Is Christian growth keeping pace with Islam?

Christian growth has stagnated globally while Islam's numbers have almost doubled, according to one researcher.

In a report by Dick Slikker, of the Christian mission consultancy group Project Care, information from the World Christian Database reveals that Christians made up 34.5 per cent of the world's population in 1900, while in 2010 they were 32.9 per cent.

This is contrasted with Islam's growth over the same period, at 12.3 per cent of the population in 1900, rising to 22.5 per cent by 2010. The data shows that the number of Muslims exceeded the number of Roman Catholics in the early 1980s.

Growth and decline in the Christian churches has been divided across various regions, but the general pattern has been that more 'western' industrialised countries have seen their Christian populations decline, while developing countries are seeing increased growth.

The most prominent growth can be seen in Africa where the Christian population increased by 37 per cent between 1900 and 2010. Islam grew only 10 per cent in the same period, making Africa the place where Christians have grown at a faster rate than Muslims. Keep reading

Photo: John A. Gillis, The (Murfreesboro, TN) Daily News Journal