Statistics: The 21^st century world

How can knowing a bunch of numbers help us in carrying out Christ's Great Commission?

Statistical data on various aspects of the world today, including global population, religious demographics, and global gospel outreach.
There is a discrepancy between the resources being provided to get the Gospel to unreached people groups and the amount of resources actually needed for that task.
Statistics on finance, Christian workers, scripture distribution, and evangelism efforts show both the progress made by and the remaining challenges in reaching unreached people groups.

What's important to know about the population of the world?

Christian leaders can benefit from understanding key facts about world population data to inform their viewpoints, strategies, and actions. Here are some important points:

Population Growth: Understanding the current rate of population growth is important. As of recent data, the world population is growing at a rate of about 1.1% per year, with the total population nearing 8 billion. This growth will have far-reaching ramifications for resource distribution, environmental sustainability, and social dynamics.
Regional Demographics: Knowing the demographic trends in different regions is necessary for planning outreach, missions, and humanitarian efforts. For instance, understanding population growth rates, age distributions, and religious affiliations in specific areas can inform where resources and efforts are most needed.
Urbanization: The world is becoming increasingly urbanized. More people live in cities than ever before. This trend will impact community engagement, social services, and the spreading of ideas and beliefs. We must consider how to engage with urban populations and respond to their needs.
Religious Diversity: Awareness of the global religious environment is important for Christian leaders. Christianity is the world's largest religion, with about 30% of the world identifying as Christian. At 25%, Islam is in second place. There are also large populations of adherents to Hinduism and Buddhism.
Migration Patterns: Migration patterns influence the demographic makeup of communities and nations. Christian leaders can consider how migration affects their congregations and how they can support migrants, refugees, and displaced populations. Understanding migration trends can also provide us insights into global social and economic dynamics.
Ethnic Diversity: Acknowledging the diversity of ethnicities and cultures within the global population helps create a welcoming spirit of understanding. Christian leaders should push for unity and reconciliation across cultural and ethnic divides. We must acknowledge the dignity and worth of all people.
Youth Population: The global youth population is substantial and growing, and that will affect education, employment, and social stability. Christian leaders should prioritize youth outreach and engagement. We must realize the importance of investing in the next generation and focusing on its unique challenges and aspirations.

By staying informed about these aspects of world population data, Christian leaders can better understand the contexts in which they work, ascertain opportunities for ministry and service, and develop relationships across cultural boundaries.

How many unreached countries are there? Where are missions resources going?

"Worship in all the earth is the end goal, and joining God in His mission that all may know Him is what global evangelism is all about." -- DeAnn T., Nazarene Bible College student

7.8 billion -- Global population¹

256 births per minute

120 deaths per minute

2.84 billion -- population of unreached people groups ²

Five largest countries¹

1.428 billion -- India

1.425 billion -- China

339.9 million -- USA

277.5 million -- Indonesia

241.4 million -- Pakistan

Statistics on world religions³

2.6 billion Christians

2 billion Muslims

1.2 billion Hindus

658 million nonreligious

506 million Buddhists

458 million Chinese folk-religionists

269 ethnoreligionists

Note: The above numbers do not reflect "true believers" or committed followers and practitioners of the various religious traditions. The numbers simply reflect how people have self-identified.

Major branches of Christianity³

1.3 billion Roman Catholics

800 million Protestants

378 million independents

271 million Orthodox

88 million Anglicans

Christians by continent³

475 million -- Africa

354 million -- Asia

559 million -- Europe

543 million -- Latin America

231 million -- Northern America

24 million -- Oceania

ABCs of Global Missions

World A

Unreached people — 24% of the world's population; one-half of 1% of dollars given to churches and Christian organizations is spent here

World B

Evangelized non-Christians — 43% of the world's population; 5% of dollars given to churches and Christian organizations is spent here

World C

Professing Christians — 33% of the world's population; 94.5% of all dollars given to churches and Christian organizations is spent here

Evangelization by Worlds A, B, and C

By individuals

World C -- 1,999,564,000

World B -- 2,426,110,000

World A -- 1,629,375,000

By countries

World C countries -- 141

Population -- 1,694,733,000

World B countries -- 59

Population -- 3,755,012,000

World A "unreached" countries -- 38

Population -- 605,304,000

Global Christian finance (in U.S. dollars)⁵

Estimated personal income of church members: $15.5 trillion

Giving to Christian causes: $280 billion

Ecclesiastical crime (embezzlement and other): $16 billion

Given to global foreign missions: $16 billion

Christian workers

Indigeneous workers (all denominations): 12 million³

Number of women in full-time ministry worldwide: 4.4 million⁶

Foreign/expatriate missionaries: 443,000⁶

Scripture distribution (all sources)

Bibles per year: 100 million⁷

Languages with at least a portion of Scripture: 2,238⁶

Christian evangelism

Evangelism hours per year: 162 billion³

Disciple-opportunities per capita per year: 166³

Chart showing the status of Bible translation availability

"We still have a long way to go in reaching unreached people groups, but the progress missionaries have made over the past two centuries is an encouraging sign that it can be completed. -- Robert Brown, Nazarene Bible College student