UK, Australia, and France No Longer Majority Christian, New Report Finds
A recent Pew Research report found that the number of countries with Christian majorities declined between 2010 and 2020. Despite Christianity being the most geographically widespread world religion, representing 29% of the global population and consisting of the majority in 60% percent of countries, there has been an evident decline in the growing number of people leaving the faith, while there has been an increase in those who are religiously unaffiliated. According to Pew, religiously unaffiliated groups include individuals who identify as atheist, agnostic, or “nothing in particular.”
In 2020, the Christian population constituted the majority in 120 of the 201 analyzed countries and territories in the report, a decrease from 124 in 2010. This finding is evident that there were 60% of Christian-majority nations in the world, compared to 62% in the prior decade, as reported by The Christian Post.
The report also found that the most significant changes took place in the United Kingdom, Australia, France, and Uruguay, with a 50% drop in the number of professing Christians in that 10-year span. Meanwhile, Uruguay stood out as the only country in the Americas (as of 2020) without a Christian majority, with 52% of people who are unaffiliated and 44% identifying as Christian.
During that same period, New Zealand and the Netherlands joined a group of seven countries with religiously unaffiliated majorities, including China, North Korea, the Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Macao, and Japan.
Overall, 10 countries had religiously unaffiliated majorities by 2020, up from seven in 2010.
On the other hand, Hinduism and Islam had majority populations in fewer countries, which was consistent with their share of the world’s population. Hindus, who comprise 15% of the global population, hold majorities in just two countries: India and Nepal. Meanwhile, 53 countries had a Muslim majority, and Buddhists in seven.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Jantanee Rungpranomkorn
Originally published August 04, 2025.
