A new international study has identified core challenges that have affected Christianity globally, with researchers highlighting persecution, urbanisation and demographic shifts as the main areas of focus for church leadership.
A core finding from the Status of Global Christianity 2026 report was that Christianity has continued to grow internationally, while Islam has expanded at a faster rate.
Recent analysis by Lifeway Research has found that the Christian population is growing each year by 0.95%, while Islam increased by 1.57% annually. The international Muslim population has surpassed 2 billion people and has been projected to reach 3.4 billion people by 2075, narrowing the gap significantly.
The research was carried out by the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary’s Center for the Study of Global Christianity, who have also drawn attention to financial losses within churches and Christian ministries as a concern.
It’s estimated that $70bn (£51Bn) was lost annually through theft, fraud and other financial crimes. Researchers have said this figure is up by $19bn (£13Bn) in the year 2000.
The data has pointed to a decline of Christianity in traditional Christian regions, like Europe, which now has 553 million Christians and an annual decline of 0.41%.
Also, in the Middle East, where Christians once accounted for 12.7% of the population in 1900, the figure now rests at just 4.2% in 2026, with further decline expected.
The report has also highlighted that urban growth in cities doesn’t translate to increased Christian presence. More than 60% of the world’s key cities are now considered minority-Christian, compared with just a quarter 125 years ago.
While there has been progress in missionary work and Bible translation, more than 25% of the world’s population still has no access to the gospel, and researchers estimate that 27.7% of people globally, which is around 2.3 billion individuals, remain unreached, while less than 20% of non-Christians personally know a Christian.
Another area of concern is the international refugee crisis. Displacement levels have increased, with the refugee rate now standing at 450 per 100,000 people worldwide.
Finally, the long-term number of Christians killed for their faith has dropped compared with previous decades. Approximately 900,000 Christians are estimated to have died for their faith in the last 10 years.