Africa Surpasses Latin America as Home to the Largest Christian Population on Any Single Continent

Christians in Africa face a great deal of persecution as many governments and anti-Christian organizations fight against believers in Jesus, making it hard for them to find work, earn a living, worship and/or go about their daily lives in peace. Surprisingly though, these attacks have not deterred Christianity in the least as new data shows that Africa is now home to more Christians than any other continent on earth.

It is the first time that Africa has surpassed Latin America as the most Christian continent as there are now over 630 million believers in more than four dozen African nations.

Latin American now holds second place as the most Christian continent with just over 600 million Christians. Europe comes in at third place with 571 million believers and Asia holds fourth place with 388 million believers. North America is a distant fifth with 277 million Christians and Australia is in sixth place with 29 million Christians.

Naturally, some nations in Africa have far more Christians than others. Recent stats show that Zambia is the most Christian nation in Africa, with a Christian population of 95.5%. Seychelles has the second largest Christian population as 94.7% of the nation’s residents are believers. Rwanda comes in third place as 93.6% of the country’s population is Christian.

Other African nations where Christians make up more than 80% of the population include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Namibia, Lesotho, Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Uganda and Gabon.

Pew Research Center notes that by the year 2060, up to 40% of all the world’s Christians will live in sub-Saharan African nations. The fact that many Christians in the region are young and tend to have lots of kids is one of the many factors boosting Christian growth on the continent.

While Africa has a large Christian population, it is also important to remember that there are still hundreds of millions of people on the continent who still have not had an opportunity to learn how much Jesus loves them. In fact, the 651 million Christians found throughout Africa make up only 45% of the continent’s population.

Furthermore, many of these believers face intense opposition from those who fight against Christian beliefs. ISIS has made international headlines for its activities in the Middle East but it has also expanded into Libya in the wake of that country’s instability following Qaddafi’s death.

Al-Shabaab is active in Somalia and Nigeria, introducing Sharia law into areas that it controls and killing Christians in surrounding regions. Boko Haram and Hausa-Fulani Muslim Herdsman also continue to fight against Christian believers in Nigeria and other countries.

Another threat to Christianity appears to be emerging in Southeast Africa as a relatively new Muslim group called Al-Sunna wa Jama’a has begun attacking believers in Mozambique, a country that has a large Christian population. Al-Sunna wa Jama’a has already killed nearly 40 people and displaced hundreds more in recent attacks.

Almost half a dozen African countries are listed on Open Doors’ Worldwide Watch List of countries with the most intense persecution of Christians; these nations include Egypt, Somalia, Libya and Sudan.

As Christians, we can rejoice that the number of believers in Africa is on the rise. At the same time, it is important to remember that Africa’s new designation as the continent with the largest Christians population does not mean that Africa’s Christians no longer need ongoing prayer and practical assistance.

Unlike believers in western nations, African believers face intense challenges to their faith. Their belief in Jesus Christ in many cases leads to severe physical hardships and even death. The threats these believers face are growing even as Christianity is on the rise in Africa overall.

Open Doors’ prayer list is a great starting point for those who want to effectively uphold African Christians in their prayers. Important prayer requests for Christians in Africa include safety and protection from harm, strength to be a light to non-believers so that they too can come to know Christ, and calm and peace throughout Africa so that innocent Christian and non-Christian civilians are not killed due to ongoing fighting.

It is also imperative to pray for individuals who have joined anti-Christian organizations that they, too, can come to know God’s love and forgiveness. At the same time, ministries that serve African Christians are calling on believers to offer financial and practical help to believers in Africa who are in need.

~ Christian Patriot Daily


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