80
49. National councils of churches 0 19 283 598 1.50 660 870
50. Local councils of churches 0 70 2,600 9,000 2.20 10,500 15,500
CHRISTIAN WORKERS (clergy, laypersons)
51. Nationals (all denominations) 900,000 2,100,000 4,600,000 10,900,000 1.08 11,751,000 14,000,000
52. Men 800,000 1,900,000 3,100,000 6,540,000 0.85 6,939,000 8,000,000
53. Women 100,000 200,000 1,500,000 4,360,000 1.42 4,812,000 6,000,000
54. Aliens (foreign missionaries) 25,000 62,000 240,000 420,000 1.09 453,000 550,000
55. Men 21,000 47,000 160,000 240,000 0.47 248,000 270,000
56. Women 4,000 15,000 80,000 180,000 1.88 205,000 280,000
CHRISTIAN FINANCE (in US$, per year)
57. Personal income of church members, $40 billion 270 billion 4,100 billion 15,230 billion 0.74 16,400 billion 26,000 billion
58. Giving to Christian causes, $1 billion 8 billion 70 billion 270 billion 4.60 370 billion 870 billion
59. Churches’ income, $ 950 million 7 billion 50 billion 108 billion 3.78 140 billion 300 billion
60. Parachurch and institutional income, $50million 1 billion 20 billion 162 billion 5.13 230 billion 570 billion
61. Cost-effectiveness (cost per baptism, $) 7,500 17,500 128,000 330,000 2.80 349,000 650,000
62. Ecclesiastical crime, $ 100,000 300,000 5,000,000 16 billion 5.77 24 billion 65 billion
63. Income of global foreign missions, $ 25,000,000 200,000,000 3.0 billion 15 billion 5.70 22 billion 60 billion
64. Computers in Christian use (numbers) 0 0 1,000 328 million 5.90 490 million 1,200 million
CHRISTIAN LITERATURE (titles, not copies)
65. Books about Christianity 75,000 300,000 1,800,000 4,800,000 3.08 6,175,000 11,800,000
66. Christian periodicals 800 3,500 23,000 35,000 4.30 47,000 100,000
SCRIPTURE DISTRIBUTION (all sources, per year)
67. Bibles, p.a. 500,000 5,452,600 25,000,000 53,700,000 4.96 75,346,000 180,000,000
68. Scriptures including gospels 1,500,000 20 million 281 million 4,600 million 1.07 4,720 million 6,000 million
69. Bible density (copies in place) 20 million 108 million 443 million 1,400 million 1.97 1,600 million 2,280 million
CHRISTIAN BROADCASTING
70. Total monthly listeners/viewers 0 0 750,000,000 2,150,000,000 2.31 2,522,000,000 3,800,000,000
CHRISTIAN URBAN MISSION
71. Non-Christian megacities 1 5 65 226 1.14 245 300
72. New non-Christian urban dwellers per day 500 5,200 51,100 129,000 1.78 146,000 200,000
73. Urban Christians 5,500,000 159,600,000 660,800,000 1,160,000,000 1.59 1,295,000,000 1,720,000,000
CHRISTIAN EVANGELISM
74. Evangelism-hours per year 600 million 5 billion 25 billion 165 billion 3.86 220 billion 425 billion
75. Hearer-hours (offers) per year 900 million 10 billion 99 billion 938 billion 6.23 1,430 billion 4,250 billion
76. Disciple-opportunities (offers) per capita per year
1 6 27 154 4.95 216 538
WORLD EVANGELIZATION
77. Unevangelized population 674,350,000 879,672,000 1,641,300,000 1,722,011,000 1.03 1,850,402,000 2,156,012,000
78. Unevangelized as % of world 74.6 54.3 44.4 28.3 -0.17 28.0 27.3
79. World evangelization plans since AD 30 160 250 510 1,500 2.80 1,820 3,000
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David B. Barrett, a contributing editor, works at the World Evangelization Research Center, Richmond, Virginia. Todd M. Johnson, a YWAM
missionary, works at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, Massachusetts. Definitions and capitalization conventions are derived
from the World Christian Encyclopedia (Oxford University Press, 1982; 2d ed., 2001) and World Christian Trends (William Carey Library, 2001).
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Source: International Bulletin of Missionary Research, January 2007. David B. Barrett & Todd M. Johnson.
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